I’M GIVING UP SKEPTICISM FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2023

“…Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” –   John 20:27.

You have to feel a little bit bad for Thomas. He was a disciple. He walked with Jesus. There is certainly more to him than the one day of skepticism that gave him the nickname “doubting Thomas.”

After Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples behind closed doors, Thomas wasn’t with them. So when the disciples told Thomas that Jesus was alive, he didn’t believe them. “I won’t believe it,” he said, “unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side” (John 20:25). When Jesus later appeared to Thomas, the Lord took him up on his offer. He said, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” (verse 27).

Thomas saw Jesus die and knew He was buried. He had seen those things with his own eyes. Now, a few days later, others were saying Jesus was alive again. They claimed He had appeared to them. It didn’t compute. It challenged the principles of logic and science. Most of us would have come to the same conclusion Thomas did if we were in his shoes. We would be skeptical. We would question what the other disciples claimed. We would verbalize our doubts.

Fortunately for Thomas and for us, Jesus didn’t show up to shun him, scold him, or shame him. Jesus showed up to win him. Jesus didn’t question Thomas’ character or lecture him with doctrine. Instead, Jesus moved closer to him. He invited Thomas to see His scars and touch the holes in His hands. Jesus was basically saying “I’m here. I’m real. See for yourself.”

Thomas heard a story that Jesus had risen from the dead. And at that moment, he thought it couldn’t be logically possible. But after he met Jesus personally he believed. In verse 28, Thomas exclaims of Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”  We were all skeptics at one time or another who need to experience Jesus as true and trustworthy. Jesus isn’t afraid of human scrutiny. He doesn’t need to be because His story holds up when scrutinized. It always will because it’s true.

As followers of Jesus, we will have friends who are seekers, skeptics, and sinners. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus tells His followers to “let your light shine before others, that they may see.…” When skeptical, doubting, far-from-God friends look at one who was once skeptical but now are people who’ve examined the evidence of the gospel and believed it to be authentic, let them see the light of Jesus.

We need to remember we are all a little like Thomas while we are working to become more like Jesus.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Should we be afraid of our doubts? Why or why not?
  2. How can we be honest about our doubts? How do we take our doubts to Jesus?

HOW OFTEN DO YOU READ THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS?

“For I am the Lord your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy…” – Leviticus 11:44.

If you’ve ever started reading Leviticus, you know how challenging it can be to interpret. The detailed procedures for sacrifices, lists of clean and unclean animals, and peculiar laws in the book of Leviticus may seem too complicated and irrelevant for us today and often leave modern readers scratching their heads in confusion or zoning out in boredom.

Leviticus 11:44 is a snapshot of the Book of Leviticus. There are many things in Leviticus that are holy. Twice, in verses 44-45 we hear these words, “be holy, because I am holy.” To understand what it means to be holy, we have to fully understand that God is holy:”O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.” (Psalm 40:5). The psalmist tells us, “Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him.” (Psalm 96:9) Solomon writes, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.” (Proverbs 9:10)

Leviticus reveals Christ’s sacrifice to us through the pictures in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of one who walked in holiness. If we look at how He lived and exemplified holiness, we see a life committed to honoring God, showing love, honoring parents, and serving others. But being holy isn’t natural, and it isn’t something we can do under our own strength. Walking in holiness requires the Holy Spirit. Holiness is only possible when we are put on the new self and live life as the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV) God wants us to be. Although holiness isn’t natural to us, we are instructed in scripture to follow or pursue holiness.

Leviticus 11:44 also talks about being consecrated. Leviticus 8 describes the instructions God gave Moses to consecrate and ordain Aaron and his sons so that they could begin their priesthood. “Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and on their garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments” (Leviticus 8: 30 NIV).

When we consecrate ourselves to God, we wholly dedicate ourselves to Him. It is the act of setting yourself aside and dedicating yourself to God.  We consecrate ourselves when we surrender our lives and will to Him as a living sacrifice and live our lives for the glory of God. Consecration is offering ourselves, our stuff, plans, wants, desires, and will to Jesus.

God’s ultimate purpose is to sanctify us – make us holy – to make us like Jesus. Holiness begins when we are born again but that is not the end-point of our life with Jesus; it is only the beginning of a holy and consecrated life.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Can you define the word holiness in general and more specifically for your life?
  2. Do you believe a person can become holy?

GOD’s LOVE FOR US STIRS OUR LOVE FOR HIM

“Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!” – Micah 7:19.

All of us make mistakes. While we all work hard to do our best, the truth is that none of us are perfect. We have a God who understands and has made a way to help us overcome every failure. Whether our difficulties stem from error, willful sin, or unexpected hardship, the Lord wants to meet us with His compassion. He offers us correction, forgiveness, and healing.

There is strong imagery in Micah 7:19. Out of compassion, God tramples the very things that threaten to trample us. Our evil actions and vices are cleansed by His blood. He throws them into the sea, where they sink to its cold, shadowed depths, never to rise again.

This is just one more portion of scripture that should make us tremble in awe at God who knows all and yet loves us so well. His love is selfless. He is love. His love is independent of how we look, feel, or act. We might as well surrender to this love that is beyond our comprehension. Nothing we do or say can remove His seal of love from us. In Christ, His love is forever settled.

It is now time for us to settle it for ourselves. The Word makes it clear in Romans 5:5 that all believers have the love of God in their hearts. The question is whether it flows through us to others. We are good at loving those who love us back, but we often don’t have the time or inclination to love the difficult people in our lives.

The most loving thing we can do for others is to love God more than we love them. For if we love God the most, we will love others best. God is very good at designing things this way: our faith is revealed by our works (James 2:18), and our love for Him is revealed by our love for others (1 John 4:20).

The ability to love flows from the love we have for God. There’s a reason why Jesus said the second greatest commandment is like the first: if we love God with all our heart, we will love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37–39). Our love for each other is an indicator of the place God is holding in our hearts.

Since the greatest and second greatest commandments are involved in these things, we know they are important to God. So perhaps the best thing we can do today is take an honest, lingering look at the way we love others and ask God where we could use some improvement.

Discussion Questions:

  1.  You can’t love people out of a vacuum. God is love. Love is who He is. Therefore, your love for people flows out of the overflow of God’s love for you. You have to know Him intimately and know His love for you before you can give love to others. Agree or disagree and why?   

WE NEED EACH OTHER

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” – Galatians 6:2-3.

At some point, all of us struggle under the weight of a difficult situation. It might be a sin we cannot overcome, a trial that just doesn’t let up, or a need that remains unmet. Fortunately, we don’t have to struggle through it alone because we have the support of fellow believers who are willing to share our burdens. The reality is that we need each other.

There is an example of bearing others’ burdens in the Book of Acts. Christians of the early church pooled their resources to help meet the material and financial needs of believers who were in poverty: “All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need” (Acts 4:32-35). Paul also displays this concern for others’ welfare in his various letters to growing churches. He knew it was his responsibility and privilege to strengthen them even though he was repeatedly undergoing his own hardships and afflictions.

The moment you become a Christian, many wonderful and amazing things occur.  You are united forever with Christ, you are declared righteous before God, you are placed into God’s family as an adopted child, and God begins a work in you of setting you apart from sin to Himself. What about your relation to other Christians though? Do you need them?  Do they need you? Christians and Christian families need each other to grow in their Christian faith. “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). If it is just Jesus and you, you will never grow into the person God wants you to be. Christians and Christian families need each other to grow in their Christian faith

Christians need the support of other believers if they are to grow in their faith. Recipients of the letter to the Hebrews were encouraged to “…think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works…”’ (Hebrews 10.24-25).

Nobody is a whole team. Each one is a player. But take away one player and the game is forfeited. We need each other. You need someone and someone needs you. Isolated islands, we’re not.

None of us is whole, independent, and self-sufficient. We need each other.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What does it mean to you to carry each other’s burdens?
  2. Why is it important to view other Christians as a family?

ONESIMUS: FROM SLAVERY TO SONSHIP

“So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self.  I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.” – Philemon 1:17-21.  

Have you ever asked yourself who Christianity is for?  Are there certain people who the rules and promises of Christianity apply to? And what about laws, consequences, and accountability?  Are there those who are simply too broken or too lowly or messed up too much to experience the grace of God? How many times can a man be forgiven before he is unforgivable?  How many bridges can you burn before there is absolutely no way to get back home?  The answer to those questions is no. If Onesimus were standing in the foyer of Northstar today, those are probably the questions he would be asking.

We discover part of Onesimus’s story in the book of Philemon. He was a slave who had run away from his owner, Philemon, a friend of Paul’s from his journeys. And you know what else is said about him?  He was a useless slave.  Does it get any worse?  It is bad enough to be a slave, but you are at the bottom of the barrel when you are a useless slave.  This was Onesimus.

Evidence suggests he made his way to Rome probably hoping to find someplace where nobody could find him. Onesimus was clearly in the wrong and was clearly a criminal who had violated his master’s trust. Paul knows that Philemon has a clear case against Onesimus, but that’s not what is important. Onesimus has become a believer and now that he has experienced a change of heart and character and conduct, and decided to return to Colossae and face the master he had run away from. In preparation for Onesimus’s risky return, Paul sent Philemon a letter, thanking him for being a faithful brother in Christ, and pressing him to further exercise his faith by extending brotherly love and acceptance to Onesimus. Paul urged Philemon to recognize and welcome Onesimus no longer as a slave, but more than a slave—as a dearly loved brother” (Philemon 16).  Legally, Philemon could punish Onesimus or even kill him for running away. No one would expect him to treat his runaway slave with kindness, let alone regard him as kin. But the gospel calls for forgiveness even when none is justified.

Philemon 19-20 says, “PAUL, WRITE THIS WITH MY OWN HAND: I WILL REPAY IT. AND I WON’T MENTION THAT YOU OWE ME YOUR VERY SOUL! Yes, my brother, please do me this favor for the Lord’s sake. Give me this encouragement in Christ.”

When Paul asked Philemon to receive Onesimus and forgive him those old debts, he reminded him that he too was once a man with a terrible debt that had also been forgiven.

All believers in Christ are family. No one is superior to another and at some time each of us has been on the run and in need of forgiveness. Each of us has been forgiven and reconciled to God through Jesus and set free. Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11), and He welcomes us into a loving, eternal relationship with Him.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Read Philemon 3–7. How does Paul describe Philemon? How does remembering his character and faith encourage the right response toward Onesimus?
  2. Read Philemon 8–11. Why is it important for us to not only make the right decision but to do it from the right heart? 

GOD IS THE CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF ALL THINGS…INCLUDING ME

“You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.” – Psalm 145:16 (ESV)

We serve a God who is never at a distance in anything. He has a personal relationship with each of us who has chosen to accept Him as Lord and Savior. He sustains, supports, and holds all of His creation together.“He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” is not hyperbole. The world fits in His hands and He’s in control of it all. John 1:3 says, “God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.” And Hebrews 11:3 adds, “By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” God didn’t merely set it all into motion and flip on a cosmic “autopilot” switch. At this moment,  “he holds all creation together” (Colossians 1:17).

When we say God sustains all things, we mean all things: from the tiniest organism to the vast expanse of the galaxies. If we really stop and let all this sink in, our hearts should explode in worship.  The writer of Hebrews wants to expand our understanding of who Jesus is.  Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command…” Jesus is the Author, Ruler, and Sustainer of the universe.

If Jesus easily sustains the weight of the universe, don’t you think He can sustain you? The same God who keeps the planets aligned also holds you in His hands. When life is too much for you to take on by yourself, trust in the Lord. We are part of His creation, which means God knows exactly how to hold us together, too. “Jesus doesn’t need your strength; He has more than enough power on His own. He simply asks for your weakness; He has none of that Himself.”  Charles Spurgeon

Isaiah 46:3-5 says, “Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel. I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?

Here in Isaiah, we see God, the creator, and sustainer of the world, give a promise that can comfort us in any stage of life. Life is a journey, and each part of that journey is packed with different challenges. The hardships facing a toddler differ from those of a preteen; young adult challenges are different than the middle adults; as are when we get older, but the same God sees us through each stage. God told us in His very own words, “I will sustain you; I will rescue you. Remember all I have done in the past? I am faithful. I am trustworthy.  I am here”. “Remember the former things, those of long ago: I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me” (Isaiah 46:9).

Why is this important? With all that’s going on in our world God remains in control. He can certainly take care of me. He’s got the whole world and me in His Hands.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you believe God is in control of everything? Explain why you believe He is or is not in control of everything.

A HALLELUJAH LIFE

“Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! Praise him in his Temple and in the heavens he made with mighty power. Praise him for his mighty works. Praise his unequaled greatness. Praise him with the trumpet and with lute and harp. Praise him with the drums and dancing. Praise him with stringed instruments and horns. Praise him with the cymbals, yes, loud clanging cymbals. Let everything alive give praises to the Lord! You praise him! Hallelujah!” –  Psalm 150 (TLB).

Do you remember the first time that you heard Handel’s Messiah and more specifically the Hallelujah Chorus? Hearing the choir of voices and the musicians all working together to create something larger than any single instrument. Then just before the  “Hallelujah Chorus” begins there’s a pause. The violins start. And the great chorus erupts. Everyone rises to their feet to not only celebrate this glorious, rollicking, transcendent music but to stand in honor of the One who was being praised. As moving as that chorus is, it will pale to what we will experience in Heaven. Eternity will be filled with hallelujahs. Handel’s Messiah reaffirms what we sometimes forget: We’re part of something bigger and more important than any single one of us.

In the Old Testament, the word hallelujah is used multiple times in the book of Psalms. If you look at the final psalm, Psalm 150, the word hallelujah bookends the whole psalm, appearing as it does right at the beginning and right at the end. “Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! …You praise him! Hallelujah!” (TLB)

The question is are we living a hallelujah life now? To utter the word “hallelujah” is to give praise to God. It is an expression of worship. When we speak the word “hallelujah,” we are making a declaration right in the middle of wherever we are. Whether it be in a church building, in your home, car, or workplace, you can declare “hallelujah!” over your heart and over your circumstances.

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” — Hebrews 13:15 (NIV). Whenever you choose to praise God, you are saying “My God is good; my God is great; my God is worthy,” that’s what “hallelujah!” is all about. You are declaring that your God is bigger than any circumstance you face, and His presence is all around. Our God is not confined to walls, nor is He limited by our human limitations.

God deserves our praise. God is the most glorified in us when we are the most satisfied in Him; we’re most satisfied in Him when we are engaged in praise and worship. Your life is a hallelujah chorus, written for the devotion to Jesus and Jesus alone.

“The note of hallelujah must never be in short supply in the spirit of the believer.”- Watchman Nee

Discussion Questions:

  1. How big is God? How powerful is God? How loving is God? In your life, how do you praise God for who He is?   
  2. Because of what God has done in our lives, how should we respond? 

PEOPLE DON’T BELONG ON PEDESTALS

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed Him.” – Matthew 4:18, ESV.

Now, when we think about the 12 apostles, typically, we tend to think of the grand figures we see immortalized in stained glass windows all over the world. Countless books have been written about these men and they are talked about on any given Sunday everywhere in the world some 2,000 years after they died. You would think these are extraordinary people who belong on pedestals but nothing could be further from the truth. They are not extraordinary; they basically are distinguished as a group by one thing and that is they are ordinary. Acts 4:13 says, “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures….”

They were ordinary people, a little rough around the edges, with flawed characteristics. They were prone to mistakes, misjudgments, misunderstandings, bad attitudes, lapses of faith, bitter failure, and argumentative. What becomes apparent in studying the twelve is like us, they were called by God, saved and then taught and sent out, each according to his/her own character, skill, and personality to be used by God to great effect wherever He places us.

What makes them so compelling is just how much we can relate to them today. When you study the 12 you begin to understand their purpose as a whole and as individuals. Getting to know their personalities, you will identify with a few of them and come to the realization that Jesus can and will use anyone who is willing to be loved, shaped, and transformed into a mature follower.

When we really begin to look honestly at some of the people in the Bible, such as the 12 disciples, and take them down off the stained-glass windows or a pedestal, it becomes obvious that God did extraordinary things through ordinary, regular people. And He still does today. God’s power is always available to us even if we think we don’t measure up. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says.“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him….”  God is looking to use ordinary people who are completely committed to Him.  God can overcome any weakness or flaws we may have.

Jesus chose twelve men to change the world. This was the preferred method for making an impact on the nations. Two thousand years have passed and the plan is exactly the same. Jesus is still changing the world by disciples making disciples.

Discussion Questions:

  1. If God has recently called you to some step of faith or action or obedience, how did you respond? Are you pleased with how you handled it, or should you have responded differently? Explain.
  2. How can you prepare yourself for the future when God calls you to some step of faith or action or obedience? What habits or attitudes can you develop now that will help you when that time comes?

HOW JESUS MADE DISCIPLES

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:31-32.

Jesus did not choose everyone He met to be His disciples. He took very seriously the selection of men He chose and trained to be disciples. Rather than focusing on the masses, He chose twelve. This selectivity was not by chance, it was intentional. Jesus chose twelve men and a number of women to instruct and train who would in time reproduce themselves in others.

Jesus was intimately involved in the lives of His disciples as they followed Him. His training method was spending time with His disciples. This is a radical concept for those of us who live in the 21st century. Whenever we find someone, who seems called into ministry we send them off for formal training. While there is no problem with formal Bible training, the Biblical model of discipleship was homegrown, natural, and organic. Jesus gave himself away to His disciples by imparting to them everything that the Father had given Him. He gave Himself freely. He imparted not only Himself but also spiritual truth about life and ministry.

Jesus demonstrated how the disciples should live a Christ-centered life. One reason Jesus had such a lasting impact on His disciples is that He lived the message before them daily. He was the message and the method. By walking with Jesus, they saw how He lived His faith in the real world. He prayed before them. He fed the poor. He had compassion on the multitude. He healed the sick. In other words, He lived the life that He wanted to reproduce in His disciples.

Jesus imparted His message and mission to His disciples so that they would reproduce themselves in others and make disciples of all nations. The Great Commission implies that the followers of Jesus will reproduce themselves and “make disciples.” Reproduction is how the Christian movement was born.

It is nothing short of amazing what three years with Jesus did for this ragtag band of ordinary people. All of them were outsiders to the religious establishment of the time and yet, after Christ’s ascension and the pouring out of His Spirit, the gospel of Jesus Christ has impacted untold millions of lives.

Our personal walk with God is one of the most important factors in developing godly leaders. We will reproduce what we are. The most powerful message is a life lived for God. Make sure that the life you live is worthy for others to follow.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you intentionally seeking to disciple anyone right now? Maybe it’s by formal or informal means. It could be in a small group, over coffee, playing pool, or taking walks. 
  2. Pray that God would allow you to make one disciple this year.

GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES

“The one indispensable requirement for producing godly, mature Christians is godly, mature Christians.”― Kevin DeYoung.

Discipleship has become a buzzword in most Christian circles for the last decade. Jesus told us to make disciples who make disciples—who make disciples. In order to make disciples who grow to be more like Christ, we need to know how to develop the characteristics of Christ in ourselves, and how to help others walk in this way

It is clear throughout Jesus’ life that discipleship was incredibly important to Him. So important, in fact, that it was included in some of His last words to His disciples before He left Earth. Matthew 28:18-20 says, Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

“Therefore, go and make disciples,” This statement on the surface would seem to involve two separate actions: going and making disciples.  A better view of this command may be “make disciples as you go along.” It is assumed that Jesus’ followers will often be “on the go” and actively doing something. Making disciples does not mean just bringing others to a one-time “moment of decision.” Simply put, discipleship is the lifelong process of spiritual growth, aided by the Holy Spirit and personal relationships. We see in Scripture that discipleship is the important, joyful, and at times difficult process of learning and maturing spiritually.  It involves continued learning together, growing together, and increasingly understanding how we can effectively serve Him. Everybody who is a follower of Jesus shares in this task.

The Apostle Paul says in Colossians 1:28, “So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.” Discipleship is more than acquiring head knowledge and memorizing Scripture verses. It is learning to give Jesus Christ total access to our life so He will live His life through us. The goal of discipleship is to help people grow to become more like Jesus.

We may be the only Bible anyone ever reads. God wants to reveal Himself to those around us by working mightily through each one of us. He wants those around us to see Christ in us each day. God wants to express His love through our life. That’s what He wanted from His followers during His earthly ministry and that is what He wants from His disciples today.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What defines us as disciples in your opinion? 
  2. What happens in the life of a disciple when they think of others instead of themselves? How does putting others first build character?