Okay, folks, I hope you’re ready to eat your spiritual cinder blocks today! :) This is day 1 of NT28 and we’re readying Matthew 1-12 today.
Here’s what I saw…
- God sure does love family and He remembers everyone. Matthew 1 was filled with names!
- I kept noticing obedience throughout the chapters. Joseph, Mary and John the Baptist all had to do some wild things!
- I also kept seeing God’s provision. He took care of everyone. The wise men brought gifts to Jesus and the fam just before they had to head off to Egypt.
- As a preacher, I kept wanting to slow down. It’s hard to read it so fast. Anyone else feel that way?
- Again on obedience, Jesus modeled it for us in Matthew 3:15.
- Jesus goes from the high point of His baptism to being tempted in the wilderness. That’s a pattern I’ve seen a lot in life.
- God is here and near. Immanuel means “God with us” and Jesus preached “The Kingdom of Heaven is near.” God is at hand in our lives right now!
- The call of the disciples always inspires me.
- You could spend your life studying the Sermon on the Mount. Amazing stuff.
- I’m struck by how counter-cultural it all is. It’s just mind blowing!
- What would happen to the world if Christ followers just obeyed the teachings in Matthew 5 alone?
- “Pray for those that persecute you!”
- The beauty, simplicity and power of the Lord’s Prayer always blows me away. (Read it out loud if you can. Make it your prayer today.)
- Matthew 6:21!
- Scripture just blows me away. This stuff is so good! :)
- Matthew 6:32: This things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers… Seek the Kingdom of God above all else!
- This is really motivating me to pray. Especially, Matthew 7:7-8. Let me know give up, Lord.
- Man, it’s just one gem after another. One great thought after another.
- It’s all about obedience. Matthew 7:24-27
- Jesus can flat out heal some people. He’s amazing. “He healed all the sick.”
- “Who is this man? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
- Death is nothing to Jesus! Matthew 9:24
- Jesus is filled with compassion and issues a prayer request…for more workers to help Him fulfill His mission.
- I see lots of danger in this chapters. How about you?
Remember, you don’t have to do what I did or post anything fancy. Just share a sentence or two about what stood out to you as you read through Matthew.
Tony – You’ve got me reading – and the Bible no less. Reading the NLT on the Kindle is actually easier than I thought it would be. Great post by the way. All good points.
I’m not sure how to interpret or understand all the references to the sick being possessed by demons – from today’s reading. Did people attribute sickness to demons back then? Was this due to a lack of understanding medicine as we do today? Or was demon possession something more common in the days of Christ? Any help on how to read this would be great. The skeptic that I am causes challenges with reading the Bible in it’s literal form sometimes. But, I’m a work in progress ;).
Also, there was a reference to the cross as seen below:
“If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.” – Matthew 10:38
Was this foreshadowing or a matter of translation in the NLT?
Thanks,
David
David, I’m proud of you for reading and, as a fellow geek, I’m happy that you’re reading it on a Kindle. :)
Regarding demons, they’re real and they’re still with us. It’s not as overt in America but I’ve seen something both here and in other countries that would blow your mind if I share them with you. The enemy seems to like to play it cool here so as to cause more doubt. Don’t worry about all that for now though. The important thing is focusing on Jesus and His life and teachings as you read.
Regarding the cross, Romans crucified lots of people back them and the cross came to represent death in general. Jesus told his followers that they would have to carry their own crosses to be His disciples. He was speaking metaphorically of dying to selfishness and self-centeredness.
Wow! So glad to be doing this and what great timing too. I wrote down a few sentences from each chapter. But the theme was clear and it was definitely that the right condiition of my heart will lead to the right results. Example, Joseph had the right heart in not wanting to bring shame or guilt upon Mary inspite of what he was facing. The condition of his heart lead to willingness to follow God’s direction. Example, the “wise men” received direction from God because they asked Him (didn’t lean on their own wisdom, but were humble; thus, making them wise). Jesus operated in authentic authority because of who is was. Inward authenticity produces authentic results.
Those are great points, Sheryl. You know, I’ve always been struck by how Joseph was trying to handle the crazy situation he found himself in. He was a man of integrity and compassion. God uses those sorts of folks.
Wow! I’ve never read so much of the bible at once. Felt like I needed to slow down and savor some of it. Reading 12 chapters allowed me to see things a little differently. Starting at his baptism, Jesus was in a sprint. Teaching, healing, driving out demons, confronting “religious” folks, all before breakfast (so to speak). I guess there’s lots to do before his crucifiction. We think we have plenty of time to get our work done. God help us to be more motivated, So much to do, so little time!
Bobby, I totally agree with you. I kept wanting to stop and write a sermon or something! :) I think it’s good to read it differently though. Like you, it’s giving me new perspectives.
I agree about the pace of Jesus’ ministry. He did it all in 3.5 years so I guess He wasn’t going to waste a second.
I am loving this. Today’s readings help me to realize how important it is to be obedient to God. I have to remember to ASK for things. If I follow him and ASK it will happen.
Erica, I felt the same way. I found myself praying for all sorts of stuff with renewed faith.
I definitely had to read these chapters faster than I ever have before to get through them. It struck me that so many of the verses I have “claimed” over the years were in these first 12 chapters. One that has been to mind a lot lately was “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Also, there were several references to fear being a lack of faith, reminding me that the antedote to fear is faith. It was also interesting to me that one passage must have spoken to me at one time because it was underlined, but reading it now — I have no idea what it meant to me when I underlined it. Other passages jumped out at me that hadn’t during previous readings. This just reminds me how God can use the bible to speak to us, and therefore, it is so important to keep reading it!
Danice, I felt like I was reading a “greatest hits of Jesus” book or something. It was just one key verse after another. Like you, many of them reminded me of times when I was standing on verse for a specific reason.
The great thing about the Bible is that it’s so layered and so rich. Every time you read it you can find something new that speaks to you.
First, for the record…I don’t enjoy reading at all, but I’m on board. I even invited my 12 year old daughter to join in on the NT28 fun. Of course, she was able to read it quicker than I did. LOL (Sad, but true)
My favorite scripture is the second half of Matthew 9:13 because it really exudes what Fusion Church is all about: “For I have come to call NOT those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners”.
I love that Fusion is perfectly imperfect, but our mission is spot on with Jesus’ mission.
Day one down, twenty-seven more to go. = )
Theresa, I’m proud of you! You know, I’m actually a very slow reader so this has been a challenge for me but I think we’re building spiritual muscles! :)
Well today was my 30th birthday and I can’t think of a better way to start this new decade in my life. Just finished today’s reading. Thanks Pastor Tony for the challenge!!
Christa, I agree wholeheartedly. I think it’s an absolutely wonderful way to start a new decade and a new year of life. Happy Birthday!
I’m reading it with my kids and that is the most we’ve ever read at one time! The challanging part is not stopping constantly to discuss it. One new thing they got out of it was how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies. I think they have a new appreciation of how God uses everyone and everything to work together for His will. Also, several times they referred back to things you had said in a service, Tony. They’ve actually been listening! My Prayer is that all of us will absorb more from this reading than we realize.
Tone is everything and very hard to get from a blog, but this should be taken as an optimistic search for answers. Ok, we are a little behind. We just finished Day 1′s assignment. We read it together. I don’t know if we will get through the NT in 28 days, but we enjoyed today and hope we can make up some ground on the weekend.
While I like to believe I’m an optimist and am fairly content in my earthly existence, it is obvious how flawed I am in my spiritual development after reading these chapters. “The road to heaven is narrow and few will find it…” I know I don’t live up to God’s standards. In spite of this I’m excited about getting through the NT. I’ve never done it before. I guess if the biggest thing is faith, the logical side of my brain seems like it will never let me be completely sure of an afterlife. We’ll see how things go at the journey’s end…
Vince