JESUS TEACHING
Week of March 6, 2011
Helping a Drawee
When God "DRAWS" a person to Jesus, frequently the drawee appears to be seeking or hungering to know more about Jesus and God in different ways. Some times a drawee has a strong desire to read the bible or parts of the bible like the red letters or the Gospel of John, etc., depending on guidance they received. Others want to "hit everyone over the head" with their bible or demand everyone have the same experience they did in detail. For example if God used the experience of falling in an abandoned well to draw them to seek Jesus, they may want to try to push everyone down an abandoned well. A drawee is vulnerable to good or bad guidance. Jesus talks about people who fill new converts with religious doctrines and make them "twice as much a son of hell as you are". Some religious doctrines are so far away from what God and Jesus teach; they have the effect of causing a young follower, who is like a little child, to sin. Jesus is very strong about how bad it is "if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin". Praise God that a person is drawable. God does not appear to draw everyone1.
As a follower of Jesus, Jesus encourages us to "go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them … Teach them to obey everything that I have told you". Teaching what Jesus has told us does not mean teaching religious doctrines or church dogma. Sometimes new followers are taught as Jesus said, "to obey everything that I have told you" and yet they fall away. When they are taught incorrectly, it is easy to understand why they fall away but why do they fall away when they are taught what Jesus teaches? Jesus teaches us that sometimes the "Evil One comes and takes away the things that were planted in that person's heart" or "when trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching he accepted, then he quickly gives up" or "worries about this life and love of money stop that teaching from growing". Yes, many things can keep a young follower of Jesus from growing even when they are being taught correctly. When God has given you the opportunity to help someone who had been drawn to Jesus, be diligent in teaching them correctly and supporting them spiritually. When you share what Jesus teaches, you are doing the right thing provided you don't offer explanations or clarifications that mislead. To support a young follower spiritually, pray for them daily to know and do what God wants and take authority in Jesus' "name" over the enemy daily for the young follower2. And initially remember to praise God that the person is drawable, as God does not appear to draw everyone.
1. Jn 6:44; Mt 23:15; 18:6 (NI)
2. Mt 28:19-20; Mt 13:19-22; Mk 16:17 (IC)
note: click here for bible verse and translation abbreviations
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A Psalm for reflection "Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoer" Ps 141:4 (NI)
Understanding the Teaching: What I share in the teaching is what I believe God wants me to share. All the direct quotes from God are highlighted in royal purple. Of course the words of Jesus are in red. Rather than follow some made up doctrine, remember that Jesus said that every thing He said (Jn 12:49) and everything He did (Jn 14:31) comes from God. All teachings and all opinions should be supported by what we learn from God or Jesus (see the scripture referred to in the footnote).
MARRIAGE WORKSHOP MOMENT
To refresh what you have learned in our Workshop or entice you to experience our Workshop
"Remember, all marriages can be better, if you use what you learned."
As couples are committed to each other, there can be personal dedication and constraint commitment. At first glance, constraint commitment which includes such things as social pressures, financial pressures, concern for the children or partner's welfare, termination procedures, moral factors, poorer alternative quality, etc. may appear to be lousy reasons for staying married but anything that helps you stay together is good, if it results in you working on your marriage. Research has shown that even in a very poor marriage the children usually benefit from their parents staying together. God said in Mal 2:16, "I hate divorce …". Regarding poorer alternative quality, Jesus discourages checking out what else is available when He says, in Mt 5:29 not to look at someone else "lustfully". If thinking that your partner will starve to death if you don't stay married, helps you stay married, I will not discourage you by suggesting anything to the contrary. The important thing as you stay married is to work on your marriage and the best way is to learn how to communicate better and resolve your problems with the skills you will learn in our Marriage Workshop.
The Better Half "When your partner won't support your efforts to make your marriage better" As you recognize that constraint commitment is helping you stay together, make use of that time by praying. Without your spouse's support to improve your marriage, you can still pray daily for God's will to be done in each of your lives and your marriage ("all things are possible with God", Mk 10:27 NI). Also make use of the opportunity of staying together by living in a manner that will improve your marriage like Jesus recommends in Lk 6:31 (TL) "Treat others as you want them to treat you".
Hi Followers of Jesus,
In the past God has warned of an economically difficult time (Ge 37-46), enabling people to prepare for that time when there was a shortage of food. A couple years ago, God told me about a coming economic meltdown that sounds more serious than any economic distress we have experienced in recent years in our country. As a child there were times of hunger but for decades most of us have had no lack of food. For many of us there has been such an abundance we had to try to go on diets. Seek God's guidance in your prayers how you should prepare for the meltdown or if He guides you, to ignore it.
In the news recently, a Christian religious leader called the Pope was claimed to have written that "Jews Are Not Responsible For Killing Jesus". God is the one who assigns responsibility and is in charge of any possible discipline or punishment of His people not a religious leader. Once after God said the Jews "HAD NOT OBEYED MY WORDS" Jer 25:8-11(NAS), He had Jerusalem and the first Temple destroyed and the Jews that survived were exiled from the Promised Land for 70 years. Just like God foretold through Jeremiah the destruction of Jerusalem and the first Temple, Jesus foretold the destruction of the second Temple Lk 21:5-6. It is not a coincident that shortly after most of the Jews rejected God's Son, Jesus, and had Him killed, Jerusalem and the second temple was destroyed and the Jews that survived were exiled from the Promised Land for 1,878 years. As Solomon wrote, God "disciplines those He loves" Pr 3:12 (NI).
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