Did you know that there are three callings from the Lord Jesus Christ to people here on earth?
Each one comes in order after the other.
There is the calling to salvation , the calling to service, and then the calling to stewardship. In Brother Mark's message, he goes through and explains each of these and explains them in more detail.
An excellent message and reminder for us all.
Going to the Synagogue on the Sabbath day was a routine occurrence for Jesus, while He was on earth. One day while there, He called out from the crowd, a man with a withered hand.
What would Jesus do? Do you think He healed the man, even though the Pharisees had made specific rules to keep on the Sabbath day?
Jesus did heal the man's hand, but He wished He could heal the pharisees' hearts and minds. Jesus was grieved over the Pharisees because they did not see Him for who He really was.
Do you see Jesus as your Savior? Jesus is the only cure for our sin sickness. It grieves Him terribly when one poor soul says no to Him.
We go through trials so that we can show others how God helps us through our difficulties.
As we share with others our life, are our words consistent with the way we live? Do our actions back up what we say?
We need to be consistent in our manner of living as Jesus was our perfect example.
Back in Jesus' day, the Pharisees were so caught up in the Mosaic Law and their own laws that they completely missed out on having a relationship with Jesus.
What did Jesus think of the Mosaic Law? Was it needed anymore?
In today's lesson, we see exactly what Jesus said about the Law, and we are reminded about where our own priorities should be.
Disliked by many, Matthew was chosen by Jesus to be a disciple.
Why would Jesus choose someone who people looked down upon? Tax collectors cheated people out of money and then pocketed the extra. Jews were taught to lie to the tax collectors, and they were taught that collectors were unredeemable.
Did Jesus think that Matthew was worth His time and energy? He certainly did. He knew that Matthew would forsake his job and leave it all behind just to follow Jesus.
Did God use Matthew in a mighty way? Yes, He did. We are to be an empty vessel, like Matthew, not a broken one. God will work through us, even if we are just ordinary people.
Do we have compassion on others like Jesus did?
The crowd of people followed Jesus into the house. There was standing room only, with no one else able to enter. People wanted to get something from Jesus. But how was this paralyzed man to get in? There was no room by the door.
It's a good thing that this paralyzed man had friends. They were willing to help him with his endeavor. What did these friends do that was so special?
Finally getting the man inside of the house with Jesus, Jesus was able to talk to him. Did Jesus heal him immediately? Who was watching to see what Jesus would do? What did Jesus do first to prove that He was God.
Do you believe that Jesus is God? Believing that Jesus is God, is everything.
What exactly is a disciple? Is it someone who just believes in Jesus Christ and wishes to follow Him?
In today's lesson, we learn the difference between a disciple and a believer. We also will learn what you have to be willing to do to be a disciple and what it will cost you.
God chose John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus Christ's coming.
What do you think John the Baptist was like? We can learn a lot about this man in the gospel books of the Bible.
Ultimately, in learning about John the Baptist, we see that he had some wonderful traits that we should aim for, especially when it concerns Jesus Christ.
So, why was John the Baptist's message so important to people? The people in this day, unbeknownst to them, were heading into a time of transition. When Jesus Christ was going to die on the cross, that was going to be the turning point between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Laws and customs were going to change.
Already, people had changed laws and customs to suit themselves, to make them feel better about themselves.
John declared to them, "Make thy paths straight."
In other words, straighten up, Jesus is coming!