"Today,
Everyday Answering Christ's Homily Indeed Nurtures Greatly Souls! (T.E.A.C.H.I.N.G.S)"
By Ramesh
C.Reddy Pittsburgh Standard
January 29,
2007
SCRIPTURE:
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 1:21-22, NIV)
I asked myself what does
Jesus do?
1. Jesus went to Capernaum with Peter, Andrew,
James, and John when the Sabbath came.
2. Jesus went into the synagogue to teach.
Observations:
I asked myself, how did
the people react to Jesus' teaching?
The people were amazed at His teaching!
Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself why do you think they were
amazed?
Because he taught them as one who had
authority, not as the teachers of the law.
I asked myself why does that become important?
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 teachings do you listen to?
Dear friend, I
personally love to listen to teachings/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 teaching 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. I highly
recommend Oakland International Fellowship on North Dithridge Street! It
is the English congregation of the Pittsburgh Chinese Church, Oakland.
This is not to say there are not other churches out there that preach
the Word of God. There are but I have learned a lot from God's Word at
OIF.
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 Word. 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 they want
people to hear rather than what God wants them to
hear. Our prayer should be that we hear Christ's voice through the
messenger speaking His Word so today, everyday answering Christ's homily
indeed nurtures greatly souls!
"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 six churches that I visited of which I am
part of one.
I highly encourage you to come and be part of Oakland International
Fellowship congregation. We are located on N. Dithridge St, opposite to
Webster Hall apartments on Fifth Ave. St. Paul's Cathedral is adjacent
to our church.
"Today,
Everyday Answering Christ's Homily Indeed Nurtures Greatly Souls!" (T.E.A.C.H.I.N.G.S)/"I
ask you now dear friend, whose teachings do you listen to?"
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 teachings in our lives. Thank you for
enlisting the help of Peter, Andrew, 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! Most of all help us learn from you as we study your Word.
Thank you so much Jesus! Thank you for hearing our prayers and answering us! In Your
Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
No matter what you feel in your heart,
know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To
make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him
as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the
Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into
prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel
of John or Gospel of
Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord
show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to
help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches
the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our
crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help! But
beware of churches who do believe in the Word of God completely but
there is no freedom in Christ but legalism involved.
As a
student, it is not too late to join a fellowship on campus too this
blessed New Year of 2008! May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His
love now and forever! Amen!
Feel free to email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible,
pray with, talk about spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My
number is 412-720-4579.
"This is my
work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work
within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
P.S. If you don't agree on
something that is written, please feel free to comment on it below for
we learn from each other. Even if you agree, feel free to express your
view :)
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