Are You All In, or Is This Just a Hook Up?

2 Samuel 13:1-2, 10-17
1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.
2 And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her.

10 And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.
11 And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.
12 And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly.
13 And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.
14 Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.
16 And she said unto him, There is no cause: this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her.
17 Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her.

Are You All In, or Is This Just a Hook Up?

The reference above is to one of the saddest episodes in David's life as a father. One of his sons, Amnon, forces himself on David's daughter (his half-sister), Tamar, and then throws her out of his house. He refuses to take her as his wife or care for her. She lives out her life in disgrace with her brother, Absalom. And, as the scholars know, two years later, Absalom kills his brother to avenge his sister and runs from his father in fear.

Amnon wanted the benefits of relationship with Tamar, but he wasn't willing to honor the comittment side. He wasn't willing to ask for her to be his wife. He wasn't willing to care for her after he had used her. His callousness and selfishness cost him his life. Though this is a harsh example, it is a clear representation of how we can misuse, or flat out ignore our responsibilities in our relationship with Christ.

Oh, we want the benefits...the favor...the protection...the assurance. Heaven is mine because I confess Him as Christ. Favor is mine because He loves me. I call out to the Lord and He will hear and answer my prayer, because He loves me. All of this is true. But, God's goodness does not superceed our responsibilities in Christ. And ignoring the responsibilities in Christ is costly (Luke 13:24-27).

Dear ones, Jesus is not interested in a 'friends with bennies' relationship with us. He gave all freely, but as an example. As He gave all, we should give all.

1 Peter 2:21
21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

His love is true. His faithfulness is true. Patience, longsuffering, kindness, all true. His sacrifice was a gift. However, we are not in this walk simply to benefit. If that were true, then salvation wouldn't be necessary because God loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). No, we are saved for relationship.

Examine where you stand with Jesus. Do you seek to 'take His yoke upon you and learn of Him' (Matthew 11:29)? Are you walking along side, staying in line with His precepts and practices? Are you learning of Him, from Him, about Him?

Or, is this just a 'bennie' situation for you? Do you do church 'cause it's the right thing to do? Do you feel like you've done God a favor because you said grace before eating? You dropped a little money in the offering plate, so you and 'The Big Guy Up There' are square? Consider Hebrews 10:30-31 anytime you feel like you've done God a 'solid'.

Jesus set the example of how we should walk; in peace and in service, with all the benefits AND responsibilities of relationship.

Jesus gave it all. All to Him, I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.

All to Jesus, I surrender. All to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him. In His presence daily live. I surrender all.

John 13:12-16
12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

We teach Jesus and Him crucified at Fellowship. We focus on building our relationship in Christ. If you don't know Christ, come to Fellowship. If you are not in a church body, or if you are not moving into relationship with Jesus where you are right now, I encourage you to come to Fellowship.

Peace.
Evg. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

The church website is www.fcchosengeneration.com.
Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. You can reach the church at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church
Where Passions Become Reality
Because you are a CHOSEN GENERATION!

455 Hwy 138, Ste C
Jonesboro, GA 30238

Alton Watkins, Pastor

Eyes on the Prize

Psalm 121
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Eyes on the Prize

A friend recently posted on Facebook that "Procrastination is the thief of time and love." If this is a true statement (and I tend to agree) then a follow up could be "and Distraction is the accomplice that lets Procrastination work without interruption."

It is so easy to become distracted. Life has a way of requiring full attention in 27 different directions at the same time. There are bills to pay, kids to feed and clothe, parents to attend to, work to accomplish, friends to check on, emails to write and read, pills to take, exercise to fit in, and of course, important shows to watch on TV. From the time we wake until we try to go to sleep, there is a barage of 'look at me! see about me' from countless directions in our lives.

And in all this noise, some of it quite compelling, is it any wonder we have trouble hearing from God?

Yep, included in all those distractions is the voice of God. Despite being God, He can get hard to hear. See, God gave us a free will, so following Him and His call in your life is a choice. A daily choice. Like tuning out the noise around you in order to concentrate on a conversation with one person, you have to choose to listen to God. And just like when children focus in on a cartoon to the point where they can't hear you screaming their name at the top of your lungs, we need to turn not only our ear, but our eye toward God in order to avoid the trap of the distractions.

Dear ones, please hear my heart. It's not that the phone call and your children and your job aren't important. It's just that the help and the way to handle all these things is on the other side of your obedience to Christ. Our advisary understands implicitly that once we take our focus off Christ and Him crucified, that we are set to fall away from His guidence, His protection and His Lordship. When we lose focus, we walk out of relationship and into real captivity.

Hold up, Sis. Steph. Didn't Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, call himeself a prisoner of Christ (Ephesians 3:1)? Sounds like captivity to me.

Yes. In following Christ, Paul became a prisoner in that he was compelled to share the Gospel and preach Christ. But his captivity was from his relationship in Christ. He was a prisoner of love frankly. That's a far cry from the captivity that awaits you when you walk into the hands of your advisary.

Paul talked about dying to self daily in order to fulfill his calling. He made the daily choice of serving Christ, despite being in a physical prison, despite being despised by those who served with him, despite being left alone, shipwrecked, tortured and exiled. Despite all the distractions, he chose to focus on Christ. He also became the vessel through which most of the world came to hear about Christ. Whether those that heard him loved his message or despised his message, they ended up talking about Christ.

Your advisary doesn't care what you do so long as you do not to the will of Christ. No matter what it takes, he is determined to keep you as far from your calling in Christ as he possibly can. That's why Sis. Soandso said that thing to you in church that made you stay away. That's why it always seems like the only thing that preacher talks about is money. That's why every time you think you're ready to give your life to Christ, something happens that makes you doubt if He is even real in your life. You're being distracted on purpose, with the purpose of not serving Christ.

So, when the troubles or even the good trappings of life (why do you think they are called 'trappings') seem to be keeping you from focusing on your life in Christ, stop and look to the hills. Your help doesn't come from drugs, food, other people, new clothes, a new job, alcohol, your kids, or the TV. Your help doesn't even come from this email/blog entry. Your help comes from the Lord.

If you are a regular reader and you are not active in a church, or, more importantly, have never confessed Christ as Savior, I encourage you to get affiliated somewhere where the Word of God is preached without reservation. I offer Fellowship as such a place.

Your salvation is in believing in your heart and in confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9). There's no special prayer, there's no list of things you have to do first. But growth in Christ comes from working in your calling and being discipled in His teaching. We have room and are ready to celebrate your new birth and help your grow in this most important of all realtionships.

Philipians 3:13-14
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Peace.
Evg. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

The church website is http://www.fcchosengeneration.com/.
Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. You can reach the church at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church
Where Passions Become Reality
Because you are a CHOSEN GENERATION!
455 Hwy 138, Ste C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Up!

Judges 4:14
And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

Up!

Deborah the prophetess was one of the judges in Isreal at a time before kings were established. The Word testifies that she sat under a palm tree and people would come to her for her judgements in matters. She was given a word for Barak that he was to deliver the children out of captivity from the Canaanites. When the time for battle came, her command was "Up!"

Barak's victory in battle was on the other side of Up! If he hadn't headed the call, nothing would have changes. Canaan would have still ruled and Sisera would have remained captain of the host. Everything was in place for their victory, but Barak and his men had to get up.

If you continue reading this chapter of Judges, you'll see that the woman who eventually kills Sisera was already in a tent, with the items assembled to first cajole and later destroy her enemy. She was in place before the battle even began. She didn't need to run out and get anything. She didn't need to contact the elders and make sure she was supposed to carry out this plan. She got up and she made it happen.

Dear ones, there is a time for everything, a season for everything. The time and the season for "Up!" is now.

If you've been asking God to deliver you from something, your delivery is on the other side of Up! You have a responsibility in your deliverance. Everything that needed is in place, but you have to get up. Even in our salvation in Christ, we have a responsibility. It's not our works that save us, but we do have to confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that He is Christ (Romans 10:9). We have to get up.

If you do not know Christ as Savior, Up! This is the day of your salvation! It is at hand!

If you know Christ as Savior, but not as Lord, Up! He has gone out before you to make the path clear. He sits at the right hand of the Father and His kingdom shall not pass away. Submit and follow Him according to His ways for your life.

If you are not associated with an assembly or if you are not growing where you are, then I invite you to get up and come to Fellowship Church. We've heard the call for up and we are about preaching the Good News of Christ Ressurrected and discipling believers into a full relationship in Christ.

Like Peter and John at the gate, I give you what I have. I have Christ. His call is Rise Up!

Acts 3:1-8
1Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
2And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

Matthew 3:16-17
16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Peace.
Evg. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

The church website is http://www.fcchosengeneration.com/.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. You can reach the church at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church
Where Passions Become Reality
Because you are a CHOSEN GENERATION!

455 Hwy 138, Ste C
Jonesboro, GA 30238

Alton Watkins, Pastor

Not Just the Same Old Same Old

Numbers 11:4-9

And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.

And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.

And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

Not Just the Same Old Same Old

We humans have an amazing capacity for creativity. Look at the world around us. So much of it was built by human hands. From the soaring skyscrapers to the internet, from sourdough bread to mp3 players, from Farragut to Picaso, to Gates to Nightengale, we are surrounded by the fruit of applied imagination.

Yet, we can become so bored so easily. We even become bored with things that are good for us if they become routine. Exercise for some (ok, for me) is a good example of this. Going to church every Sunday is a good example for others. There is an old saying that familiarity breeds contempt. If we are not careful, the things and people closest to us can become objects disdain and discord.

This isn't new. The children of Isreal were given food every morning. Bread from Heaven covered the field with the morning dew. It tasted like 'fresh oil' according to the passage in Numbers. But, despite the provision, after years of eating mostly manna, they became discontent. They longed for the fish and the onions they had while in captivity.

Oh, we can scoff at their ingratitude, but aren't we guilty of the same thing? How many times have you turned to God in an hour of distress only to go back to your old habits shortly after the matter was resolved. We cry out in tradgedy, but when we are recovered and in a season of repose, we turn back to the same behaviors that ushered in our distress. Diets don't fail, our consistency does. Relationships don't stop working, we just stop working at the relationship. Friends don't disappear, we just stop reaching out to them.

Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The question is have you grown bored of this Bread of Heaven?

If your life in Christ doesn't seem to matter much, I suggest that you may be turning your back on Him. It's not that He is less satisfying or less sweet. We just loose sight of the magnitude of the Gift we have in Him.

Taste and see that He is sweet, good, like fresh oil at every encounter. I dare you to see Him with new eyes. To consider Him in the light of His sacrifice and majesty. Like the close relationships we can take for granted, you have to choose to yeild to Christ. You have to choose to appreciate Him in your life and you have to make that choice each day.

Otherwise, your mind will wax nostalgic for what you left behind when you turned toward Christ. You remember? The loneliness? The constant, insatiable hunger for purpose? The nagging ache of listlessness and lost? Boy, weren't those good times when you gave in to every impulse and came away from every experience hungry, broken and empty?

I thought not.

The new Manna, the True Bread of Heaven is ready for you to gather. You don't have to store Him, because He is fresh everyday. You can give Him away because He will meet your need in abudundance. Take Him in and you'll never hunger or thirst. Give Him out and you'll never lack.

Fellowship serves up fresh Bread regularly. If you're in the Atlanta area and you are not affiliated with a church body, I invite you to join us for our regular feasts at Fellowship. There is always room and plenty to share. Afterall, you can't grow if you don't eat a good diet.

Psalm 119:103-108

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.
I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.
Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.

Peace and Bread of Heaven
Evg. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

The church website is www.fcchosengeneration.com. Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. You can reach the church at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church
Where Passions Become Reality
Because you are a CHOSEN GENERATION!
455 Hwy 138, Ste C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Seasonal Fruit

Summertime means great summer fruit. Peaches and watermelons. Squash and tomatoes (I'm a purist...if it has seeds, it's a fruit). Wonderful fruit just bursting with flavor on the vines and trees and shrubs everywhere on this side of the equator.

There is nothing so wonderful as biting into a sweet fruit at the peak of it's season. And there is nothing so bitter as biting a fruit whether before or after it's prime. There is a 'right time' smack dab in the middle of too soon and too late. Wisdom, experience, following the leadership of people who've grown the fruit before help identify this sliver of 'right time'. It is a finite period; it doesn't last for ever. It may be longer for mangos than it is for bananas, but it is a limited span of time.

Dear ones, there is a time for everything. I'm hear to share that now is the time to come to Christ. My pastor preached yesterday that just as rebellion and disobedience got us kicked out of the Garden of Eden, the sacrafice of Christ grants us the permission to 'come back to the garden'. He has prepared the way. His Blood met the cost of the penalty of sin. From that message, I couldn't let go of the image of Christ, hanging on a tree (the cross) and falling to the ground as ripe fruit, smack dab in the middle of 'right time'.

If you are questioning when to come to Christ, the time is now because the Fruit is ripe. If you are questioning when to serve Christ, the time is now because the seeds are mature and ready for planting. If you are wondering what work you should do, pluck, plant, gather, build, weep for what you've lost, but get up and embrace what you have. If you do not know how to start, you simply need the support of people with experience to help you find your way.

There is always a master farmer/vinemaster at any orchard or vineyard that is serious about producing good fruit. Leadership matters. Experience matters. Focus matters.

If you're not under leadership at a church, or if the leadership where you are now is pointing to anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ, the Risen Savior, may I suggest and offer Fellowship as the place to start. We know that now is the season and that Christ is the Way. Please join us in the harvest.

Psalm 34:8-11

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Peace
Evg. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

The church website is www.fcchosengeneration.com. Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. You can reach the church at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church
Where Passions Become Reality
Because you are a CHOSEN GENERATION!

455 Hwy 138, Ste C
Jonesboro, GA 30238

Alton Watkins, Pastor

What Are You Thirsty For?

John 4:13-15

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

What Are You Thirsty For?

I am a ham. Everyone who spends more than about 10 seconds with me knows this. I don't deny it and I am comfortable with it.

I blame it on the stage. I spent much of my youth working in theater and show choir. I've done backstage work, on stage work, I've directed and I've written plays. I have done make-up and run lights. I've been the property master and I have been the 'sound guy'. I've sung in malls and great cathedrals everything from Bach work to Bobby Brown.

The stage is seducing. It is one of the few places where you can play make-believe as an adult and be appreciated for it. For some, it can become an addiction. As soon as you complete one work, you can't wait to start the next one. Its more than a hunger; its like a thirst. It has to be quenched and there's nothing else you can take that will quench that longing for being on stage.

Now, I laid down any ambition of making the stage a career years ago. But, the Holy Spirit brought me back to that feeling when considering this conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

She was thirsty. Sure, she was going to get water, but she was thirsty for something else. She was going to haul water in the heat of the equatorial noon-day sun. She didn't want to be around people. She wanted to do her chores without interacting with anyone. Yet, she immediately engaged with Jesus when he asked her to draw water. She didn't ignore Him and walk away because she was thirsty for interaction, even as she was trying to avoid it. Isn't it funny how hard we will work to avoid the thing we need?

Jesus drew this desire out of her by His statement, "But whosoever drinketh the water that I shall give him shall never thirst;" It's hard for us to understand how earthshaking this statement is because water comes easy to us. We don't have to walk for miles carrying water. There are probably very few reading this who have ever had to go to a pump and bring water up from a well. There are areas in the world today where running water from indoor plumbling is a dream (you don't have to go overseas - I know of missionaries who work in rural parts of the U.S. helping people realize this dream). When you've had to haul water daily, someone telling you 'you'll never thirst again' gets your attention.

But, there is another kind of thist. We all know what its like to want some ice cold water on a hot day, but what about that personal thirst? What about that thing that occupies your thoughts and your dreams day and night? What about that thing that seems to be the center of your life? You structure everything around it from the food you eat to the places you go to the books your read. Dear ones, you're thirsty.

The things of this world are like that ice cold water on a hot day. Sure, it will quench your thirst but you will be thirsty again. That one glass will apease for a while, but you'll get thirsty again. There is never enough money. You need more time. He doesn't love you enough. She doesn't pay enough attention. If I could just get promoted. If I could just get married. If I could just get that car. This world will always leave you wanting more.

"But whosoever drinketh the water that I shall give him shall never thirst;"

Are you thirsty? What are you thirsty for? Is it the things of this world, or for Christ? If you're thirst is set for the things of the world, you will never be satisfied. Oh, you'll get a reprieve, but you will never be full and certainly not overflowing. But, when you hunger and thirst after righteousness...

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

John 6:35
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

John 7:37
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Are you thirsty? Come, drink the Water of the Word. You'll never thirst again.

Peace.
Evg. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

The church website is www.fcchosengeneration.com.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. You can reach the church atchosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church
Where Passions Become Reality
Because you are a CHOSEN GENERATION!
455 Hwy 138, Ste C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Authority vs Opinion

Mark 1:21-22
And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

Authority vs Opinion

This passage, and it's reference in Matthew used to baffle me. They give account where Jesus spoke with authority and how that astonished the disciples. I used to think alot about that...He spoke with authority. Did He speak loudly and confidently? Anyone can do that. Did He speak as someone who knew the material? Well, duh! Jesus was and is The Word, so of course He knew the material. But, well-studied scribes also knew the material.

Then the Holy Spirit gave me a wonderful example. My son was doing what alot of boys and girls his age do...he was TELLING me how something he'd never seen or never experienced was going to happen. He spoke with great confidence. I had to explain to him that all he had was an opinion but I had experience with the matter and that made the difference.

And there it was.

Jesus had a relationship with the Father, so that when He spoke about Him, God wasn't an idea, He was real. The scribes and pharisees could give their opinion, but they hadn't had any personal experience with God so they couldn't speak as one who knew the Father.
Jesus spoke with authority not only from His knowledge of the Word, but from having lived it since the beginning of time. He had experience with the Father. He could say with confidence how we could live in relationship with God the Father because He had experienced being us. He knows our trials and temptations not because He's heard from us, though He certainly does that, but because He has personal experience.

Maybe you're not convinced of this whole Jesus thing. Maybe this is just a lot of hoopla to you. Maybe you believe in Christ, but that working thing is just too over the top. Maybe you believe and you work, but you aren't willing to change your lifestyle because 'it doesn't take all that.'
Well, those are interesting opinions. Jesus has some experience there, however. Your salvation took all that He had in a mortal body. It took every drop of blood contained in His skin. It took a full human lifetime and an eternity of service to work out. That was His experience, not His opinion.

You are entitled to your opinion. But I dare you to gain the experience of relationship and then challenge your opinion.

Besides, why just give and opinion when you can speak as one who knows...one with experience...one with authority.

Psalm 111:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Peace and wisdom
Evg. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

The church website is http://www.fcchosengeneration.com/.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. You can reach the church atmailto:atchosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church
Where Passions Become Reality
Because you are a CHOSEN GENERATION!
455 Hwy 138, Ste C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor