MEAT FOR MATURITY – DISCIPLESHIP

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” (Mt. 5:10-12 NLT). There will be times that people will persecute us just for being good. This may happen at your job or school or even at home if people are hostile to God. Some people just don’t like the presence of someone who is good because it just highlights their corruption. Jesus provides an amazing encouragement for anyone in this situation. You will have a great reward in heaven! It is important to take a little time and think about this. It is Continue Reading →

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9 NIV). God promises to bless those who bring reconciliation to the world. Making peace, in other words, reconciliation, is one of God’s primary missions. His original plan for people was that they would all join together in harmony and mutual edification. Sadly, this world is full of people who do not pursue this peace. People lack peace with God, with each other and with themselves. His followers are called to be aware of this discord and make a positive effort to bring reconciliation. This is not easy work. It requires talking with people who may not want to come to peace. They might argue and resist and even fight. Our role is to be patient, listen, understand where they are coming from and then point them in the direction of reconciliation. Then we walk with them one Continue Reading →

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matt. 5:8 (NIV). This is one of the most popular verses in Christian history. Devout followers of Jesus who wanted to be close to God and “see” him in their life made a serious effort to purify their lives. This verse gives us a tremendous gift: the opportunity to see God! Jesus doesn’t give details about what that means but we know that it means that we will be very close to him. In this life it may mean that we experience his presence in a powerful way. In the next life we get to see God directly. The condition is that have a pure heart. Believers have judicial purity but Jesus is also asking for actual purity in our hearts. This takes time and effort and a willingness to examine our hearts. But if we pursue this we will Continue Reading →