Author: Jim Pruett

September 10, 2015

The Intentional Life – Matthew 9

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers
are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out
laborers into his harvest.’” Matthew 9:37-38 ESV

You know the story…

An old man is walking along the beach one day and sees a young man up ahead
flinging something into the ocean.

As he draws closer, the old man sees that the young man is picking up starfish
and throwing them back into the ocean so that they will not die lying in
the sun.

The old man says to the young man that there are miles of coastline, beach
after beach and maybe millions of starfish – how can it possibly make a
difference?

The young man tosses in another starfish and says – to this starfish it
makes a difference!

This story has been used many times, in many sermons – yet it still rings
true.

We can make a difference – one person, one family, one block, one
neighborhood, one village, one city at a time.

The harvest is plentiful and it is on us to be intentional with the
harvest. All of us have been given a field to harvest.

It may be your family, your peers at work or school, friends or others you
meet as you go about your day or week.

Here at Central, we call it our Impact list – the people God has
intentionally placed in our lives.

The people we intentionally pray for, looking for an opportunity to share
the gospel or invite them to a Christ-centered activity, where they might
encounter Christ.

Oh, that we would have a heart like Jesus. A heart for others.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were
harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Verse 36

Sheep without a shepherd. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are
few.

Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest Jesus said, pray for more
laborers as they are few.

Earnestly – the situation is desperate.  There should always be a sense of
urgency when it comes to the harvest.

As I look back on my life, I rarely think – I wish I could have done less.

Instead I think – I wish I could have done more!  Lord, forgive my apathy
toward others!

I could have spent more intentional and quality time with my wife and kids
intentionally leading them one step closer in their walk with Jesus.

I should have reached out to that friend or loved one before they died or
moved away.

But it is never too late to start – to live a life intentionally focused
outward instead of inward.  A life focused on others.

Our greatest preoccupation should be teaching the gospel and sharing Jesus
with others and training others to do the same.

We should beseech the Lord to send out more workers to help us with the
harvest, never forgetting to tend to our own field, one starfish – one
person at a time.

So let’s pray for the workers, have compassion on others, teach the Gospel,
and help with the harvest whenever we can.

Let’s live an intentional life, focused on the things that matter – the
harvest, trusting the Lord to reach and change the hearts around us as we
go about His work.

Until next time – keep reading!

Jim

September 3, 2015

Who Is This Man?

“Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’” Matthew 27:9 ESV

Well here we are. The Gospel of Matthew.

For those of you faithfully following the reading plan – we say good-bye to the teachings of Paul and turn our focus to the writings ascribed to a more Jewish audience.

We will read through Matthew, James, Jude and Hebrews in the coming weeks.

These books seem to focus on a Jewish audience. They presuppose an understanding of the Old Testament and the history of Israel.

We start now with the Gospel of Matthew – the Gospel of the kingdom.

Matthew declares that Jesus is indeed the long awaited Messiah, the long awaited king.

The structure of the book is set up to alternate between the activities of Jesus and His teachings.

We read of great miracles, casting demons, and calming storms to name a few.

We also have some of Jesus’s greatest teachings in this gospel.

The Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5-7).

Parables of the kingdom (Chapter 13)

The Olivet discourse can be found in chapters 24-25.

Another recurring theme found in this gospel is the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders of the day. We have the Seven Woes in chapter 23.

This great gospel closes with the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20.

One of the questions often asked in the Gospels about Jesus is – “Who is this?”

When Jesus calms the storm in Matthew 8, the disciples ask, “What sort of man is this?”

In Luke 7, when Jesus forgives sin, the bystanders ask, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”

When Jesus enters Jerusalem we are told in Matthew 21:10, the whole city is stirred up saying, “Who is this?”

At his trial, the high priest of the Jews asks, “Are you the Christ?” (Matthew 26:63).

Pontius Pilate, asks, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (Matthew 27:11).

As we read through Matthew we learn who He is.

He is Jesus the Savior, Christ the anointed, the son of Abraham, and He is the Son of David, the Messiah, the great king.

He is the king, anointed to defeat our greatest foes—sin and death.

He is the priest, anointed to offer a sacrifice to remove the guilt of sin.

He is the prophet, anointed to tell the truth about humanity and Himself.

The greatest truth is that He defeated sin for us because we cannot defeat sin.

He offered Himself to remove our guilt because we cannot atone or compensate for our sin.

Jesus came to save His people from their sins. You and I.

He came to establish His Kingdom.

He is Jesus our Messiah, our King, our Savior. He is Immanuel – God is with us!

Amen!

Until next time… keep reading!

Jim

Excerpts for this blog were taken directly from: Matthew Volume I by Daniel Doriani, (Reformed Expository Commentary)

August 27, 2015

Walking the Talk

“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” 1 Timothy 1:5 NASB

Jon Courson tells the following story in his New Testament Application Commentary:

“Son,” said the concerned father, “you’re not studying the way you could.

When Abraham Lincoln was your age, he didn’t have computers or electric lights.

He walked fifteen miles through the snow to check out books at the library—and then walked fifteen miles home so that he could read them by the light of the fireplace.

When he was your age, that’s what he did.”

“Well,” replied the son, “when Abraham Lincoln was your age, he was President of the United States!”

How true! We exhort our children but do not demonstrate what we teach through our actions.

1 Timothy is a book we should turn to often – it teaches us how to minister to others and the importance of how transformed lives can make an impact on the world around us.

Too often we are tempted to teach or instruct others by saying, “do as I say not as I do”.

But Paul teaches our instruction should come from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.

A heart, a conscience and a sincere faith focused on the gospel.

A life that leads others closer to Christ.

How often have I heard how parents would exhort their children to read the Bible and pray – yet the kids now adults, never saw their parents reading scripture or praying.

How easy it is to fool ourselves into thinking if we send our kids to Christian schools, Sunday school, summer camp, or other Christian activities, we are absolved from being the example or responsibility to live a Christ-centered life ourselves.

In 1 Timothy, Paul is calling the church to Christ-centered, gospel-centered godliness for the sake of the church and its impact on a lost world.

Paul teaches that by pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness – we will in effect fight the good fight of the faith.

How? Through a spirit-filled life, grounded in prayer, lifting holy hands, praying for others without anger or quarreling.

We fight not with fists or anger – we fight through prayer, we wage the good warfare interceding for others, trained in the words of faith and good doctrine, a life filled with love for others, demonstrated by the steadfastness of our faith and actions.

This is how we make an impact and accept our call – to bring others one step closer to Jesus, helping them further along the journey.

It is always a matter of the heart. Paul teaches that we should train in godliness – it has value both in the present and in the life to come.

Godly prayer comes from a godly heart – rooted in the gospel.

Paul is calling us to walk the talk.

Until next time… keep reading!

Jim

Sources used for this blog: Gospel Transformation Bible

August 20, 2015

The Joyful Walk

“…walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called…” Ephesians 4:1 NASB

One of the things I have come to enjoy as I get older is going for walks.

My favorite place to walk is along the California beaches, along the ocean. Everything is beautiful, the waves, weather, my favorite times are on chilly overcast days. I just love it.

I use the time to think, to watch the waves and ponder God’s glory and majesty. Often I use the time to reflect on my family, ministry and general outlook on life.

Living in the high desert of the Antelope Valley (AV), as I do, the beach is far away, well the water anyway – so I do not enjoy it as often as I would like.

But when I am around the ocean – I go walking no matter what – it is a joy for me to walk at the beach, not a chore.

Here in the AV, walks are of a different nature – the temperatures can be extreme, the winds a factor, often I come home with sand in my teeth and or ears, and occasionally we play dodge ball with large tumbleweeds.

The walk becomes more of a chore than a joy. Many days I will just get on the treadmill instead. That can be a chore in itself, but over time I have learned to read the Bible, a good commentary or a good book as I walk and it redeems the time and brings joy into the walk.

I actually look forward to the time on the treadmill because I know I will enjoy the time spent reading.

When we read through the book of Ephesians, Paul talks about the walk often.

In chapter 4 we are told to walk in a manner worthy of our calling – we are instructed to not walk in the dark, with a callous and hard heart.

Instead, we are told in chapter 5 to walk in love, and to walk as children of the Light, making the most of our time.

Often when reading through Ephesians we want to skip the first three chapters head to the last three for the application – the how to’s. But when we make the how to’s the purpose of our walk, it becomes a chore, we fail in our task.

Instead we should spend more time in chapters 1-3, immersed in the glory, grace and love of our Lord. Here the spirit renews our minds and hearts – transforming us into children of the Light.

Here we will find the joy, the purpose for our walk, to walk with Jesus, and show others the light – the gospel.

When Jesus becomes our purpose, we can learn to love and interact with our spouse, our children and others in a manner worthy of our calling, and learn to make the most of the time.

When we walk with joy, looking forward to the journey, our walk turns from chore to joy.

It becomes the joyful walk.

Until next time…keep reading!

Jim

August 13, 2015

A Worshipful Life

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 ESV

As we turn to the last four chapters of Romans – Paul describes what it means to live out our lives in spiritual worship.

It means presenting our whole selves and lives completely to God.  We do this with hearts fully devoted to Jesus as our Lord and Savior, through the help of the Holy Spirit.

The aim of the Gospel of Christ is not merely to teach us how to live morally but helps us connect with God, as we delight in His will and live a life transformed into worship – a lifestyle of worship that inspires a fervent love for Jesus.

It is a life of worship and service that mobilizes us to make a difference – to make an impact in the lives of those around us.

A life focused on intentionally building Christ-centered relationships.

Paul gives us advice on how to go about doing this in the remaining chapters of Romans.

The Gospel Transformation Bible (GTB) has this to say on this section of Romans:

“Christians love. That is what we do. In this is our entire ethic summed up. Yet we love not to earn God’s love for us, but in reflection of, and being assured of, his love.”

It is in this section of Romans that Paul describes ways to demonstrate that love, echoing many of the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels.

As Christians, this is our call – to emulate Jesus in all we say, think and do, as a form of worship.

Paul teaches that as Christians, we have been blessed with gifts according to the grace given to us, gifts we are to use.

A question we might ask ourselves is how are we using our gifts? Are we using them for His glory?

Our call is to use God’s gift’s in love and service to our Lord and Savior – to serve His cause and further His kingdom.

After all, the whole purpose of our faith is to come to a saving knowledge of God, to grow in holiness and serve Him on this journey we call life.

Over time we learn that our actions, habits, character and, might I say, even destiny – flows from our thoughts and beliefs, built over time, one action, one habit at a time.

We must all face the question – Will you conform to the world or renew your mind?

Godly people renew their minds through biblical teaching, study of God’s Word and application of the precepts and truths taught as the Holy Spirit regenerates our hearts.

Although the world and culture around us has its own definition of success and approach to the problems of life, Paul teaches a different approach – an approach focused on a higher calling, conceived and born in love, filled with mercy and grace.

An approach based upon the hope we have in Jesus, an approach we call – the worshipful life.

Until next time… keep reading!

Jim

August 6, 2015

The Power of God for Salvation

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” Romans 1:16-17 ESV

All roads lead to Rome it was once said.

It can also be said all paths lead to Romans, the glorious book we have in front of us for the next couple of weeks.

For in the Book of Romans, we have the power of the gospel, the plight of mankind and our rebellion, the grand themes of God’s mercy, love and justice, salvation, Jesus’s work on the cross, the gospel of grace, justification and sanctification.

Some have called Romans the “Bible in the Bible”. Others the “Fort Knox of biblical doctrine.”

Romans is Paul’s most complete systematic treatment of the Gospel and what it really means.

Seventy-five percent of Bible teachers say that if they could only teach one book it would be Romans.

I have had the pleasure of teaching through Romans a couple of times in the past couple of years.

It has had a profound impact on me personally as I have worked through the majesty of this book.

In Romans we have a systematic description of God’s eternal plan for the salvation of sinners – people like you and me.

Here we learn the truth of our human condition – our complete ruin in sin and God’s perfect remedy in Christ.

Romans sets forth the simple yet perfect and glorious remedy for our condition – justification by faith apart from works of the law.

We cannot earn salvation, grace by faith is a free gift.

One of my favorite biblical commentators, James M. Boice produced a four volume set on Romans – I have read it cover to cover.

Here are a few quotes from his introduction to this great work.

“Romans has probably been the object of more intense study by more highly intelligent and motivated individuals than any other document in human history.”

“To study this book is to walk in the footsteps, not only of the apostle Paul, but of such theological and pastoral giants as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Robert Haldane, Charles Hodge, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and many others.”

Boice goes on to say that Christianity is the most powerful, transforming force in human history – and the book of Romans is the most basic, most comprehensive statement of true Christianity.

Martin Luther was quoted as calling Romans the masterpiece of the New Testament, and recommended Christians learn it word for word and spend time in it daily.

As you read through this great book, take your time, explore the themes slowly, allow the Holy Spirit to transform you as you journey through this book, for in it the righteous of God is revealed.

Amen!
Until next time…  Keep Reading!
Jim
July 30, 2015

My Grace Is Sufficient for You

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…’” 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

As we come to the close of our reading in Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth, I cannot help but be drawn to the sufferings Paul experienced for the Gospel in 2 Corinthians 12.

Five times Paul received 39 lashes in ministering to the Jews. Many times a person would die during the punishment. Paul survived 5 times.

Paul was also beaten by the Gentiles with rods 3 times.

He was stoned by a mob in Lystra (see Acts 14) and left for dead.

The dangers on highways, seas and other travels were always a real part of his journeys.

Paul was also attacked within the churches verbally by false teachers.

It is hard to imagine the physical pain Paul must have felt, but the spiritual struggles of his ministry seem to have been an even greater burden.

Despite the pressures he felt from the churches he founded and the opposition that faced him everywhere he went, Paul pressed on.

How could he continue? What made him press on for the Gospel?

He believed the things he wrote. He understood and believed in the reality of heaven and eternity, the potency of the Gospel, and God’s mercy and grace.

For Paul, the reality of heaven was real. He knew his citizenship was eternal and in heaven.

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

Paul understood the potency of the Gospel.

“For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.” ! Corinthians 4:20 ESV

“For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.” 1 Corinthians 9:16 ESV

Finally, Paul understood the magnitude of God’s mercy and grace.

Paul was a blasphemer, persecutor and enemy of the followers of the way. Yet God granted Paul mercy and grace, calling him to a lifetime of service.

It was the love of Christ that enabled him to absorb the beatings, persecutions, imprisonments, and challenges of ministry.

Paul understood that in his weakness, God’s power was demonstrated.

This enables us to understand that our trials and sufferings actually qualify us to proclaim the Gospel and teach others about Jesus.

He uses our sufferings to demonstrate His sufficiency. God can use our afflictions to provide comfort to others.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…’”

His power is made perfect in my weakness. Amen!

Until next time… keep reading!

Jim

Sources used for this blog: ESV Study Bible, Courson’s New Testament Application Commentary, Gospel Transformation Bible

July 23, 2015

God of All Comfort

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort…” 2 Corinthians 1:3 NASB

As we come now to the book of 2nd Corinthians, Paul addresses some of the things he previously addressed in 1st Corinthians, but also deals with a few new issues as well.

Think of 1st Corinthians as a call for believers to be unified with each other, while the focus of 2nd Corinthians is for the church in Corinth to be unified with Paul and his ministry.

In the same way, we should be unified as a church in ministry for the furtherance of the Gospel.

In 2nd Corinthians we find Paul’s thoughts on the Gospel ministry (Chapters 2-5), encouragements for holy living, (Chapters 6-7), and instructions about giving (Chapters 8-9).

One point Paul makes in our reading for today is that we can find genuine comfort in God as Paul did.

Paul knew a thing or two about suffering for the gospel, something we will cover in more detail next week, but here in 2nd Corinthians, Paul’s opponents are undermining his work in Corinth, claiming that Paul was not an Apostle – why?  Because he suffered too much!

I guess their thought was a real apostle would be spared some of the opposition Paul suffered at the hands of men.

Yet, Paul had learned the great lesson of suffering for the Gospel, his suffering highlights his dependence on Christ, as it points to Christ’s strength and not his own.

We are reminded that God comforts us so that we can comfort others.

I was reading through several passages in Matthew 5 earlier in the week – verses from Jesus’s teaching we call the Sermon on the Mount.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 ESV

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10 ESV

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 ESV

As Christians we share in the sufferings and comfort of others. But, we rely not on ourselves but on Him.

Paul found genuine comfort in God. We will too.

As we go through the difficult times in life, no matter what the storm or challenge we face, we find comfort in the Word of God, comfort in the prayers of those around us, and we find comfort in the examples of the saints that have gone before us.

Our God is a God of mercy and comfort, in Him we can rest.

Until next time… keep reading!

Jim

July 16, 2015

We Gather to Build Up One Another

“But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.” I Corinthians 11:17 NASB

You may recall in Acts 18, Paul spent 18 months in Corinth and planted the church there. He is writing to the church five years later, wondering how it all went wrong.

As we turn our attention to I Corinthians Chapters 11-14, Paul is admonishing the Corinthian Church for the things that are taking place during worship. What a compelling verse we find in 11:17.

“But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.”

Paul is telling the Corinthians their meetings, or gatherings, are doing more harm than good! Wow!

As a church, our purpose for gathering is to worship the Lord and build each other up – sharing in the sacraments as a body, helping each other draw closer to Jesus and seek ways we can intentionally impact the world for Jesus.

But in Corinth things have gone awry.

One area of particular concern was how they were sharing the common meal and partaking of communion. We see good examples of this in Acts 2, but it is distorted here in 1 Corinthians 11.

The agape feast—which Paul had established as a time when believers would share their meals in common and where they would partake of the Lord’s Supper together—had become nothing more than a drunken party.

The Lord’s Supper should have been the remembrance of a preeminently selfless act -namely Christ’s death on behalf of others.

A rite of unity had turned into disunity.

While one brother went hungry because he lacked the means to eat well, another brother drank to excess.

The rich ate well, eating what they brought, the poor went without.

These things had caused divisions and missed the whole purpose of the gathering – to share things in common, love each other, and partake in communion – the Lord’s Supper, in remembrance of the work on the cross.

When we celebrate and partake of the Lord’s Supper, it is a visible sermon that proclaims “the message of the Cross” – the reality of the Lord’s death, the purpose and grace associated with His atoning work, and the certainty of His return.
The overall message of this passage is that divisions within the body can cause more harm than good.

We are to be mindful of others, selfless in our attitudes toward one another and seek to build each other up.

We are to be ever mindful that our big purpose is to help others draw one step closer to Christ.

Partaking in the Lord’s Supper should never be taken for granted and should serve to remind us of the grander purpose and the good news of the Gospel – Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

Until next time… keep reading!

Jim

Sources used for this blog – The Bible Knowledge Commentary and Courson’s New Testament Application Commentary.

July 9, 2015

Not the spirit of the world…

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” 1 Corinthians 2:12 NASB

As we turn our attention to the Book of 1st Corinthians, I am reminded of how important it is for the church, although in the world, to not be of the world.

The word wisdom is used frequently in this epistle. We grow as believers not by human wisdom but by the wisdom taught by the Holy Spirit.

The church at Corinth was evidently struggling with this concept.

You might remember from Acts 18, that Paul spent some time in Corinth preaching the gospel during his second missionary journey.

When opposition grew, the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, telling him to not be afraid and to keep up the work of the gospel.  Paul would stay in Corinth for 18 months, “teaching them the word of God.”

Paul would go on to help plant and cultivate the church in Corinth.

Corinth was an important trade city, and was well known for its temple to Aphrodite – in addition to being a thriving port city, Corinth was infamous for its vice and immorality.

John MacArthur’s Commentary on Corinthians summarizes it this way:

“The most serious problem of the Corinthian church was worldliness, an unwillingness to divorce the culture around them.

Most of the believers could not consistently separate themselves from their old, selfish, immoral, and pagan ways.

It became necessary for Paul to write to correct this, as well as to command the faithful Christians not only to break fellowship with the disobedient and unrepentant members, but to put those members out of the church” – see 1 Corinthians 5:9–13.

As you read through the letter, notice how Paul addresses each issue in the church by drawing them back to Jesus.

Paul is reminding the church that we are not to succumb to the spirit of the world, but are to be taught and renewed through the Holy Spirit.

When we lose sight of Jesus, we begin to slip into our former selves, accepting the human wisdom of the culture that is around us by suppressing the truth that comes from the Holy Spirit.

In John 17 Jesus prayed for His followers with this thought in mind.

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”  John 17: 14-17 NASB

Jesus knew we would have to interact with the world, there is no other way to share the gospel – but we are to be separate from the world and its teachings, sanctified in truth.

We are to live and love in the Spirit of truth.

Indeed, we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God.

Until next time…keep reading!

Jim