Day 12, Matthew 8

What Up Crew!!
"See the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need."
Matthew 6:33

I hope all of you are having a terrific Tuesday...I am excited to be back on track with our study. I am thinking about starting a group on Sunday's that would meet during the first service. We would study some of what we go over during the week in "follower"...would any of you be interested in that?

Summary...

We are beginning to get to the part of Matthew where Jesus is simply doing it! How awesome was it to read all of these things that our Lord did. All of the healing that takes place in this chapter I think can be pointed to the very beginning of Matthew 8....where the leper asks Christ to heal him if He (Jesus) is willing. I love the response from our Jesus..."I am willing...be healed!" How awesome is it to serve a God that is always willing and ready and able to heal our sicknesses! To me this one story really shows the compassion side of our Lord and Savior Jesus!

The Roman officer, or the centurion's, faith moved Jesus. Did you understand what Jesus was talking about in verses 10-12? Jesus did not understand why somebody who was not Jewish, this centurion or roman, who often ridiculed the Jews, had so much faith yet religious leaders in the Jewish community did not believe! So He (Jesus), called them out on it! Basically saying that many of you Jews think you will be chillin with your boy Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but your going to miss out. While these gentiles...anyone who is not Jewish, dine with your heroes and chill with me forever in Heaven! I think what concerns me most about this is sometimes I get upset and look down upon people who do not do things the way I do them...we learn from this passage that there is some serious danger in doing that. We can not judge other's hearts, only God can and we must remember that as we walk this earth and live for Him!

Something I noticed that I thought to be so awesome was when Jesus healed Peter's mother-in- law in verse 14...did you notice what she did after she was healed? She served Jesus by cooking Him some grub. Man how cool is that? That is the mission of my life, to serve my Jesus because He has healed me from my disease, sin. Now for the rest of my life I will serve Him as a way of saying thank You Lord!

When you read verses 18-22, you get the sense that Jesus was not into large crowds. Jesus was not looking for a fan club, but followers...devoted followers! He knows that living life His way is not the popular thing to do and its like He took every opportunity to tell people how hard it would be to clear the crowds out...to separate the pretend followers from the real ones. Jesus calls us to be sold out for Him...are you? The one follower wanted to bury his father first before following Jesus...meaning he wanted to collect his inheritance left by his dad first then follow Christ. Jesus said leave him and follow Me...leave what you think you have earned or what you deserve and live a life of sacrifice alongside of me...that is crazy and totally awesome at the same time! I love me some Jesus!

Questions...

• Which one of the healing stories sticks out to you the most in Matthew 8? Why?
• Do you ever struggle to look down upon people because they do things a different way then you? Why do you think we do that?
• One of my favorite stories from the Bible is Matthew 8:23-27, Jesus calming the storm. List some things that would have been running through your head if you were one of the disciples out on the boat during the storm and even after Jesus did His thing?
• List a verse, it does not need to be from Matthew, that you think we should memorize together.

Lord Jesus thank You for being our great Healer! Thank You for being able and ready, willing Lord to take away my sins! I will forever be grateful for all that You have done for me, and I will give the rest of my life for You and Your Kingdom because You have first loved me! Lord Jesus thank You for being Holy and Sovereign over my life today. I want to stand in awe of You Lord, You are so Great and Glorious God! There is none like You Father! I trust in You, I believe in You and I need You so badly Lord. Please lead and guide my life today Lord. Help me to die to self, and the things I want. Help me to lay aside my agenda for Yours. I trust Your plans for my life, I ask You to be in control of my tongue and my mind. Lead me out of and away from temptation today. Hold me tightly in the truth of Your Holy Word! Jesus bless my friends as they study You. Bless fusion, our community Lord! Use us to bring change to this world God. We want to be apart of a revolution, a generation that would rise up for the cause and Name of your Son, Jesus Christ! Lord we surrender to You, be with us today I pray!!! I love You Lord...

In Jesus Name...Amen!
tom

Day 11, Matthew 7:7-29

Mornin!

"Seek first the Kingdom of God, above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you ALL that you need."
Matthew 6:33

Summary...
I have always loved and appreciated verses 7 & 8 in Matthew 7. What a promise from our Heavenly Father that basically tells us if we annoy Him enough He will give in, and grant us what we ask for! Do you have that verse memorized because that is a life verse...a verse you will need for the rest of your life to remember! I love how Jesus talks about the gifts that earthly parents give...verses 9-10, and compares it to God and how we can trust Him. We can know God will always take care of us, even better than our earthly parents, thank You for that Lord.

The Golden Rule...we have been learning this since we were in pre-school haven't we. But for some reason we, as people, really struggle to put others before ourself. Jesus tells us in the 2nd part of verse 12...that this Golden Rule is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets! The Golden Rule, if we can focus on it and live it out, is what the Bible is all about. So I ask you again...Do you have this "life verse" memorized?

The Narrow Gate...Being a follower of Jesus is not the popular thing to do. It is surely the road less traveled, and we must remember that in our walks. As you go about living your life, ask yourself...am I traveling the narrow road right now? Let me ask you, are you willing to leave the popular road, to follow Jesus on the narrow road? For Christ tells us that the narrow road is "difficult"...is the road your traveling on difficult right now?

Fruit...We have so many fakers in the faith! I'll be the first to admit that I am a faker, meaning I am not perfect and yet i am trying to follow a Man who was. I can not cut it, His righteousness is unatainable on my own...I NEED HIM! The problem is that today there are too many Christ followers who live and act like they do not need Jesus...these are the ones who are the real fakers! Jesus tells us how to know who is living it out and who isn't...He says look at the fruit from their life. He says in verse 18 "a good tree can not produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can not produce good fruit." What kind of fruit are you producing in your life?

Building Your life upon Christ...Probably one of my biggest fears is hearing my Lord say to me..."depart from me for I never knew you!" That statement keeps me up at night. Reread verses 21-23, Jesus is warning us that there will be some who swear they know God but when the day comes Jesus will ask them to depart from Him because He does not know them! Jesus says the key not to hear that said to you is to do the will of our Father!

Our Lord then talks about building on a solid foundation! Jesus says there are 2 types of builders, the first is the one who builds on a solid foundation and the second is the foolish builder who builds their life on the sand! At first this story is funny, or atleast it was for me as I asked myself who would really build their life in the sand. But then God began to bring to my mind faces of friends that are doing simply just that...building their lives upon sand! The story goes from one that used to be funny to one that is heart-breaking! We have to build our lives on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ!

Questions...

• What is the fruit Jesus is looking for in our lives...look at Galatians5:22?
• What happens to a tree, or life, that does not produce fruit?
• What is one of your greatest fears in life?
• Do you like to annoy God when it comes to your prayer life? What does a verse like Matthew 7:7-8 mean to you as a follower of Jesus?
• We read the golden rule in this chapter...Matthew 7:12. I want you to think and pray about something you can do for somebody else that would really bless them! Really pray about it, ask God to show you what He would have you do, and then do it in love for the other person. Once God has told you what He would like for you to do, share it with everyone so we can celebrate it and pray for you!!!

Lord Jesus I cry out to you so desperately! Lord I have tried so many times to build my life on the things of this world, on sand Lord, and I desire to turn to you! I desire to construct my life with you being at the core of who I am! Jesus thank You for saving me, thank You for sustaining me, nothing is impossible for You Lord! Help us to dig deep as a community to who You are! Lord Jesus I love You and I love my friends that are studying You with me, bless them, grow them, have Your way in them I pray!!

In Jesus Name...Amen
tom

Day 10, Matthew 7:1-6

Hey Guys!

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need."
Matthew 6:33

Man Lord please keep us focused on our mission in life...to be about You and Your Kingdom which is everlasting! I think part of our problem as Christians today is we are so consumed with things that simply do not matter to our God! I think more times than not we miss it...we miss what God wants us to see and to be about! I am sports guys, so here is analogy in sports lingo!

It would be like a pitcher pitching in the World Series. He has 2 outs in the last inning, and he is one out away from leading his team to victory. The batter steps in the box, and this pitcher throws his first pitch...and it is called ball 1. Then he comes back and throws 3 strikes in a row to strike out the batter, get the final out and win the game and become World Series Champions! Now imagine this...they just won the game right, as the catcher runs out to the mound, the pitcher is expecting to get a massive hug..."great job man!" or "we are the champs!!". Instead, the catcher runs out to the pitcher and says why was your first pitch to that guy a ball?

What does the first pitch matter now that the game is over?

I think this describes us as Christians, we are so concerned about the dumbest things compared to God's Kingdom! We are so busy worrying about ball 1, that we miss the next 3 strikes that win us the game and World Series. This is the reason I am challenging us to memorize Matthew 6:33! Let's stay focused together, and keep the main thing the main thing...let's be about our awesome Lord and His Kingdom! Help us to do this Lord God I pray!!

Summary...
I think these 6 verses go so well with what I was talking about above! We sometimes walk around as Christians thinking everyone else has a problem except us. I love this classic line from our Jesus..."How can you see the speck in your friends eye when you have a log in your own eye!" Yes!! That is awesome...score 1 for Jesus. The thought most people have about Christians is that we are so judgemental...and we are! We Have to follow verse 5, and deal with our stuff first and then help others.

I think it is the times we look in the mirror, deal with our "stuff", that we are reminded how imperfect we are and how badly we need Jesus. Taking more time to do this will humble us and prevent us from judging others! We need to look in the mirror a little more often...or atleast I do!
Jesus says something funny in verse 6...read it again. What do you think He meant by that? This past weekend Lauren and I went to Tampa to visit her sister. We went out to eat, and we were leaving the restaurant on our way back to the car and I saw this guys reading scripture with a sign that read..."Ask me why you are going to hell!" That right there is exactly what Jesus was talking about in verse 6...He warns us not to waste our time. He says do not throw something as beautiful as pearls to pigs! Now from the outside that can seem judgemental, and totally the opposite of everything He just said in Matthew 7, but Jesus was not telling us to judge others or even to give up on unbelievers. He was telling us not to waste our time. We have to follow Him in the way He spoke truth to others. Jesus never shy ed away from the truth, but He never was short on compassion either! He always was filled with love and He was the King at relating to people! Sitting on the side of the road, telling people they are going to burn in hell is not relating to people like Jesus would.

Let's be full of love and compassion, committed to not judge one another. Let us invest in one an others lives, and earn that opportunity to speak the Truth at the moment when it will be received by a heart that does not believe!

Questions...

• Have you ever judged someone unfairly?
• What can we do as Christians to change the way the world views us when it comes to always judging others?
• How can we be more intentional about looking in the "mirror" more to remember how broken we are, and to prevent us from judging others harshly?
• What is your strategy to share your faith with people who do not believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

Lord Jesus help us to become more and more like You! Please fill our hearts with compassion for others! help us Jesus not to judge others, but to relate to them in a way in which we can speak Your mighty Truth that they will hear. Please hold us tightly...Jesus I love You and NEED You Badly! Bless our community, fusion, and continue to use us to be the change! We surrender who we are unto You, take us and use Lord I Pray...In Jesus Name...Amen!

tom

Day 9, Matthew 6

Whazzz up!!
Hope all is well with you and yours on this glorious summer day! I have to say that I was proud last night to see some ministry teams doin ministry at fusion! We have a long way to go, but it was cool to see them take off like they did last night!

Summary...
There is a ton of good stuff in Matthew 6 that you need to take time to look at, but I would like to take our time and focus on the Lord's prayer. Do you know this prayer? For me, I have grown up saying this prayer every week, and to be honest it has lost its meaning. In Matthew 6:5-14, Jesus talks about prayer. He warns against public prayer, saying that we must be careful as we pray publicly not to pray to impress others. Jesus also says not to babble on as we pray...yeah I am horrible at that! So many times when I pray, I ramble on and on and then I end my prayer never allowing my God to speak to me. We MUST remember that prayer is a 2 way conversation between us and God, and that we have to stop hanging up on God! But Lets take a closer look at the "classic" Lord's prayer.

Our Father who art in heaven, may Your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come soon. May Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Something I noticed about this prayer that I have never seen before is how the first 3 lines have nothing to do with us and everything to do with God. Do your prayers to God mimic the Lord's prayer? I think most of us rush into prayer, lay or requests before God, and then say thanks and love ya...I love ya Lord...Amen. Remember the disciples asked Jesus how should we pray...and Jesus said like this...and then went into the Lord's prayer. We must begin our prayers with the holiness of our God like Jesus calls us to. We must start with acknowledging life begins with You Lord. I know people who start their prayers with...It's not about me, it's about You Lord! We have to learn to run into God's presence focused more on Him and less on us.

Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

I love the idea of coming before our God and asking Him to give us what we need for our day. Asking Him to wipe us clean, and help us to forgive those around us. And looking to Him for guidance through temptation and keeping us safe from the schemes of the enemy! Do your prayers sound like this?

Questions...

• Stop and recite the Lord's prayer. Do feel that prayer has power within it, or have you become used to saying it, and it is simply a routine prayer you say in church?
• When do you pray to God? How to you go about doing it usually? Do you follow Christ's model He gave us in Matthew 6?
• I would like to encourage us to memorize vs. 33 of Matthew 6. Begin each comment with it. What is the significance of that verse to you?

Lord God help us to keep You first in our lives! Draw us closer to You as we study Your Son Jesus. Lord God help us to keep our focus on You as we pray, rather than focusing on ourselves. Jesus give us victory today over temptation from the evil one, and remind us of our forgiveness that we have in You! Lord Jesus we love You, and we need You...we desperately pursue You! Bless my friends as we study You!

In Jesus Name...Amen

tom

Day 8, Matthew 5:38-48

Hey Guys,
Man I am so sorry I have been MIA lately, my computer is seriously challenging my faith. Please pray that it would last, because right now I can not afford to get an another one! How is everyone doing with their study of Jesus...do not grow weary, stay focused! Jesus draw us closer to You please! Make us desperate for You, even more than we already are! Help us become better followers of You, we need You so badly Lord God. Be with us today as we study Your Holy Word, teach us something new I pray...In Jesus Name. Amen!

Summary...
The last part I want to look at in Matthew 5 I think everyone can relate to at some point in their life. Jesus teaches and talks about revenge or having a love for your enemies. I think a lot of us keep away from people we know to be "evil", and I love my Jesus because He is so radical! He says in verse 39, don't resist an evil person, in other words don't keep a safe distance between you and them. Jesus encourages us to get into their lives, and as we do it don't hold anything back from them. If they ask for money, give it to them...verse 42. If they ask for some of your clothes, give them your best and more than what they ask for...verse 40. This way of living is so far from the way we live isn't. Jesus teaches His disciples, and us His modern day disciples, to not just love those who love us. He says to be like Him, in every way, and love those who love you and hate you.

I think the key to this whole thing that Jesus is asking us to live out is in verse 44. Read it again. Man how hard it is to pray for people who irritate us, or are simply mean and rude to us. I have struggled to do this like so many others, but I know the times I have done it...man it erased my anger so quickly towards that person. We love to be angry, even in times when we have a right to be mad, Jesus tells us to give that to the Lord in Prayer.

Questions...

• Is there someone you are mad at right now or is there someone you consider to be evil and your enemy in life right now? Take some time to simply pray for them and your attitude toward others like them.

Hopefully I will get my computer fixed tomorrow and we will resume our study together! Have a great day or night depending on when you read this!! Love you guys greatly!

tom

Day 7, Matthew 5:13-30

Hola Homies and Homets,
I hope the weekend is treating you well. I am looking forward to worship tomorrow morning fo' sure! How is the study going for you? What new things are you learning about Jesus? Is your relationship with Him going deeper...I am praying so!!

Summary...
I am going to break this reading down into 3 parts...Shining for Christ, Anger and Lust.

Jesus says, in verse 15 with a bit of sarcasm, that no one lights up a lamp and then covers it up! Imagine being at home with your family, and somebody says...it is dark in here turn on that light and then 5 seconds later goes back over to the light and covers it up! Wouldn't you look at that person in your family and ask them what they have been smoking? Jesus is calling us to live out lives that shine for His glory. In verse 16 He says to let our good deeds shine out brightly for all to see to the praise of our Heavenly Father! The problem today in the world is we have way to many "weird" Christians. The same way you would look at someone who asks for light and then turns right around and covers up the light they just lit, is the same way the world often looks at Christians. Sometimes we are so ashamed of our faith, we refuse to shine our lights for Jesus, and because of that we become useless to Him! The world asks...if this Jesus guy is so awesome why are you so ashamed of Him? Jesus tells us here in this passage that shining is our purpose in this life...we are to shine for Him!!!

This passage where Jesus talks about anger is a tough one for sure! In this chapter we often hear Jesus say...You have heard the law of Moses says, but I say...and I found out that Jesus was not changing the law or even raising the stakes. He was merely reflecting God's heart for those laws in the first place. Jesus tells us that we can murder in our hearts and in words and it is just as wrong as actual physical murder! How many times have you thought someone was an idiot? Yet Jesus tells us that is just as wrong as committing murder. One of the things Jesus points out in this text that I think we struggle with as Christ followers is mending problems with other believers. Jesus tells us to NOT approach God in worship if we know someone has a "beef" with us. Jesus tells us to work it out, settle it and then come to God in worship! We often go to God first, tell Him how wrong the other person is. We then make ourselves feel better, and never address the issue with the person! Christ says to go to the person first, fix it, and the get your worship on!

Lust. How dangerous it can be. I remember hearing the adultery commandment and then thinking that is one I will never have to worry about...and then along comes Jesus! Jesus says, if you ever think something lustful you've committed adultery! But then he encourages us to do the extreme...if your eye causes you to sin gauge it out, or your hand causes you to sin cut it off! That is hard core no doubt! I love how Jesus says...even if it's your good eye or even if it's your good hand! Jesus was so radical! Now did He mean to actually cut off your hand or really take out your eye...no! Why? Because you can still lust with no eyes, or with no hands. Again Jesus was talking about something deeper. Christ is saying man if you can't hop on that computer without looking at porn, than smash that thing in a million pieces! Or if you can'tt stop sleeping with her, you need to break up with her. Jesus calls us to be radical as He was! Are you?

Questions...
Which of the 3 topics discussed do you struggle with most and why?
How well of a job do you do at sharing your faith with others?
Are you willing to be "radical" for Jesus?
Imagine yourself as one of the 12 disciples...what are some things that would be running through your head as you hear Jesus teaching all this for the first time?

Instead of me praying and ending today's blog, I would like to ask you to pray for our community, specifically asking Jesus to change all of our hearts for His glory. The results are in for the "live" recording nights for the Jr. and Sr. high, and I thought it was cool that both groups voted "God of this City" in the set list. So as you pray for fusion, remember that, and ask to be a part of greater things!! I am excited to see what Jesus is going to do in and through our community of faith, fusion! have an awesome night and I look forward to worshipping with you guys tomorrow!

tom

Day 6, Matthew 5:1-12

Hey Guys,
I hope all is well in your world today...man was God awesome last night! I am so thankful we serve a God who is alive...always moving and breathing down on us! Thank You Lord Jesus for being our Healer, and thank You for coming in our midst last night and healing some hearts...You are AMAZING and I love You so much!

Summary...
So we are looking at the rest of the Beatitudes today...which one stood out to you most? I have to say one thing I noticed is how each Beatitude went against the "way of the world". Did you notice that? For example...God blesses those who are humble when the world encourages pride...self ambition...it is all about you in the world. Or how about God blesses those who are merciful when the world tells you to hold a grudge as long as you want and not to show mercy! What God is asking of us and expecting us to live out is so different than the way the world lives their lives. My momma often says that in situations that she is not sure what to do in, she asks herself what would the world do and then she does the opposite...gotta love my momma cause she's got it!

Again we must remember what these Beatitudes are for. They are like a code of conduct for us to live out as Christ followers. At the start of the passage it says that Jesus sat down to teach the disciples. In biblical times, when a rabbi would sit down to teach it meant they were serious, what they were teaching was crucial and the teaching deserved full attention. As you read these 8 key things, these 8 Beatitudes, give it your full attention because they are the expectation for you and for me in the way we live our lives.

I think the Beatitude that stood out to me most was verse 7...God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. I don't know about you, but I love the mercy of God and I am forever thankful for it! It is the mercy of God that has changed my life forever...I need His mercy. Yet this passage tells me I will be shown mercy as I give mercy. How good are you at giving mercy? I think a lot of times I am good at pointing out the wrong that people do, but I am not so good at extending them mercy in that moment as Christ would. We must learn to be more grace-filled, allowing for other's faults in life. Check out Ephesians 4:31-32...good stuff for sure!

Questions...

• What Beatitude do you struggle with most and why?
• How different are you from your friends who don't know Jesus? Do you see a difference between God's way and the world's and if so what is the difference? Which way is easier?
• When it comes to mercy, how good are you at showing it to others?
• Verse 10-12, again Jesus does not hide the fact that we will face persecution if we live for His Name. Have you ever been made fun of because of your faith in God? What do these 3 verses mean to you as a follower of Jesus Christ?

Lord Jesus I ask for Your mercy today for myself and my friends. But today Lord help us not only to receive this great gift You have given us, but help us to give it away to others. Help us to be grace-filled even to those who make fun of us and say false things about us. Help us to love them like You have first loved us. Bless my friends as they study You Jesus. Bless our desire as a community to draw closer to You and become better followers of You. Please continue to reveal who You are to us each day that we spend with You! We love You Jesus, remind us today of our GREAT need for You!

In Jesus Name...Amen.

tom