Jesus and the Old Testament

Do you ever think on how the Old and New Testaments work together?  The New Testament does not replace the Old...But rather is how all that was written about came to LIFE in Jesus.  Remember what John wrote in chapter 1:14, "Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us."  John is telling us that in Jesus the Bible came to life!

So...Let me show you a specific example of this.  If you're a part of the New City family, we call this Learning Up.

This SaturdaySunday, May 24 (the Hebrew day begins at sundown), is the Feast of Shavout which is one of the holidays God commanded (not asked) his people to observe.  Shavout is celebrated 50 days after the Passover (also a Feast that God commanded his people to follow).  So, 50 days after Passover, as the people of God have been delivered from the Egyptians...God gives Moses the Law.  

How does this relate to Jesus?  Great question...In Greek the word fiftieth is Pentecost.  Are you connecting any dots yet?  50 days after Passover, the Disciples were doing what Jesus told them to do, they were waiting for the gift.  However, on this 50th day, or this day of Pentecost, the gift was not going to be more Law but rather God's Holy Spirit...Which would put God's law onto our heart.

Want to learn more?  Okay...Shavout is one of 7 specific Feasts that God establishes in the Old Testament.  However, when you and I hear the word "Feast" we think party.  That's not the idea.  A better word for "Feast" is the word "Rehearsal."  Meaning, God gave his people 7 specific "rehersals" to observe.  Each time we observe these rehearsals we are preparing for the REAL thing.  Remember..."the Word became flesh and took up residence among us."?  C'mon...keep connecting the dots...

God has fulfilled the first 4 Feasts (rehearsals) already through Jesus.  These Feasts are always celebrated in the Spring.  They are:
Passover - Jesus death on the cross.
Unleavened Bread - Jesus' lifeless body being placed in the tomb.
First Fruits - Jesus being resurrected by the mighty power of God.
Pentecost  - Jesus sending His Holy Spirit to His faithful.

Keep connecting the dots...
So...If God fulfilled the first 4 Feasts by Jesus...Is it probable God will fulfill the last 3 Feast through Jesus?  I think so!

The last 3 Feasts (rehearsals) are always celebrated in the Fall.
Trumpets
Atonement
Tabernacle 

I'll let you take it from here...But I will wet your appetite for learning by asking you a question.  "What is the sound (don't just answer the question but rather find it in the Bible) that Jesus said would be heard when He returns to His Church?  

A typical way that the people of God celebrated Shavout was to stay awake all night reading the Bible.  So, this Saturday night...How might you learn up from God's Word on the workings of His Holy Spirit?   

Blessings,
Pastor Matt

Yet God Pays No Attention

Good Friday. For those of you who have been reading along with me I need to ask you something that is in the context of maturity. My question is this, "On the days that I choose not to blog, do you still abide with Jesus on purpose?"   

One result of maturity, in the early stages of your spiritual journey, is that you will follow (pray, abide, worship, etc...) on your own.  Meaning, you become a self-feeder.  

If you need a little nudge toward this, then I'm glad you're here today.  This is what I'm reading today. 

Utmost.org (this is very powerful today) 

2 Corinthians chapters 10-13

Blessings,

Pastor Matt

By Faith Not By What You Feel

Real quick. Your faith in God should never be based on what you feel about God. Your faith in God should always be based on what God says about himself. Look to the Bible to establish your faith. Lisen to what God says about himself and about you.  

Do you have place your faith and understanding, concerning spiritual things, on feelings, sayings, or maybe some poem you found?  If so, strip off that way of thinking and put on the words of God. 

Proverbs 31

2 Corinthians chapters 8-9 (this is the primary scriptue for the Sunday message) 

utmost.org

Blessings,

Pastor Matt

Parenting Proverbs - Here on Purpose

Proverbs chapter 29
29:1, “The one who stiffens his neck after numerous rebukes will suddenly be destroyed without remedy.

There are a couple of scriptures on parenting today:   
29:15, "A rod and reproof impart wisdom, but a child who is unrestrained brings shame to his mother."  

29:17, "Discipline your child, and he will give you rest; he will bring you happiness."

(this next part is my opinion based on my understanding of what I read in the Bible)
Your child needs encouragement, but not only encouragement.  
Your child needs discipline, but not only discipline. 
The need both.  
To think only hugs will cure your child's behavior isn't found in scripture.  Actually, you read the exact opposite.  If you've been a follower of Jesus long enough you personally know that there are times when God purposefully chooses to discipline...let me explain further.

When I grew up, discipline meant one thing...Spanking.  Here's what I've learned.  You can spank your kid every day and never discipline them.  The heart of discipline is always based on love and instruction.  Do I spake my kids? Yes.  (and...I have other ways to discipline that are, at times, much more effective).  However, and this is very intentional...I never just spank.  For me that's not discipline.  For me, spanking without explaining, to my kids, why they are getting a spanking is not discipline.  This is a key question I've had to ask myself, "Am I discipling my kid to make them better or am I just angry?"  Stay calm and Discipline on.

I'll end this thought on the most famous Psalm.  Psalm 23.
Look closely at verse 4, what reassures David?
Yeah...both the shepherds rod (discipline) and staff (encouragement).
God, our good shepherd (John 10:11), uses both discipline and encouragement to teach us to follow.  We should do the same.  
Oh...And this is really important to know.  Most parents (people) are either heavy rod (discipline) or heavy staff (encouragement).   It is very rare to find the person who uses both wisely.  So...what's in your hand?  The rod or staff?  Just be aware of what's easiest for you...BUT, please don't neglect the other.  If you're married, it's common for your spouse to naturally carry the opposite.  So...how in the world can you work together?  
(okay...I'm done.  You might disagree with me...that's okay.  But I ask that your disagreement be biblically based and not opinion based.  What does God say?  What will we do?)

29:18, “When there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but the one who keeps the law, blessed is he!” 

From this scripture...what is the source of the vision?  Is the vision your are casting for your life in order with the ways of God?  If not, what will you do?

2 Corinthians 7-8

Utmost.org

Have a blessed day,
Pastor Matt

A Wise Warrior - Here on Purpose

Wow! - Tell the Lord what makes you smile...if you need some help watch this.  You're welcome.

Now… - Give God the good the bad and the ugly.

How? - Today I read:
Proverbs 24
24:5-6, “A wise warrior is strong, and a man of knowledge makes his strength stronger; for with guidance you wage your war, and with numerous advisors there is victory.”

24:10, “If you faint in the day of trouble, your strength is small.”

24:21, “Fear the Lord my child, as well as the king, and do not associate with rebels.”

24:29, “Do not say, 'I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will pay him back according to what he has done.'”

2 Corinthians 4-6
4:10, “always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our body.”

5:6-7, “and we know that as long as we are alive here on Earth we are absent from the Lord - for we life by faith, not by sight.”

6:3, “We do not give anyone an occasion for taking an offense in anything, so that no fault may be found with our ministry.”

6:14, “Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness.”

Utmost.org
Our work is not to save souls, but to disciple them. Salvation and sanctification are the work of God's sovereign grace, and our work as His disciples is to disciple others' lives until they are totally yielded to God. One life totally devoted to God is of more value to Him than one hundred lives which have been simply awakened by His Spirit. As workers for God, we must reproduce our own kind spiritually, and those lives will be God's testimony to us as His workers. God brings us up to a standard of life through His grace, and we are responsible for reproducing that same standard in others.

Whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He always prefaced His words with an “if,” never with the forceful or dogmatic statement- “You must.” Discipleship carries with it an option.

Here on Purpose

Wow! - God I want to thank you for...

Now… - Tell God the good the bad and the ugly.  So…I’m here on purpose. I choose to sit with you and listen to your voice.

How? - Listen to God: 
Proverbs 23

Utmost.org

2 Corinthians chapters 1-3
2:15, “For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing - to the latter an odor from death to death, but to the former a fragrance from life to life.”

3:8, “…ministry of the Spirit be?…ministry that produces righteousness.”

3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom.”

3:18, “And we,…are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…”

Followed by at least 10 minutes of silence.

Lord,
You are my good shepherd. I ask that you guide me today. Allow me to hear your voice and follow your commands. I am not capable of following on my own strength…I need you. Christ and Christ alone.
Amen.

3 Key Decisions - Here on Purpose

The man replied, “How in the world can I, unless someone guides me?”

There are 3 key decisions in a person's life:
1. Choose to follow Jesus. (most important decision)
2. Choose to follow someone who has been following Jesus longer than you. (be discipled)
3. Choose to invest your life into someone who is just choosing to follow Jesus. (disciple someone)

Don't skip #1 and think you are okay because you are spending time with strong Christians.  Jesus was the strongest.  Start with him!

Today's Reading:
Acts chapter 8

Proverbs chapter 18

Utmost.org

Blessings,
Pastor Matt

What's in a Name? - Here on Purpose

"So there was great joy in that city." Acts 8:8

un fact...this was the scripture that inspired the name New City Church.  I was in Johnson County TN when I heard a devotion on Acts chapter 8.  When verse 8 was read, I leaned over to my wife, Jenn, and whispered, "That's what we are going to do.  Wherever we go God is going to use us to bring great joy to that city.  It will be a new place because of how God will use us."  

Now I may have been dreaming too big but never the less, that is how the ministry of New City Church began.  

Acts chapter 8

Proverbs chapter 17

Utmost.og

Blessings,
Pastor Matt

Quick Read - Here on Purpose

"...and they summoned the apostles and had them beaten. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them.  So they left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.  And every day both in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus was the Christ."  Acts 5:40

Did you even notice it?  You probably read it too fast.  Read this scripture again.  Did you catch it this time.  

"...and had them beaten..." 

We read this too fast.  Let me help you better understand what happened.  Beaten = 39 lashes with a whip.  I promise you, that wasn't fast. 

So...what type of persecution are you upset about?  Be cheerful when others hate you because of Jesus...You are in great company.  

Acts chapter 5

Proverbs chapter 15

Utmost.org

Blessings,
Pastor Matt

Are You Safe? - Here on Purpose

"Lord, pay attention to their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your message with great courage, while you extend your hand to heal, and to bring about miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God courageously."  Acts 4:29-31

How do you pray in times of trouble?  Do you pray for safety?  Or, have you trained yourself to pray like the first followers of Jesus?  May we be brave and courageous in our efforts to proclaim the good news of Jesus.

Acts chapter 4

Proverbs chapter 14

Utmost.org

Blessings,
Pastor Matt 

Ordinary? - Here on Purpose

"When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13

This is one of the beautiful things about following Jesus.  Jesus can take the most ordinary of us and do something really amazing.  How can this be?  

"...these men had been with Jesus."  Do not neglect this time with the Lord.  Fight the urge to rush through your reading.  Fight the impulse to stop praying.  Instead, remind yourself that you are Here on Purpose!

Today's reading:
Acts chapter 4

Proverbs chapter 13

Utmost.org

Have a blessed day,
Pastor Matt

Here on Purpose

Let's continue our reading from the book of Acts.  As you read, keep this in mind.  You're not just checking something off your list...God is speaking to you by his Word.  Continue to ask these 2 questions:
1. What is God saying to you?
2. What are you going to do about it?

Acts chapter 3

Proverbs chapter 8

utmost.org

Have a blessed day,
Pastor Matt

What Happens Next?

What a great day Resurrection Sunday was!   But do you know what happened next?  For the next 18 days we are going to be reading the book of Acts. I hope you will join with me as we read this together.  

 

Wow! - Brag on God

Now... - Tell God about what's going on in your life.  

How? - Look to the scriptures to see how God is speaking to your life.  

Acts chapter 1

Proverbs chapter 6

Utmost.org

Have a blessed day,

Pastor Matt

They Will Know Us - Here on Purpose

Today my heart is heavy as I pray for those who lost loved ones in Kenya.  If I'm completely honest with you...sometimes I really hate this broken world.  I hate the sin that destroys.  I hate the evil that seems too often to win.  I long for the day when my Lord Jesus Christ returns and establishes His perfect Kingdom.  Until then...They will know us by our love.  Not our hate, but by our love.  Not our shouts of outrage, but by our love.  Not by our violent acts, but by our love.  

Wow! - Brag on God for giving faith to the men and women who were brave enough to say, "Yes I am a Christian" even when it could cost them their lives.

Now... - Tell God about what's going on.  (this is tough for me...what seems so important now seems so small in light of what others have to deal with).

How? - Listen to God speak as we read his Word.

John chapter 18

Proverbs chapter 3

Utmost for His Highest

Wait for the Lord.  Be strong and take heart.  Wait for the Lord,
Pastor Matt

Are You Half Way There? - Here on Purpose

I'll make this quick and to the point.  When you read your Bible and think,
"I need to do that."
Or, "I should implement that action into my life."
Or, "I think I should stop ____ based on what I just read."

When any of these types of thoughts enter into your mind...You are half way there.  And most people stop half way...Thinking that, "Me thinking about doing something is good is God's eyes."

Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love me you will obey my commandments."  

Go all the way.  Don't only think...Also do.  Obedience lead to KaBoom!

Let's pray.

Wow! - Tell God why you love him.

Now... - Tell God what's on your mind.

How? - Give God the space to speak to your circumstances.
(I've been saying to God lately, "Please replace my "mind of Matt" with the "mind of Christ.")

Proverbs chapter 1

Matthew chapter 27

John chapter 17

Utmost for His Highest

Blessings,
Pastor Matt

Stay with "It" - Here on Purpose

Those things in life that cause you to pray.  Those things in life that cause you to seek God's face. Don't give up on them.  Trust God enough with that "thing" that you won't cease until he removes it from you.  Stay with "it".  

Too often in life we, in our own power, remove ourselves from a struggle.  We think, "This is frustrating so this must not be of God."  How do you know?  Do you read the Word of God?  Isn't it pages full of leaders who were frustrated?  Did not our Lord Jesus also find himself frustrated?  

Stay with "it" until God says you're done.

Wow! - Brag on God.

Now... - Tell God about your day.

How? - Stop talking and trust in the Word of God.

Proverbs chapter 31

Matthew chapter 26

Utmost for His Highest

Blessings,
Pastor Matt

You Probably Should - Here on Purpose

I'm not a big fan of the old saying, "Follow your heart."  However, I am a big fan of following any, and every, nudge you feel with regards to encouraging or praying for someone.  Here's how this played out in my life this past week...

I was breezing through Facebook posts when I noticed a post from a guy that I'm sometimes in meetings with.  We've never had coffee or a meal together...just the occasional meeting.  But, I noticed his post and felt that he needed some encouragement.  So, I reached out to a few common friends and got his cell.  I call him and he answered.  I told him who I was and then why I had called him.  He was so gracious!  He even texted Sunday AM and shared that he and his wife were heading to our Shawnee campus to worship with the New City family.  

So, the moral of the story is this...If you feel the nudge to encourage someone you probably should.   Just wanted to share this...You just might make someone's day!

Let's pray.

Wow! - Brag on God.

Now... - Tell God about what's on your mind.

How? - Stop talking and allow God to speak to you by his Word and Holy Spirit.

Proverbs chapter 30

Luke chapter 22

Utmost for His Highest

Have a blessed Monday,
Pastor Matt

Up Even Higher - Here on Purpose

Today I want to ask you to start with reading Utmost for His Highest.  Please don't rush this reading.  This, in my opinion, is a very deep and thought provoking devotional.  Maybe even do the following: 
1. read the devotion again.
2. write down key phrases.
3. Now... - reflect on why you chose those phrases and offer God your questions or commentary.  
4. How? - move from talking to listening.  Open up your Bible and discover what Father has for you by his Word.

1 Samuel chapters 24 & 26
What might you learn about forgiveness from David?
Don't just gain a new learning...Now, how might this new learning change the direction of your life?

Proverbs chapter 27
Who in your life is making you better?
Who are you making better?

Have a blessed day,
Pastor Matt