SCRIPTURE:
They went to Capernaum and when the
Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The
people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who
had authority, not as the teachers of the law." (Mark 1:21-22, NIV)
Observations:
I asked myself what does
Jesus do?
1. Jesus went to Capernaum with Peter, Andrew,
James, and John when the Sabbath came.
2. Jesus went into the synagogue to teach.
Observations:
I asked myself, how did
the people react to Jesus' teaching?
The people were amazed at His teaching!
Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself why do you think they were
amazed?
Because he taught them as one who had
authority, not as the teachers of the law.
Interpretations:
I asked myself why does that become important?
This is very important to realize
because Jesus is God incarnate and knew exactly what the people needed
to hear rather than what they wanted to hear. He gave them God's Word
every time He spoke and His Words had authority than what they were used
to listening from 'teachers of the law.' Jesus taught with authority
within the confines of a synagogue where people gathered on Saturday.
Implications:
I saw important implications for my
own life in this passage. I learned the importance Jesus placed on
attending a worship service by taking his disciples to the synagogue
Saturday morning and then teaching those there gathered with authority
so I need to place such an importance on Sunday morning worship because
it is the Lord's day and listen to teaching that has authority instead
of man-made traditions.
For me that starts with listening to the Word of God exposited and
preached at worship services because God's Word has authority. When I
hear God's Word then I am actually hearing God speaking to me from His
Word. I need to test what I hear from priests, pastors, reverends, etc
with the Word of God.
This also means to me that I need to know what the Word of God says
from Genesis to Revelation and believe 'Bible is the Word of God', not
'Bible becomes the Word of God' or 'Bible contains the Word of God'.
When I say Bible, I mean the Bible verses from Genesis to Revelation
without the commentaries, etc.
All the teachings of man must be tested with Scripture and that's
what was different about Jesus. Jesus spoke with authority and the
authority of Scripture which He has revealed to humanity that we have
now known as the Bible.
I personally love to listen to teachings/sermons that focus directly on
God’s Word and is given in expositional format. Mostly, I look to see if
the person speaking to me is speaking from the Word of God and relating
it to current life or whatever is spoken can be backed up by Scripture.
I ask you
now dear friend whose teachings do you actively listen to in life?
Dear friend, knowing whose teaching we intend to listen to is
very important for our Christian growth so we need to be part of a
church that wants Jesus Christ to be known and be known by Him. This
happens when the bishops/ pastors/ priests/ ministers, etc speak God’s
Word to the congregation than their own personal views.
I highly
recommend Oakland International Fellowship on North Dithridge Street! It
is the English congregation of the Pittsburgh Chinese Church, Oakland.
This is not to say there are not other churches out there that preach
the Word of God. There are but I have learned a lot from God's Word at
OIF.
With personal views can enter man
made traditions over God's Word and hurt the congregation more than help
it. Jesus spoke with authority because He was giving them the right
message as opposed to what they were getting from the teachers of the
law.
When you go to church and you hear a
pastor say something that conflicts with what you have known from God's
Word, don't just accept it just because that person is a pastor. Only
accept it after you have tested it with God's Word. Anything that is
contrary to God's Word is not valuable to take in no matter how
comfortable it makes you feel. If it is contrary to God's Word, the joy
and the message will not last.
This does not apply just to pastors
but anyone who teaches God's Word. People need to hear what God
wants them to hear rather than selective listening. When I used to do
full-time ministry and put in 40-80 hrs/week, I wanted the students to
know that they could question me anytime if what I said was not in line
with the Word of God. For that to happen, I encouraged them to seek the
Scriptures and study them. Even now when I share my devotional times
with others, I encourage them to do the same. I encourage you to ask me
any questions or give me any feedback on the devotionals you read.
"Dear friends,
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they
are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the
world"(1 John 4:1)
Knowing and testing teachings is very important so you are not
deceived. Jesus spoke with authority and His authority amazed the people
because He was actually giving them the instruction manual He had put
together. Jesus knew the message to give based on what they needed
to hear and not what they wanted to hear because Jesus is the One that
created humanity and all that is in it.
Who better to go to learn about a creation than the Creator! Who
better to listen to about a creation than the Creator. Jesus created
each one of us because He is God and has been there from the beginning
of time. Jesus came to earth as God-incarnate to give us teachings and
redemption so that we can be saved.
Friend, the Bible teaches that you and I have been separated from God
because of our sin. Our sin created a big chasm between us and God.
There is no way we can reach God on our own. All the good works we think
we are doing so we can be accepted by God does not negate the fact of
the things we have done that have missed the mark of the standard set
before humanity. It started at the Garden of Eden to be obedient to God
no matter what but Adam and Eve failed and brought sin into this world
by their disobedience.
The Bible teaches that death came into this world through one man, Adam
and now life comes into this world through the Son of Man, Jesus Christ.
This life Christ wants to impart upon us is Eternal Life.
The Bible teaches that God in His holiness cannot allow sin to enter
into His presence so it does not matter how good we think we have been.
The 99.9% of the good things we do does not negate the fact of the
00.10% of bad things we have done. It is actually like putting a drop of
cyanide in water which does not make the water pure or like having a
white poster board with a black dot in the middle. The entire poster
board can be white but that black dot does not make the poster board
completely white. That is what sin has done to us.
But the Good News is the Bible teaches that God loved us so much that
He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not
perish but have Everlasting Life.
The Bible is talking about Jesus and His role to save humanity. Jesus
loves you so much that Jesus taught with authority to save those around
Him when they believe in Him for what He will do.
Friend, no other religion teaches with authority as Christ as done.
Not only has Christ taught with authority but fulfilled prophesies from
the Old Testament of what would happen for the redemption of humanity.
To save you and me, Jesus Christ went to the cross at Calvary, shed
His precious cleansing blood to give us the antidote, was buried, and
came back to life on the 3rd day to save.
So, it is exciting to know that no other teaching can save us except
the teaching from the Word of God. We learn as we read through the Word
that Jesus became our Sacrifice that we may be saved from the bondage of
sin and death when we accept the free gift of grace given to us.
While we were yet sinners Jesus died for us.
Now friend, when you accept Jesus into your heart, you are actually
accepting the Bridge provided for you to reach God. The chasm was
covered over by the Cross of Jesus Christ so that we can reach God.
Now when God sees us, He sees us covered in the Blood of Jesus Christ
and His judgment will pass over us. Yes friend, that is so exciting to
know that we are forgiven and saved because of what Jesus did for us
when we turn our lives over to Him. Friend, please join me in turning
your life over to Christ and asking Him to be the Lord and Savior of
your life, for He will.
Friend, Jesus loves you so much and His teachings are meant to give
you Eternal Life and save you but also to give you abundant and a
blessed life here on earth. This is not to say that we won't face
hardships for Jesus never promised that but did promise He will always
be with us.
Jesus said, "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to
the Father except through me!" (John 14:6, NIV)
On a side not friend, I would like you to join me and thousands of
other Evangelical Christians in voting for a presidential candidate that
will promote the sanctity of life for the unborn and the sanctity of
marriage which have always been the cornerstone of the Christian faith.
There are those that will teach you that it is ok to vote for a
Pro-Choice and Pro-Gay Marriage candidate but please test their
teachings with Scripture and you will realize that it is not okay. Both
issues deal with the body of a person and the Bible refers to our bodies
as the temple of God where the Holy Spirit resides in us.
Abortion and Gay-marriage hurt the body God has given. These are not
the only issues but for me they have always been central issues in any
election campaign. I hope you join me in teaching the wrongness of them
in such a way that people will think twice before they vote for a
presidential candidate who is Pro-Choice and for Gay marriage among
other issues.
In conclusion, I believe it is so important to be part of a Church that
puts a heavy emphasis on God's Word than their own teachings. In
election years, I also believe churches should be at the forefront of
teaching from the Bible related to campaign issues allowing
congregations to make up their mind based on Scripture and not what they
feed good about, etc.
In any
situation, a person needs to spend time in prayer before the teaching so
that Scripture cannot be twisted and made to sound like what they want
people to hear rather than what God wants them to
hear. Our prayer should be that we hear Christ's voice through the
messenger speaking His Word so today, everyday answering Christ's homily
indeed nurtures greatly souls!
"May my spoken words and
unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my
Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)
I don’t know what church you are part of or if
you are looking for a church. There are many Bible-believing churches in
Pittsburgh. I personally know of six churches that I visited of which I am
part of one.
I highly encourage you to come and be part of Oakland International
Fellowship congregation. We are located on N. Dithridge St, opposite to
Webster Hall apartments on Fifth Ave. St. Paul's Cathedral is adjacent
to our church.
"Today,
Everyday Answering Christ's Homily Indeed Nurtures Greatly Souls!" (T.E.A.C.H.I.N.G.S)/"I
ask you now dear friend, whose teachings do you actively listen to in
life?"
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you
so much that we mean so much to you. You teach with authority and want
us to have your Word hidden in our hearts. Help us please to follow you
faithfully. I thank you so much Jesus. We give our lives to thee and ask
you to be in control of our lives. Help us to do your will please Lord.
Please forgive us of our sins, for we are sorry. Thank you so much
Jesus! Lord, thank you for your teachings in our lives. Thank you for
enlisting the help of Peter, Andrew, James and John too to carry out your work. I thank
you that you enlist us too. Lord, most of us are in the academic field
and learn a lot of stuff. Sometimes what we learn does not agree with
your Word. Help us to be able to take everything our
instructors/professors give and separate your Truth from them. Thank you
Lord you have allowed humanity to take part in so many academic fields
that can be used for your honor and glory as they are used to serve
humanity. Help me to use whatever I learn to bring honor and glory to
you. You remind me how you decided to use Andrew and Simon’s profession
to become fisherman for the souls of men. You can use our fields too to
bring you honor and glory and spread the Gospel. I thank you for that
Jesus. I entrust our lives into your care! Help us please to be part of
a church that will give us your teachings and your Word. I thank you for
that Jesus! Most of all help us learn from you as we study your Word
even when it comes to who we should vote for. Let your desires become
our desires and choose the greater of the good candidate.
Thank you so much Jesus! Thank you for hearing our prayers and answering us! In Your
Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a
daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be
alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them
come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to
wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as
you pray the prayer below, meaning it in your heart.
Prayer:
God I am a sinner. I am invaded by this deadliest virus. Many times I
feel so guilty and yucky inside. I need forgiveness. I am so sorry for
my sins. I have not obeyed you with my whole heart! I have gone my own
way and done my own things. I still struggle with sin. I need you Jesus
in my life so I can receive forgiveness and a new beginning. In the
process, I can forgive others as you help me to. Thank you so much
Jesus. I accept the antidote you have sent me. I believe Jesus you died
for me and your cleansing blood will cleanse me from all my sins. You
came back to life to save me. Thank you God I am set free, free from the
bondage of sin. Hear my cry Oh Lord. I accept you Jesus into my heart. I
make you my Lord and Personal Savior of my life. Thank you Father God
for giving me Salvation. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and
making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will
live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you
for being my Lord and personal Savior! I can live a life of peace with
you on my side. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me!
In your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN!
