Author: David Worcester

Lead Pastor of Compass Church http://CompassChurchSD.com #Jesus, #Family #ChurchPlanting #CollegeMinistry. #Missions http://GospelAppointments.com @collegiatecoll

The Easiest Way To Share Your Faith – John 1:29-51

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From my reading in John 1:29-51 in the One Year New Testament.

The first disciples of Jesus were recruited in a simple way. Jesus got some of his first disciples from John’s followers.

“As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come and see,” he said.” John 1:36–39

Jesus invited them to “come and see.” He invited them to his home to get to know him.

We can invite people to come and see what Jesus is all about by inviting them to Church, Bible studies, or just to spend time with other Christians.

One of the two guys who spent the day with Jesus was Andrew. Here’s the first thing he did after spending the day with Jesus…

“Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus.” John 1:41–42

The easiest way to share your faith is to bring others to environments where they can meet Jesus.

Also he started with the relationship he already had. Andrew didn’t know a lot about Jesus, but he knew enough to invite his brother to meet him!

You don’t have to be an expert evangelist to invest in someone’s life and invite them to “come and see” Jesus!

Then Jesus found Philip. Here’s what Philip did…

Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied. John 1:45–46

Philip was convinced that he had found the promised Messiah!

Nathanial was skeptical but Philip invited him to come see for himself. It is not always our job to convince the skeptical that Jesus is real, we can introduce them to Jesus and let them decide.

Anyone can invite someone to come to church or encourage someone to read the Bible for themselves and discover who Jesus is.

I encourage you to invite those who don’t believe in your life to “Come and See” Jesus!

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The Need For Grace AND Truth – John 1:1-28

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From my reading in John 1:1-28 in the One Year New Testament.

Jesus came to earth to live as a man. He was fully God and fully human. He showed us what God is like! He showed us God because he showed us himself.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

The two characteristics John decided to use to describe Jesus were grace and truth. He wasn’t seeking a balance of grace and truth; he was both at once!

God has always been full of grace and truth! Jesus was the perfect example of what grace and truth look like lived out.

Grace

Jesus came to offer the gift of grace. Jesus died to give us those gifts. In his life, he showed grace to sinners and spoke lovingly to those who needed compassion and mercy. He was quick to forgive those who would humbly come to him.

Truth

Jesus never compromised the truth. He spoke firmly against those who were leading others away from the truth. Jesus said “I am… the truth.” Jesus was not afraid to go against what was popular in the culture if the truth was at stake.

We Need Grace and Truth

Those of us who follow Jesus need to live with grace and truth. Those who don’t exhibit grace can become harsh and judgmental, like the campus sign holders.

Without truth, you can not really help people be set free, because you are telling them what they want to hear instead of what will really change their lives!

Don’t neglect either. Seek to follow Jesus and live your life giving people grace and telling the truth; you may just change someone’s life!

For a great short book on this subject check out Randy Alcon’s book The Grace And Truth Paradox.

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The Great Commission In The Gospel of Luke – Luke 24:36-53

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From my reading in Luke 24:36-53 in the One Year New Testament.

Luke has it’s own unique version of the great commission given by Jesus.

“It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ You are witnesses of all these things” Luke 24:47–48

This Message Would Be Proclaimed… 

The news of Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection needs to be proclaimed. It was their job to share it and now it’s ours.

In The Authority Of His Name…

Jesus has given them the authority to share the gospel to the ends of the earth and that authority is transferred to us through the Church.

It is with Christ’s power and as his representatives that we go out into the world to share the good news.

To All The Nations…

Christians were given the task of going to every “nation” on earth.

Nation here in greek is “ethos” which refers to a tribe or “people group.” This is a smaller unit than the US or Russia.

We are to go share the gospel in every place to every people group! 

Beginning In Jerusalem…

Jesus told them to start in Jerusalem. In Acts 1:8 also written by Luke Jesus said,

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

The very city where Jesus was murdered became the birth place of Christianity. They were told to start in Jerusalem and go all over the world! 

There Is Forgiveness of Sins For All Who Repent

Jesus offers forgiveness of sin, but only to those willing to repent and follow him!

Repent means “to change one’s way of life as the result of a complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness” – Lowe-Nida Lexicon

Repentance is a choice to turn from your own way of life and decide to follow Jesus. 

It is possible to share the gospel without using the baggage laden word “repentance” but the person receiving Jesus should understand the need to turn from their sin and follow Jesus.

When we share the gospel we should share repentance as part of our message! 

You Are Witnesses Of All These Things.

Jesus gave the twelve actual witnesses the task of going into all the world and I believe that task has been transferred to us! We are now to be witnesses of what God has done in our lives.

This is our mission as the body of Christ and we better get on it! 

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How To Find Jesus In The Old Testament – Luke 24:1-35

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From my reading in Luke 24:1-35 in the One Year New Testament.

Jesus is the hero of the Bible. 

After dying for us and coming back to life Jesus appeared to some of his disciples were who walking on the road and  trying to make sense of his recent death and resurrection.

“He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Luke 24:25–27

Jesus explained what the Old Testament said about him!

What are some ways that we can find Jesus in the Old Testament?

1. Stories that foreshadow what Jesus would do for us.

We have to be careful that we are not playing spiritual “Where’s Waldo” and trying and find Jesus under every bush. But there are some clear stories that foreshadow Christ.

  • Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac.
  • Melchizedek (see Hebrews 7).
  • Jonah being in the fish for 3 days and Jesus being in the towb for 3 days (see Matt 12:3-45).
  • The snake being put up on the pole in Exdous to save people (John 3).
  • Other stories.

Warning: The best way to know that these are forshadowing is when the New Testament uses them in that way. Be careful not to force a passage to say something it’s not actually saying!

2. Specific Prophesies about Jesus 

Hundreds years before Jesus, God sent prophets to Israel to tell them how to recognize a coming Messiah.

The crazy thing is that when Jesus lived he fulfilled over 300 of these prophecies! 

To me the most powerful prophesies relate to Jesus’ birth and death.

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.” Micah 5:2

Jesus didn’t cry out from the womb, mother I shall be born in Bethlehem! But Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Even during Jesus’ crucifixion a number of key prophesies were fulfilled.

“They have pierced my hands and my feet.  I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.  They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” Psalm 22:16b-18

In this short Old Testament passage we see 4 prophecies Jesus fulfilled.

  • They have pierced my hands and my feet – Way before crucifixion was even invented, David predicted that Jesus would be killed by having his hand and feet pierced.
  • I can count all my bones – His bones were never broken, even though it was common practice to break the legs of the crucified to make sure that they die. Because they were confident Jesus was already dead he was stabbed in the side instead. This kept any of his bones from breaking.
  • People stare and gloat over me – Crucifixion was an embarrassing public spectacle.
  • They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” People did divide his cloths and cast lost for them!

3. Seeing Jesus As The Climax of The Narrative. 

The Bible was written over 1,600 years by 40 different authors in 3 languages yet it fits into one story about Jesus.

Every story has a climax, and Christ’s death and resurrection is that climax.

Like pieces of a puzzle God inspired each writer to give us part the story of man’s rebellion against God, God’s mercy to his people, and ultimately the provision of a savior in Jesus.

Ultimately the Bible is a story about JESUS! 

When we read the Old Testament we should look forward to the cross.

I hope that as you read the Old Testament with Christ that you have a similar experience the men had along the road.

“Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32

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The Most Loving Words In History? – Luke 23:26-56

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From my reading in Luke 23:26-56 in the One Year New Testament.

On the cross Jesus looked over the crowds of onlookers and soldiers who nailed him to the cross and said…

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

Jesus was thinking about the very people who put him on the cross. In a spiritual sense it was all of our sins that put Jesus on the cross and he still died for us! That’s love!

Jesus was thinking of our well being more than his pain.

Jesus asked the Father to give them grace because they didn’t realize the extent of the evil act they are truly committing.

As followers of Christ we should share this attitude about our enemies and those who try and persecute us. The first Martyr Stephen said a very similar thing as he was being stoned to death,

“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.” Acts 7:60

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, he will give us the ability to love others the way Jesus loved. That’s exactly what happened with Stephen.

In his greatest pain Jesus showed the greatest extent of his love.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

God loved us enough to die for us, and he offered forgiveness to the very people who crucified him if they would only receive it!

Have you received the forgiveness of Christ?

 

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Whose “Like” Are You Living For? God’s Or People On Facebook? – Luke 23:1-25

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From my reading in Luke 23:1-25 in the One Year New Testament.

Pilate was an insecure leader.

He feared what the crowds thought so much that he was willing to crucify Jesus, even though he found no fault in him.

The reason he found no fault in him was because there was no fault to be found! Jesus was the only person who was 100% innocent, because he never sinned.

Three times Pilate tried to get out of the pickle he found himself in but the crowds demanded Jesus be crucified.

“But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed.” Luke 23:23

Their voices prevailed.

The crowd was able to convince a leader to go against his conscious and murder an innocent man.

I think all leaders struggle with this issue on some level. We want the people we lead to be happy.

But when a leader cares more about what his followers think than what God thinks, sin is not far away.

Even if you are not a “leader” per say, it is still common for us to let the crowds control us. Often our “crowd” is on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Whose “like” are you more worried about? 

God’s or the people on Facebook?

I am challenged to not let myself be drawn away from what God wants me to do in order to please the crowds.

When a leader is set free from the slavery of pleasing the masses, they can get on with pleasing the one who really matters!

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Remember This When You Think “I’m Too Tired” – Luke 22:47-71

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From my reading in Luke 22:47-71 in the One Year New Testament.

One of the greatest excuses that I give for not obeying Christ is “I’m too tired.” I won’t read my Bible, pray, do my homework, listen to my spouse, exercise, or share the gospel because “I’m to tired.”

One detail stood out to me as I read todays section in scripture…

The night before Jesus was crucified he was up all night!

He spent the first half of his night praying to his Father and experiencing such anxiety at the anticipation of his death that he was sweating drops of blood. Meanwhile his disciples gave in to the “I’m too tired” temptation and slept through the prayer time. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is indeed weak!

After the most emotionally intense prayer time ever recorded and being betrayed Jesus spent the rest of the night experiencing this…

“The guards in charge of Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and said, “Prophesy to us! Who hit you that time?” And they hurled all sorts of terrible insults at him. At daybreak all the elders of the people assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. Jesus was led before this high council…” Luke 22:63–66

Jesus endured a sleepless night being blindfolded, beaten, and mocked.

The nights which I have stayed up all night ruined me! (Even for a youth “lock in”!) The following day I couldn’t think straight and was basically worthless. Certainly ,I would not have handled what Jesus went through the way he did!

Jesus was fully God and fully human, so he was physically tired!

But he chose to perserver because of his love for us. Even in his final moments he offered those around him words of love and hope despite being exhausted.

When I am exhausted I am more vulnerable to be angry, rude, and give in to temptation. Jesus refused to let his exhaustion stop him from fulfilling his life saving mission.

I am so glad Jesus didn’t say “I’m too tired.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that we don’t sleep. I strongly believe God grants sleep as a gift and I believe that sleep itself is a spiritual discipline! (But that is another post). I am encouraging us all to not let the excuse of “I’m too tired” keep us from what GOD has called us to do.

Next time you think you are “too tired” to do what God has called you to do…

It’s time rely on the power and energy of the one who stayed up all night and still died for you! 

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What To Do When You Think “It’s Too Hard” – Luke 22:31-46

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From my reading in Luke 22:31-46 in the One Year New Testament.

It’s Too Hard…

We all have had times in our lives where we have said, “It’s too hard.” Maybe it’s a paper, test, trying to find time for Bible reading, work stress; we tell ourselves “it’s too hard!”

In this story, we see the example of Jesus not falling into the temptation to say “It’s too hard.”

Jesus was about to face the most difficult 24hrs of his entire life!  Jesus was going to willingly face the most brutal beatings, mocking, floggings, and torturous death possible. Not only that, but he would have all of the world’s sin placed on his shoulders and be temporarily separated from the Father, with whom he has enjoyed perfect fellowship.

If anyone had an excuse to say “It’s too hard,” Jesus did. But instead of saying that, this is what Jesus prayed to God.

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Luke 22:42

There are several phrases in this prayer that are a good examples of types of prayers we can pray.

Father

Jesus came to God as a loving father. Our Father wants good things for his children and we should pray with that in mind.

If You Are Willing 

When we pray, our desire should be to pray according to his will. Knowing that, we should ask him for what we want!

Please Take This Cup Of Suffering Away From Me

Jesus was asking if there was any other way to save us without his suffering; he would have happily taken that route.

It is right for us to ask God to relieve us from suffering, but we must also be willing to suffer if it is God’s will for us.

I think that often we think that because Jesus was God that some how his death on the cross was not painful or hard; but in reality it was worse than we could ever imagine. But staring this grim fate in the face, Jesus refused to say “It’s too hard.”

Yet I Want Your Will To Be Done, Not Mine

Jesus cared more about fulfilling God’s purpose for him than his comfort. He cared more about us than his pain.

Instead of “it’s too hard” he said, yet not my will, but yours be done.

We can pray that God would allow the situation to be easier, but if that is not possible then we need to pray like Jesus, yet not my will, but yours be done!

Here’s what happened after Jesus surrendered to God…

“An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.” Luke 20:43

He received from an angel sent by God the strength that he needed to endure the situation. When we step forward to do the things that we think are too hard, God will give us the strength we need to endure! This doesn’t mean that you just pray and it’s like your magic easy button making everything ok.

God doesn’t promise to make your life easy but he does promise to help you through the hard times when they come.

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Luke 20:44

Jesus was under such stress that he started sweating drops of blood! This is an actual medical condition called hematidrosis that a bloody sweat comes from the forehead of someone under extreme emotional stress. The stress causes blood vessels to rupture and it combines with sweat. The article I got this info from said that Luke used a word that indicated it was big drops of blood. This implies that something even more extreme than this may have been happening!

Jesus loved you and me more than his comfort. Jesus endured the cross for our salvation and for his glory.

Next time you are tempted to say “it’s too hard”…

Consider what Jesus did for you, and pray his prayer “not my will but yours be done!”

Why Christians Don’t Sacrifice Animals – Luke 22:1-30

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From my reading in Luke 22:1-30 in the One Year New Testament.

The Jewish system was one that involved sacrificing animals in order to atone for sins. Jesus was celebrating passover with his disciples.

Passover is the celebration of when God used Moses to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

In the first passover, they killed a spotless lamb and smeared the blood on the doors of the Jewish houses. When the angel of death saw the blood of the lamb on the door it would “pass-over” the house.

Later, God gave Moses specific instructions on how to sacrifice animals in the temple to atone for sins in “the law.” This is known as the Old Covenant.

The Lamb At The Table

This passover was different, because Jesus himself was “the lamb of God” who was going to sacrifice himself for our sins.

When Jesus was celebrating the passover meal, there is no mention of a lamb on the table. It may have been that it was because the lamb was at the table! 

Jesus is the perfect sacrifice for our sins!

Do This In Remembrance of Me

When Jesus gave us the practices of “The Lord’s Supper,” first he broke bread and gave it to his disciples saying,

“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” Luke 22:19

After they ate the meal, he gave them a cup of wine saying,

“This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” Luke 22:20

A covenant is an agreement between two parties with benefits and responsibilities. Through Christ, God was setting up a new system. Christ’s sacrifice is the only one we need.

We no longer sacrifice animals because Jesus was the perfect lamb. His blood was shed, covers the “door” of our hearts, and washes our sin away.

He is the only true, sufficient sacrifice and to receive forgiveness we must accept his sacrifice for us!

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How To Be Ready For Christ’s Return – Luke 21:20-38

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From my reading in Luke 21:20-38 in the One Year New Testament.

Watch Out! 

From the  warnings that we get from Jesus about the end times there is a primary application. Watch out…

“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 21:34–36

We need to be waiting and ready for Jesus’ return.

Don’t get drunk.

Don’t be overly worried about details of this life.

Be ready because Jesus is coming when no one is expecting it.

Christ’s purpose for telling us some of the details in advance is not so that we can make a fancy chart or sell books on the subject.

Christ primary reason for warning us of the end time events was so that we would stay faithful to Jesus and be ready for his return! 

We are to pray that God would give us the strength to escape the coming horrors and preserver to the end and stand before Jesus!

Be faithful with the tasks that God has given you today.

Pray for strength to preserver. 

Be aware that he could come back at any moment!

Ps… If you have never repented of your sin, asked Jesus to forgive you and given your life to Jesus then that is a good idea too! Just saying!

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