Walking Worthy

Posted on by Jesse Walker

Are you walking a life worthy of your calling as a child of God (Ephesians 4:1)? All Christian’s are to submit to God and surrender their lives in obedience to God’s will. It’s flat out straight up holiness. The word holiness can make some believe it’s unobtainable. That they can’t live up to their calling. But that is not holiness. Holiness is being set apart unto God. It’s being different than those of the world that do not know God.

Frederick Nietzsche once said, “I might believe in the Redeemer if his followers looked more redeemed.” Church it’s time that all those who call themselves Christian “walk worthy of their calling” (Ephesians 4;1). We must remove from our lives anything and everything that is out of alignment with God’s word. We are to put off every kind of sin that so easily entangles our lives and run the race that was set before us by keeping our eyes on Jesus the author of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-3).

Every child of God has been called out of darkness and into light (1 Thessalonians 5:5). They are to remove anything in their life, which is out alignment with the word of God. The Apostle Peter tells every Christian they are to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation and people separated unto God (1 Pert 2:9). This is only possible when we stop living by the flesh and let the Holy Spirit have his work in us. We must put on the complete armor of God and fight the battle against the enemy of God. The devil wants to destroy our lives. To put us under the addiction of sin. The best trained soldier without the proper battle gear can easily be defeated by the enemy.

Being Holy isn’t a choice we can’t achieve. It’s a real possibility when the child of God submits to the will of the Holy Spirit. We don’t empower ourselves to do it. We submit to the will of God. What is impossible for man is possible for God (Luke 18:27). Let’s do it Church, let’s become the Church we were called to be.

Dangers of Remaining Silent – Blood On Our Hands

Posted on by Jesse Walker

Eric Metaxas in his book “Letter to the American Church” calls out the American Church for being silent in such dark times. He compares the silence of today’s church to the silence of the German church during the Holocaust.

If Eric is even slightly right, why have so many in the church chosen to be quiet? Will there be blood on the hands of Christians? The prophet Ezekiel records for us these words of warning. “Son of man, I have chosen you to be a watchman over the people of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, tell them of the danger. If I say to the sinful man, ‘You will die for sure,’ and you do not tell him of the danger, and try to turn him from his sinful way so that he may live, that sinful man will die in his sin. But you will be guilty for his blood. (Ezekiel 3:17-18).” And while that was a direct command given to Ezekiel, all Christians have been given the commandment to go into the world and make disciples of Jesus (Mark 16:16).

Can we not see that the fields are ripe? Or are we afraid of the persecution that may come from telling others about Jesus? It’s certainly not because we can’t see that our world is broken. And it’s not the Right against the Left. It’s righteousness verse unrighteousness. And Christians have the manual, the Holy Word of God, the Bible, for shedding light on today’s sinful deeds.

As we look around in our communities today, there are opportunities everywhere to share the truth about the sanctity of life. How life is formed in the mother’s body before birth (Psalm 139:13-18). You and I have the opportunity to share the value of life. How that God created male and female in His image. How God doesn’t create any junk. (Genesis 1:27-29). And while the world chooses to fight over racism, we know that God teaches his disciples to consider others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4). When others are fighting over politics, progressive agendas, and other things. We have the responsibility and the opportunity to remain calm because we know our God has given us complete joy (John 15:11; 1 John 1:4). The next time you think about how bad our world is, stop and seek for an opportunity to make it a little better by sharing the love of Christ.

Almighty God, I pray you will open our eyes to see the ripeness of the fields all around us. As the days grow darker in our world, as your approach draws closer, let us all realize the responsibility we have in sharing your gospel of hope. And when fingers are pointed at us, or when worse our lives are in danger, let us stand firm in your truth. Let us not have blood on our hands for remaining silent. And this is Jesse Walker with the Glenwood Church of Christ.

Using God’s Resources

Posted on by Jesse Walker

How have you used the resources God has given you? I’m thankful for my father who worked hard to ensure I had a roof over my head and food to eat. I’m also thankful for a mother who loves me unconditionally. I’m especially thankful for my wife who chose to do life with me. Who has been by my side through better and worse. Who knows my weaknesses and refuses to quit on her commitment. These are just a few of the physical resources God has given me. But I am most grateful for eternal life that God has given me through the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ. The spiritual blessings are too numerous to name.

With that in mind, what have you done with the physical and spiritual resources God has given you? Have you multiplied those blessings? Have you shared them with others? Or have you built bigger barns to store them in? Have you forgotten that life is like a vapor here one minute and gone the next? We must all work while we have time (John 9:4). Time will run out and an accounting will be demanded.

In Matthew 25:14-30 we read about a man that calls his workers and gives them different amounts of money. The first man receives 5 talents, the second 2 talents and the last one 1 talent. As we read on, we learn that the first two men received a blessing because they doubled the resources they had been given, while the man with 1 talent was cursed because he didn’t reproduce any gain. He buried his talent, and, in the end, he lost everything. You might say it’s like the old saying, “user it or lose it.”

We need to become an assembly of believers that find ways to multiply our resources. One reason the man with one talent failed, was because his view of God was tainted by fear and failure. Yet, the God we serve is the God who loves us so much he gave his only begotten son. He’s a God that is longsuffering that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9). Our God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love (Psalm 103:8).

While I don’t know exactly how God has blessed you, I do know, every believer has received at least one gift (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). As disciples of Jesus, we all need to use our gift or gifts to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace (1 Peter 4:10). Otherwise, we might become like the man with one talent and have it all taken away. And this is Jesse Walker with the Glenwood Church of Christ.

Obedience

Posted on by Jesse Walker

Have you ever sung the song, “Trust and Obey”? It’s a beautiful song that speaks to our submission to God. The chorus goes like this,

“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

There is one word that will reveal if someone’s faith in God is genuine. And that word is obedience. In James 2:19, the Apostle James teaches that belief is not enough. For even the devil believes and fears God but will not submit to God’s authority.

The Apostle John said in John 14:15, ‘if you love me, you will keep my commandments.” It is not enough just to believe in Jesus, the bottom line with God is obedience. Those that keep His commandments are those that have come to know Him. (1 John 2:3-5).

Every single aspect of our Christian life hinges on our obedience to God. Our obedience is crucial to our spiritual happiness. It’s indispensable to our spiritual health. It is vitally critical to our spiritual holiness.

Obedience is taking up your cross daily and following close to Jesus (Luke 9:23). Without the cross there is no crown. There is no redemption without suffering.

The American church has forgotten about the cost. It has reinvented itself to appeal to our uncontrollable desires and our extravagant living. While the church has succeeded in making herself acceptable to many it has abandoned the cross.

This doesn’t mean you have to deny yourself every pleasure of life. Or to pledge to live in poverty. But it does mean that whatever you do, you must do it as you are working for God. Not for human gain, but to bring glory to God, and to His Kingdom. (Colossians 3:23-24). Let’s become a people, who put the cross back into the center of everything we do. And this is Jesse Walker with the Glenwood Church of Christ.

 

Toothless Christianity

Posted on by Jesse Walker

 

In John 12:3 we read, “Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”

Mary took a year’s worth of wages and anoints the feet of Jesus. When is the last time you gave a years’ worth of your wages in service to God? If the average wage in our country is fifty thousand, when is the last time you and I gave that much?

I know, you immediately run to remind me that giving is to come from the heart. You are absolutely right. When is the last time you gave joyfully from the heart a year’s wages? Oh, I know, you want to remind me of Mark 12:41-44 where the widow put in two copper coins worth only a few cents. You would be right, but remember Jesus said she gave out of her poverty. She put in 100% of her income. She gave “all she had to live on.”

In John 12:24-25, Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

We want a deathless Christianity. A Christianity that allows me to assemble on Sunday mornings with no interference in my life. We argue over the furniture, the air conditioning, the carpet, woman’s roles, bible versions and the amount of alcohol in the water Jesus turned into wine. Why? Because our Christianity is toothless. Unless you die, and without Christ dying, there is no Christianity.

No amount of money, no amount of time, no amount of anything will replace the fact that you must die. It’s time for the church to stop talking about it and start living it. I ask you again, when is the last time you gave a years’ worth of your wages to God? But that’s not biblical preacher. Let me rephrase the question then. When is the last time you gave all, you had to Jesus? When did you give out of your poverty? Not knowing where your next meal might come from. When did you deny yourself a vacation? A trip around the world. Cut investment so that the Kingdom of God could be glorified. If you are still wanting to argue that it’s not about money preacher. Go back and reread this letter. You are right, no amount of money will meet the requirement. You must die. Then you can give all you have. I ask you again, when is the last time you gave every penny, every ounce of blood that flows through your body to God? When is the last time you denied yourself anything, so that the Kingdom of God could be glorified? I’m not talking about giving from excess. Like the widow, when did you give from your poverty?   Let me close with this, in 2 Corinthians 13:5 we read, “5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

What More Must God Do To Convince You?

Posted on by Jesse Walker

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? If you don’t why don’t you? What else does God have to do to prove Himself to you?

The people of Jesus’s day ask Him the same question. Who are you? Stop keeping us in suspense. Tell us plainly (John 10:24). To this Jesus responded, I already have. Let me ask you a question. What more does Jesus have to do to convince you to follow Him?

There are over 5,000 ancient Greek manuscripts, more than 8,000 ancient Latin manuscripts. There are over 300 prophecies that point to Jesus as the coming Messiah written 1500 years before the New Testament. This is not to mention the occurrences that the bible references in secular history. Or the fact that other contemporary authors wrote about Christ.

Sense the first century after the death of Christ, Christianity has been turning the world upside down. In Acts 17:1-9, Paul and his companions taught that Jesus was the Messiah. Because of this, some of the Jews became jealous and had some of them arrested.

Each of us will have to settle this question of who Jesus is. If you have questions about who Jesus is, why not ask Him. God will reveal Himself to those who truly seek Him with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13). The key to finding God is an honest heart. Many ask who Jesus is, but it’s not to find Him, it’s to provide them with another excuse for not believing in Him. There will always be another excuse for you to follow. If you want to find God, you will. But if you’re not sincere you will never find God, because God will not reveal Himself to you.

The Great Shepherd

Posted on by Jesse Walker

In the gospel of John (John 10:1-18), Jesus said, “I am the great shepherd.”  He also says that his sheep hear his voice and that He knows them by name. There is a close relationship between the Great Shepherd and His sheep. How well do you listen to Jesus? We live in a world that praises the spectacular. The superior athlete. The elite of teams. The biggest and the best.

Yet Jesus heals the sick. He restores sight to the blind and heals the lame. He calms storms and feeds the hungry. He touches the diseased leprosy person who others avoid. He eats with sinners and offers life to the outcasts of His day.  How clearly do we hear the voice of our Great Shepherd?

When was the last time you talked to someone who others see as a failure or a misfit? When was the last time you fed someone who was hungry? When was the last time you visited the sick? Matthew 25:40 says, “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’”

Lord, please open our eyes to see the overlooked and ignored. Help us to find joy in the ordinary.

Purpose Driven

Posted on by Jesse Walker

There are many reasons why we do what we do. But one of the greatest reasons I can think of is to serve others. To seek their best. As a coach, I have been blessed to see many of my athletes grow into mature adults, who often give back to their communities.

I like the way the Apostle Paul put it while contemplating dying or living while in prison. In Philippians 1:22-24 he wrote, “But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.”  Wow, if only we could all learn to have this same attitude.

What a way to view life. Paul had no doubt that if he died, he would be with Christ. All believers who are following after Jesus have this same assurance. In John 8:51 Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” Oh, we will all die a physical death one day, but the Apostle John is speaking of a spiritual death. For those in Christ, they will never die Spiritually. They will never be separated from God.

If we could only learn to say like the Apostle Paul, “if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ.” Let us all become a people that prays, “Lord, open my eyes to see how I can be a blessing to others.” Lord, make me more like your Son. Soften my heart to serve.

The Great Light Has Come!

Posted on by Jesse Walker

George Jones sang a song called “Where Did the Sunshine Go.” He asked where is the love I used to know? Where did the Sunshine go? Where is the one I needed so.

Where has the light gone? Our world is engulfed in darkness. According to Isaiah 9:2, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” The Apostle John tells us that, Jesus came into the world to bring light and life. Unfortunately, as we read in John 3:19-21, the people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are a child of the light and the day. 1 Thessalonians 5:5. You do not belong to the night or to the darkness. Aren’t you glad as a believer your eyes have been open. You don’t have to stumble around in the dark. God has revealed himself and His great love for you.

Are you confused, stumbling through life, bumping into objects in the dark? John says, “walk in the light” so you will know where you are going. John 12:35. Friend, you don’t’ have to be in the dark. The light (Jesus Christ) has come, and His word is a lamp to our feet. Psalm 119:105. But the clock is ticking, come before it is too late.

The more we spend time in the darkness, the more comfortable it becomes. Your eyes will adjust, and you will begin to accept things you never would have before. In Matthew 5:16 we are told to let our light shine before men. Darkness and light have nothing in common.

Will you join me in offering them light? Let’s not hide our lights under the basket but hold them up high so that they will shine brightly in our communities. Bringing light to the entire city.

God of Second Chances

Posted on by Jesse Walker

Have you ever needed a second, third or fourth chance? The prophet Jonah did. When he was told to go to Nineveh he ran from God (Jonah 1:1-3). And when his running away from God almost cost him his life, he cries out to God and his prayers are answered. While I don’t suggest you wait until your life smells like rotten fish, if that is where you are, it’s never too late to repent and to seek God’s help.

While God is the God of second chances. I’m not suggesting you live your life in a sloppy fashion as if it doesn’t matter. That is just as unbiblical as thinking you don’t need God. The Apostle James addresses this when he compares those who have no work with those who have no faith. Believers will have evidence of their new life. They will possess the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”  Believers in Christ are not just put back together. Or patched up. They are completely new. In Titus 3:5-6, God saved us by his mercy, when we were reborn and we were generously given the Holy Spriit through Jesus our Savior. And according to Romans 6:3-6 this is done through baptism where believers are buried into Christ’s death and risen unto His resurrection. Paul goes on to show how the believer’s mind is to change and to no longer serve the flesh. But is to be controlled by the Spirit (Romans 8:6).

Are you tired of chasing after the fruitless things of life? The things that leave you empty. Jesus stands ready to offer you living water where you will never thirst again (John 4:10-14). Have you been running from God like Jonah and come to know that you need help. Cry out to God, and the God of second changes will answer your prayers. Come celebrate the NEW BIRTH!