By His grace, what the radical life of Christ should look in an American context!

must be more attentive to the people of peace that Christ brings into my life for His own kingdom purposes. Mat 10:11-13 @WeeManWest

is thankful that salvation is not about our ability to completely follow God’s law, but instead it is about grace! Act 15:10-11 @WeeManWest

believes if we don’t get what we want we get unhappy, whiney, and complain until we get what we want bc we’re selfish. Psa 23:1 @WeeManWest

is certain that contentment in Christ leads us to see every circumstance as green pasture beside still waters. Psa 23:2 @WeeManWest

Matthew 10:1 Jesus begins to share His authority with His disciples. He gave them the authority to cast out spirits and to heal all diseases and afflictions. Jesus didn’t have to share His authority but He chose to share it with His disciples. Maybe He was laying a principle for stewardship upon the early believers that they would know best to share the authority they would have with others.

Jesus was beginning to lay the foundation for His ministry surviving His death and departure. More pastors would be wise to do similar things in their own ministries.

Matthew 10:5-15 The disciples were given this authority and sent specifically (Matthew 10:6) to Israelites. It was time for the Jews to either believe or remain in unbelief.

What will we think when it comes time for the church to do the same thing, to believe or remain in unbelief?

The disciples were given this authority and given a specific (Matthew 10:7) message. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. The brunt of Jesus’ work was so focused on this kingdom. Some places its called the kingdom of heaven, others call it the kingdom of God. The kingdom is what Christ came to establish.

It was said to be “at hand” because Jesus was surely laying its foundation and would soon die and come back from the dead to establish this ever-growing, ever-lasting kingdom that no dominion shall defeat.

Jesus’ principle was simple and specific (Matthew 10:8) that the disciples had freely received this authority and should freely extend the authority. They were not to be profiteers in the kingdom of heaven. This should cause all who are doing “works” under the authority of Christ to pause and make certain they are not given to filthy lucre.

They were to go and take nothing with them on their journey (Matthew 10:9-10) but their trust in the provision of Almighty God. In certainty, doing the work of Christ was to be their food and their drink as it was Christ’s.

They were sent to specific (Matthew 10:11-13) places of which they would find a man of peace, someone prepared for them by the Holy Spirit. Please be amazed at how this gospel works and should transform our lives. We are to seek where Christ is at work and follow Him in His work. The people of peace will be spiritually prepared for us whether they realize it or not. Our task is to be dilligent in finding people whom we see the Holy Spirit working among.

They were given a specific (Matthew 10:14-15) means to deal with those who despised and rejected their message. They were to follow the common tradition of their day of shaking the cities dust from their feet as they left. We do a similar thing today when we drag our feet to figuratively remove the foulness of a situation from our lives. Such a measure was not to be done lightly for it would mark such place for the judgment of God.

They were sent with a specific (Matthew 10:16) warning and advice. Have you ever seen sheep among wolves? Helpless, defenseless, sentenced to death! Wolves see sheep as a food source and will hunt them down and kill them without mercy! The disciples were to expect the same treatment from those they were being sent among.

They were told to be both wise and innocent meaning that yes they would have to be clever, like the serpent in the garden was clever. Yet in their cleverness they were to be innocent in that they were not to delve into the realm of deception or detention or death in order to make converts.

Jesus describes that yes indeed His disciples would be hunted by men, and imprisoned by men, and taken to trial by men…but yet that their testimony would stand….that in that day God Himself would speak through them to their adversaries.

We should follow the specific things Christ leads us into and be undeterred by the terrors of those who seek to silence our message in evil ways.

Acts 15:1 We see here how difficult the breakaway was going to be for even within the church a contingent existed that believed that obedience to the covenant of circumcision was necessary for salvation. I’m certain that they had in view God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:9-14), especially Genesis 17:14 which said, “Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

The real question is: Can we belong to God if we don’t keep all the Law and Covenants?

I believe that answer is yes. While this covenant made with Abraham was a circumcision of the flesh, the true circumcision is the one made without hands (Colossians 2:11) in our hearts. This circumcision is alluded to in the Law (Deuteronomy 30:6) and in the Prophets (Jeremiah 4:4) and is said to be fulfilled in the New Testament (Philippians 3:3) .

Acts 15:9 Peter here argues from his own experience (Acts 10:44-48) in evangelizing the Gentiles. They, the uncircumcised, had received the Holy Spirit just as had the circumcised. Peter saw this as evidence that among the Gentiles who don’t have God’s law that God didn’t require physical circumcision before including them among His people.

This marks for us the difference between the physical seed of Abraham and the spiritual seed of Abraham. The physical seed of Abraham were marked in their flesh on the 8th day. The spiritual seed of Abraham are marked in their hearts on the 8th day (their new beginning in Christ).

Acts 15:10 No one in all of history aside from Jesus Christ has been able to keep the Law. Why would we now ask people to keep a Law that no one has ever been able to keep and say that in their keeping of it is their salvation? Such makes no sense and this council was wise in finding it so.

Acts 15:11 All of mankind is either saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus or falling short of grace by their own efforts. We cannot, through good works or great compassion earn our way into God’s presence. We must humbly come as unworthy sinners seeking His grace.

Acts 15:16-17 We see that James applied what was going on to the prophecy in Amos 9:11-12. Jesus Christ was building His temple among men and amazingly enough the Gentiles are included. Amen and Praise the Lord!

Psalm 23:1 Can any of us truly say this? I’m afraid so many of us want this, or want that, and will be unhappy and whiny and full of complaint until we get what we want. We are so selfish and self-motivated in all we do.

Why can’t we be content in Christ and content with Christ?

Contentment see whatever lot or circumstance you happen to be in, so long as you are in Christ and with Christ, as green pastures next to still waters.

Psalm 23:3 Christ restores our soul and leads us into His righteousness. He does all this for His name’s sake. God doesn’t work in this world to make our names great but to make His own name great. When we come to Christ our life purpose should be to make His name great, if it isn’t, we are chasing idolatry.

Psalm 23:4 What comforts us? With what was David comfortable? David was only comfortable with the presence of God.

We have trained ourselves to be comfortable. We are comfortable with a good job, nice house, dependable car/truck, pleasant lawn, solid alarm system, powerful gun, various cable channels, great love life.

Yet, are we comfortable with God? Are we comfortable just being in God’s presence or do we allow all these other things we are comfortable with keep us from sitting in God’s presence?

I think that many of us would rather find our own solutions and timing and then ask God to bless our craftiness. Then when God resists we get frustrated and discontent and begin lodging complaints about what is fair or not fair, then we pretend that what we really need is more prayer. If we prayed more then God would bless our plans on our time. Instead, God withholds His blessings because He is only going to bless His plans and His timing.

Here David is walking in death’s shadow. He spent a LOT of time running and hiding from people who wanted to KILL him! What was David’s comfort? The very presence of God brought him comfort.

Can any of us really say the same thing?

Psalm 23:5 I believe that in our chase to capture the American dream we have forgotten that we dwell on the battlefield.

This world isn’t our home! We live daily in the presence of our enemies, just as the sheep we daily accosted about their head by flies that would lay eggs in their ears and noses. The shepherd would anoint their heads with oil that would be a salve to ward off the flies.

We so desperately need the salve God offers us in the midst of our enemies. He prepares a table for us and fills our cup to overflowing.

Do we notice or are we too caught up in what we see that we don’t have? We should be satisfied to dine with God, our Creator, in the midst of the battlefield as our enemies bear down on us.

Instead we are discontent. We are not happy with what we have an where we are so we leave the table and try to make our own table instead.

When will this stop?! When will we learn to be satisfied with God alone? Our satisfaction is always God plus wealth or God plus health or God plus food or God plus clothing or God plus shelter.

Why can’t we, like David the shepherd be content with God alone?!

Maybe we really are just that selfish that instead of seeing our Shepherd and His oil and rod and staff we instead focus on the flies and the wolves!!!!

We are so unworthy of the abundance that God has blessed us with in just His willingness to be present in our lives and yet He gives us so much more and we are still not content. Woe unto us for we shall never be satisfied!

Lord, by Your grace, grant us contentment with Your presence that we may focus on You alone and see how truly blessed we are in just having You.

Psalm 23:6 Whether we dwell in a castle or are totally exposed, if we are in Christ we dwell in His house and will dwell with Him forever.

Genesis 50:3 I can’t help but wonder if this was one day for each of his descendants?

Genesis 50:15 Joseph’s brothers were still bothered in their conscience for how they had mistreated Joseph. Now that their father was gone they feared Joseph’s reprisal.

Only in our conscience can our guilt eat away at us. Let us therefore be diligent to do nothing that will cloud our conscience with guilt regarding any other person.

Genesis 50:20 Joseph understood and was content with the plan, purpose, and timing of God. He held not grudge nor ill will toward his brothers. He saw their evil act as divine providence.

How challenging it is for us to see evil things done to us as divine providence guiding and preparing us for God’s plan, purpose, and timing for our lives.