Pentecost

Posted on by scottcatchot

pentecost-300x188Pentecost Sunday is a remembrance and celebration of when God poured out His Holy Spirit upon the early church. When He did this, he was fulfilling what John the Baptist foretold when he said there would come later one who baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11).

 

This was also a fulfillment of the promise Jesus made to His disciples regarding HimJohn 14 image sending a comforter, the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).

But neither of those are the reason it is called Pentecost. For this reason we need to look back at the foundation of the Christian belief, Judaism. Jesus and the disciples were Jewish. They observed and celebrated the Jewish Feasts.  There are seven feasts celebrated, but three main feasts. The three main feasts are: Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles, Tents, or Booths).

feast of weeksCelebrating the Feast of Pentecost is why the Apostles and other disciples of Jesus were gathered together in the upper room. The word Pentecost comes from  Greek Πεντηκοστή (Pentēkostē) meaning “fiftieth” (50th). It is called this because this feast takes place 50 days following Pesach (Passover).

Biblically speaking this feast is tied to the grain harvest, specifically wheat.  This harvest lasted seven weeks and was considered a time of joy (see Exodus 34:22, Deut. 16: 9-11, Isa. 9: 2 Jer. 5:24). It was the first day that the people could bring the first fruits as an offering to the Lord.

Later in time it would become associated with the giving of the Torah, or Law, to Israel at mosesMt. Sinai, following their salvation from Egypt. This is largely because of its association with Pesach (Passover) and the obvious ties to the Exodus through Moses and the subsequent giving of the Torah to the Israelites.

 

acts-birth-of-a-churchIn the New Testament, Pentecost is looked at as the birth of the church. It was this event that Jesus referred to when He told the disciples,  “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4, HCSB).

The 1st chapter of Acts tells us there were 120 gathered together. Luke then describes in tongues of firechapter two the Holy Spirit falling upon them with what looked like tongues of fire. It says they were all baptized with the Holy Spirit and spoke in other languages or tongues. Peter later testifies in front of the crowd that this gift of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of Joel 2:38-32.

“this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. I will even pour out My Spirit on My male and female slaves in those days, and they will prophesy. I will display wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and remarkable Day of the Lord comes. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:16-21)

foxes-book-martyrs-470x246-01Foxe’s Book of Martyrs

The gift of the Holy Spirit is the catalyst that changed the disciples forever.  The truth of the resurrection was burned into their hearts and the group of men who scattered during the arrest and crucifixion, the men who denied with cussing that they even knew Jesus, went on to each give their lives, literally, to see the world turned upside down. Check out the above link for how each disciple gave their life as well as other Christians.

This was the birth of the church, we were to grow and prosper since that time. In many ways we have, in others we have grown stagnant. We need a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit in order to truly live out the final instructions of Jesus to His church. It is a because of having access to the Holy Spirit that we will be able to do the things Jesus did, and even more, as according to what Jesus said in John 14.

This is why we celebrate the gift that is the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. May it be more than a side comment or even a potluck dinner to commemorate it. Let it be a push to seek for more of the Holy Spirit and fire operating in our life so that we can make a difference in the world.

change

BUT GOD…

Posted on by scottcatchot

In 1986, a Hip hop artist named Sir-Mix-a Lot, produced a song titled, “Baby got Back” This is a song that is still played in certain genres from time to time. The song starts out with the phrase, ‘ I like big butts and I cannot lie…” This song obviously is referring to body parts, but as I was preparing this word, that opening phrase came to mind. That phrase actually applies to most of us, but in a different way. For example, how many of you have ever said or thought something along these lines:

I would go work out today, but I am too tired.

I want to talk to my friend about this issue, but I don’t like confrontation.

I want to do great things, but I am too old/young.

I would do (insert whatever), but (insert any excuse).

When we follow statements with the word but, it usually negates everything we said before it. Life can make the but seem really big and it often prevents us from doing things.

Well I want to tell you it is time for us all to get off our butts.

When we find ourselves coming up with a thought that contains a but, we need to follow that with god. BUT GOD!

Those are my favorite words in the Bible, my favorite concept regarding how life works. The beauty of how this works rests on God’s mercy and grace.

Mercy and grace are often confused. While the terms have similar meanings, grace and mercy are not the same. To summarize the difference: mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve, and grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mercy is deliverance from judgment. Grace is extending kindness to the unworthy.

In short, mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve; grace is God giving us something we do not deserve.

There are many things we have access to because of God’s mercy and grace working together to give us a but God statement. I want to look at just 3 of them today.

1st Gods mercy and grace gives us salvation

Titus 3:5

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

 Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

 The apostle Paul knew he had received God’s mercy and

he knew full well that he didn’t deserve it. But God, the most wonderful two words ever put together, but God gave it to him anyway.

You see Paul made a lot of mistakes before being saved.

He was essentially an old time Charles Manson, being responsible for the death of a lot Christians. Then one day, on the road to Damascus, Paul received Gods mercy instead of the judgment he deserved. Not only that but grace was given to him, which included a new name (from Saul to Paul), a new life, and a new mission. None of which was based on anything he could boast in. He was forever thankful.

2nd God’s mercy and Grace also gives us help in our times of trouble

 Hebrews 4:16

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

 We all face difficult and trying times, I am sure everyone here has cried at some point in life, I know I have.

But there is good news. The help and comfort we need is always available during these times. It is all because of Gods mercy and grace. No one has earned the help that God gives to us each day, we all should be punished for our sins and should reap the results of our bad choices without comfort. Have you ever heard the phrase you made your bed, now lie in it? Well we often times find our selves in trouble, but God shows mercy in not leaving us alone and then in addition shows us Grace by giving us help.;

What have any of us done for God lately that he owes us any favors? He is God. He doesn’t need us to give him anything.

Everything that we are given is because of his loving grace and mercy.

I am so thankful for all the blessings that God gives to me

3rd Because of Gods mercy and grace, we have all we need to endure whatever comes our way

2 Corinthians 4:1

Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up.

 Philippians 4:13

I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.

 Berean literal translation says:

I have strength for all things in the One strengthening me.

 Sometimes life gets so stressful that it seems like we just can’t go on another day but there is good news. The good news is that we are not alone. God’s mercy and grace strengthens us and sustains us so we do not have to give up. We can endure whatever comes our way because he gives us strength and walks through it with us. We may feel alone and abandoned, too weak to make it through, But God never leaves us or forsakes us. We have a friend in Jesus, a friend that sticks closer to us than a brother. When it seems that we can’t go on any farther he tells us to cast our cares upon him because he cares for us. His mercy and grace is new every day, always available to us.

I want to share a short story about Henry Ford. One day he was driving through the Michigan countryside when he saw a man whose model T Ford had broken down alongside the road. Mr Ford stopped and asked the man if he could take a look and see if he could fix, it the man said yes. In just a matter of minutes Mr Ford had the car running again. The man told Mr Ford he sure was impressed. Henry Ford replied, “well I should be able to fix,. it after all I am the one who designed it.”

God has designed us and whatever might be wrong with us God is able to fix it. There is nothing that God cannot do. The next time life throws you something that causes you to pause and say but… I want you to remember the biggest but of all, but God. Go to Him and take advantage of His mercy and grace today. It turns out I really do like big buts, and I cannot lie.

Great BUT GOD verses:

Genesis 8:1

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.

Genesis 31:42

If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.

Genesis 50:20

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

1 Samuel 23:14

David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.

1 Kings 5:4

But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster.

Nehemiah 9:17

They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them.

Psalm 49:15

But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.

Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Isaiah 40:8

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

Jonah 2:6

To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.

Matthew 19:26

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

John 1:18

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

Acts 2:24

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Acts 3:15

You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

Acts 5:39

But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.

Romans 5:8

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

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:9

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.

1 Corinthians 1:27

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Ephesians 2:4-5

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us,[a] 5 made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

2 Timothy 2:9

for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.

 

 

 

 

3 Strand Cord part 3

Posted on by scottcatchot

A Call to Action, that is what I would title this section. This is the final post in the 3 part series taking a look at the Christian walk through the symbolism of a 3 strand cord. This last section will focus on Action.The First strand talked about was importance of being in the Word, learning scripture and using it as the standard by which a Christian is to live. The second strand represented prayer, the importance of talking to God and cultivating a relationship with Jesus. This post will focus on the third strand, action.

It is a travesty not to grow in Christ. Salvation is not just saying a prayer and never thinking about it again. True Christians are representatives of God. Our thoughts, our actions, words they represent Christ. People will come to us for a drink, a lot of times without realizing that is what they are doing. We are to be fresh, not stagnant. We cannot be fresh or give fresh water unless we are filled daily.This is what the previous two posts discussed, how to be filled daily. But if you look in nature, the clearest, freshest water isn’t the ponds and lakes, but the rivers. That water which is moving. When you look at a river from any point along the bank, that area has water flowing into it and out of it, it is constantly moving. If it completely stops moving anywhere, the clearness and freshness of the water there will changes over time. The Christian walk is the same.

A believer needs to constantly have new life pouring into them daily as well as allowing that life to pour out of them. Now before anyone misunderstands, I am not saying works are needed in order to be saved. Salvation is by grace through Jesus only, no other way. However,salvation should lead to works. As our lives become more and more like Christ, so will our actions.

Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.
we are created for a purpose, God’s purpose. James addressed the connection between faith and works in his teachings:

James 2:14-26

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith[d] save him?
15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”[e] Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.[f] 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.
20 Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? 21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. 23 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness,[g] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Let’s be careful here, if taken out of context this can lead to confusion regarding saved by grace or by works. I have heard some point to this claiming it proves the Bible contradicts itself. But for something to be a contradiction, then it has to be mutually exclusive. In other words, it is absolutely impossible for both things to occur at the same time. That is the meaning of a contradiction.

There is no contradiction in James. Remember to look at the context. James, chapter 2, has 26 verses: Verses 1-7 instruct us not to show favoritism. Verses 8-13 are comments on the Law. Verses 14-26 are about the relationship between faith and works. CARM (Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry) give a great explanation of this verse:

“James begins this section by using the example of someone who says that he has faith but has no works, “What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14)  In other words, James is addressing the issue of a dead faith–a faith that is nothing more than a verbal pronouncement, a public confession of the mind, and is not heart-felt.  It is empty of life and action. He begins with the negative and demonstrates what an empty faith is (verses 15-17, words without actions). Then he shows that type of faith isn’t any different from the faith of demons (verse 19). Finally, he gives examples of living faith that has words followed by actions. Works follow true faith and demonstrate that faith to our fellow man but not to God. James writes of Abraham and Rahab as examples of people who demonstrated their faith by their deeds.
In brief, James is examining two kinds of faith: one that leads to godly works and one that does not. One is true, and the other is false. One is dead, the other alive, hence, “Faith without works is dead,” (James 2:20). But, he is not contradicting the verses above that say salvation/justification is by faith alone.
Also, notice that James actually quotes the same verse that Paul quotes in Rom. 4:3 amongst a host of verses dealing with justification by faith. James 2:23 says, “and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘and Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.'” If James was trying to teach a contradictory doctrine of faith and works than the other New Testament writers, then he would not have used Abraham as an example. Therefore, we can see that justification is by faith alone and that James was talking about false faith–not real faith–when he said that we are not justified by faith alone.”

We do not serve a sleeping or dead God, He does not want a sleeping or dead bride.The world is stIll waiting for the reality of God, It is to be revealed through the church. How will that happen without the church getting off it’s blessed assurance and putting that faith into action? Looking around at Christianity today, especially in America, it is very reminiscent of a pond or are of standing water. There is a lack of fresh water pouring in and a lack of any water running out. It is covered in scum, has bugs and looks diseased. No wonder church attendance is declining.There is no life. The church was not mean to be an institution held within four walls. It is itself a living entity, the body of believers a whole representing the Bride of Christ.

(For more info on church attendance trends check out:
http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html )

If the river stops flowing, it’s not a river Why do we want more from God if we keep it to ourselves To enjoy what others don’t have? That is not the purpose of having God’s spirit. It is to be shared. The church was never meant to be thought of as a building. We, the followers of Jesus, are the church.

If you read through the Old Testament looking at the judges and the prophets, They were people of action. When the spirit comes on you boldness comes. Boldness demands action or else it isn’t bold. Doing things that are not normal. It is what God wants and expects from the church.

In the Old Testament the Ark of the Covenant was a symbol that represented the presence and glory of God. There were special instructions regarding it’s care and how it was to be handled. The only way it could be carried was special poles ran through rings and the priests carrying it on their shoulders. Do you catch the symbolism and meaning of that? The presence and glory of God is to be carried on the shoulders of men. At the cross the veil separating everyone from the Ark, the symbol of God’s presence was torn down. Everyone now has access to God’s presence through Jesus. However, the method of carrying that presence and the glory of God, Jesus, did not change. It is still to be carried by men. To carry something requires action.

The New Testament is also fun of examples of action, heck the birth of the church is described and detailed in a book titled ACTS. Jesus himself commanded His followers to a life of action,

Matthew 28:18-20

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of[f] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember,[g] I am with you always,[h] to the end of the age.”

The very last words of Jesus on this earth were “go”. Not sit and read, but go. Yes they were to continue seeking him, to wait on the sending of the Holy Spirit, but his command was to go. A call to action.

We as Christians have received His grace in order to share His grace, so if we have received salvation by grace. we are obligated to share His grace.If you have a desire for more, a desire to see revival, a desire to be blessed, then begin to share your salvation with other people.
Why do you want more if you are not going to give it away? A revival that does not effect other people, does not effect your society is not revival.

Acts 1 “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you you will receive power and you will be my witness”

We must take the church outside these 4 walls, taking it into the streets unashamed of being Crazy in love with Jesus. Paul asked in Romans 10:14:

14 But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher?
Paul stresses the importance of a Christians need to fulfill the last command of Jesus. Now this brings to my mind one of the more often asked questions by skeptics, but what about those who never hear about Jesus. This is a a topic I will cover in a later post in more depth, but suffice it to say we can rest in the assurance that God is a fair and just God. I mention here because of what it should do for a believer. It should light a burning fire in our hearts to do everything we can to make sure that there isn’t someone who has never heard of Jesus.

In closing, It is of no value to spend time in the word, spend time in prayer to get a manifestation of God and then go home and not shine his light. That is why I see this as 3 strands to make one strong cord: The word, prayer, and action. We must call out to God daily, we must study the word, but we are not to receive from God just for ourselves we must give it away. These are days of Action. Faith acts, faith does something Whatever God gives you, you are to use it ,put it into action. You want awesome things to happen, get where the action is, find someplace or someone who is needy and do something about it. An awesome man of faith and a dear friend of mine, Jeff Collins once said :

There are 3 kinds of people in church

Those who make things Happen
Those who watch things Happen
Those who say , “what Happened ?”

Let’s all be those who make things happen by giving away that which has been given to us, as the Lord has commanded. Go. This is your call to action.

3 Strand Cord (part 2)

Posted on by scottcatchot

As I continue this series regarding the 3 strand cord and look at the second strand, I want to discuss the importance of prayer. Entire books have been written regarding prayer so needless to say anything I mention in this post is definitely not an exhaustive analysis on the importance and power of prayer. However, there are some aspects regarding prayer that kept jumping out to me as I went back through those pages of my journal and I want to share those.

I heard someone once say that prayer is the Cinderella of the church. You know the story, Cinderella was mistreated and hidden away from most of society.Yet when she got out and made it to the ball, she was the most beautiful one there, so enchanting that the Prince went on a search throughout the kingdom to find her after the Ball. Well that is prayer for the church. It is often mistreated, not the most exciting thing to do, even seeming cliche and yet when truly put to practice it is the most beautiful and effective weapon the church has in this world. This is because when people stay on their knees in prayer, Jesus, eagerly runs to His bride.

To say it is important to pray is an understatement. The Bible is full of quotes telling us to pray.

1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

Luke 18:1 And he spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

1 Timothy 2:8  Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.
These are just a few places that Christians are instructed to pray. Why is it so important? Well this Christian walk is a relationship with God and it functions very similar to relationships in the natural. You develop friendships by spending time with people. The more time you spend with someone the more you get to know them and the closer you become. Are you really close with someone that you never spend time with?

The Word Teaches us about Jesus, His teachings, and gives us knowledge on one level, but when coupled with prayer it become illuminated and takes it a step further. It is like a kid who loves Batman. He may have read every comic book available, seen the movies, and watched all the cartoons. He can tell you all about Batman, but if he has never met Batman, does not spend time with Batman regularly, then he does not know Batman. It is the same with Jesus. We can study and learn all about him, and that is good, but it must be coupled with prayer. Talking with God. Taking the time to cultivate that relationship.

This is more than blessing our meals, saying our bedtime prayers and asking him for our needs.
We need to pray more intensely Pray in all circumstances, good or Bad. We need more than just 5, 10, or 20 minute prayers, we need to shake the heavens. All types of prayers: praise and thanksgiving, Intercession, seeking God, crying out when in need, and others. But all types need to be in earnest and with the correct intention.

James 4:3  You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires. Frivolous self centered prayers are not always answered because they are not according to God’s will. Again we see the connection of the first strand with the second, through reading of the word we learn God’s desires and how to pray according to His word, which in turn brings answers to those prayers.

Psalms 145:18 The LORD is near to all them that call on him, to all that call on him in truth.

Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

The word is clear that prayer, when done fervently and in the right manner accomplishes many things. Now this doesn’t mean there are certain formulas or a set way to pray. It is simply talking to God truthfully, humbly, and without selfish motives. But also with pretentious babbling and vain repetition to make yourself sound good. It is to be with intention and purpose.

The great example to us is the Lord’s prayer: Matthew 6:9-13

Our Father in heaven,
Your name be honored as holy.
10
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11
Give us today our daily bread.
12
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13
And do not bring us into[f] temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one
[For Yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.
This shows examples of thanksgiving, asking for just daily needs , repentance, and forgiveness. a great model to follow given by Jesus himself. One of the most important aspects in this prayer is the point of seeking God’s Kingdom to come here as in heaven. There is a tension between the Kingdom of God being here and the Kingdom that is coming. It is like the difference between being adopted and having a hope to be adopted. It is in this tension where we pray and groan.

Romans 8:26-27
26 In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us[a] with unspoken groanings. 27 And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

When we don’t know what to pray, in our weakness the spirit will lead us, pray through us, and sometimes jus know what we need when don’t, when we can’t even vocalize it. This happens because in prayer you are no longer alone. God is there listening.So pray that you can have an open heaven and live with anticipation of what God is going to do.This is what it means to seek the Lord. The awesome thing about seeking the Lord’s presence is that He will show up. When he does, take time to listen as well. Sit in silence in his presence and let Him speak to you.

Just like when Cinderella went looking to see the prince at the ball in my earlier analogy,the result was the Prince seeking Cinderella to be his bride. Well Jesus eagerly seeks for His Bride, the church. In the story invitations went out inviting everyone to the ball, Jesus invites all of us to seek his presence. Why would we not accept this invitation to be in His presence in prayer?

It is in His presence when we truly experience change in our lives. It is in His presence that the things learned in the Word become truly written upon our hearts.It is through prayer combined with the Word that the anointing flows into our lives. As we saturate our lives in both the word and prayer we find more and more of the presence of God and are forever changed. This is where victory lies, with the presence of the Almighty God. When the Spirit of the Lord shows up, the ropes and chains that have held you bound up become like wax and melt away.

This is the beauty and awesome reward of walking with Jesus. Experiencing love and joy. Not just salvation from our sins that allows us into heaven when we die, but salvation from our sins that allows us to grow in a closer and closer relationship with Jesus hear and now. This does not mean there is no longer troubles, the Bible tells us to expect trials and tribulation. So the Joy of the Lord isn’t the absence of sorrow, but the presence of Jesus. As we pray without ceasing we find ourselves never alone. Our perspective changes because when He is with us, nothing else matters.

So the two strands, the word and prayer, twist together to strengthen our relationship with God and leads us to seek His presence and find it. This seeking the presence of God interlocks with the Great Commission , one flows from the other and leads to the final thread I will discuss in the next post… ACTION.3

3 Strand Cord (part 1)

Posted on by scottcatchot

I was planning on spending sometime adding more of my poems to the poem section of this site. I grabbed the composition book that I have some of these written in and left. When I got an opportunity to flip through the composition book I had grabbed the wrong one and actually had grabbed an old prayer journal. I have stopped and started journaling many times over the years. It is something I like and want to do, but am not super consistent over extended long periods of time. I always pick it back up though and so have entries that span many many years. Since I had it with me I started reading back through it and quickly came to realize through he prompting of the Spirit that this really was not an accident. Reading multiple entries covering a span of years I noticed a theme being woven through the fabric of time. Not just time in general, but my personal timeline and so it became a trip back to an old altar, a chance to rebuild, rededicate, and study again some basic truths. It all offers a message that I want to share over the next few blog Entries..

The theme I saw develop that I will focus on relates to our walk as a Christian. Accepting Jesus as the savior is the most decision we could ever make. Unfortunately that is where a lot of people, and even church instruction, seems to stop. There is a need for true discipleship for new believers, heck even those who have walked for a while. There is more to being a Christian than just going to church or just saying a one time prayer. It is about having a relationship with the creator of the universe. A relationship with God is similar to a relationship in the natural. It has to be cultivated.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us a cord of three strands is not easily broken. This has proven true in my Bushcraft experience as well. A great way of increasing strength of cordage is by twisting more than one strand together or even braiding them. As I perused through the pages of the journal, there were three topics that kept popping back up that when used together create an almost unbreakable cord in our spiritual lives. Now it is important to note that the Christian walk is about relationship, not formulas, but having these three aspects in our walk builds spiritual strength and will bring us in closer intimacy with Jesus.

The three strands every Christian needs in their life to help cultivate a strong relationship with God are the word, prayer, and action.

The first strand, the WORD

So much of today’s society is experience driven. Live life to the fullest, do whatever makes you happy. This has even leaked over into the church. Charismatics can suffer from charismania and focus on living from experience to experience. They are not the only body of believers who suffer with this issue. Our society is focusing more and more on experiencing life. Carpe Diem, Seize the Day! Having a genuine experience with God is awesome, and is something we should all seek to have happen. Yet if your faith comes only from experiences, it will be weak. Having faith based on experiences tends to have us walk according to our feelings. What happens when our feelings, or our experience does not match up with how we thought it should go? Do we then have a spiritual dilemma? We do need to experience the presence of God,
But we need to base everything on something more solid than Our experience. THE WORD OF GOD. When we are abounding in God’s word, then it will set us free and we will be steadfast, unmovable, and will avoid a crisis of faith because our faith is rooted in something with substance. The bible tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6), so how do we get faith? Well,Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

What is your faith based on? Why do you believe the things you believe? It is important to know what you believe, and why you believe it. The answer to that question should never be because (insert name or title here) told me so, with the exception of the Children’s song lyrics…”for the Bible tells me so.” So many times I hear people say they are looking for a word from God. This plays into wanting an experience, wanting a touch from God. Nothing wrong with that, but 100% of the time that we cannot discern the voice of the Lord is because we do not have the word of God in our hearts. Jesus said in John chapter 10 that His sheep know him and hear His voice. You want to get to know Him? You want a word from God? READ THE BIBLE! It is 66 books filled with Words from God to you.When you get the word in you, then God will breathe on it. Experience does not change your heart, the word of God changes your heart.

Our heart are changed because the Word is a God given guide for our life. The word is to act as a ruler or standard by which we gauge everything in our lives. It is the guide that tells us how we should live and how we should handle situations. It tells us why we need a savior and is a love letter to us from God. If we do not know the word, then how are we able to know how God expects us to live. It is also only by knowing the word that we can recognize false teachers and doctrines. We are to test everything against the standard of the Bible. Every preacher’s sermon, every message and supposed word from God, against the Bible.If you can’t find it in the Bible, Throw it out!

Jesus himself used scripture when preaching, reciting or reading from the Old Testament. When he spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted, He resisted the devil through quoting scripture. Following his resurrection In Luke 24 we see that he opened the scriptures to those he was walking with on the road to Emmaus. Jesus, the resurrected Christ could have given them anything, but He opened their minds to the scripture. He still does this through the Holy Spirit for us when we study the word.
It is this opening of the scriptures that helps us acquire knowledge about Jesus as well as helping develop a relationship with Him. The prophet Hosea shows the importance of this in chapter 4 verse 6:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

This should serve as a warning that it is important to have knowledge and to know the laws, and more importantly the grace of God. This only comes from studying the word. Without this knowledge we will be as children “tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit (Ephesians 4:14).” Knowing the Word keeps you from being deceived by false doctrine. This is very much the same method used by the FBI and Treasury department. The people who are experts on counterfeiting do not spend all of their time studying the various methods people can produce fake money, and yet when handed a fake bill the truly experienced can recognize it immediately. How is this possible? They spend so much time studying the real thing that a fake is obvious. It is the same for us when we study the word of God, if you truly know the Bible, then fake doctrine, scriptures used out of context, and other errors become evident to you.

So if we don’t want to remain as children, then we need to grow up. There is nothing wrong with a new Christian having a limited understanding of the Bible and the things of God. It even says to desire Spiritual Milk like a new born Baby (1 Peter 2:1-3) However, the Bible is also full of admonishment and encouragement regarding not remaining immature in these things, saying to move on from just milk to meat. (Hebrews 5:11-6:12; 1 Cor 3:1-4;10-15; 2 Peter 1:3-15) Therefore we need to read and study the word in order to grow in our spiritual life and knowledge of Christ.

This knowledge is increased because the word isn’t just about Jesus, it is Jesus.
John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word,[a]
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.

Jesus is the incarnate Word of God so by studying the Bible, we are actually building relationship with THE WORD, Jesus. When you get to know someone, you learn who they are, what they desire in life, as well as other aspects of their Character. Well The Bible shows us the Character of God as he reveled himself through Jesus. It is a more solid foundation Heaven and Earth shall pass away but the Word Endures forever. 2 Peter 1:12-21 gives us assurance that the Bible is God given and is a sure foundation. There are plenty of extra biblical evidence pointing to the reliability of the Bible and I will address that in a different post. This shows that the scripture is something that is and will always be true and therefore something we can rely on.

The Word produces faith, faith produces confidence, confidence produces boldness, boldness produces Kingdom. The end result of Jesus coming and what what will be the end game in His return is the establishment of God’s Kingdom. We, as followers are to be a part of that and we can only accomplish this mandate (referred to as the Great Commission) if we know the Bible. Read, Memorize, meditate on the Word of God. Get it inside of you and use it as your standard of living, your code of Honor.

Go out and work on increasing the amount of time you spend reading, even if you start by adding 10 minutes extra a week. That is a start. There are tons of reading plans on the internet to help you, just type it into Google and find a plan. AN easy place to start is with Proverbs. The number of Chapters line up with the length of our months. I personally read a chapter from the Old Testament, one of the Psalms, A Proverb, and then a Chapter out of the New Testament. I do this in order to read through the entire Bible. I miss days, it happens. But my goal is everyday. If I miss a day, I jump right back in and start from where I left off, or time permitting I read extra to catch up and stay on track. The importance is not tied into how you do it, but that you do it.

The next post will focus on the second strand, Prayer. Have a great day!

Do You Know The Master?

Posted on by scottcatchot

My Church was doing a Wednesday night series over the Parables of Jesus. Last night I shared over the Parable of the Talents and wanted to post it as I learned some really great things during this study.

The Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:
14 “For it is just like a man going on a journey. He called his own slaves and turned over his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents;[c] to another, two; and to another, one—to each according to his own ability. Then he went on a journey. Immediately 16 the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. 17 In the same way the man with two earned two more. 18 But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. Look, I’ve earned five more talents.’
21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’
22 “Then the man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. Look, I’ve earned two more talents.’
23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’
24 “Then the man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a difficult man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy slave! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, 27 then[d] you should have deposited my money with the bankers. And when I returned I would have received my money[e] back with interest.
28 “‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has 10 talents. 29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30 And throw this good-for-nothing slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

I am sure many have heard this story before. I have heard it shared many times in the past and have read and reread it multiple times since, especially the past few weeks. I have also read more commentaries on it than I care to remember. The usual message I have heard on it relates to God giving us talents that we are to put to use for His glory. This is a great message, biblically sound because that is exactly what we are to do with our talents.

There is more to this parable than a great message on using our talents for Jesus. As a matter of fact if you look at the etymology of the English word talent, that’s a fancy word meaning the study of the origin of words, our usage of the word talent actually comes from the common interpretations and teaching on this parable. The only problem is that was not the meaning of the word in Jesus’ Day or how it is used in this parable.
Obviously the story uses talents to represent money. But parables have a purpose which is to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. So there is more to this story than meets the eye. The original definition of talent is that it was an ancient unit of weight. A talent in of itself is not a unit of currency.

The talent was the heaviest or largest biblical unit of measurement for weight. There is some debate over the actual modern equivalent due to different cultures having a different weight associated with their talent but an average estimate is around 75 lbs would be the weight equivalent of 1 talent. So when using talents you would have a talent of gold, silver, copper, etc. In the parable it just says he gave one 5 talents, one two, and the last only one. It does not say if it is gold, silver or copper. Regardless it was a considerable amount all across the board. One was given 375 lbs, another 150 lbs, and another 75 lbs. This is not something you just walk around with in your pocket. Some scholars estimate the monetary amount could have been up to 20 years salary.

So the master has called these slaves and has given his possessions over to them. Some translations say property. I need to mention the importance of property. Property to the Israelites was tied to the promises of God. It might trace back to the inheritance given when entering the promise land. It definitely represented what was the inheritance to be given to family when one passed away.

Considering this I find it interesting that Jesus does not specify an amount but stresses that a weight was given to each or dare I say a responsibility or a measure of something was given to each.

Now most commentaries and messages focus on what the talents represent. Which is where I began my study into this parable. It says they were given to each according to his own ability. Well regardless of how truthful and how great the interpretation is regarding using our talents for Jesus, It doesn’t make much sense that abilities were given according to abilities.

I spent a lot of time researching and praying over what God wanted me to share about this parable. In this parable Jesus uses a comparison between how the different slaves handled their talents. Two put the talents to good use, One hid the talent. The two were rewarded, the one, not so much. I studied the context of how the parable was told. Jesus is actually speaking to his disciples. They have questioned him about the end times, when to expect everything to come to pass. This parable is set between two other parables and they are all giving examples of what the Kingdom of heaven is like.

The verse preceding this , verse 13 says,
”3 “Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.[b]
then continues into 14
“For it is just like a man going on a journey.

SO the importance of this parable is tied in part to Jesus stressing being alert in the end times. So what are we to understand the talents to represent? I continued to study digging into the greek for the words ability and at how the comparisons between the different slaves played out. Two put the money to use and one hid his away. They were rewarded and punished accordingly to what they did it seems.

But an important thing to remember in studying the Bible, is context. Everything must be understood in context with the rest of scriptures as well as in its’ own chapter.

But If the point of Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the talents is indeed the effort, faithfulness, or works, then based solely upon the context of this parable, one is confronted with the alarming possibility that the difference between those who enter the joy of the master from those who are cast into outer darkness is simply diligent labor. In short, if these interpretations are taken to their extreme, logical conclusion, they are ultimately teaching a works-based salvation, or if the notion of outer darkness is downplayed, then a works-based way to become more righteous. This is against all that the Bible teaches regarding Grace.

But in looking at all of these things I realized there was something that did fit all this criteria and that the talents could very well represent faith.

ROMANS 12:3
3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.

Everyone is given a measure of faith, the more we use our faith, the more it increases. It is our faith that leads us to do works. It is by faith that we are saved and the bible even tells us that faith without works is dead and it is impossible to please God without faith. Even looking at the other parables in Chapter 25, the similarities underscore a message of faith.All of them deal with Jesus at his return; they cover judgement, accountability and the separation of two groups. So they are each in their own way showing how to be ready for when the master returns and keeping faith.

It was at this point The Holy Spirit highlighted something specific to me that I was missing. What he pointed out to me, took this parable to a whole other level.

There is a lot to gain looking at this parable and relating the talents to faith. And honestly we can teach great messages out of this making the talents represent many things, abilities, using money for god’s purpose, opportunities we are given. But The most important aspect in this parable isn’t what they were given, but what they did with what they were given and more importantly why. The motivation behind what caused the slaves to respond and act the way they did is the true gem of this parable.

Jesus’ relating of the servant’s actions and the master’s response showed that this was not a parable about work, money, or getting rewards. Instead, the parable of the talents is a story about motivation and the condition of one’s heart.

This was not a story about money but a parable about relationship. So now let’s look at this parable through that lens.

It says the first went immediately to work, the second did the same but the last hid his away. After a long time the master came and settled accounts. So the first two put that faith to use, the other did not, why the difference in what they did?

The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. Look, I’ve earned five more talents.’
21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’
22 “Then the man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. Look, I’ve earned two more talents.’
23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’

ok let’s observe even though they both were given a different amount, they both put it to use and therefore saw an increase. And they both received the same thing. They were both told well done, good and faithful slave.
Ok a slave doing a job for his master, even a trusted slave as these obviously were, has no rightful expectation of keeping any profit or getting anything in return. He is merely doing what is expected.

What does the master go on and say?

You were faithful over a few things,I will put you in charge of many things. A few? well it is obvious the Master has an abundance . Remember the monetary equivalent we mentioned. But more importantly he said Share your master’s Joy!

So they just got promoted, And then asked to share in the Master’s Joy ? The relationship between them just changed. They were just invited to a closer intimacy. Well this is a parable that uses comparison to highlight it’s point so let’s compare the last slaves actions.
24 “Then the man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a difficult man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours.’

This slave goes on to explain why he did what he did.

But the Master does not agree or disagree with him in regard to his judgement of his character. Instead he uses the slaves own words against him.
26 “But his master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy slave! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, 27 then[d] you should have deposited my money with the bankers. And when I returned I would have received my money[e] back with interest.
28 “‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has 10 talents.
Telling him,If you believed this, then you Should have put the money in the bank and allowed interest to grow. He was called evil, lazy and tossed out of relationship with the master.

Why did this slave respond differently than the other two who were eager and went to work immediately ?

There is one thing he said that is important to note. He was afraid. Why was he afraid ? He says it was because he knew the master.But is his assessment of the Master true? The master didn’t have to give them anything to use while he was away, he could have even chosen other slaves. If he truly expected to gain where he had no right to gain, he would not have then rewarded the slaves and definitely not ask them into a closer relationship. and share in his joy.

It’s possible this Slave may not have even truly believed what he was saying, but was just making excuses because his actions did not back up what he was saying according to the master. The truth is this slave did not really know his master and therefore allowed his fear to keep him from putting his faith to use. He claimed he thought his master would expect something from nothing and yet he still did nothing. His improper understanding of his master affected how he responded to what the Master truly wanted and therefore his talent, or his unused faith did not produce anything for him because he hid it.

In the same way, for each of us, our understanding of the master, our understanding of who Jesus is affects how we relate to him and therefore affects how we respond to him. Lot’s of things can cause us to have a misunderstanding of who Jesus is, Things that happen in the past, relationship with our parents, or spouses.Events going on around us. Anything that can cause us to think Jesus is a certain way or shake our understanding.

The Bible is the ruler and guide by which we are to learn who the master is.The entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation is the story of a personal God seeking to restore relationship with mankind. The very reason Jesus came was to restore relationship between God and man. This parable shows us what the kingdom of God is like. A master who has left his slaves in charge, left them with a measure of faith.

Our view of God affects our relationship with him. We either trust him and act in a way that shows we trust him and therefore use our faith. Or our picture of who the master is causes us to hold on to our faith allowing fears to keep things hidden away out of sight, not being used , unable to increase. This is something that can affect so many different aspects of our life. Are we willing to take a chance with God?

Truly the word Talent can represent many things: But what do we know about the master? Can we trust him with our our talents, our abilities, our money, our faith, opportunities we are given. our lives, our health, or whatever. Or do we have an understanding of the master that allows fear to cause us to hide these things from him, like the slave who buried the talent

Are we going to put our faith in him and thereby find ourselves invited into a closer relationship?

So the choice is ours. What will we believe about Jesus? Will we use our faith, taking hold of opportunities that we are presented with, will we trust in what kind of master we have and get to share in the master’s Joy or allow fear to cause us to hide our faith away. Do not allow a misunderstanding of who Jesus really is to cause you to do nothing and ultimately miss out. Having faith and then putting it to use brings opportunities for an even closer relationship with Jesus, hiding it will cause even what faith we have to be lost. It is a true use it or loose it situation. What do you know about the Master?

What are you focusing on?

Posted on by scottcatchot

 

I got up this morning and did my normal morning routine; getting ready for work, drinking coffee, morning reading to my kids, etc. Things ran slow and I got off to work late, get to work and my computer is acting crazy. This school year (I’m a teacher if you didn’t know) has been a crazy one as far as technology goes, basically anything that could break or not work in my classroom has done so, repeatedly. Well this Monday morning was no different. I am running late, need to print out some things and well my desktop will not boot up. I have a laptop that I use more often, but i can’t print from the laptop..another issue, so I need the desktop to send anything to the printer. After 4 separate reboots I finally get it to pull up and the wait begins. Well class is already starting as I finally walk back in, papers in hand.I really hate being rushed yet it is what it is today. I usually have a second cup of coffee by now, but that has not taken place either as of yet. Regardless, the day has not got me flustered. Things are going relatively well. I get to a break in what I am doing and sit down to check the student’s journals from last week and enter the grades into the grade book. As I am on my laptop the “verse of the day” popped up.

“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.”
Philippians 4:8 HCSB

It was very appropriate to how things were going and How my reactions to these things was playing out. I struggle with becoming frustrated and irritated as well as grumbling and complaining.about things not going the way I think they should.This isn’t always apparent to others, it usually happens inside my head, but it does occasionally come out, especially in regards to being  being late. I hate being late anywhere. To me it is an integrity issue. If you say you are going to be somewhere or have a commitment to be somewhere at a certain time then it shows your character and reliability when you actually show up at or before those times. I really believe the old saying, “early is on time, on time is late.” Nevertheless I am working on not being legalistic about this area because the reality is, sometime life happens and it really is out of your control…especially with kids. The start of this actual year I have increased my daily time with the Lord and started reading to the kids from the Bible before we all leave for the day. I have always had study time, but this is in addition to my time and provides a more consistent daily routine for me and the kiddos. This is the reason I was not upset tis morning by all the mishaps and lateness. As I read the verse of the day I remembered what the next verse says.

Philippians 4:9Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

“9 Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Starting out my day thinking on The word, praying with my kids, listening to praise music on the way to work, these actions were actually me doing what verse 8 says, dwelling on things worthy of praise. Well therefore verse 9 came into play and the God of peace was truly with me today. It really is a simple thing on one hand, I was running late, computer was fussy and I didn’t get upset about it. Big deal. On the other hand, it is a reminder to how simple certain aspects of our walk really can be. Trust the scripture, put it into practice, and what it says will happen, will happen. So I want to encourage you to truly read wha the Bible has to say, and put it into practice. In the 1st Chapter of James it says,

“22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face[i] in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works—this person will be blessed in what he does.”

The Bible has a lot to offer us and can help us with our relationship with the creator, but really only if we actually are putting it into practice. Let’s all be doers, it really does work.

The Season of Figs

Posted on by scottcatchot

As I was reading in Mark earlier this week, I had a small detail stick out to me and it really stuck with me. It was the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree. What stuck with me was why Jesus cursed the fig tree in the first place. The story in question is:

Mark 11:12-14 and 20- 25 (HCSB)

The Barren Fig Tree Is Cursed

12 The next day when they came out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 After seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, He went to find out if there was anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples heard it.

Cleansing the Temple Complex

15 They came to Jerusalem, and He went into the temple complex and began to throw out those buying and selling in the temple. He overturned the money changers’ tables and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple complex.
17 Then He began to teach them: “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?[a] But you have made it a den of thieves!”[b] 18 Then the chief priests and the scribes heard it and started looking for a way to destroy Him. For they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished by His teaching.
19 And whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.
The Barren Fig Tree Is Withered

20 Early in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Then Peter remembered and said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that You cursed is withered.”
22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. 23 I assure you: If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for—believe that you have received[c] them, and you will have them. 25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.

Jesus tells his disciples not to be shocked it withered and uses it as an example of praying with faith and expectation. This is obviously the primary purpose and lesson here, but that small detail kept me pondering. It clearly states it was not the season for figs. Why is the fig tree punished for doing what it was created to do in accordance to the seasons? Well knowing what I know about Jesus, His character being fair and not unjust, my assumption was there is more to this than meets the eye and so I began digging into fig trees and how they relate to this scripture.

It turns out that figs function differently from other fruit bearing trees in several ways such as it blossoms prior to putting on leaves and it’s bloom is covered. What is most important to this verse is how it produces fruit. Figs have more than one crop per year. The Breba crop develops in spring (the time period that this story occurs) on the previous years shoots. The main crop ( what would be referred to as the season for figs) develop’s on the current year’s shoot growth and ripens in late summer or fall. These are the sweetest and tastier crop, hence why it is referred to as the main crop. Another consideration is that depending on climate, the fruit bearing time extends over a longer time period and it is common to find fruit from the previous season still on trees outside of the main harvest time. Therefore the fact the tree was covered in leaves, as they could tell from a distance, it was not weird to expect their to be fruit on the tree that was so covered in leaves.

This then leads into the important message that exists in what happened to the fig tree in this story. Jesus cursed the tree and it withered. This was first an example of faith to the disciples, as Jesus explained to them. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of having spiritual fruit in our lives. The fig tree is the third tree mentioned by name in the Bible, Genesis 3:7. It is mentioned multiple times in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Jeremiah,Joel Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and probably in places I have missed. The New Testament carries on the usage of the fig tree as examples and symbols of Israel. Having fig trees was a sign of being blessed and prosperous. Conversely not having any, or one dying could be seen as a sign of judgement and/or rejection. The fact this event took place around him cleaning out the temple, It was another clue to the disciples about the coming judgement to Israel and the importance of bearing good fruit as was in line with many of Jesus’ other teachings. It would be wise of us to consider this in regards to our own lives and what it means to bear good fruit and not just look fruitful or we may find ourselves facing a disappointment and shock as happened in

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

May we never hear that phrase, but instead hear, “well done my good and faithful servant.” It is about the relationship, not the work and outward sign as shown by the tree that looked as though it should have fruit and by the people who had the testimonies of what they had so called done in His name, and yet He did not know them.

Hope Like Water To A Tree

Posted on by scottcatchot

I was reading through Job the other day. I am sure you are familiar with the story. Job lost everything . In one day, one after another, servants ran up to tell him different things he had lost. First, his donkeys and oxen were stolen, and all his servants were killed, Then fire killed his sheep and more servants. The person giving that news had not finished speaking when another guy came in to let him know three gangs had stolen his camels and killed even more servants. To top it all off he then gets word that all of his kids were having a party together when a windstorm collapsed the house on top of them killing them all. Job was really having a bad day. The story goes on and Job loses his health, his friends berate him, his wife, the only family he has left even berates him. It is pretty safe bet to say he was feeling pretty alone. We see him struggle to understand his situation and search for answers to his difficulties.

We still do this when we find ourselves alone, struggling going through hard times. Well at one point when Job is crying out to God he says (in Job 14:7-10)

There is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its shoots will not die.
8
If its roots grow old in the ground
and its stump starts to die in the soil,
9
the smell of water makes it thrive
and produce twigs like a sapling.
10
But a man dies and fades away;
he breathes his last—where is he?

Job is contemplating death and asking about hope. He mentions even trees when cut down can have life again because of water bringing it new life.

As I was thinking about this comparison and contemplating what Job was asking I remembered another place where the bible talks about water in John. This is when Jesus is talking with the Samaritan woman.
John 4:7-14

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
“Give Me a drink,” Jesus said to her, 8 for His disciples had gone into town to buy food.
9 “How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked Him. For Jews do not associate with[d] Samaritans.[e]
10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would ask Him, and He would give you living water.”
11 “Sir,” said the woman, “You don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do You get this ‘living water’? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are You? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.”
13 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again—ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well[f] of water springing up within him for eternal life.”

This same image is used again in John 7:37, the setting is during Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles,
37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me[f] and drink! 38 The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said,[g] will have streams of living water flow from deep with in him.

Jesus compares himself to living water. A water that will quench the thirst or need forever. So the hope that is like water that brings new life to a dead tree which Job was looking for, that we all look for in those times of loneliness and despair, is Jesus.

Matthew 12:21 puts it plainly, “in his name the nations will put their hope.”

Like Job, I have had low points in my life, times when I did not understand why things were happening and even wondering if everything was pretty much over for me. I could not see any light at the end of the tunnel. I had lost my family to divorce, got evicted from my home due to financial issues of the landlord, a few months later lies and false acquisitions cost me my job . It seemed one thing after another kept piling up. I found myself having the similar thoughts to Job. I was not suicidal, but I definitely thought things would be better if I just died so the suffering would just stop and even mentioned that to God several times. The Apostle Paul found himself enduring trial and hardship time and again throughout his life. His philosophy regarding all things in his life is summed up in what he says in Philipians 1:21,

21 For me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

Paul understood that since he had hope in Jesus that as long as he was alive he had a mission to share the hope that he had found in Jesus, and if he died He would live out eternity with Jesus. God reminded me of that during this time and so In the midst of that time, just as in times past and other difficulties since then. I have found my hope in Jesus. Leaning on him I have been able to endure, continue and even go on prosper when it seems everything is against me and there is nothing left for me in life.

Edward Mote composed an amazing hymn that truly sums this point up called My Hope is Built on Nothing Less.

1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]

The most amazing thing about this hope that is Jesus, is it is for everyone. There are no requirements other than you ask for it.
This hope never runs out, it never grows smaller, because God is a God of more not less . When Israel was rebuilding the temple and everything was in ruin and looked as thought it could never be rebuilt, God sent a word to them through Haggai saying (Haggai 2:9)
9 “The final glory of this house[b] will be greater than the first,” says the Lord of Hosts. “I will provide peace in this place”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

He was telling them that there was still more hope, it had not passed them by. That same idea is true for us as well. When God brings hope and restoration he does not short change us. He is a God of more. In my own life he has restored and brought me a wonderful wife who is also seeking after God, blessed me with more children, a steady job and many other blessings.

God brought restoration to Job because of his continued faith and Hope in him.

He receives twice the wealth he had before (Job 42:10), plus a new brood of seven sons and three daughters (Job 42:13). Yes his first children are gone forever, our suffering can leave scars, we read that Job’s latter life is blessed “more than his beginning” (Job 42:12), We also know what Job didn’t, that following the resurrection of Jesus that God’s final redemption comes only when Christ returns to bring his kingdom to fulfillment. So not only do we have hope always available in this life, Jesus, the living water, brings life eternal so that hope in him continues even beyond this life throughout eternity. Truly He is a God of Hope.

I want to close with a story about a Christian in church history, a guy named Billy Bray. He was a Miner in Cornwall England and He had one of the most remarkable salvation experiences you ever saw in all of your life. after narrowly escaping a mining accident. Billy Bray was so happy — he shouted and sang all the time. So much so it bothered people. He had so much joy, just shouting all the time. And somebody said to him one time, “Billy Bray, why don’t you tone down some? You’re just too happy. You’ve got too much joy all the time.” Billy Bray said, “I can’t help it. God saved me and I can’t help it. When I put down one foot it says hallelujah, and when I put down the other foot it says glory to God.”

And they said, “Billy, suppose you’re mistaken? Suppose when you die you find out that you’re not going to Heaven after all, you’re going to Hell.” Old Billy said, “Praise God, I’ve been having a wonderful time in the Lord all through the years. Jesus has been good to me and if I die and go down to Hell, then I’ll be thankful for the joy Jesus brought me in life. I’ll shout all over Hell and they’ll have to send me up to Heaven because they can’t stand that kind of joy down there.”

Oh for us all to get a hold of that joy and hope. Hope that brings life just like water does to a tree. To let that hope and joy Joy spill out all over those around us. Who wants that kind of hope and Joy? I know I do.