The Great Commandment

April 11, 2016

Be Clean!

Luke 5.12-26

We all need Jesus. Only He can rescue us. That’s true for both the believer and unbeliever. Unfortunately we don’t always recognize that. Sometimes as believers we forget our dire need for Him. We forget that without Him, we are outcasts…on the outside desperately wanting in. Without Him we are spiritual lepers in dire need of healing. Daily we need to throw ourselves at Jesus’ feet, not looking to be saved again (once a child of the King, always a child of the King), but acknowledging our dependence on Him. In what circumstance, relationship, addiction, personality flaw or personal challenge do you need to say to Jesus, “Lord, if You are willing You can…” and to hear Him say, “I am willing.”

If you don’t know Jesus, the first step is to become aware of your desperate need (to be made clean), then approach Him in humble submission (Jesus is the only way) and finally believe that Jesus can save you. Sins 2 opposing lies…the lie of the Pharisee: “I am not a sinner, there’s nothing wrong with me” We are all spiritual lepers apart from Jesus…only He can make us clean. Or the opposite extreme: “I am a sinner, but I’m so beyond help that no one can save me.” No one is untouchable for Jesus. No one is beyond His reach.

If we want to live and love like Jesus, we have to be willing to go to the outcasts, to love the unlovable and bring them to Jesus. It starts with loving them…loving them enough to make the effort, to be persistent and creative. We have to be convinced that Jesus is their only hope and believe that He wants to rescue them. Then tear down some roofs. Have a conversation. Invite them to church or to your community group. Tell them your story, how Jesus ruined you and remade you, how He rescued you and invited you into the greatest fishing expedition ever.

Until next time…stay salty.

“May we recognize our desperate need for Jesus and seek Him often this week.”

This post is based on a sermon from our Luke series, Live & Love Like Jesus: The Great Galilean Ministry. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @ccclancaster

September 24, 2015

Too Busy to Minister – Matthew 22

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”  Matthew 22:36-40 (ESV)

Mark Batterson, in his book, Wild Goose Chase, tells the following story about an experiment conducted by two Princeton University psychologists.

In the experiment, the psychologists interviewed seminary students and asked them why they went into the ministry.

The vast majority of the students said they went into ministry to help people.

Half of the students were then asked to prepare a short sermon on the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

The other half of the students were asked to prepare a short sermon on a variety of subjects.

Finally, the students were told to go to another building on campus to present their sermons.

Unbeknownst to the students, the psychologists staged an actor in an alley along the way, to play a person that had been mugged, much in the same way as the Samaritan – would the students stop to help?

They added one more twist.

Some of the students were told to head to the other building in a hurry because they had to give their presentations in a few minutes. They were going to be late!

The rest of the students were told to start making their way to the other building but they had time before they needed to give their presentations.

Of those in a hurry, only 10% stopped to offer help to the victim, while 63% of those not in a hurry stopped.

In several cases those that had prepared the sermon on the Good Samaritan actually stepped over the victim as they hurried on their way!

Ministry to others can sometimes be messy and much of the time it is inconvenient – we are just to busy to help others.

We find ourselves too busy to reach out to someone in need, too busy to answer a call for help.

Oh we may tell ourselves we have good reasons, yet we constantly let our busyness hamper our ability to minister to others.

I am reminded of an old Filipino saying, “Westerners are people with gods on their wrists.”

Obviously we have to adhere to schedules but when the schedules dictate how we minister, when our schedules prevent us from being used by the Holy Spirit in opportune times, when our schedules make us immune to the needs of others, it may be time to slow down and prioritize.

Jesus was clear about the two great commandments – love God, love your neighbor.

I am constantly reminded that our greatest preoccupation beyond our own relationship with Christ, should be people – helping where we can to meet needs, and taking the time to share the Gospel.

Until next time… keep reading!

Jim