The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did THIS MAN get such learning without having studied?” - John 7:15

“No one ever spoke the way THIS MAN does,” the guards declared. - John 7:46

On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely THIS MAN is the Prophet.”
Others said, “He is the Christ.” - John 7:40-41

When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
“Where did THIS MAN get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. - Mark 6:2-3

Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “THIS MAN welcomes sinners and eats with them.” - Luke 15:1-3

And as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If THIS MAN were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” - Luke 7:38-39

Some of the Pharisees said, “THIS MAN is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided. - John 9:16

If THIS MAN were not from God, he could do nothing.” - John 9:33

Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against THIS MAN.” - Luke 23:4

Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me THIS MAN as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. - Luke 23:13-15

With one voice they cried out, “Away with THIS MAN!” - Luke 23:18

They kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has THIS MAN committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. - Luke 23:21-23

The other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.
But THIS MAN has done nothing wrong.” - Luke 23:40-41

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said,
“Surely THIS MAN was the Son of God!” - Mark 15:38-39

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that THIS MAN really is the Savior of the world.” - John 4:42

The whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is THIS?”
The crowds answered, “THIS is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” - Matthew 21:10-11

“THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” - Matthew 27:37

THIS is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. - 1 John 5:6

“THIS is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” - Matthew 3:17

“I have seen and I testify that THIS is the Son of God.” - John 1:34

THIS is what we preach, and THIS is what you believed. - 1 Corinthians 15:11

THIS is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven - Colossians 1:23

THIS is the confidence we have in approaching God - 1 John 5:14

THIS is love - 2 John 1:6,1 John 4:16

And THIS is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and THIS life is in his Son. - 1 John 5:11

THIS MAN is the Way
THIS MAN is the Truth
THIS MAN is the Life

THIS MAN is my Savior.
THIS MAN is my King.
THIS MAN is my Rabbi.
THIS MAN is my Righteousness.
THIS MAN is my Love.
THIS MAN is my Lord.
THIS MAN is my God.

In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul brings his final charge to put on the full armor of God. He concludes with an emphasis on prayer: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Eph 6:18). He begins the next verse by making his own request, “Pray also for me…”. Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ, the “greatest missionary”, the author of 13 letters of the inspired Word of God, makes a personal prayer request for himself:
“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Ephesians 6:19-20).

You can tell a lot about a person’s heart and focus in their prayer requests. Of all the things Paul could be concerned about and want prayer for, he asks this: That every time he opens his mouth, he’d be given words to boldly proclaim the Gospel. Paul just got done urging the believers to continually be in prayer and he asks of them a continual request, for every time he opens his mouth. And he prays for boldness and fearlessness in doing so. Paul knew where our boldness of speech comes from. He says in 2 Corinthians 3:12, “Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech” (NASB). We’re bold, because we have hope; and as Paul tells Timothy, Christ Jesus is “our Hope” (1 Tim 1:1).

We also see a glimpse of his intentions in this request, which could not be more selfless. He demonstrates humility in even asking for prayer, showing his need and weakness apart from prayer and God. The Gospel is his main concern, and sharing it with others was his passion and desire. There is no focus on himself in this request, only an interest in spreading the Gospel. Paul had no greater ambition in life here, and it is clear to see through his request. In other letters he wrote, Paul makes very similar requests which further show his heart’s main passion. “Pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). “Praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned” (Colossians 4:3).

Remember also, Paul is writing this letter from jail, while in chains; however, there is no mention to pray for his pain or circumstances. He’s far more concerned for the spread of the good news of Christ. Remember, this is the man who reminded us that God works all things together for our good, and he believed it (Romans 8:28). He believed that God knew what was best for Him, and these trials and sufferings he went through must be ultimately good in his Father’s eyes. So he endured them, even found joy in them, knowing that the cause of Christ far outweighed his earthly desires.

Paul understood this and wanted us to see it too. “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” (Philippians 1:12-14). His prayer request from his letter to the Ephesians was being answered! Paul delighted in the Lord and His Truth more than himself, and God gave him the righteous desires of his heart (Psalm 37:4). As he saw God using his momentary troubles greatly for His kingdom and saw his story giving boldness to others to do the same, he wanted to share it with the Philippians to set them ablaze with boldness for the Gospel’s sake too.

Paul’s obsession with the Gospel is so convicting to me. The way he minimizes his own trials and struggles in order to maximize the cause of Christ is more than admiral. I’d have to think that if I were being beaten in prison, my main prayer request/concern would deal with that present trouble. But Paul does not make much mention of it. I want to be far more concerned about proclaiming the Gospel than anything else. I want to know that the best thing that could happen to me is that I would make a difference for my Savior. I want to know what it’s like to desire boldness over a place to rest my head. And I want to understand that when I pray that God would use me to do the greatest good, that it could include being beaten, flogged, whipped, stoned, shipwrecked, endangered, hungry, thirsty, cold, naked, or unbearably weak, yet if Christ be glorified, that would indeed be the greatest good (2 Cor 11:23-29).

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30 )

“Be men of courage; be strong” (1 Cor 16:13b). Here, in this charge from the apostle Paul, we are told to “be strong.” This is one of those commands that everyone wants to follow. There’s no one that will say, “Yeah, I want to be a Christian, but I just don’t really want to be strong.” Everybody wants to be strong. But at times it’s much easier said than done.

Biblically, we know where strength comes from. It comes from God. David sang, “It is God who arms me with strength” (2 Samuel 22:33). We also see Paul again saying, “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Eph 6:10). Along with understanding where we get our strength from, we have to also understand our lack of strength apart from Him. “The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength” (1 Cor 1:25). Our “strength” does not even compare.

So how do we get this strength? One of my favorite verses from Isaiah gives some truth to direct us to the answer. In chapter thirty, verse fifteen, the Lord says, “In quietness and trust is your strength.” It’s in “quietness” that many times we find God; and it’s also a beneficial segue to building trust. But I want to focus on the second part of this phrase: “trust is your strength.”

David understood this idea when he said, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped” (Psalm 28:7). There is a link between trust and strength. We know that “He cares for those who trust in Him,” and He has never forsaken those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7, Psalm 9:10). In Isaiah 28:16, the LORD promises that anyone who puts their trust in Him will not be put to shame or dismayed. Many years after that was written, two of the strongest believers in church history, Paul and Peter, both quoted this passage in Scripture, showing that they not only believed this truth, but trusted in God’s promises from Isaiah (Romans 9:33, 10:11, 1 Peter 2:6). When things happen in our lives that we don’t understand or clearly can’t control, we can trust in God and specifically in all of His promises, and that trusting will be our strength to get us through.

But I think there’s more to it. In one of his letters to the Corinthians, Paul starts boasting about his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 11:30, 12:5 ). He says, “[The Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). So God’s power and strength are made complete in our weakness. This is the key to access our full strength. Remember, “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong;” He does things opposite as we’d think so that “no man may boast before God” (1 Corinthians 1:27,29). So in conclusion, we must deny ourselves daily, embracing our weaknesses, and leaving everything up to our Lord, so that all we have left is our trust. We must embrace our weaknesses in the light of God’s power and rely wholeheartedly on His promises that He will fill us up with what we need and work His perfect plan in and for us. We have to put ourselves in submission to God where our trust is crucial, essential, and seemingly dangerous. And when our trust is all we’ve left, that’s where we’ll find and perfect our strength.

Conclusion: Faith alone may be enough to be a Christian, but once a Christian, faith alone is not enough to be like Christ.

As you search Scripture, it is very clear that faith is fully sufficient to justify us and thus save us. “A man is justified by faith apart from observing the law” (Romans 3:28). “Faith is credited as righteousness” (4:5). “Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness” (4:9). “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 5:1-2). So yes, faith is the key to salvation. We will not achieve this justification by any other thing we do: no act, ritual, or even a prayer. It’s by faith.

Now what do we know about faith? “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb 11:1). Faith comes from hearing the message [and the message is heard through the word of Christ] (Rom 10:17). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). Our faith must rest on God’s power, not men’s wisdom (1 Cor 2:5 ). The Goal of our faith is “the salvation of [our] souls” (1 Peter 1:9). We live by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). “The righteous will live by faith” (Hab 2:4, Gal 3:11, Rom 1:17, Heb 10:38 ). We are commanded to “stand firm in the faith” (1 Cor 16:13, Col 1:23, 1 Peter 5:9 ) and told that “it is by faith [we] stand firm”(2 Cor 1:24). Genuine faith should result in praise, glory, and honor (1 Peter 1:7). And if we truly have faith in Christ, we will “do what He did” (John 14:12).

We are also told to “pursue faith”(1 Tim 6:11, 2 Tim 2:22). Which makes sense since it is the crucial element for salvation. But if we look at the contexts, both of these passages are written to Timothy, who was a believer at the time. So we are being told to pursue faith, even after we have it? If faith is required as the means of salvation, then after we are saved, why would we be told to pursue it? Don’t we already have it? We are also told to “hold on to” our faith (1 Tim 1:19) as well as to “continue” in our faith (Col 1:23). Once we have this faith, don’t we keep it? Why would we need to make sure we hold on to and continue in it or moreover, pursue it?

One morning at church while I was speaking to some middle school students, I said, “We need to be following Christ,” to which one of the kids immediately responded, “Oh, I’ve already done that.” After getting a small laugh and explaining myself better, I began to think. How often do we think the same way? We’ll focus on “putting our faith in Jesus,” and then what? We leave it there? Faith is the start of our spiritual journey, not the end just because we have our “go to heaven for free” card. I feel like we focus on faith for justification more than we realize faith’s importance during sanctification. We have to remember that this faith is a gift (Eph 2:8) and once we begin to have this true, saving faith, we need to indeed continue it and also strengthen it.

I used to always have this view of faith that, since it’s a gift, it’s something that you either have or you don’t. Since there is “one faith” (Eph 4:5) and it’s “our common faith” (Titus 1:4), everyone’s faith is kind of on the same page. But I noticed in Scripture that it seemed distinctions were being made among levels of faiths. Many times in the Gospels, Jesus called out the disciples for being “of little faith” (Matt 6:30, 8:26, 14:31, 16:8, 17:20). He also distinctly spoke of “great faith” (Matt 15:28) and even said of one man, “I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith” (Matt 8:10, Luke 7:9). Paul talks about the ones whose “faith is weak,” and that we should “accept [them] without passing judgment on disputable matters” (Rom 14:1). We also see the idea that once we have faith, our faith can be either weakened or strengthened (Col 2:7). Paul tells the story of Abraham and says “without weakening in his faith” he was “strengthened in his faith…being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised” (Rom 4:19, 20, 21). Being convinced that our faith (and level of faith) indeed comes from Christ, the apostles asked of Him, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5). Jesus responds by telling them “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you” (17:6). He also told them that they could be able to move mountains too with that size faith and that nothing would be impossible (Matt 17:20, 21:21-22).

To the church of the Thessalonians, Paul, Silas, and Timothy wrote, “Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith” (1 Thess 3:10). How could something be lacking in their faith? If they are saved, that means that they have faith: faith complete enough to justify. In Hebrews, Jesus is called the “author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2). Perfecter? What needs to be perfected? This throws out any idea that the initial faith that saves is all the same or that it’s going to be primarily strong enough without any need to perfect it. And this clears up my confusion with the idea of “continuing” in the faith: continuing till Christ perfects our faith. But back to my other question: what is lacking and needs to be perfected in faith?

As I looked throughout God’s Word, I saw more and more defenses to my conclusion, that faith alone is just not enough. Paul says, “if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor 13:2). Of faith, hope and love, the greatest is Love, not faith; but all three must be present (13:13). James says, “What good is it if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?” (James 2:14). He explains that “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (2:17). Faith must have works, but ultimately true faith will produce works, or else it’s dead and was never true faith. James explains that in the story of Abraham, “faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected” (2:22).
Peter also tells us that we must have more than just faith when he tells us to “add” things to our faith. “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).

So we see that as we continue in this thing called faith, we need to add things to our faith. We need to continue to be sure of what we hope for, and continue to be certain of what we still do not see (Heb 11:1). And we must pursue this faith too. In the next verse right after we are told to “pursue faith” (1 Tim 6:11), Paul says to “fight the good fight of faith” (6:12). He explains this “good fight” as “holding on to faith and a good conscience” (1 Tim 1:18,19). So it’s just that, a fight, a battle. Paul again parallels these ideas when he says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7). So once we “put our faith in Christ”, we need to hold on to that faith, continue in that faith, strengthen that faith, perfect that faith. Sound impossible? For us, it is, but with His help, as the Author and Perfecter of our faith, all things are possible.

So let’s continue in our faith, and continue to stretch and strengthen that faith that God has gifted us with. As our understanding of faith grows, may our actual faith follow, and may we be “mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” as a result (Romans 1:12).

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4)

I was reading a book by John MacArthur in which he was explaining the verse above. He said, “The context reveals that He [Jesus] is not speaking of the kind of mourning related to earthly bereavement; instead it’s grieving over one’s own guilt, the sorrow of repentance of sin.” As I read this, I began to think. I couldn’t remember the last time I actually felt true sorrow for my sins. I think I’ve become so accustomed to my God of grace and my usual routine of confessing sins, in a sense, to not feel sorry for them. Now I’ve always been taught that Christ paid the price for our sins, so we should not live our lives feeling guilty for them (Romans 8:1-2). While that is a true statement, it sounds like there might be a Godly sorrow that is necessary for believers to practice. So what does the Word say about it?

In 2 Corinthians, Paul talks about what Godly sorrow is. He is writing to the church at Corinth and mentions a previous letter he sent to them. “Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Cor 7:8-10). So we see that there are two types of sorrow, and Godly sorrow produces repentance.

As I was trying to better understand this concept of Godly sorrow, I read something by John Piper that I thought explained it very well. “At least two things govern what makes sorrow good. One is the cause, the other is the outcome. The cause of godly sorrow for our own sin is the spiritual perception of its moral ugliness, not just its negative consequences. We see it as morally repugnant. This repugnance is owing to our spiritual preference for the taste of the truth and beauty of God. Therefore our sorrow for sin is rooted in our savoring of God. Sin is a revolting flavor in the feast of godwardness. Therefore, sorrow over this is a signal that we delight in God. That is what makes the sorrow good. The outcome of good sorrow for sin is repentance and holiness. In fact, repentance includes sorrow for sin and extends it to a more durable experience of holy living. This holy living is the outward form of delighting in God above all sin. Therefore delight in God is what makes the sorrow and repentance good” (John Piper).

Piper explains that this type of sorrow is closely related to our delight in God. John MacArthur says, “Realizing you are spiritually bankrupt is a truth you grasp intellectually. Mourning over your sin is the natural response of the emotions.” This Godly sorrow leads to repentance. It does not lead to guilt, shame, despair, depression, self-pity, or hopelessness; that’s what worldly sorrow leads to, which as Paul says, ultimately leads to death. This righteous type of sorrow leads to repentance: repentance leading to salvation. Scripture is clear that repentance leads to and is required for salvation (Matt 3:2; 4:17, Mark 1:15, Luke 13:5, Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18, 2 Tim 2:25, 2 Peter 3:9, Isaiah 30:15). But we are also commanded to confess and repent of our sins even after we’re justified by initial repentance (John 13:10, 1 John 1:9). And since “Godly sorrow leads to repentance,” we could conclude that we can’t properly come to repentance without Godly sorrow. If apathy exists in confession of sins, it’s not real repentance. In a prayer of David, he says “I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin” (Psalm 38:18). “‘Even now’, declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning’” (Joel 2:12).

It’s clear that God takes repentance very seriously, and He wants us to be sincere and completely broken so that He can make us whole. But this isn’t all depressing. It’s actually the opposite. We are to be sorrowful, but once it leads to repentance, the sorrow should stop. This is where we can apply the passage mentioned earlier, Romans 8:1-2, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death,” and Ephesians 3:12, which tells us, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” There should be no guilt in our life; we should live free from that. And this should bring joy, and indeed will bring joy. So, true Godly sorrow will produce joy. We are commanded to be “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10). Our joy is made complete when we follow God’s commands, in this case, following in proper repentance. Christ said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:10-11).

So instead of just “confessing” my sins, I must “repent”, and that’s correctly practiced through Godly sorrow over the sins. I don’t believe we will ever begin to get victory over a sin, until we begin to practice true Godly sorrow in repentance of them. In the same passage where Paul explains godly sorrow, he says, “See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter” (2 Corinthians 7:11). These are all signs of victory over sin, and they were all produced from genuine godly sorrow. All sin is an offense to God and should be viewed as serious to us in order to get victory over them. And in the victory, we will receive joy from Christ. So let’s delight in God. Let’s make His delight our delight also. And when we sin against Him, practice true sorrow for the sins: sorrow that will lead to repentance. God’s grace should not be taken advantage of (Romans 6:1-2). As God’s grace covers our sins, our undeserving hearts should be filled with thankfulness that leads to a change of heart. God is still teaching me this idea of true godly sorrow, and I pray that I might put into consistent practice what I’ve learned.

What is worship?

Is it singing? Or is it more? Is it doing things for God? Or is it more? Is it telling God how great He is, or is it more? We are commanded many times to worship our God in the Bible, so how important is it that we have a clear understanding of what it means? The dictionary defines worship as “reverent honor and homage paid to God.” This gives us a rough idea at the word, but what does the Bible say?

I think the best verse to describe worship that God wants, is found in Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Other translations say “-which is your reasonable service” (NKJV). Here, Paul is pleading with his Roman brothers in Christ to worship the way God wants us to. And the formula to do so: present our bodies as living sacrifices. We must give our bodies, all of us, every thought, every action, every motive, every intention, completely, entirely over to God. Instead of presenting a lamb to God like they did in the Old Testament, God wants us to present ourselves. But He wants us holy, set apart, pleasing and acceptable to Him. In the OT, only spotless lambs would be acceptable and pleasing to Him. So likewise, for true worship, He wants us to be holy and set apart from the world and sin. But here’s the even tougher part, since He wants a living sacrifice, we must continually present our bodies to God like this as long as we are still living. Every day, every minute, we are giving ourselves as an offering to Him. The worship God requires takes everything. The worship God is after is continual.

Paul explains what it means to present our bodies as a living sacrifice by contrasting it with the alternative. He says, “do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:13). “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” (6:16). “For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification” (6:19). And this is all possible [and necessary], because we have been set free from sin (6:18,22).

I also found some other imperative things in Scripture about worship. Worship must be our immediate response to God (Matthew 28:17). Our worship should be continually offered (Hebrews 13:15). Our worship should be accompanied with a healthy dose of fear and reverence (Revelation 14:7), yet we must worship with gladness and joy (Psalm 100:2). We must not worship any other gods, because God, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14). We need Christ’s help to worship God (Heb 13:15). And in John 4, we find out the way in which God desires his worshipers to worship Him. “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).

Wait, so what exactly does that mean? “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth”? To answer, I’ll quote a commentary I read: “To be acceptable to this infinite Spirit, the worship must be of a spiritual nature - must spring from the heart, through the influence of the Holy Ghost: and it must be in Truth, not only in sincerity, but performed according to that Divine revelation which he has given men of himself. A man worships God in spirit, when, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, he brings all his affections, appetites, and desires to the throne of God; and he worships him in truth, when every purpose and passion of his heart, and when every act of his religious worship, is guided and regulated by the word of God” (Adam Clarke’s Bible Commentary).

“Worship is recognizing God for who He is; it is ascribing worth to Him; it is God’s people telling Him about the worth they see in Him. In fact, worship could very well be thought of as ‘worth-ship’” (Don Weaver, Worship: The Heart’s Response to God). So if it’s a response to how worthy God is, let’s ask ourselves: How worthy is God? How much worth do we actually see in Him? Is He worthy enough to give everything to? Is He really worth that much to us? And how do we tell Him of His worth? Paul and John explain that the way God wants us to tell Him and show Him that worth is practically giving Him our everything. Who ever said that Christianity wasn’t demanding? The worship God demands, seems pretty demanding. Sounds like He demands everything. Everything, every second. But, as Paul said, “You have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). It’s our reasonable, logical service.

So let’s give God what He deserves. Think of how much He has given us, of which we don’t deserve any. Let’s seek God in worship and He will show us even more about Himself and how we should live for Him. C.S. Lewis said, “It is in the process of being worshiped that God communicates His presence to men.” I think there is a lot of truth to this, like He promises in His word, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). And let’s remember Hosea 6:6 - God is really after a heart of worship more than the actual worship itself. I hope this glance at worship helps us get a bigger picture of worship for an even bigger God.

God has taught me so much about prayer over the years. And I am always learning more about it. I can tell you firsthand about how very rewarding it is and can be when you have a great prayer life. And knowing all this, I can tell you that my greatest struggle and challenge is that I don’t do it nearly enough.

As I study about prayer: what it’s for, when to, what to, how to, Who to, etc…, I’ve learned that there’s different times and types of prayer, that are all, I believe, crucial to living like Christ.

One of the most descriptive and demanding verses about prayer is also one of the shortest verses found in the Bible. “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV). NASB translates the verse to say, “Pray without ceasing”. This effectively says, “Never stop praying”. We must pray persistently and regularly. I think we can take it to also mean that we should have a pretty consistent dialogue with God through prayer and talking with Him throughout the day. With this verse on the forefront of our mind as we study prayer, it really sets us in the right direction.

We must always be in prayer. In Luke 18, Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow to show the disciples “that they should always pray and not give up” (18:1). Paul says to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18). And to the Colossians, he says “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Col 4:2). This shows us that we must be devoted to prayer. It must be a priority. When we are not constantly and consistently in prayer, our motives for things, even spiritual things, can easily be taken off the prize, and our motives easily compromised. Oswald Chambers once said, “Prayer is the evidence that I am spiritually concentrated on God.” When we are always having a dialogue with the Creator, we are far better off to live that day for Christ. And on the flip side, if there’s not constant prayer to our Lord, the evidence of our relationship with Him is little to none.

Jesus gives blueprints for “how to pray” both in Matthew 6 and Luke 11. This model prayer, also known as the Lord’s Prayer, which just about everyone and their mother has memorized, is just that, a model. We never see Jesus reciting it when He prayed, yet the pattern of how to pray was followed. The Apostle Peter says to “be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (1 Peter 4:7); this implies that we must be sober-minded and controlled in order to pray correctly.

As I studied prayer to see how it’s Biblically portrayed, I saw a noticeable pattern, especially with Jesus’ prayer life. “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God” (Luke 6:12). This was an often occurrence! Lonely, solitary places: just Him and God. One time He even spent the entire night praying by Himself! Now why would Jesus need to pray so much and also so privately? Did He really have a ton of things He wanted, or a slew of things to ask forgiveness for? No, of course not. So then why so much prayer? I think this is when our outlook and the proper view of the purpose of prayer can answer. “The meaning of prayer is that we get hold of God, not of the answer” (Oswald Chambers).

So now, why did He have to go alone to pray so many times? He didn’t only pray when He was by Himself. He spoke many times against praying in public just for show (Matthew 6:5-8; Luke 20:46-47), but we still see Jesus praying in public (John 17). I think we can conclude that there is something very important, powerful, and spiritually essential about long, set aside, uninterrupted, private prayer with our Savior. And I say essential, because I truly believe that Christ showed us this example clearly so that we will indeed follow suit. At Lighthouse last summer we started the prayer room at church, and during our forty days of prayer, I found myself in there for hours and at all different and even crazy hours during the night. The way God used that in my life to grow me and teach me things was amazing. And I’ve realized that long and private prayer like that is not only good- I believe it’s necessary. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” -Jesus (Matthew 6:6).

There was another important kind of prayer that I noticed as I searched the Scriptures, and that is personal prayer with other believers. In the book of Acts, Luke records many activities of the early church and tells in Acts 1:13-14, “When [the original, remaining 11 disciples] arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers (1:13a, 14 emphasis mine). Later in Acts, we see the power of prayer as Paul and Silas pray together. As they are praying in jail, God causes an earthquake that opens the prison doors and sets Paul and Silas free (Acts 16:25-26). Prayer works.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus says, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matt 18:19-20). Sounds like a pretty powerful promise! If two or more believers agree in prayer about something, God will do it. I think God likes when His children fellowship together. He designed us to need each other, so it’s no surprise that He is going to use prayer together effectively. And more than just praying together, this passage says, we must agree together on something. So never think that prayers are redundant when praying in a group. I think every time that request is agreed upon and prayed for, it can become more effective of a prayer. After all, God promises that He is with us in those moments (18:20).

So let’s devote ourselves to prayer. And take these examples from Scripture on how and when to pray. Always be in prayer so that we can stay spiritually concentrated on God. Find and make time to set aside for private, intimate prayer with your Father in Heaven. And look for opportunities to pray with other believers; make it a regular occurrence. Make sure your prayer is real and genuine, and not just reciting spiritual words over and over again. Let’s take the example of Epaphras, of whom Paul said, “He is always wrestling in prayer” for his Colossian brothers (Col 4:12). Prayer is such a powerful thing, and my prayer is that we take advantage of it and practice all the ways Scripture shows.

These are a few things about prayer that God has been teaching me; please pray that we would all be able to live it out daily.

Why? Why is it so hard to live like Christ sometimes? Why don’t we always give God attention? Why do we still mess up and sin, and hurt God, when we profess to love Him? How can we go days without thinking about our Creator and our Savior? How can we go from one moment praising God to the next moment neglecting to acknowledge Him? If we are a new creation, why do we still act like the old sometimes? Is it sin? The Bible says that we are free from sin (Romans 6:7,18). So if we are actually free from sin, meaning it has no power over us, then why do we still sin? No one can serve two masters (Matt 6:24, Luke 16:13), but why do we find ourselves at times going back and forth? If we are to be “transformed” (Rom 12:2), then how is it even possible that we are acting as our old form? Why and how does apathetic Christianity exist sometimes?

Lately, not many things seem to frustrate me more than Christians who claim the name but don’t walk like it. They say they love God, but don’t always have the fruit to back it up. They claim to be trying and fighting temptation, but there is little proof shown in their walk. When I see this type of behavior in my close brothers in Christ, I find myself even more frustrated, sometimes even to the point of anger. And in these times, I’ve realized that I become this frustrated due to the fact that I see this pattern in my own walk and far too regularly. I know I’m transformed; I know I’m a new creature. I see fruit. I know that Christ has broken my chains of sin that would otherwise hold me back, and I know what He demands of me. Then why do I still struggle? Why do I still sin? Why does apathy exist in my heart sometimes, when that’s where Christ is all the time? I think the answer to these tough questions can be summed up in a somewhat simple answer: We lose focus. We don’t keep our eyes on God, at ALL times, as we should. We get distracted. Things happen. Life happens. Sin creeps in, unexpectedly, unknowingly. Our focus is shifted and lost. I don’t believe there is such a thing as “standing still” in the Christian walk. If you are not actively pursuing God, then you are moving away from Him. The Christian walk isn’t a day-to-day journey, it’s second-to second. And I believe we begin to struggle in those seconds because we lose focus on God.

The Apostle Paul talked candidly about this behavior in his own life in his letter to the Romans. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” (Rom 7:15,18-20). So this problem is identified as rooted from sin. He continues, “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin” (7:21-25). Paul describes this behavior as an on-going and active battle between obeying God and obeying sin. He shows desperation, along with hope, trusting that Christ will indeed rescue him. It’s in his mind that he must submit as a slave to God’s law. It’s our sin nature that inclines us to be slaves to sin.

Paul continues in chapter 8 to explain that though we battle against sin, we have been set free from its power. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (8:1-2). So now that we are aware of what the battle is that we’re in, and that we can indeed win this battle against sin, how does Paul indicate we do it? He says the answer lies in what our minds are set on. “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (8:5). Our minds must be focused on what the Spirit desires. And how do we know what He desires if not to seek Him and study about Him in His word; stay focused on Him. Paul’s conclusion of the matter: “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (8:12-14). We may have righteous desires, but we won’t ever fulfill them apart from the Spirit and His leading. We can’t try to win this battle on our own.

When we struggle with a sin, a lot of times we try to focus on ways to beat that sin, when we should just try focusing on God. Start thinking about God and His law, and not about the sin. Start talking to God and praising Him, and meditate on His words. Get your focus on Him. Something that has helped me stay focused lately is every time I think about God, I pray to God. Whenever I hear something about Him or just have a thought about Him, I instantly start talking to Him; it helps me stay focused on Him. And I’ve found myself thinking about Him more. And as Paul told us, we can’t be ignorant to this battle going on between what the Spirit wants and with sin’s desires. We need to stay focused on Him and His desires, and then they will become ours. Let’s have a closeness like Joseph did, where when faced with a sin temptation, our immediate response is, “How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Gen 39:9).

So why is it so hard to live like Christ sometimes? Because we can’t do it on our own. Because we need Christ to live like Christ. We need the Spirit to have the desires of the Spirit. We need to keep our focus on God. Why do we struggle? We are in an active battle against sin, and we must be prepared at all times. We cannot afford to take our eyes off the Prize. And how can we keep our focus? Praying without ceasing (1 Thes 5:17) and meditating on His Word day and night (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:2) is a good start.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3).

“Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Please [do this for me] today…” Sound familiar? I know it does for me. Way too familiar. Now, I don’t think it’s wrong to ask Christ for things. He tells us in His Word to ask for things.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matt 7:7; Luke 11:9). “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matt 21:22). “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24). “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:13-14).

One Sunday, sitting in service, I heard the pastor say something to the effect of, “instead of asking God to do something for you, ask Him to do something through you.” It totally hit me! I feel like I’m always asking God to do things for me. And worse, I get upset or disappointed when God doesn’t do those things for me. But this idea would totally transform that. What if when I woke up in the morning, I just prayed as my main desire, “Lord, please do something through me today”?

Ephesians 2:10 tells us that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We were created to do good works for Christ, that’s our purpose, and not only that, God has already prepared these works for us to walk in. So God has already prepared awesome ways to use us and to work through us, so maybe that should be our prayer. Whether good or bad, use us, guide us into those situations where we can be your workmanship.

God says He will answer whatever we ask. And when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit helps (Romans 8:26-28). And God already knows what we need before we pray for it (Matthew 6:8). But what about when we ask for something that’s not what’s best? Jesus gives us in interesting glimpse at how He answers prayers in Mark 10. Starting in verse 24, James and John come to Jesus with a request. Jesus asks them, “What do you want me to do for you?” The brothers answer by requesting to sit at His right and His left in the Kingdom. And Jesus’ immediate answer: “You don’t know what you are asking.” He went on to rebuke them and all of the disciples for their pride. Later in that same chapter, we see Jesus asking the same question He asked James and John, only this time, He is asking a blind man. “What do you want me to do for you?” (10:51). “Rabbi, I want to see,” the blind man answers. And this time, Christ’s immediate response is, “Go, your faith has healed you.” We see two different prayers/requests to Jesus and two different responses. One had faith behind it, and another has selfish intentions. One was answered because God knew it was best, and another was not answered because God knew what was best, and those disciples did not.

So if God already knows what is best, why not pray that He will use us in His plan as mightily as possible, without getting our selfish intentions in the way? I think many times, like James and John, we very well may “not know what we are asking.” And I think it’s then, that we get upset when God doesn’t answer the prayer the way we wanted Him to. He knows better, and He promises that He will answer them the best way. He tells us that He works all things together for good for us that love Him (Romans 8:28). So why not trust Him to protect us and just ask Him to use us.

What about prayers like these: “Please keep me safe on the road this morning.” “Please keep me from getting this cold that’s been going around.” “Please help me keep my job.” “Please help me to do well in this or that.” Now what if we changed these prayers to be simply: “Please do something through me today?” Maybe God would like this prayer better. What if on the way to work, you did get in an accident? And God used the way you reacted for His glory or used the people you came in contact with to bless, or He used the story of your accident somehow to plant a seed and bring people closer to Him. Maybe God could do more through you getting in an accident than arriving safe and sound one morning.

Sometimes God will use us in awesome ways, where it is really easy to see the “good” He is working. Other times, it may be harder to see. Take the story of one of the blind men that Christ healed. When asked why he was blind, Christ answered, “So that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:3). Sometimes God using us may not look like something “good”; it may be something we don’t want at first, like a blindness or another sickness or crutch. But let’s remember why we are here on earth. For us? Or for Christ? Why were we chosen by God to be saved? For us? Or for Him, to glorify Him and to spread His fame? Then why shouldn’t the purpose of our prayers mirror that? Why should they be all about us, when life is all about Someone else? Paris Reidhead puts things in perspective well when he said, “And so the reason for you to go to the cross isn’t that you are going to get victory, you will get victory. It isn’t because you are going to have joy – you will have joy. But the reason for you to embrace the cross and press through until you know that you can testify with Paul “I am crucified with Christ,” isn’t what you are going to get out of it, But what He will get out of it, for the glory of God.”

So let’s have the right perspective and ask God to do something through us. And since we don’t know best, and He does, and he’s going to work all this for our good, I think we can conclude that praying for God to do something through us, is the best form of praying for God to do something for us.

I’ll leave you with the words of Paul: “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ’sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Matthew 9:10-13

What an awesome passage! I remember the first time really reading this and wondering what exactly Christ meant when he said “go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” (NIV). Another translation says “I desire compassion, and not sacrifice” (NASB).

This passage takes place right after Jesus called Matthew to be His disciple. While eating with these “sinners,” the Pharisees try to question Christ right before he rebukes them. Christ’s choice of words is quite candid. He has a dose of sarcasm when He calls the Pharisees “healthy” and “righteous,” when it was really just self righteousness that was their catalyst for blinding themselves from the truth. Christ tells them to “Go and learn what this means,” and then quotes Scripture from the Old Testament. The Pharisees knew the Scriptures inside and out, and would have undoubtedly studied this and had it memorized.

Later in the Book of Matthew, Christ uses the same Scripture to rebuke the Pharisees again. It’s found in chapter 12. Here, Pharisees are yet again trying to stump Christ and His disciples, this time for “breaking the Sabbath laws.” Christ answers with, “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent”(Matt 12:7).

So if Christ keeps referencing the importance of this Scripture passage, we better make sure that we know it and what it means too. The quote is found in Hosea 6:6. “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” (NIV). Another translation reads: “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (NASB). Here God is telling us what’s really important to Him. He’d rather us show mercy, then offer sacrifices. He’d rather us know Him, then do things for Him. He’s after our heart, more than our actions.

These verses are direct proof that God is not into legalism. And this idea that God is not into heartless rituals is found all over both the Old and New Testaments. “But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:33).

In the Old Testament, God’s people were commanded to offer these sacrifices to the Lord, until Christ came and paid the ultimate sacrifice for us all. So what are our present day burnt offerings and sacrifices? Going to church? Reading our Bible? Witnessing? Praying? Worshiping God? All of these are things that we, as Christians, should be doing, but not just to do them. Sometimes I find myself just doing “Christian” things because I feel like I should. Or I’ll do them and feel better about myself because I did something “for God,” when there is no true acknowledgment of God in it. God would rather us just get to know Him. More than any action we can do to express praise or worship to God, He would first rather us know Him. He wants our heart. If our hearts aren’t mirroring that of Christ’s and our intentions not love, then we have not learned what Hosea 6:6 means.

Now I got a hunch that Matthew really liked this passage. He is the only Gospel author to mention Jesus’ quoting of Hosea 6, and He cites two different occurrences. See, Matthew left his dishonest job with “sinners” immediately when Jesus called Him, but I don’t think he necessarily left his friends and coworkers. He stopped his sinful ways, but I think instead of leaving his old friends in the dust, his heart grew heavy for them, and he wanted to see them follow Jesus too. Right after he decides to follow Christ, he invites all his friends to come eat with him and his new rabbi, Jesus. When Jesus defends him to the Pharisees by quoting a beautiful passage, I can see Matthew being so very comforted and most likely finding a new favorite Scripture verse that he would never forget!

So let’s get to know God. Let Him get to know us. No more empty, surface-level prayers. Let’s give God our thoughts, ideas, motives, our whole heart and not just our actions. Let’s be like Matthew and remember Hosea 6:6 as we follow Christ and burden for the lost. Let’s be mindful of God before and while we act. And may this truth not make us change the way we live, but the reason why we live, and I believe the way we live will then follow.