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

Day 5 Matthew 5:1-3

Hey Guys,
Thank you for your patience with putting the study on pause. I will take some time tonight to go over the study with everyone, so hopefully that will clear up any confusion for those who really desire to be apart of "follower.".

Summary...
My heart is heavy today, and I simply can not get past the first beatitude. As I was studying this text I found out that the Sermon on the Mount was not a one-time message that Jesus taught. I often have read Matthew 5 and thought that the message Jesus was delivering had to be over 2 hours long...there just is a ton of info in Matthew 5! Well as it turns out, Jesus taught much longer than a couple of hours. My study said that the Sermon on the Mount was a compilation of teachings by Jesus that were crucial for His disciples to know. In other words, the Sermon on the Mount was the "win" for all disciples of Christ. It is thought that after Jesus picked His 12 disciples, He went off some where...Matthew 5:1...sat down and began to teach and to train them for their ministries. That really stands out to me, because I consider myself a disciple, a learner and follower of Jesus, so this chapter of Scripture is the framework on how to live for our awesome Savior!

And this is why...I know you are not really allowed to start a sentence with and but it is my blog and I'll do what ever I want with it...I have been stuck on Matthew 5:3...the first Beatitude. If what we are about to read in Matthew 5 is the manual on how to be a true "follower" of Christ, the first Beatitude needs to catch your eye as well.

"God blesses those who realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them."

Desperate is the word that I can not get off my mind and it will even be what I talk about some what tonight during fusion. You know what I mean when I say desperate...meaning are YOU desperate for God...yes or no? I think this was the first Beatitude not by chance or luck but because it is the most crucial. God blesses those who are poor in spirit or who realize their need for Him...does that describe you? Are you desperate for God, or are you some what into God meaning you just a need dose of God every now and then and you are fine. When was the last time you lied awake because you did not spend any time with Jesus that day and because of it you could not sleep at all! Are you desperate for Jesus, how badly do you need Him?

I am sitting here absolutely stuffed from a subway sub. As I was shoving the last bite of the 6 inch sub in my mouth I was full, and really did not want any more of the sub as I had another 6 inch left to go. In that moment it hit me, when was the last time I was so "stuffed" with God? When was the last time I really hungered and thirst for Him? Desperate...I am telling you it is the word that consumes my mind in this moment.

I don't know about you, but I would love to have the blessing of God on my life. And His word is promising I will be blessed when I realize my need for Him. So it is gut check time...are you desperate for Jesus? Do realize and understand how badly you need Him?

Lord Jesus I am so sorry i am who I am, a sinner. But I thank you for being who You are, a Savior! I want you badly in my life, I NEED you badly in my life. Help us to become better "followers" of You, and may it start right here with this first Beatitude, or this first teaching from You on how to live out our lives for You. I love You so much Lord, and I praise You for who You are! In Jesus Name...Amen.

Reflect...
Instead of questions, just take some time to reflect on your need for Jesus. really open up and be honest, do you need Jesus Christ in your life? Take some time to sit before Him and let Him point out some things to You, and ask him to make you and I desperate for Him! I'll be praying for all of you...

Come ready tonight to meet with Him tonight...

tom

"Follower." on pause...

Hey guys,
I am receiving a lot of questions from people about how to do this study. So I have decided to hold off until tomorrow. I will post the next blog tomorrow morning but I am going to take some time Wednesday night at fusion, to show everyone how to be "involved" with the study. For you guys who are actively in the study I am asking that you would continue to read Matthew 5. I am going to break this chapter down into a couple of different sections as there is a ton of stuff Jesus is talking about! Again I am sorry we have to pause the study, but too many people are confused about how to do the study. Anyway, look for the first part of Matthew 5 tomorrow, and I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow night!

thanks,
tom

Day 4, Matthew 4

Hey Guys,
Here we are already on day 4...Crazy! To me this is where the study is going to pick up. I mean it is important to know our Jesus and how He grew up and all that, but from here on out we are reading about His ministry! Lord Jesus please open our eyes to see and to learn more about You!

Summary...
The story of Jesus being tempted should encourage all of our heart's. The Bible says that Jesus was led by the Spirit out to be tempted. I love how the Bible never shies away from the fact and even goes out of its way to remind us how human Jesus really was. I feel like verse 2 was simply to connect to the human heart...no food for 40 days...that makes me hungry just thinking about it. I can't even go 40 minutes without food! Again, the Bible giving us the opportunity to connect with our Jesus over human needs...this time it is hunger that connects us to Christ.

What a blueprint Jesus laid out for us to follow when facing temptation. I assume you, like me, face temptation in your own life. Even our Jesus, our King, Lord and Savior faced temptation but did you notice how Jesus faught against the devil? Did you notice how sly the devil was in trying to tempt Jesus? Knowing Jesus is hungry, the enemy tries to tempt Jesus with food. Satan tries to misuse the Word of God. The enemy is slick and we must be ready to fight against him the way Christ did...so how did Jesus fight and win against satan? He did it through the Word! How crucial is it to know God and His Word! Every time the enemy came at Jesus, our Lord fired back with the undeniable truth of the Word! Do you know the truth? Are you ready to fight against temptation the way Christ did? We must know the Word to be ready to stand against the attack from the evil one.

In this chapter, we see Jesus pick out His first disciples...Andrew, Simon or Peter, James and John. Now remember the difference between a disciple and an apostle. A disciple is a learner, one who follows and is simply learning from the One they follow. An apostle is a messenger. Later on, the 12 would go from being followers to messengers of the news about Jesus. Here in Matthew 4 we read about Jesus and His first round picks.

All four of these guys were fisherman, and it cracks me up every time I read this to think about Jesus simply calling out to the them and saying come follow Me! I will make you fishers of men. The Bible tells us these four guys drop their nets...I love that. They stopped what they were doing to follow Christ. How often do you and I tell God we will follow in a second after we finish up some other things first. 'Don't worry Lord, I will follow you after I take care of some other important stuff first'...these guys said count us in Jesus! Everything stopped for Christ. Can you say that for your own life? These guys were willing to leave it all behind and pursue Jesus. Is that a picture of you and your relationship with our Lord?

The last part of the chapter tells us that it doesn't take long in His ministry for Jesus to become famous. The word was spreading fast about this man Christ who could heal the lame and the sick. People began to come from all over to get a look at this man Jesus to see what He was about! Notice what His message was to the people as He would preach...it might ring a bell...check out verse 17. John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ to be heard. Jesus then came in. He began preaching and things began to happen!

Questions...

• When was the last time you were tempted to do wrong?
• How do you try and fight temptation now?
• Who were the first four disciples Jesus called?
• What was their job or occupation?
• Imagine what someone would write back in those days, if they had a newspaper, about this man Jesus and His healing power. What do think would be some things listed in the article about this mystery man Jesus Christ?

Lord Jesus, continue to open our eyes so we can see You and what You were about. We love You and need You badly. Bless my friends who are studying and learning more about You I Pray...In Jesus' Name, Amen!

tom

Day 3, Matthew 3

Hey guys,
Man it has been awesome to read your insights into the study! I am stoked to see Jesus moving and revealing Himself to each of us in new ways...Praise God! I would ask you to pray for those whose post or comment you're reading. Again like we would if we were meeting in a small group at the church, we would take time to pray for one another. Please do the same as you read others and their comment on the day's study!

Summary...
Matthew 3 talks a lot about John the Baptist, and even though we are studying Jesus, I think there are some key things about John that we need to know! John was hardcore for God! The Bible tells us that he was out in the wilderness, not in the city streets...out in the wilderness preaching to any who would listen. Matthew tells us of John's purpose and he uses Isaiah 40:3 to do it. John was to simply prepare the way for the Lord. His job was to say...don't look at me, it is Him you want to look at and be about! Don't miss this guy Jesus, He is the One. John's job was always to point toward Jesus. The other cool thing about John was his message. Repent...turn from your sins. Does that message sound familiar? Do you think we will hear Jesus preaching that as well? John was so sold out for God that he would preach on whatever God asked him to preach on. Even if it was to the religious leaders, or even to the king, John was willing to be obedient even to the point of death...EXTREME FAITH!! My favorite verse from this reading, that also hits me hard is Matthew 3:8. Lord please help me live this out!!

We finally get to Jesus and what He is up to in verse 13. Now my question to you is in verse 13 Jesus was about 30 years old. When we left off yesterday Jesus was a child. What was going on in our Savior's life for 30 years? What was He doing? What was He learning? What was going on with Jesus during this time?

I have often wondered about this, and while we are not exactly sure of what He did everyday of His life during this time, more than likely He was handling the little things. He was being a good Son and Brother. He was waiting for His time that had not yet come. In my study, what stood out to me was that Jesus, ruler of it all, would say, 'It's simply not My time yet.' I mean He is the Ruler, He is the King...not His time yet? Jesus in this moment displayed for me EXTREME OBEDIENCE to His Father...God Almighty! Jesus took care of the little things even though He knew He was to save the world from its sin! Too many times in my life, I am not willing to do the little things. I want to jump right into the big things...mission trips, preaching and leading worship, instead of doing the the little things...being a good son and brother and simply helping others as I develop my relationship with God. But Jesus shows us the importance of the little things. I mean if I desire to be a better follower of Christ, than I must embrace the little things and not just the big things from God!

Jesus being baptized always seemed weird as well to me. When you are baptized you are saying to the world, "I am turning from sin and turning to God!". But Jesus had no sin. So why get baptized? And Jesus answers that in verse 15, but also Jesus did it for the Jews. Jewish people almost had this stuck-up mentality that they were the "chosen" people, descendants of Abraham, and they really didn't need to get baptized. Jesus comes in and simply declares His need for God, He declares His love for God. Jesus was a Jew, and yet he declares His ultimate need for God Almighty! What a beautiful moment that was..."As the heavens open up and God almighty declares...This is my Son!" And like that wasn't good enough...He says, "Whom I am well pleased with!" God says you better keep your eyes on this Guy, my precious Son. This marks the start of Christ's ministry on earth! It is now His time to begin doing His thing!!

Questions...

• What was the relationship like between Jesus' mom and John the Baptist's mom...look at Luke 1. Were Jesus and John the Baptist around the same age?
• As you picture John the Baptist out in the woods preaching this intense message, what are some of the response's you think he got?
• Has Jesus being baptized ever stuck out to you? Do you understand why He did indeed get baptized?
• How well do you do the little things in life compared to the big things. I mean i think a lot of us would jump in a plane tomorrow to go save as many children that were dying from hunger that we could, but most of us are not willing to take even 5 minutes to pray for them. God is into the little things, are you?
• Picture this scene of Jesus coming out of the water, and the heavens parting, and the voice of the One True God saying...This is My Son, and I am well Pleased with Him! What are some things that would be running through your head as you heard the voice of God in that precious moment?

Lord, please bless us as we study more about You and Your Son whom we desperately want to be more like! Draw us closer to You and to one another I pray...

In Jesus Name, Amen!

tom

Day 2, Matthew 2

Hello fellow bloggers!
I am so sorry that I am sending this out late today! Unfortunately I have not recovered from Wednesday night and still am sick...so please pray that I would get better. Normally I will post each study the night before you guys will do it. That way the study is ready for you to do it first thing in the morning if that's what you desire.

Summary...
I must say I learned some cool stuff today about Christ's life that I never knew before. Matthew tells us that Jesus was born in a town called Bethlehem, which was a very small town south of Jerusalem. The author, Matthew, tells us that right from the start of Christ's life there are people who already don't like Him. Matthew is the only one who tells us about this jealous King named Herod. This story is not listed in any of the other gospels...Mark, Luke or John. Herod is the one who dislikes Jesus, and wants to get rid of Him. Did you catch Herod's sneaky little plan involving the wise men? Herod was afraid that Jesus would turn out to be a King, he was afraid that Jesus would steal his throne...so he tries to use the wise men to find the location of our precious baby Jesus, so he can kill Him! To me what stands out is for His entire life, Jesus always had people looking to kill Him. I mean here He is a baby, and someone is after Him, looking to kill Him. He has not said a word yet, or performed a miracle...but people are already threatened by our Jesus!

The other thing we read that stood out to me was the gifts the wise men brought to baby Jesus. Do you remember what those gifts were? Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were the gifts these wise men brought to Jesus. I have to admit I have often looked at these gifts and thought our little Lord, baby Jesus got ripped off by these wise men! I mean where are the little tonka dump trucks, or hot wheels set. What about lego's, or a bike or even clothes...something that baby Jesus could use instead of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

As I dug deeper in my study I found that these gifts had a much deeper meaning. Back in those times gold symbolized royalty, and if you ever wanted to meet with a King you would have to bring them a gift. Of coarse there was only one acceptable gift for a King and that was gold. We now often refer to Jesus as a King or Ruler. Jesus is known as the King of the Jews, and so a very appropriate gift to our baby Jesus or to our King was gold. Frankincense was a proper gift to give to a priest. It was used by the priests and burned in the temple during times of worship. We now know our Jesus as our "High Priest" and we read things like Colossians 1:22 that tells us we have been brought back to God through Christ, our High Priest! Myrrh was a gift to someone that was to die. It was used to embalm or preserve the bodies of the dead. What was Jesus whole purpose to come and to walk on this earth but to die for you and for me!

The gifts that the wise men brought have way more of a symbolic meaning than I ever knew. These gifts really symbolize who we now know our Jesus to be...our King, our High Priest, and our Savior who gave His life up for us!

Questions...

• What town was Jesus born in?
• Who was the King who wanted to kill Jesus and what ever happened to Him?
• What stands out to you most about the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus on the night He was born?
• We read in Matthew 2:10-12, about the time the wise men had with Jesus...the Bible says these men worshipped Jesus and that they were joyful when they found where He was. Take a moment to picture this scene between Mary, Joseph, the 3 wise men and of coarse baby Jesus! Can you feel the joy of the wise men? Can you feel the faith of the wise men? They believed this baby was to become their King, Priest and Savior!!! Is Jesus all 3 of those for you...King over your life? Your High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16) who has enabled you to have a relationship with God Almighty? And the Savior of your life, the One who offered up Himself for you...is this your picture of Jesus?

I pray that it is...I too am praying for all of you! I'll talk to ya tomorrow!!

tom

Day 1, Matthew 1

Hello Fusion Peeps!

Well are you guys ready for this...I know I am! Before we dive into Matthew Chapter 1, here's a little reminder for how this is going to work. Each day you, on your own, will read a chapter from Matthew. You will then come here to the blog and read the "post" for the day. I will have a brief summary of the chapter and then have some questions for you to answer. Answer those questions on your own in a journal of some sorts. Then each day you must post a comment, not to be cool, but to be involved! My heart is that this would really feel like a Bible study and that we would all be reading each other's comments and feedback to help further our relationship with Christ and with one another!

Take a moment before you go any further to ask Christ to teach you more about Him over the next 28 days so that you will be a better "follower" of Him!

Summary...
The chapter starts off with the record of ancestors of Jesus. The names are tough to read, aren't they? What is so important about all these names and why did Matthew go out of his way to start his book off with them? The Jews were told their Messiah or Savior would come through the line of Abraham and King David...so Matthew traces Jesus back all the way not just to King David but all the way to Abraham to prove Christ is the Messiah!

We then read about the story of Jesus' birth and how it came to be. What always stands out to me in this story is how Mary was a virgin, yet was pregnant with baby Jesus! Think about today, if someone in your school got pregnant how difficult would their life become? I can't imagine what was running through Mary's mind, but she trusted God! She trusted His plan, even though it seemed crazy. Also, you have to think the same for Joseph--this whole thing had to be difficult. In fact we read that Joseph even thought of breaking off his engagement with Mary because she was pregnant, and he didn't want to deal with every thing that came along with that!

Question...

• In your life...do you trust God?
• Has He asked you to do something before that seemed crazy and if so what was it?
• If you were Mary or Joseph what would be some things running through your mind during all of this?
• Imagine Jesus as a baby...take time to really think about that. Our Lord, our King, a little infant! Doing things that babies do...cry, poop, pee, sleep! I want us to get a picture of our Lord, and this is where our study begins. Take time to think about Jesus as a baby, and pray that over the next 27 days He would teach us more and more about Him! I'll talk to you guys tomorrow!

tom

John 15...Last Day!!!

Man, I am so stoked to start this journey as a community through the book of Matthew together! I don't know about you, but I love my Jesus and I need more of Him in my life.

Just take a moment to pray that to Him...Jesus, I need and want more of You in my life.

The name of this study is "follower." Why? Because I believe now more than ever that in order to follow Christ, which we are called to do, we MUST know Christ! We have to know what He's about, what He stood for, and what He was passionate about. Tomorrow we will start on that journey of looking and studying His life through Matthew's perspective.

Take the time to pray right now and just tell Jesus to reveal who He is to you. Tell Him you want to know Him more. Put yourself before Him declaring you're teachable.

Also, take time to pray for our community or ministry, fusion. Ask God to grow us closer together as we study the life of our Savior.

Lord, may our hearts be united as each of us study to become a better follower of Yours. Help us to do what You made us to do...to produce lasting fruit for Your glory! John 15:8,16...check it out! This is the reason we live!

Ya'll have a great night! See ya tomorrow...

tom

John15...2 Days and Counting!

Hello fellow bloggers!
I am sitting here with Ryan Pantaleo...he says hello or "morning"! Anyway as Ryan and I just finished reading John 15 to one another what stood out to me was Christ talking about the world's hatred. Jesus talks about this hatred from verse 18 -25, but what really stood out to me was Jesus' guarantee that the world will hate you. He doesn't say the world might hate you, He says the world will hate you at some point. Why?

Why will the world hate us? What did I do wrong? Maybe some of the questions running through your mind as you read Christ's words in John 15. Jesus says, in verse 19, that the world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don't. Who do you belong to...Christ or the world?

This reminds me of a few years back when I had a couple of roommates, and they would constantly want to go down town and get..."wasted" and meet girls and do all kinds of worldly things. When they would invite me and I would say no, it would cause some bitter feelings and even sometimes arguments between us. Christ tells us that those who choose the narrow road (Matthew 7:13-14) will be hated by those who choose the wide road!

It's kind of like being with a big group of friends and one of the friends is not involved in any of the discussions, they are not talking to anyone, they are with you guys but as you all walk in a group they lag 10 feet behind. You ask that person what's wrong and they say nothing...I am fine. Now I have been on both sides of this situation before and i know that when you are with the group of friends it bothers you that the one friend isn't talking to anyone. So as a result you and the rest of the friends don't have as good of time because the one person is not involved in everything that everyone else is involved in. So when you choose to do the things people do in the world they will love you, but when you choose to follow Christ and not do the things of the world at times people will hate you for it...even people you consider to be your friends.

Have you ever been hated on because you decided to follow Jesus?
What do you belong to...the world or Jesus Christ?
How do you go about loving others like Christ calls us to do without following the ways of the world...drugs, drinking, sex, porn, fighting(over dumb things), yelling at your parents. gossiping...how do you do that?

Lord Jesus please use this little online study to draw us closer to You and closer to one another helping us to become better followers of You! Please bless my friends within fusion and help them to stand up for You no matter what the cost! Pl,ease continue to reveal Yourself to us as we study Your word! I love You lord, thanks for all You do for me!

tom

John 15...3 Days and Counting!

What up Crew...

It really encouraged my heart this morning at church to hear some of you share your excitement for "follower" to begin! I am stoked as well, and am believing He has some good stuff in store for us as a community.

In verse 12, of John 15 Jesus commands us to love each other as He has loved us. He goes on to explain how He loved us...by laying His life down for us! Now as Christians this is why we live our life the way we live it...because Jesus gave His life for us! But I think sometimes we miss read this verse and think the way we love each other is by dying for someone and unless you die you have never really loved...therefore what Jesus is talking about is impossible and not worth attempting on our end!

However Jesus was talking about something much deeper and very possible...for those who are for real about following Him! To love another person is to lay aside what you want for the sake of somebody else! When you as a young person lay down your plans, schedule, time and agenda for somebody else to serve them you begin to really love them. Jesus encourages us to esteem others before our self. To place an other's needs in front of your own.

We know we are called to love others, but so many of us refuse to follow Christ's lead in our life. Just think of this...Christ is the King and Ruler of it all, but gave it all up and died a horrific death because He loved us. He endured punishment that He did not deserve. He had things screamed at Him that were untrue...but it didn't matter because all He could think about was you! Let us love others as Christ has first loved us, laying aside our self and putting others in front of us!

When was the last time you served someone...without them asking!
Take the time today to serve someone in any way possible...and don't forget to be in prayer for the things listed in the 1st blog!

peace!!

tom

John 15...T-Minus 4 Days and Counting...

hello crew!
This weekend has been crazy already! Just moved into my new place and I am trying to get settled in! As I read John 15 again today what sticks out is Jesus talking about joy. We need joy in our lives don't we? Jesus goes on and on about remaining in Him only to say, in verse 11, "I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy.Yes, your joy would overflow!"

Right now in your life, are you "overflowing" with joy? People notice those who are filled with joy...do people notice you? Do you stand out to others because you are all about our Jesus and because of it your exploding with joy?

What about the opposite of joy? Jesus talks about those who are apart from Him wither up. He says those who are disconnected from Him are useless...right now do you feel useless? Is your life counting for something? Jesus gives us the choice...a "joy" filled life or a withered useless life. Which life do you want?

I am praying for all you guys...please do the same for me!

Don't forget to be in prayer for our study...I'll see some of you tomorrow at worship!

tom

John 15...6 days and counting!

What up fusion faithful!
Man I am stoked to dive in deeper with you all in looking at the life of our Jesus! For those of you tracking with me in this journey, i have asked that you read John 15 everyday until the study begins(6 days and counting!!). John 15, the whole chapter, is Jesus talking to us. So as you read it again and again this week, read it as if Jesus were talking directly to you. Tonight as I read it over I was reminded of how crucial it is to remain in my Jesus.

Jesus says in verse 5, apart from Me you can do nothing! Do you believe that to be true in your own life? That you will not be successful unless you stay connected with Christ. It is a thought we struggle to believe in our hearts isn't it. I know I like to think I can handle anything on my own, and this verse really challenges me...apart from Me tom...you can do nothing!

Some things to reflect on...

• How do we remain in His love?(verse 10)
• In verse 2 Jesus says that the Gardener, or His Father...God, cuts off any branch that isn't producing fruit or that is killing the person's life. As we get set to start our study boldly ask God to prune your life and to cut any "branch" off that isn't producing good fruit!
• And don't forget to be praying for the 4 things I listed on the 1st "blog".

I am praying for all you guys...I'll talk to ya tomorrow!

tom