“When he had gone a little
farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat,
preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their
father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. They
went to Capernaum and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the
synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching,
because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of
the law." (Mark 1:19-22, NIV)
Observations:
I asked myself what does
Jesus do?
1. Jesus went a little farther after calling
Simon and Andrew.
2. Jesus sees James and John mending their net
and without delay calls to them.
3. He arrives at the synagogue and began to
teach.
4. He taught them as one who had authority not
as teachers of the law.
I found it very interesting that Jesus sees
James and John and calls them WITHOUT DELAY. There is no procrastination
with Jesus. Jesus started His ministry and looked for helpers
immediately to help Him carry it through. That is so cool that Jesus
turned to fallible human beings to help accomplish His purposes. James
and John at hearing the voice of Jesus leave their father Zebedee with
the hired help and follow Jesus. After that, Jesus stepped into the
synagogue and began to teach on the Sabbath in Capernaum. Jesus did not
waste time.
Observations:
I asked myself, how did
the people react to Jesus' teaching?
The people were amazed at His teaching!
Interpretations:
When Jesus taught, He captivated the
audience and they could not help but listen. They were utterly amazed
with Jesus' style. They saw the authority of Jesus' teachings as opposed
to what they were used to listening from the 'teachers of the law.'
This is very important to realize
because Jesus is God, incarnate and knew exactly what the people needed
to hear rather than what they wanted to hear. He gave them God's Word
every time He spoke and His Words had authority than what they were used
to listening from 'teachers of the law.'
Jesus condemned the teachers of the
law many times because they acted as though they were following and
giving people God's Word but in actuality they could have mixed their
own man made traditions. Jesus lets the teachers of the law know that in
other passages.
Implications:
I saw important implications for my
own life in this passage. To accomplish things for the honor and glory
of the Lord, I cannot do things on my own but should enlist help. I also
learned the value of listening to Jesus and following Him! It is the
best value we can attain because He will give us the right message!
I ask you now dear friend
whose lecture do you listen to?
Dear friend, I
personally love to listen to lectures/sermons that focus directly on
God’s Word and is given in expositional format. Mostly, I look to see if
the person speaking to me is speaking from the Word of God and relating
it to current life or whatever is spoken can be backed up by Scripture.
Knowing whose lecture we intend to listen to is
very important for our Christian growth so we need to be part of a
church that wants Jesus Christ to be known and be known by Him. This
happens when the bishops/ pastors/ priests/ ministers, etc speak God’s
Word to the congregation than their own personal views.
With personal views can enter man
made traditions over God's Word and hurt the congregation more than help
it. Jesus spoke with authority because He was giving them the right
message as opposed to what they were getting from the teachers of the
law.
When you go to church and you hear a
pastor say something that conflicts with what you have known from God's
Word, don't just accept it just because that person is a pastor. Only
accept it after you have tested it with God's Word. Anything that is
contrary to God's Word is not valuable to take in no matter how
comfortable it makes you feel. If it is contrary to God's Word, the joy
and the message will not last.
This does not apply just to pastors
but anyone who teaches God's people. God's people need to hear what God
wants them to hear rather than selective listening. When I used to do
full-time ministry and put in 40-80 hrs/week, I wanted the students to
know that they could question me anytime if what I said was not in line
with the Word of God. For that to happen, I encouraged them to seek the
Scriptures and study them. Even now when I share my devotional times
with others, I encourage them to do the same.
"Dear friends,
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they
are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the
world"(1 John 4:1)
In conclusion, I believe it is so
important to be part of a Church that puts a heavy emphasis on God's
Word than their own teachings. In any situation, a person needs to spend
time in prayer before the teaching so that Scripture cannot be twisted
and made to sound like what we want to hear rather than what we ought to
hear.
"May my spoken words and
unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my
Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)
I don’t know what church you are part of or if
you are looking for a church. There are many Bible-believing churches in
Pittsburgh. I personally know of 6 churches that I visited of which I am
part of one. All six of them have emphasized the importance of God’s
Word and I have seen exposition of Scripture there. They are listed in
alphabetical order. If I did not mention a church you are part of, it
just means I don’t know about the church.
Allegheny Center Alliance Church (North Side)
Asian Indian Christian Church of Pittsburgh
(Greenfield)
Covenant Church of Pittsburgh (Wilkinsburg)
New Hope Christian Community (North Dithridge
St)
Pittsburgh Chinese Church (Oakland)
Shepherd’s Heart (Oakland)
I will be starting a new
series called the 'University of Eternal Life. I hope you enjoy it. I
prayed to the Lord and wrote this and when I have read it, it has helped
to motivate me with my Quiet Times. The first section will deal with the
LECTURE.
UNIVERSITY OF ETERNAL LIFE!
One morning, I was talking to the Lord, and He gave me an
awesome idea. It had to do with my education. Christ got involved in my
education and gave me a new perspective on life. I have never been upset
that Christ got involved in my education. In the excitement I said to
Jesus Christ, "Lord I want you to educate me and be my new teacher. Let
me register for the class you are offering" With His Blessing, I went to
class.
LECTURE:
The first thing that happened was the lecture. The lecture
is sometimes short or long, but whatever Jesus had to say became very
important. In a way, hearing the lecture determined how much I would
learn from the Lord. He lectured about the law, immorality, morality,
forgiveness, sin, etc. As I listened to His lecture I became very
distressed!
I never felt this way in my other classes, but this class
seemed to be different. Jesus was telling me about all the sin in this
world. Being a Christian, I realized I had no business living a life of
sin. Furthermore, some of the education I was receiving from the world
was full of lies and deception. Full of remorse, I raised my hand and
called Jesus. I said, "Lord I know that what I learned in my other
classes is not what you have been teaching me. Will you educate me your
way?"
"Sure, I am so joyful to help you", He said. First of all,
think about all the classes you have taken which are against what I have
taught you and reevaluate them using my standards and not the world's
standards. Now take this new syllabus I am giving you and follow it
thoroughly reading through each of the assignments. As for what the
world teaches you, it will be hard to forget but,
"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I
called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not
rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for
I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you
with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:9-10).
Jesus reminded me what is taught in academics will not
always follow what He wants me to know but there is a lot of truth that
is taught and all Truth is God’s Truth. I need to be able to take in the
truth and the lies that are taught and be able to separate them. I need
to focus on the Lord, seeking His Kingdom first, doing everything for
the glory and honor of the Lord as I learn knowledge to help others so
we can serve humanity. That is exciting to know!
As I continued to listen to
the lecture, I was awe-struck. I thought to myself, following the
lecture or God's Voice seemed hard many times. It must be because I did
not do the assigned readings. I realized just listening to God becomes a
lecture. Jesus ended the lecture by telling me,
"Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning
get guidance" (Proverbs 1:5).
(To be continued)
Lord's Excellent Class
Teaches 'Understanding Rules' Everyday! (L.E.C.T.U.R.E)/"Whose
Lecture Do You Follow?"
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you
so much that we mean so much to you. You teach with authority and want
us to have your Word hidden in our hearts. Help us please to follow you
faithfully. I thank you so much Jesus. We give our lives to thee and ask
you to be in control of our lives. Help us to do your will please Lord.
Please forgive us of our sins, for we are sorry. Thank you so much
Jesus! Lord, thank you for your lectures in our lives. Thank you for
enlisting the help of James and John too to carry out your work. I thank
you that you enlist us too. Lord, most of us are in the academic field
and learn a lot of stuff. Sometimes what we learn does not agree with
your Word. Help us to be able to take everything our
instructors/professors give and separate your Truth from them. Thank you
Lord you have allowed humanity to take part in so many academic fields
that can be used for your honor and glory as they are used to serve
humanity. Help me to use whatever I learn to bring honor and glory to
you. You remind me how you decided to use Andrew and Simon’s profession
to become fisherman for the souls of men. You can use our fields too to
bring you honor and glory and spread the Gospel. I thank you for that
Jesus. I entrust our lives into your care! Help us please to be part of
a church that will give us your teachings and your Word. I thank you for
that Jesus! Thank you for hearing our prayers and answering us! In Your
Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Love in Christ, Ramesh
