Back To The Basics (Part 4)

Last part to our four week series of Back To The Basics!! It’s a bitter sweet moment because this is the first series that RLM has published but there are so many to come!! So let’s end this series on a high note by taking a look at the fourth story in Luke 7.  

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. ³⁷ When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. ³⁸ Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”

⁴⁰ Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”

“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

⁴¹ Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. ⁴² But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”

⁴³ Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”

“That’s right,” Jesus said. ⁴⁴ Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

⁴⁷ “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?”

⁵⁰ And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Powerful stuff huh? This woman, with many sins, was completely forgiven in a blink of an eye. She was unashamed to fall on her face and worship Jesus. She knew she had sinned many times but this did not stop her from seeking out the forgiveness of Jesus. So what is stopping us? Why are we not daily falling on our face and worshiping Jesus and asking for forgiveness? We have no excuse!! If this woman, with many sins, is willing to fall on her face and worship Jesus in front of a Pharisee, we have no excuse to not do the same thing…daily.

In this story the woman did not only worship Jesus, she also served Him. This portion of being a Christian is often overlooked or not given enough attention. Jesus doesn’t just call us to worship and praise him. He calls us to serve those around us. We should be serving our churches, community, co-workers, spouses, family, everything! This is worship and praise in action! This glorified the Lord! When you begin to serve those around you, you will become a testimony for them. You just never know what life you may change/save by being a living testimony and serving those around you.

This week RLM would like to challenge you to find time daily to worship God. Don’t be afraid to fall on your face and worship Him. Also find time this week to serve God as well as those around you. It can be something small or something larger. Regardless, we are called by the Lord to serve those around us. I dare you to be a living testimony in someone’s life and not see a change in your own life!

Prayer: Dear God, I pray that everyone this week remember you and remember what it truly means to be a Christian. I pray they will find time this week to worship you and glorify you in both prayer and actions. In Your name, Amen.

Back To The Basics (Part 3)

Ready or not….here goes week three of our four week Back To The Basics series!! This week we are going to look at the third story in Luke 7 that outlines the structure of what it means to be a Christian.

Jesus and John the Baptist

¹⁸ The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples, ¹⁹ and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

²⁰ John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’”

²¹ At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. ²² Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. ²³ And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’”

²⁴ After John’s disciples left, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? ²⁵ Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people who wear beautiful clothes and live in luxury are found in palaces. ²⁶ Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. ²⁷ John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’

²⁸ I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!”

²⁹ When they heard this, all the people—even the tax collectors—agreed that God’s way was right, for they had been baptized by John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and experts in religious law rejected God’s plan for them, for they had refused John’s baptism.

³¹ “To what can I compare the people of this generation?” Jesus asked. “How can I describe them? ³² They are like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,

‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t weep.’

³³ For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ ³⁵ But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.”

This section of Luke 7 provides a fairly good understanding of the character of John the Baptist. He was a man that was totally committed to Christ and the message that Christ would share with the world. John the Baptist lived out in the wilderness, separate from the society of worldly possessions. While living in the wilderness, John the Baptist was able to serve Christ without being distracted by worldly possessions. He was able to fully commit himself to Christ and His teachings. We too should separate ourselves from worldly possessions and completely commit to Christ. We should be able to commit to Christ’s teachings without any distractions.  

Now we most likely are not able to separate ourselves from society by going to live in the wilderness. However, we are called to remain separated from the possessions of this world. Let’s take a deeper look at the comparison of Jesus and John the Baptist in verses 33 through 35. John the Baptist had totally disconnected from the world by living in the wilderness. Because of this, many people felt he was possessed by a demon. Jesus, on the other hand, was in the world surrounded by sinners. Jesus lived right in the middle of society and all the worldly possessions. Many people felt he was a glutton and a drunkard. However, just because Jesus was living in the world, does not mean Jesus was living of the world. Jesus instead was a light in the darkness of the world.

The above comparison shows us that even though we do live in this world and are unable to separate ourselves from society by living in the wilderness; it is no excuse to live of the world. With God’s wisdom, we all should be like Jesus and be a light in the darkness of the world. We are called to live a totally separate lifestyle than that of the world.

This week RLM would like to challenge you to first and foremost commit yourself to Jesus. Make the commitment to live a separate life just as John the Baptist did. Secondly, do not live of this world merely because you are living in it. Be the light in the darkness this week.  

Prayer: Dear God, I pray that everyone this week remember you and remember what it truly means to be a Christian. I pray they will completely commit to you and they will live for you and not for this world. In Your name, Amen.

Back To The Basics (Part 2)

Time to get back to the basics again!! This week we are going to look at the second story in Luke 7 that outlines the structure of what it means to be a Christian.

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son (Luke 7: 11-17)

¹¹ Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. ¹² A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. ¹⁴ Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” ¹⁵ Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶ Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people today.” ¹⁷ And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.

Though this story may be short, it shows three important aspects of being a Christian. The first is that we need to die to the sinful nature and rise again to a life in the Spirit. Just as the boy in the story died and was raised, we too should die to our old self and be raised in Christ! This is not a one-time thing. This should be a daily, or multiple times a day, thing. Every single day we should bury our “yesterdays” and raise up to have a “today” in Christ.

The second aspect outlined in this story is that when the boy was raised from the dead, he didn’t just simply sit up. The scripture says the boy sat up and “began to talk”. This is a part of this story that is so easily over looked. As soon as the boy was raised up, he was proactive. We too should be a Christian that is proactive in our new lives. We should be a Christian that is alive and not just living. We should strive to always be proactive and never to grow lukewarm.

The third aspect of this scripture is that great fear swept over the crowd. This reminds us that we should not only love and worship God but that we should also fear Him. Fearing Him too reminds us how powerful He truly is.

This week RLM would like to challenge you to die to your old self and to be raised in Jesus Christ. Do this multiple times this week so you can truly see what God has in store for you. Also be proactive in your new life in Christ. Never allow yourself to become lukewarm. Lastly remember to also fear Christ; helping you to never forget His wonderful power.

Prayer: Dear God, I pray that everyone this week remember you and remember what it truly means to be a Christian. I pray they will be able to die to their old selves, be proactive in their new lives with You, and they may always fear You to never forget Your great power. In Your name, Amen.

Back To The Basics (Part 1)

Real Love Ministry was created to help other strengthen their relationship with God as well as their earthly relationships. However, the first step in doing either of those things is to first get back to the basics. This means getting to the core of what it means to be a Christian. Let’s face it, no matter how long, or short, we have been a Christian, we all fail. We all needed picked back up and we all need to get back to the basics at some point. RLM has created a four week series to help others do just that; get back to the basics of what it means to be a Christian and have a relationship with God.

There are many scriptures in the Bible that talks about what it truly means to be a Christian. One very powerful chapter that does this is Luke 7. This chapter has four different stories that outline the structure of what it means to be a Christian. Let’s take a look at the first story:

The Faith of a Roman Officer (Luke 7: 1-10)

¹ When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. ² At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer^[a] was sick and near death. ³ When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. ⁴ So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, ⁵ “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”

⁶ So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. ⁷ I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” ¹⁰ And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

The first basic step for being a better Christian is that you need to be a respectable person of authority. The above scripture shows us that we should be disciplined in our walk with God. The solider in this scripture was so disciplined and knew the powers of Jesus so well that he knew Jesus could heal his slave without even being near him. Ways that we can be disciplined in our daily lives is not only by getting in the word daily but also in our day to day interactions with others around us. If we know something is not pleasing to God, or we wouldn’t do it if God was physically standing in the room, then we should have enough discipline to not even think of doing it at any point in time.

A good soldier also leads by example. They do not just go running around saying “look at me! I’m a brave strong solider.” They show others they are a solider by their actions and the things they stand for. The same should be said about Christians. Christians should not run around saying “look at me! I go to church every Sunday and I read my Bible every day.” It’s so much more than that. Others should be able to see that you are a Christian by your daily actions and your love for others.

This week RLM would like to challenge you to become a good soldier of discipline for God and lead by example. Keep God in the front of your mind at all times every day. Let others see the light that is in you and let them know you are a Christian by the way you live your life.

Prayer: Dear God, I pray that everyone this week remember you and remember what it truly means to be a Christian. I pray they will be able to show discipline to you and also be able to lead others to your grace and mercy by their daily actions. In Your name, Amen.