The Rare Jewel of Humility: How to Prevent the Disaster of Pride

Ask yourself if you want what is described in this quotation:

“Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is for me to have no trouble; never to be fretted or vexed or irritated or sore or disappointed. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord where I can go in and shut the door and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace as in a deep sea of calmness when all around is trouble. It is the fruit of the Lord Jesus Christ's redemptive work on Calvary's cross, manifested in those of His own who are definitely subject to the Holy Spirit.” -Andrew Murray.

There is a peace in humility. It’s something rare in western society. We have so many demands. We insist on our rights. We want everything our way. And we’re often upset, angry or irritable. And if we don’t get what we want it’s an outrage.
But what if we humbled ourselves? What if we let God be in charge? What if we let go of control? Let go, and let God.

There is an incredible peace in that. God is in charge of the universe, I’m not. And I don’t want to be. I want to be at peace. Like the word says, “Be still and know that I am God.” -Psalm 46:10

How did we get salvation? By controlling everything? Or was it by a radical, and a bit scary act of letting go of control, abandoning ourselves to Jesus Christ, and believing he could really save us? And sure enough, He did!

We’ve received forgiveness, grace, and divine favor. Our lives have been made new. We have been adopted by the Creator of the Universe as His beloved children. The gospel has been placed in our mouths to share with those around us. Sin has been crippled and defeated. The hope of salvation stands always before us.

Thus, the danger now becomes pride. Slowly but surely, we begin to focus on ourselves instead of God. Slowly but surely we think about how good we’re doing. And slowly but surely we begin to look down on others who don’t yet have Jesus as their savior.

The Bible even says that God opposes the proud. He will actively work against those who are walking in pride.



We’re going to be looking at a parable today that deals with the issue of pride.

Jesus taught these various parables to help us understand how to victoriously live in the fallen Earth realm. Without these truths we would be lost and confused, blundering from one problem to another, never making any progress in life.

But with these kingdom truths we can live a victorious Christian life.

Here today comes your secret weapon: Humility.

It looks so plain, that sign that reads “humility.” It looks so sad, so lowly, yet it is the key to victory. It looks drab. It looks like who would want that? Yet it’s the key. I promise you, it’s spiritual gold.

The world can’t see that. The world wants Armani suits, Gucci bags, Rolex watches, shiny diamonds and gold chains, and stacks of bills and flashy music videos and millions of hits online, but all of that pride of life, it destroys. It makes proud, and when one becomes proud, a fall soon approaches.

But pride isn’t just a problem in the world, it’s also a problem in the church. Pride destroys some of the greatest speakers and teachers. They are so wise, they have such knowledge, they’ve traveled the world, they’ve ministered to the least of these, they’ve suffered difficult trials, they’ve raised their children in the Lord, they’ve prayed fervently, they are suited up in great armor and seem unstoppable, they’ve built massive organizations, built multi-site campuses, raised millions in funds, raised up thousands of members, they might win the whole world for Christ.

But something stops them. Pride begins to take hold. Ego takes over. And slowly but surely, it undermines their entire ministry.

It becomes about them. It becomes about their knowledge, their ideas. It becomes self-focused. And slowly but surely the Spirit drains out of it. 

The Spirit begins convicting them, calling them to humble themselves. They resist it. They push forward into pride. This gives demons a foothold, and soon they are embracing false doctrines, lukewarm teachings, and they build the power in the organization around themselves. Eventually the Spirit even departs all together saying I have no part in this ministry.

And what once might’ve been a ministry that would’ve shaken the Earth itself, becomes just another self-focused personality centered church that has only a mild anointing of the Holy Spirit, if any at all.

The tragedy of it is astounding. I’ve thought many nights and mornings about the danger of pride and how to stay humble. My wife and I are both prone to pride. God has had to humble me in the past. And it wasn’t pretty.

In my first few years as a Christian I went on a surge of knowledge acquisition. There is so much knowledge, books, conferences, classes, and theology in modern Christianity. We get absolutely bloated with knowledge, but the heart doesn't keep up. Soon we're puffed up with knowledge, and the heart is still like a child, easily manipulated. With a head full of knowledge and a heart that is untested by trials, this lethal equation produces pride as if it were a recipe from a cookbook. But if we can balance knowledge acquisition with just as much heart change, Christian maturity can develop, which is a guard against pride, as it produces humility (through struggles and suffering). Christian disciplines like prayer, fasting, confession, repentance, and service to others train the heart. Love trains the heart. Only then will we stand a chance in this battle against self. 

But we shouldn’t assume pride is unstoppable or inevitable either. It is not. If we follow the words of Jesus, and live them, we can defeat pride, and wear humility as our garment.

Here’s what Jesus said in Luke 18, starting in verse 9:

“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:” –Luke 18:9

Whose the audience? People who were confident of their own righteousness, and people who looked down on everyone else.

Let’s avoid both of these errors. We can’t be confident of our own righteousness. The Bible says none are righteous, all have sinned. What we can be confident of is Jesus’ righteousness, which is perfect.

But, we should never look down on anyone. Particularly the people we are helping. They are our equals, here at The Salvation Army. We are not above them. We’ve all come from tough situations.

Next Jesus begins the parable: (verse 10) “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”

The Pharisee, the most religious, the most focused, the most prayerful, the most dedicated, one who fasts and tithes, and does all the little things.

And a tax collector, a man who is working for a foreign power, taking money from his own people. Someone who is rejected from the synagogue. Someone who is universally hated and viewed as a traitor and enemy.

Next it says, (v. 11-12) “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

Pride is the deadly danger to every participant of the Kingdom of God system. If we allow pride to get a foothold, slowly but surely we begin to transfer our reliance from Christ’s righteousness to our own efforts. 

Many of the great heroes of the faith fell to various sins, even greats like Solomon or King David. What went wrong? They didn’t guard their hearts. They let cracks in their armor. They allowed a foothold for the enemy. 

In the parable, the Pharisee thanks God for how great he is. And in his prayer he mocks the tax collector, and brags about his good deeds.

Where does pride come from? It comes from looking at ourselves and thinking, “Look how good I’m doing.”

Humility comes from looking at God and thinking, “Wow, what an amazing God I serve.”

We always have to return our focus outward, toward Jesus, and believe He is our savior. He is our righteousness. He is the only one who can save us.

It says the Pharisee stood by himself. God was not with him. His eyes were not on God. His eyes were on himself. And he saw himself as better than other people. He looked down on robbers, adulterers, and the tax collector.

Pride had consumed him. His service for God had become service to himself. What a terrible danger this is!

Next, in verse 13, “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’”

The Pharisee stood alone. The tax collector stood far off. He was far from God, but God was there.

He was so humble, so contrite, so broken, that he refused to even look up toward heaven. He beat his breast, angry with himself, angry with his mistakes and his poor conduct. And he cried out, "God have mercy on me, a sinner!"

This should be our approach to the living God as well. Humble. Real. Convicted by our sins, frustrated with the ways we’ve fallen short. Yet boldly coming into the throne room of God crying out, "Lord have mercy on me, forgive me my sins!"

And that boldness is powerful, it pays dividends. Because God will forgive us, if we simply ask honestly and authentically for his mercy.

God is full of mercy, that’s what the Bible says (Psalm 103:8-10). 

The parable concludes this way, verse 14: “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jesus was possibly paraphrasing a proverb from the Old Testament which says, Proverb 29:23, “One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.”

If in this series we’re looking at the machinery of how God’s kingdom works, this is another fact of life in God’s economy: If we get prideful and start bragging and showing off, God will humble us.

It will just happen and it’s a gift when it does. Because pride comes before a fall.

Similarly, if we humble ourselves before God, God will honor us. What does that mean? God will find ways to honor you, whether it’s a promotion at work, or something you did being recognized by the community. God will honor those who humble themselves.

How can we avoid pride? We can go back again and again to the mercy seat, to prayer, on our knees, and humble ourselves before God. We can empty ourselves of pride by giving God all the glory. We can guard our hearts against it.

That’s something I try to do, after a long day of ministry, I will pray at the end of the day and say, “God I give you all the glory. I keep none for myself.”

Another way we can live out this parable of humility is to remember the scripture that says, from Matthew 6:1-4, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

If you’re constantly telling everyone the good things you do for others, well, you’ve already received your reward. Your reward was bragging to people. But, if you tell no one, then your Father in heaven will reward you himself.

I remember when my grandpa Bernie died, at his funeral person after person came forward telling everyone about things grandpa had done for them. He had mentored them, he had picked them up for church, he had prayed with them, had coffee with them, and I thought to myself, wow, I had no idea! Grandpa didn’t tell anyone any of this stuff. We didn’t find out until his funeral. Isn’t that amazing? But grandpa was doing it the right way.

Sometimes I come home to my wife and tell her about the ministry I did that day, and I worry, am I doing these things to be seen? To show off? To tell others about it? The scripture says don’t even let your right hand know what your left is doing.

It’s another aspect of humility. I think we’ll stay humble more thoroughly if we keep our good deeds quiet, instead of telling everyone. Next time you help someone, or pray for someone, or give someone a Bible, don’t tell anyone, even your wife or husband, or best friend, or mom or dad. And your Father in heaven will reward you.

Remember the machinery of God’s kingdom system: God promises to exalt those who have humbled themselves. But he will humble those who exalt themselves.

Let go of control. Let go of trying to play god. It’s hard to let go of. It’s written into our DNA from the fall. We distrust god and rely on ourselves. We should instead rely on God, and distrust our own ideas. This will keep us humble and reliant on him.

Lately, I’ve added a piece to the armor of God from Ephesians 6 that I pray each day. After I put on the helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shoes of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, and sword of the Spirit, I put on the cloak of humility.

I think it’s biblical, the word of God does say to “put on” humility in Colossians 3:12. I would encourage you to "put on" humility each day as well. 

In all this, remember who the perfect example of humility was: Jesus.

It says in Philippians 2:5-10 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth”

Let’s pray today, and ask God to make us humble:

Lord, we humble ourselves. We renounce pride. Jesus forgive us for pride in ourselves and in our own ways. The only one we will boast in from now on is you. We humble ourselves before you now. We put on the cloak of humility. Keep us humble Jesus, in Jesus name, amen.

The Blessing: The blessing is that Jesus exalts a humble and faithful Christian. His mercy for a sinner who repents is beautiful and gives us hope.

The Challenge: The challenge is Jesus has no affection for prideful self-righteous attitudes. So we must refuse all forms of pride and humble ourselves consistently before the Lord.

One final thought I'd like to share: Do not underestimate the power of pride. It tastes so sweet to the fallen human mind. Yet it's fruit is so destructive it can hardly be imagined. Guard your heart. I'll say it again, guard your heart. One more time: Guard your heart. Put on humility, that drab garment that seems so plain, so honor-less, that makes you feel so plain and normal, and let that plainness and simplicity spare your life from the disaster of pride. You may never fully understand this side of heaven, what a gift that grave dishonor of humility was, to protect your heart and soul from the maddening wine of pride that destroys so many faithful witnesses. 

Next Steps:
A. To live out this parable we should take practical actions to keep ourselves humble.

B. To live out this parable we can read the book by Andrew Murray called “Humility.”

C. To live out the parable of the Pharisee and the publican we can pray against pride in our lives.

Discussion Questions:
1. Describe a time when you humbled yourself before the Lord.

2. Describe a time when God humbled you after pride had set in.

3. How does it feel to be looked down on?

4. Why do we look to self-righteousness instead of God’s gift?

5. How can you prevent pride from infecting your faith walk?

Who Should I Vote for as a Christian in 2024?

We're going to be examining how to approach voting in 2024. The first thing every Christian should understand is that they have a responsibility to participate in the political process. In my perspective, you are abdicating the command of Romans 13, which says to submit to government authorities, by refusing to participate in the political process. 

It's messy, but we've got to do it. God's given us that gift of being able to vote for our leaders, so we ought to use that gift and responsibility wisely.

First, let's talk about how to approach the election process. It's important to realize that we're going to have to fight against the stream of how everything is portrayed in our political system.

The political process is often portrayed as a personality contest. Who is more likeable? Who is more fun? Who is more social? Who would I like to have a drink with? I'd like to suggest to you today, that this is a very bad way to approach considering who you'd vote for.

Instead, we should be looking at policy. What policies would the candidate in question institute? Policy is everything. Policy is unfortunately not often the main focus of our news media, who are much more focused on clicks, views, and sensationalism. 

But at the end of the day, how much you like the candidate should not be the metric. Because it doesn't matter how much we like the person in question. What matters is, will they institute policies that will protect my freedoms? Will their policies result in positive economic conditions? Will their policies institute moral principles? Or will they institute evil and immoral practices?

I do understand that personality and disposition do play a part. It just does. And it should. Do they have the disposition to be president? Do they have the right demeanor? Do they have the right values? That should be a determination. But it should not be the chief determination. The chief determination should be policy. 

Understand that everything in politics is about talking points, power, and manipulation. Talking points by parties and the news media have been carefully crafted to manipulate your emotional responses. That's why it's so incredibly important to "think twice." It's also very important to hear both sides on an issue. 

The book of Proverbs says, "In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines." -Proverb 18:17

Talking points are intended to cause a visceral emotional reaction that makes it difficult for us to use our mind to evaluate the emotion. This is what causes outrage culture. But if we can control our emotional response and temper it with data and facts, we can come to the truth of an issue.  If we allow our emotions to run rampant, we'll be easily manipulated by political parties with agendas. 

For a Christian, we understand that the world is not our friend. We understand that there are deeper things going on than political agendas or corporate lobbying. There is a kingdom of the air, controlled by demonic forces, that quietly affects the future of the world. 

There are two fundamental spiritual forces in the world, there is the kingdom the air, which is the spirit of the enemy, and there is the kingdom of God, which is the Spirit of God's agenda for the world.

The grand challenge for every believer in the election cycle is to discover which candidate or party is more aligned with God's agenda. 

The enemy's chief weapon is deception, lies. That's his chief power over us, to lie to us. And if we believe the lie it traps us in deception. 

Many Christians unfortunately end up in lockstep with the agenda of the spirit of the age. But we as Christians should march to a different drum, the agenda of the kingdom of God. 

What are the key issues each election cycle? 

-Religious freedom is always hugely important for Christians to consider, will our right to believe and our right to pray and our right to share our faith be protected?

-Abortion is always a hugely important issue for Christians, will the party in power protect unborn children? 

-The economy is a very important issue for Christians, will the policies of the leader in power help or harm the economy?

-The southern border is very important for Christians: What policies on immigration best balance justice with mercy? 

-Foreign Policy is vital as well: Will the administration in power be more and less likely to administer peaceful relations between world powers? And how is that best achieved? Peace through strength or diplomatic negotiations? 

-Taxes: What is the candidates view on taxes, increase or decrease? All this affects the lives of every day Americans

-Equality/Racial Justice: Where do the candidates stand on justice issues? Would they work toward biblical justice? Or would they implement worldly ideologies like critical race theory?

-Education: Public vs. private schools. Does the candidate support school vouchers? What about homeschooling issues for Christians? 

-Definition of Marriage: Do the candidates in question support a biblical definition of marriage? 

As we evaluate all these policy issues, the goal for the Christian is to make sure we are voting our values. 

What if I can't stand either candidate? Often elections feel like having to choose between the lesser of two evils. That is greatly unfortunate. I've often felt that way myself. In the past I've even voted 3rd party, for the Constitution party candidate or the libertarian candidate, or others. But we also have to factor in how likely it is that our preferred candidate could win. So in the end I've often held my nose and voted for what I felt was the lesser of two evils. But I think its advisable to vote third party if we can't quite stomach the two major party options. 

The one thing I believe is completely unacceptable is simply sitting out the election due to frustration. We've been given, by God the amazing right to vote for our leaders. Throughout the last few thousand years of human history that was never an option. The people suffered under the rule of dictators and kings. To ignore our voting right and sit it out just because it feels messy or frustrating isn't good enough. We should feel an obligation to vote. And we should vote very carefully. Because many things depend on who has power in the nations of the world. Yet ultimately, God is in control. And we can trust Him, pray, and keep praying for nation and it's future.

Links:

Non-partisan Side by Side comparison of liberal vs. conservatives political positions

Family Research Council comparison of 2024 party platforms

The Center for Biblical Worldview Party Platform Comparison

The Parable of the Faithful Servant

"Fred Craddock, in an address to ministers, caught the practical implications of consecration. "To give my life for Christ appears glorious," he said. "To pour myself out for others. . . to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom -- I'll do it. I'm ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory. "We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking $l,000 bill and laying it on the table-- 'Here's my life, Lord. I'm giving it all.' But the reality for most of us is that he sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $l,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid's troubles instead of saying, 'Get lost.' Go to a committee meeting. Give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home. Usually giving our life to Christ isn't glorious. It's done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at at time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it's harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul." -Darryl Bell.

Today we’re talking about the topic of faithfulness.

Every believer has a faith in God. You lean on God. You trust in God’s son Jesus Christ, that he really died for your sins. You trust that God will guide you through each day. You believe in Him and trust in Him.

As you should. 

Because God himself is faithful. He is faithful to himself. He is faithful to his promises to us.

The scriptures say, Lamentations 3:22-23, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness"

Very simply, God can be trusted. We know it in our mind. But do we know it in our heart? God really is trustworthy.

God really does love you. It said it in Lamentations, that his love is steady, constant, it never ceases being poured out to you.

His mercies each day, they never come to an end. They continue on into eternity.

We’re looking at a challenging parable from the life of Jesus. So its super important that we understand all of this is couched in God’s incredible love for you.

It flows freely each day. But we have to tune ourselves to receive it. It’s being poured out, but we have to make sure our bucket is under the waterfall to receive it.

Many of us have been Christians for years. And we’ve gone forward into deeper things. But let the intro today be a reminder to do something Jesus said to the early church: Return to your first love.

Jesus has been repeating that to me a lot. You’ve gotten so deep into the different facets of the faith, return to the simple love you had when you first got saved.

The love of God everyday, all the time.

Now that we understand God’s faithful love for us that never ceases and is always flowing, we can talk about our response today, which is to be faithful in response to God’s faithfulness.

He’s training us saints. He’s getting us ready for heaven.

You can open in your Bibles to Luke chapter 12 in verse 35, it says this: “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.”

Jesus is comparing the faithfulness of Christians to that of a servant who works with a wealthy man. The wealthy man is away at a banquet, but the servant is waiting carefully for his master’s return.

Be dressed and ready for service.

Every day I pray a prayer in the morning called the armor of God, it’s from Ephesians 6. Each day, I want to be dressed and ready for service. 

To have faith is to love Jesus with all my heart.

To be faithful, or exemplify faithfulness, is to take that heart faith and put it into action.

I also want to keep my lamp burning. What does that mean? It means my faith doesn’t just grow on it’s own.

God feeds my faith through worship, prayer, bible reading, and service to others. Are you letting God feed your flame, to make it brighter?

Guard your flame, feed it, or it may go out.

Next, verses 37-38: "It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.”

The master, which is Jesus, underlines this important truth: Be watchful in your faithfulness. As you serve God, be cautiously watching for the return of the Master.

Then we get this amazing picture of Jesus returning, and it’s astonishing what he says here.

The master, which is Jesus, will dress himself to serve, and will have you, the servant, the Christian, recline at the table, and Jesus will come and wait on you. Wow!

Many believe this refers to the marriage supper of the lamb, at the second coming of Jesus, where we will celebrate with Jesus, having overcome the world (through faith in Christ).

The master will dress himself to serve the servant at table. That would be unthinkable in the ancient world, for the master to serve his servants. Yet we see it right here.

Next, we get a warning from Jesus. Verses 39-40, “But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

The Lord knows that our tendency as humans is to become complacent. We start to rest on past victories. We start to drift away from church. We begin witnessing less and less. Pretty soon we’re watching TV more than praying or reading the word.

Jesus gives us an example of a man who has a house. No one knows when someone might try to break into their house. At first the man is doing well, keeping it locked, watching the cameras, but after a while he gets lazy, leaves the door open, cracks the window and forgets to lock it later, forgets to replace the batteries in the cameras, and sure enough, a thief breaks in.

Jesus is saying we must be ready at all times. Many Christians I’ve known, they start well, but they begin to lose focus and they drift after a time. So many people would join the last church I pastored, and they would do well for a year or two, they focused in on God, bible study, prayer, serving others, volunteering, but after a year or two they would begin to drift, get bored with it, and eventually fade off. Don’t let that be you friends.

We talked last week about commitment. Make sure your commitment to Christ is strong. And you’ve counted the cost. Stay excited about your faith. Let the love of God and the fear of the Lord motivate you daily.

Alright, so far we’ve seen God is faithful. We as humans have faith in God. Now, we’re learning to walk out our faith in faithfulness. Faithfulness is being a good steward of what God has entrusted to us.

To one who is given something from God they must show themselves faithful (1 Cor 4:2). One simple word: Faithfulness. Yet it’s implications are so vast. We’ve all been entrusted by God with certain things: Property, friendships, family, children, lost souls who need Jesus, and much more.

The servant who is waiting, dressed for service, and keeping their lamp burning, they are the faithful servant Jesus points to in the parable.

Now, we’ll see the topic adjusted as Jesus begins to explain what this means for leaders in ministry.

In Luke 12:41-44 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.” 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”

Jesus is talking about shepherds and leaders in ministry here. He compares them to a manager of his household, who he has put in charge of his servants to give them food. The word of God is food to us, don’t you see.

Jesus says similarly, just like a Christian, a Christian leader should also be watchful for when the master returns.

The reward Jesus offers is to put them in charge of all his possessions. Isn’t that beautiful?

Yet we ministry leaders also get a warning in verses 45-46, “But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.”

This leader begins to get drunk, he’s cruel to the people under his or her leadership, and it says the master will come unexpectedly to him, and cut him to pieces and assign him a place in hell.

We see the stakes are very high.

It finishes in verses 47-48, “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

These verses are talking about degrees of punishment in hell. If someone has heard the gospel many times, they’ve known of God and the word, and yet they backslid, their punishment in hell will be severe.

But suppose someone didn’t have such opportunities, yet they still sinned against God, their punishment will be less severe in hell.

And the last line is very telling as well, you as a Christian have been entrusted with certain things in your life, so you must show yourself faithful with the things God has entrusted to you, whether your family, friendships, people in your community, your skills, and your resources. It says if you’ve been given much, much more will be demanded of you.

If you’ve been given little, not as much will be demanded of you.

Similarly, a pastor or church leader whose been entrusted with many lives and resources, they will also be asked more of, to show themselves faithful with what God gave them.

You might be feeling like how can I be faithful with all that God has given me?

Remember the scripture from Lamentations, his love is what feeds us everyday. Great is His faithfulness. Jesus loves us dearly and the love of God is poured into our hearts each day. That’s why we can be faithful.

We have a Triune God with us everyday. The Father orchestrates the plan of our lives. He weaves the strands together.



Jesus Christ walks beside us on the road of life each day, encouraging us and washing away our sins.

Not only that, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, changing us from within into the person we were always meant to be.

With the love of the Father, the love of Jesus, and the love of the Holy Spirit, how can we fail?

So in conclusion today, we should ask ourselves, how can we fulfill these mandates? The Kingdom of God system is all about actions that flow from beliefs.

The faithful Christian is watching carefully the times they live in and observing the world and the church. And they are praying along those lines.

They are also dressed for service. The faithful Christian has a strong belief in Jesus Christ, a faith that they feed with truth, prayer, and fellowship.

The faithful Christian keeps their lamp burning. Jesus has lit the light within our hearts. Indeed, the disciples hearts burned within them as they spoke to Jesus on the Emmaus road. But we’re told to shepherd that flame, keep it burning, keep it fueled, so we can walk the road of faithfulness, continuously burning brightly with the faithful love of God within.

“The tendency of fire is to go out; watch the fire on the altar of your heart. Anyone who has tended a fireplace fire knows that it needs to be stirred up occasionally.” -William Booth. 

The tendency of the fire of our hearts is to go out. So we should feed the flame consistently, to keep it burning brightly. Encountering God is what feeds the flame of our heart.

Will you show yourself faithful? The believer has been given much, and they must steward it faithfully.

Jesus makes no apologies about the consequences of disobedience and unfaithfulness. The servant who shows himself unfaithful will be assigned a place with the unbelievers. The punishment level assigned is based on how aware the servant was of the master’s will. If they were unaware, their punishment is less, if they were well aware, their punishment is more severe.

Those who are given much, must show themselves faithful. Those who are entrusted much, also must show themselves faithful.

We also see the tenderness and kindness of Jesus in this parable. He says that the servant he finds at work and clothed, he will, as the Master, dress himself to serve, and serve that person at the table. What a humble and loving Master we serve!

For the one entrusted with ministry, in the example given to Peter and the disciples, if they are found faithful, they are given authority over all the Master owns. What a generous gift from the Master!

The Blessing: The blessing is that Jesus serves the faithful servant and gives authority to the one who has shown themselves faithful.

The Challenge: The challenge is the threat of Jesus to those who would show themselves unfaithful, they are condemned.

Next Steps:
How do we live out this parable?

A. A faithful servant shows himself faithful by keeping his lamp burning through seeking encounters with the Living God

B. A faithful servant shows himself faithful by watching and waiting for the return of the Master, diligently watching the times and seasons they live in. 

C. A faithful servant stays active in their faith walk, engaging in prayer, fellowship and study of the word

Discussion Questions:
1. What have you been given in life? Or what has been entrusted to you?

2. Share a time you showed yourself a faithful steward.

3. Share a time when you showed yourself unfaithful in some way.

4. Why does Jesus give the warning about unfaithfulness?

5. Why does Jesus give the encouragement about faithfulness?

The Parable of Counting the Cost

Pavel Poloz was exiled from Russia in 1987 for being a Christian. He said this about American Christianity, “In Russia, Christians are tested by hardship, but in America you are tested by freedom. And testing by freedom is much harder. Nobody pressures you about your religion. So you relax and are not so concentrated on Christ, on His teaching, how He wants you to live." 

-Pavel Poloz, exiled from Russia in 1987, Moody Monthly, April, 1989.

Millions of the great Christians throughout history, from the first century AD were tested through persecution. They faced imprisonment or death if they did not renounce their faith in Christ. 

What’s amazing is that so many stood firm through those persecutions. But in the United States we face a different challenge. We face the test of freedom, of abundance. 

The average American spends 4 hours and 37 minutes per day on their smart phones. Gen Z, that’s the younger generation spends an average of 6 hours and 5 minutes per day on their phones. 

I confess brothers and sisters, I will wake up on my day off, and spend endless hours on my laptop, or my smart phone, and I find it sometimes very difficult to pull myself away from it to pray, or read the word, or do something productive. This is the battle we face. It’s not persecution (yet), its endless distraction. 

Believe it or not brothers and sisters, this statement is fact: These distractions make war on our souls. And hang up before the pit of hell. Lord help us. 

Jesus was walking among great crowds of people who had begun following him. And he seemed to know he needed to challenge them. They wanted the benefits, but they didn’t understand the challenges of being his disciple. 

In Luke 14:27 we see Jesus speaking to the crowds. He has just challenged them, that being a disciple of Jesus must come before even their families. 

Then he said this: “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” 

What is the cross that you must carry? Here’s a hint, it’s not the punishment for your sins. Jesus has already carried that cross for you. But, there are temptations we all face. And there are ministries we are called to. 

I think bearing your cross each day comes down to two things: First, it’s guarding against the sins of the past coming back. 

What sins are you most weak to? For me, it’s drinking, lust, pride, and selfish ambition. For you it might be something completely different. Maybe for you it’s violent anger, unforgiveness, and faction. Or maybe it’s envy of what others have, or a tendency toward depression. Maybe it’s murder, or theft. 

It’s the thing God says through Jesus: Carry your cross. Keep that weakness in check.  

That’s the first part. Second part is this. 

What has God called you to do? For me, it’s being a minister. Sometimes I love it. It’s amazing. Other days I really struggle and just really don’t want to write the sermon or try to give it, or wrestle with the budget, or social services, or managing the staff. 

God has called you as well. What has God called you to? Some days you’ll love it, other days it’ll feel a bit heavy.

Thankfully, Jesus has also said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The reason it’s easy and light is because Jesus has already carried the brunt of it, when he went to the cross for us. 

Next in verse 28, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?”

So first Jesus tells us to carry our cross, next, he connects it with the concept of planning to build something. So the idea here is taking the idea of carrying our cross, and projecting it into the future. 

Yes, the Christian life is one day at a time. That’s wise. However, there should also be an aspect of planning. I do live my life one day at a time, but I also have a calendar in my office where I plan dates and times months into the future. 

Jesus is saying the Christian life is like a building a tower. Think of someone building a tower. They would build it one level at a time slowly upward. 

This parable is called “Counting the Cost.” 

So during this service we are looking into the future, and considering all it will take to be a disciple of Jesus, for the rest of our lives. That’s a big look. So, let’s try to stay calm about it. And not overwhelm ourselves.

At the same time, if you want to live a Christian life, if you want to go to heaven, you need to count the cost. 

I worry that many of us here have not fully counted the cost, and looked into the future, and considered all it will take, to live a successful Christian life. 

So let’s do that. 

Look into your future. What would it look like fifty years from now? You faithfully followed Jesus all those years. You kept yourself from sin. You raised your children to know Jesus and to follow Jesus. You used your money to honor Christ. You cultivated a rich prayer life. You made it your life mission to know the Bible. You made the Bible your roadmap for life on planet Earth. You plotted your marriage to resist the temptation toward affairs and pornography. You fought for your relationship with God by resisting distractions like television, social media, and overworking. You built a life upon the rock of Jesus Christ, and as a result, you grew to be an old man, or an old woman, full of days, and entirely devoted to Christ. 

That’s what I long for by the way. I want to look back and say wow, I really did follow Jesus, keep him first, love him totally. An old man, gray hairs, thinking, wow it’s really true. 

Now, that will feel overwhelming and hard if your looking into the future thinking about your own ability. Because in your own ability you could never bring that about. You would fail.

Good thing you won’t be alone on this journey. Jesus Christ will be with you every step of the way, guiding you along the pathway. 

So, we picture a future where Jesus is with us now, will be with us every day ahead, and is facilitating the building process. 

At the same time, the main focus remains, you are the builder, count the cost, what will it take? 

Well, we don’t fully know what it will take. In fact it’s often said, God does us a mercy by not telling us what it will take. So, I think what Jesus is saying here is, it takes commitment. 

Commitment says I’m in for anything. I’m completely devoted. And I’m willing to face any challenge for my walk with Christ. 

But what happens if we don’t count the cost? We assume, this will be a cakewalk, we get arrogant, we don’t take precautions. 

Jesus tells us what may happen: Luke 14:29-30, “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.”

I’ve been walking with Jesus now for almost twelve years. And many people in my hometown watched very carefully when I went from sinner to saved. And I’m sure many of them waited and are still waiting for the other show to drop, that it was all just a scam. And I want to make sure that day never comes. 

I remember growing up we had neighbors down the road who had a house that still had exposed siding. And for years my mom and dad used to joke that some day they’ll get it finished. But they never did. In fact I visited my hometown recently, and it was still not done. 

Jesus says, if we don’t count the cost we may end up like this situation, where someone tried to build a tower, but they didn’t have the necessary funds and materials. And then the tower sat incomplete, half a tower, and I’m sure eventually crumbled. 

The antidote to this disaster is a firm commitment. How does commitment work? 

Commitment grows from small victories. Our commitment grows when we don’t give up through a trial. Commitment grows when we turn to Jesus and pray when we’re struggling. Commitment grows as we seek God in small group and church settings. Commitment grows as we seek godly counsel. 

Commitment dies through small compromises. Commitment begins to die as we live in secret sins. Commitment begins to die as we forsake fellowshipping with other believers. 

Our actions build, or they tear down. The rock is Jesus. Build on the rock. And all will be well. 

What does it mean in essence? Taking the teachings of Jesus from the page and putting them into action in our lives. 

Another parable is telling, it starts like this, from Matthew 7:24-25, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

The life you build as a Christian will be built on Christ. Not grace, but on Christ himself. Too many churches teach a grace-heavy message. But here we focus on the words of Jesus. The Apostle Paul’s letters are built upon the foundation of Christ. We don’t build on Paul here, we build on Christ’s words. 

All this building begs the question, what are we building? It’s all well and good to tell people of the metaphor of building a tower or a house, but what does that actually mean? 

Your building is your life. The foundation is Jesus Christ. And everything you do each day is building the house/tower. 

God is there through all of it, directing your construction efforts. You will sense His nudges in different directions. Follow His leading, and Jesus will weave the strands of your life into a beautiful tapestry. 

Let me make this very clear: You are not building on your own. Jesus loves you so completely. He loves you dearly, as if you were the only human who ever existed. And you can hear from Him everyday. He will direct you through His Spirit, toward what is right. Learn to carefully listen for His leading. His love will guide you beautifully, if you let Him. 

Every time you read your Bible, every time you pray, every time you listen to a Christian podcast or Spirit inspired sermon, or help someone with a flat tire, or attend a conference, or work hard at your schooling or your job, unto God, you are building on that foundation of Christ. 

Yet notice also, that the building will be tested. Rain came, streams rose, wind blew, but it did not fall, because it was built on the rock. It had the right foundation. 

The parable finishes this way, in verses 26-27, “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

A second scenario indicates someone who listens a lot, but doesn’t actually apply it. Their house came down with a great crash when tested, because the teachings of Jesus were heard, but never applied. 

“Are you saying that could be me?” Yes. This is your life. Take it seriously. The world tells us it’s some pointless game. It’s not, it’s a gift from God. And your actions matter. 

How committed are you to the Master? Notice that Jesus indicates it’s not enough to simply hear his words. The real challenge is putting His words into action. 

Many committed Christians come to a struggle in life that causes them to leave behind Christianity. What event in your life might be too much? 

If we build our lives on the rock that is Jesus, and center our actions, our lifestyle on the teachings of Jesus, then when the storms come and beat against us, we will not fall. We will stand the test.

Did you know, this parable comes at the very end of the greatest sermon ever preached, the sermon on the mount. 

What matters most about everything Jesus taught? That we put it into practice through a steadfast commitment. Otherwise, none of it will matter. Someone can preach the most beautiful sermon imaginable but if we don’t apply it, it matters little. 

I want to draw in one more scripture. It’s from 1st Corinthians 3:10-15. It says this: 

"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames." -1st Corinthians 3:10-15

My goal is that you would be a wise builder, that you would take this Christian life seriously, and apply the teachings of Jesus. 

It’s very easy friends, hear me on this one, to just show up to church, and think that’s enough, and kind of fall in with other church goers, who are not really taking this Christian thing too seriously. Don’t assume just because others are doing it that it means you’re safe in lukewarmness. It’s not true. 

Let the Spirit of God convict you. And make a commitment today. All of this today has been a challenging message. But it’s a true message. Let all the uncomfortable emotions that this might be drawing up, lead you toward Christ. 

If you feel convicted right now, come to the altar and surrender to Jesus. Remember the song this morning, “I surrender all.” You can’t do it, but if you invite Jesus to lead your life, and and if you surrender your heart to Him completely, he will guide you to build as a wise builder. 

The Blessing: If we count the cost and build upon the rock of Jesus our work will yield great reward.

The Challenge: Building our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ demands the most firm commitment to acting out what Jesus said.

Next Steps:

A. To live the parable of the wise builder is to write a journal of your walk with Jesus to learn and grow from past experiences.

B. To live the parable of the wise builder is to take notes during sermons and bible study.

C. To live the parable of the wise builder is to make a plan for personal growth. 

Discussion Questions: 

1. Share a time when your faith was tested.

2. How has God grown you in the last few years?

3. What actions build commitment?

4. What actions erode commitment? 

5. Think of yourself at the end of your life: What would the best outcome look like?

The Parable of the Two Sons: Practical Action Unlocks the Kingdom

Have you ever wrestled with God on something? I’m sure most of us here have done that. God tells us to do something and we don’t want to do it.

There comes a fear and a resistance to what God is saying. This fear and resistance to God is a result of the fall of man in the garden of Eden.

We try to play God, and so we distrust what God is saying to us. We want to do it our own way.

But have you ever heard the saying: everything you desire is on the other side of fear?

It’s always kind of scary when we try something new, whether it’s accepting Jesus as our savior for the first time, or letting go of a sin in our lives, or taking a step of faith.

Push through the fear. Dare to trust in God. And dare to do what God is asking you to do.

Today we’re going to be looking at the parable of the two sons. And we’re going to see how practical action unlocks God’s kingdom. Our words matter, but our actions matter just as much.

Every one of these parables we’ve looked at so far unlocks a different door of God’s kingdom.

The same is true here.

Let’s get into it. In Matthew 21:28: “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

There are three primary persons in the parable Jesus is telling us. The father, the first son, and the second son.

So we’re going to break it down and look at each person in the parable and what it means to us today.

Firstly, the man. He’s the father of the two sons. And he is the owner of the vineyard.

He is God almighty in this parable. And he has given us commands in his word. And those commands tell us to and work in the vineyard. The vineyard is the world.

The father gives the command to the two sons, “Go and work today.”

Notice that word, today. The Christian life is one day at a time. You can’t stress about following God tomorrow. Focus in on today. You can serve him today.

Let’s see how the sons respond.

Verse 29, the first son says: “I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.”

The first son says no. And he leaves. But he sits down and thinks about it. He weighs the pros and cons, he wrestles with God about it, and finally decides, you know what, I’m going do what dad said.

So a bit later, he goes out and starts working in the vineyard.

For a lot of us today, we’re like the first son. We initially said no to God, we said no to the gospel, and we did our own thing. But God kept speaking to us, kept working on our heart, and eventually we realized, I need God, and I need to serve God.

So we changed our mind.

You too can change your mind whenever you decide you want to. God will help you of course. But, I’ve done it a million times in my life.

You don’t have to stay stuck on your old opinion about God, the Bible, and Jesus. You can change your mind, based on data, based on evidence, and say, you know what, I’m in for this Jesus thing.

It’s just that simple. Change your mind. Decide that your old opinion is gonna change.

We do this all the time. We think one thing, then we get some new data, and we realize, actually, my old opinion was wrong, and I’m going to embrace a new opinion.

Usually it’s hard because we don’t like to admit that we weren’t correct about something. So we tend to do it quietly. But it’s fine. We change our mind. For years I felt college was a waste. But my girlfriend at the time tried to convince me that it would be good for me. And eventually I changed my mind. I used to not believe in God. But eventually I saw God working, people shared the gospel with me, and I changed my mind, when I realized, there really is a God.

It often takes wrestling though. I’m sure the first son wrestled in his heart and mind about what to do, do I go to the vineyard, or do I not go?

Invite God into your wrestling. Invite God to reveal himself to you. If you’re wrestling, or stuck on something, invite God into the struggle. He will show up and work on your heart and mind.

Take a look at the diagram. We all wrestle with God. Where are you at in your wrestling?

Next, in verse 30: “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.”

So the second son is told by the father to go into the vineyard. And the son says “yes!” But then he never shows up. It reminds of many people I’ve invited to church and they say yes, but then they never come. And I don’t condemn them, I understand it can be a bit intimidating to walk into a new place. Joining a new church can be daunting. But I hope we here will always be very welcoming to new people.

If you see someone new, introduce yourself. Ask them about themselves. Get to know them better.

The second son said yes, but never actually went. He is a hypocrite. He said one thing, and did another.

Many people in the church who claim to be Christians aren’t actually in it. They are religious. They are moralists. But, they aren’t really believers. They don’t really know Jesus Christ and His love and truth. They in fact are trying to do it without Jesus. They are trying to prove to God that they don’t need God. They are trying to be good without God. And that is not the way of Christ. That is the way of death. We can’t ever succeed if we try to be good without God. We need God to live within us, and make us good through Jesus.

Jesus is specifically calling out the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his time. They had seen all he and John the Baptist did, but they refused to believe. They claimed to follow God, but it wasn’t really true. Just like the second son, who said yes, but never went.

Hypocrites. Its tough, but, by the way, you don’t have any right to hate a hypocrite. You should pray for them. That they would accept Jesus. God can do anything. Love them.

So Jesus poses a question to the Pharisees:

Verse 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

The Pharisees respond by saying: “The first,” they answered.

The first son did what the father asked. Similarly, we today want to be like the first son.

This parable is all about practical application. It’s all about obedience and follow through.

Do I really believe what I say I believe? Then it will be evidenced in my actions. We have to figure out how to take what the Bible says and apply it to what we do when we leave on Sunday after church is over.

Go and work in the vineyard. You can show up to church as much as you want. What are you doing the rest of the week? Are you sharing the gospel with others? Are you using your Facebook and Instagram to glorify God? Are you giving food to the homeless? Are you visiting the elderly and the orphans? Are you volunteering here at the corps?

I want to live out my faith in real ways. I’ve wrestled for years to understand what does it mean to live a Christian out there in the world. So many Christians hardly do anything. I mean virtually nothing. I refuse that path. I’m going to help others. I’m going to serve. I want to make sure I’m really living this, otherwise I’m like the second son, who said yes with his mouth, but never actually did anything. He stayed home. Not me!

I’m supposed to serve Jesus, pray for people daily, and meet needs as I’m able. If my heart belongs to God, and I’ve put God’s word into my heart, I will want to do these things. If I’m lukewarm, it will be a battle. If I’m spiritually supercharged, doing the big three, then I’ll be energized for service.

So if you think to yourself, I’m not energized like I should be. We have to look at the big three.

Let’s take a look at the diagram on the screen. The big three are these: Prayer, Bible Reading, and Church attendance.

So if you’re thinking to yourself, I want to be more energized in my faith. I want to want to do these things, then let’s get into the growth chart here. How do we grow? Step by step, as we seek God, we will grow.

Lord, help us to pray. We struggle to pray. Help us God to slow down and pray. Build our prayer times, from a few minutes, to an hour and longer, in Jesus name, amen.

Lord, help us to dive into the word. Lord make it jump off the page into our hearts. We admit we haven’t studied your word like we should. Give us a hunger for it God, in Jesus name, amen.

Lord, help us to get more involved in the church. We admit we’ve stayed on the sidelines too long. Help us to dive into ministry work. In Jesus name, amen.

Lastly, we see in verse 31, Jesus explains to the Pharisees what he’s been saying to them through this parable.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”

These are the religious leaders, they fast twice a week, they tithe on every penny they have, they have memorized giant chunks of scripture, they do everything just right. But their hearts are so very far from God.

They don’t really love God. And I had to admit recently that my heart was upset with God. Angry with God.

So recently I simply had to pray and ask God’s forgiveness and help, to reset my heart, to soften my heart toward him.

Having a hard heart means we resist what God is saying to us. We may even try to act religious, but our heart is disconnected from God. We refuse to believe what God says.

Jesus continues in verse 32: “For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

The tax collectors and prostitutes repented when they heard John the Baptist’s message. The religious leaders however did not believe John’s message. Yet even when the Pharisees saw the most sinful people becoming faithful, they still refused to believe the message of truth.

We’ve seen how Jesus changes people’s lives. Millions of Christians have testimonies of what God did in their lives, myself included. We’ve seen the evidence, it’s real. It’s not perfect, people make mistakes. But, the change is real. Jesus is real.

Let’s not make the mistake of the Pharisees, and refuse to believe this simple message of salvation. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask Him to be your savior. Let His love come in. Open your heart to Him now. Believe in Jesus. He is the real savior!

In conclusion today, this whole scenario reminds me of certain people in recovery groups. One man would go on and on about how great and blessed recovery was. He was so excited, talking about faith, hope, and renewal. But the next week he was gone, he’d relapsed on the drink.

Then there was the second guy, he was kind of irritable, kind of tired, but he honestly talked about his struggle. He said I don’t really want to be here, but I know I need to be here. I’m doing the program, but I don’t fully understand it.

We’d all expect the excited guy to stay sober, but actually, the second guy is the one who stayed sober. He was honest, he was real, he wasn’t playing games, and that authenticity is a huge asset in recovery.

Words don’t matter in the kingdom as much as actions. I can talk all day about how much I love God, or how much I love sharing the gospel. But my actions speak volumes.

Action isn’t always easy. We see it on the page, we want to do it, but we don’t know how. That’s why mentorship in the body of Christ is so important. If we see someone else doing it, we can mimic what they are doing. The Apostle Paul said imitate me as I imitate Christ (1 Cor 1:11). The example of a godly man or woman is like gold. If you want to make a difference, model an action to another saint, let them see you do it, so they can learn to do it too.

When I see a Christian handing out a tract, or speaking on a street corner, or writing a blog, or making a video, it gives me permission to do it too.

The Blessing: The blessing is that God calls us to work in his field which is the world.

The Challenge: The challenge is that words are not enough, action unlocks God’s kingdom, and translating the word into action isn’t as easy as it seems.

Next Steps:
A. Invite a fellow Christian to go do ministry with you, or volunteer somewhere with you.

B. Read the Book Evangelism Is… by Dave Earley & David Wheeler to learn more about methods to share the faith.

C. Read the word of God with the mindset of constantly considering how the truth in question can be lived out in your daily life.

Discussion Questions:
1. Describe a time when you had a hard time translating a biblical truth into practical action.

2. Share about a time when you shared the gospel with someone.

3. Why is practical action so important in God’s kingdom?

4. Why are words alone not enough?

5. How can you help other Christians translate their faith into action?