New Testament Archives - Page 132 of 134

Mark 5:24 (KJV) Jesus Stress Free

Mark 5:24 (KJV)
And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

There were as many hindrances to Jairus’ daughter being healed as one could imagine

A sea
A multitude
Another person in need
A messenger with bad news
A death
A mocking family

Notice that none these in any way stressed our Lord or presented any obstacle to His purpose.

The trouble we too often have is that we can’t see passed the obstacles to watch the Lord’s calm assurance. He has it handled. Ask Him, follow Him and trust Him.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

Mark 5:24 (KJV) Jesus Stress Free

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Mark 4:34 (KJV) Two Levels of Teaching

Mark 4:34 (KJV)
But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

There are two levels of teaching implied in this passage; there is the broader message to the multitudes and the more explicit and meaningful message given to the disciples.

It is not wrong to preach to the crowds, knowing that when you do so the message is of necessity going to be broad and general. The problem I think comes when that is all the message anyone ever gets. When the preacher pushes for large attendance at every service, for instance, he will almost surely, even if subconsciously, generalize his message. There is nothing wrong with ever growing smaller circles of contact because the smaller the circle the more specific can be the message. When we finally get down to just one or two, then the teaching is most likely at its highest level of effectiveness.

No preacher should disregard the multitudes just as no Christian should skip the general assemblies of our services. But neither should the preacher isolate himself from smaller venues nor should the Christian satisfy himself with only the one, larger service.

All of us should seek value in every venue of teaching: the general assembly on Sunday Morning, the tighter, more specific message of Sunday evenings, the closeknit teaching that happens in the mid week and opportunities for questions and discussion one on one or with just a handful with the pastor.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

Mark 4:34 (KJV) Two Levels of Teaching

Mark 3:21 (KJV) Jesus Had Friends?

Mark 3:21 (KJV)
And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

Does it amaze us that Christ would have friends who were not (at least at this time) believers? He had grow up from a small child in Nazareth. There He had relatives through His mother and nearly kin through His stepfather, Joseph. No doubt during those years Jesus had become well acquainted with people who cared for Him as the good person He surely was even though they probably thought His ideas fanciful and maybe immature. “He will grow out of them.” They may have said among themselves.

It is unlikely we have lived long without making some friendships on this level. At school or work or in some other public setting we have likely made friendships that exist despite and not because of our faith. These friends are well meaning but, like those of Christ, may try to hinder our spiritual life.

There came this point in time when the relationship with those friends came to a make or break point. They tried to rescue Jesus from the consequences of His faith; He remained steadfast in that faith. I believe many of those friends came to accept Him as Saviour after this. I am sure many others gave up on Him and walked away.

As we live for the Lord our friends who are not of the faith will almost certainly find themselves at a crossroads at some point; they will come to urge us not to get too wrapped up in our Christianity. They will think they are protecting us to keep us from going overboard in our belief. We must stand firm and true to Christ and when we do, many of them will give up on us. But others will come to trust the Saviour upon which we rest.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

Mark 3:21 (KJV) Jesus Had Friends?

Matthew 3:13 (KJV) Motivation for Baptism

Matthew 3:13 (KJV)
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

It is impossible to get over the grace, the condescension and the humility of this act. God became man and dwelt among us. Then God with us submitted Himself to be baptized.

This act, if for no other reason, ought to give every believer motivation to follow Christ in baptism

By faith in Christ
By immersion as was Christ
By the proper authority as was Christ

To my reader:
Have you been baptized Scripturally? Be sure to follow the Lord in this important ordinance. I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

Matthew 3:13 (KJV) Motivation for Baptism

Matthew 26:15 (KJV) What’s Your “Last Straw”?

Matthew 26:15 (KJV)
And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

Many years ago now we had a couple who had been members of our church for several years. This couple was active and involved in everything going on at church. They were positive and generally encouraging toward me. Then came the day when I learned that all of this had been a façade, a front that covered what was happening in their heart. I can’t remember what the message was about that day but their response afterwards was that they had disagreed with many things and this was just the last straw.

Their story reminds me of Judas and prompts me to ask, “What will it take for you to betray Christ?” For Judas is was just a few pieces of silver.

For some it is a job where there is no sound church
For some it is a teaching that they refuse to accept
For some it is a relationship in the church that runs them the wrong way
For someone else it is a simple misunderstanding they refuse to forgive

Whatever it is, it will lead to your destruction. Some who finally come to the last straw leave to find another church. Many of them leave church completely but either way the path is one that leads to eventual devastation. It may not show up for a generation or two but it will happen.

Everyone of us must realize that we can be broken. If we attempt to follow the Lord in the strength of our own will we will find that last straw. The key to the Christian life is Christ living in us. Only He can hold up to any straw.

To my reader:
“Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” The answer to faithful Christian living is not determination but dependence. Are you leaning on the Lord? I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

Matthew 26:15 (KJV) What’s Your “Last Straw”?

Matthew 25:44 (KJV) Everyone Answers God

Matthew 25:44 (KJV)
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

These kingdom of heaven parables give evidence that even those who have ignored denied resisted and even fought the Lord and His people will “also answer” the Lord.

There is no getting away from God. It is impossible to hide from Him. All men will stand in his presence. I do not believe it will all happen at the same time; there is a judgment seat of Christ for the believers and a great white throne judgment for the lost but all will come before the Lord.

Will you stand before Him amazed at His grace you have received or aghast at the judgment you face?

To my reader:
Are you saved? God’s Word gives a promise to all who, realizing their sin, call upon the Lord for salvation. Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

Matthew 25:44 (KJV) Everyone Answers God

The difference is up to you and the time to decide is right now.

Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV) How To Destroy Your House

Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV)
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Jerusalem’s first desolation was in their rejection of Jesus Christ.
They had a blessed house when they had Christ in their presence. They had meat and drink that would never run dry. They had truth that was undeniable. Jerusalem with Christ was Jerusalem with hope and opportunity and the kingdom of heaven nigh. By rejecting Christ they swept their own house clean of blessings.

Jerusalem’s second desolation was the destruction of the city in seventy A.D..
The process between these two was a long one in which the Jews, having turned against their own Christ, then turned against themselves.

Jerusalem’s desolation continues still today
in that, while they are once again a nation, they are for the most part a nation without faith. Jewish nationalism is far different than Jewish faith.

The very same steps happens in the lives of individuals as they:

First reject Jesus
Second find their lives coming unraveled
Third continue to experience desolation in their children and grandchildren

It is foolhardy and devastating to ignore, reject or dismiss Christ in your life.

To my reader:
What steps are you taking to draw closer to Jesus? I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV) How To Destroy Your House

Matthew 22:34 (KJV) How To Silence a Sadducee

Matthew 22:34 (KJV)
But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

Jesus put the Sadducees to silence but He did not convince them of the truth. We have mistaken our calling if we have come to believe that our duty is to convince everyone we speak to of the truth of the Gospel. Though we would like to see it, though we must preach with the passion to affect it, the reality is that:

Jesus didn’t see it
The world has never wholeheartedly accepted Christ and
To expect it can skew our methods of ministry

We stop their words with one tool; refusal to budge on the Bible.

To my reader:
We often become disappointed in the results of our work because we misunderstand the purpose of our work. Our job is not to convert the world but be witnesses to the world. Steadfastness to the truths of the Bible; that is our calling. I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

Matthew 22:34 (KJV) How To Silence a Sadducee

Matthew 21:33 (KJV) Tell Them Again

Matthew 21:33 (KJV)
Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

I had a pleasant conversation with a man today. He said his dad was a very strong Southern Baptist who was always digging into his Bible and looked for chances to talk to people about his faith. The trouble is, it apparently did nothing for his son. This man I spoke with is a very kind man, but not a believer and is almost clueless about spiritual things. As we spoke the conversation went from one spiritual topic to the next. There was almost no end to error in his thinking. Although he was pleasant, he was completely unaware of these spiritual things.

Jesus was already teaching in the temple when the chief priests and elders of the people approached and began asking Him questions. The conversation continued on until, in verse thirty-three, Jesus said, “Hear another parable…” There was still more they needed to hear, still new things they should learn, still incorrect conclusions that needed to be corrected.

While I am certain we can “dump” too much on people at one time, I am also certain we should never give up on them. We ought to always be looking for another way to express the truth of the Bible and another opportunity to express it to them until we are finally able to bring them to the truth.

Don’t give up.

Tell them another parable….

To my reader:
Can you name the last person you spoke to about the Lord? I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below. (Of course, I am not asking for names. LOL)

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

Matthew 21:33 (KJV) Tell Them Again

Matthew 20:1 (KJV) Lessons in Life

Matthew 20:1 (KJV)
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

Jesus used the phrase, “the kingdom of heaven is like” on a number of occasions. The use of these similes and parables is a demonstration that the tabernacle was not the only thing that was made after the pattern of heavenly things.

God has put wonderful lessons concerning life, spiritual freedom and heavenly promises all around us. They are so abundant and so obvious that they are, in part, why even the person who has never heard is without excuse. Just as the heavens declare the glory of God, these parables preach the path to God if we will but hear.

A few caveats concerning these parables:

They can become blurred through lack of use and therefore come into focus only through exercise
They must always be filtered through the lens of God’s word . The devil knows how to pitch a parable too.
They should never take the place of God’s Word lest our audience begin to magnify human wisdom rather that God’s revelation.

To my reader:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.