"keep on..." are the 2 words God has echoed through my spirit ever since He hit me with these 2 verses many years ago...
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Luke 11
9 “And so I (Jesus) tell you,
keep on asking,
and you will receive what you ask for.
Keep on seeking,
and you will find.
Keep on knocking,
and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks,
receives.
Everyone who seeks,
finds.
And to everyone who knocks,
the door will be opened.
Luke 10
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question:
“Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
27 The man answered,
“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
all your soul,
all your strength,
and all your mind.’
And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
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Boil that down? Love God, love others - LGLO
Luke 9
23 Then (Jesus) said to the crowd,
“If any of you wants to be my follower,
you must give up your own way,
take up your cross daily,
and follow me.
24 If you try to hang on to your life,
you will lose it.
But if you give up your life for my sake,
you will save it.
25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world
but are yourself lost or destroyed?
26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person
when he returns in his glory
and in the glory of the Father
and the holy angels.
Instead of using this passage to try to get people to become missionaries,
how about interpreting it as what we will all experience as we share with people around us
what following Jesus REALLY means to us?
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Luke 8
4 One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him:
5 “A farmer went out to plant his seed.
As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it.
6 Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture.
7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants.
8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:
‘When they look, they won’t really see.
When they hear, they won’t understand.’
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word.
12 The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.
13 The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.
14 The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.
15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.
Galatians 3
24 The law was our guardian until Christ came;
it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.
25 And now that the way of faith has come,
we no longer need the law as our guardian.
26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ,
like putting on new clothes.
28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile,
slave or free,
male and female.
For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And now that you belong to Christ,
you are the true children of Abraham.
You are his heirs,
and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.
This is Luke's account of what is called The Sermon on the Mount that Matthew records in his gospel, chapter 5-7.
I've included the headlining found on Bible Gateway - it helps break up the length of this passage into manageable chunks.
Luke 6
17 When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil[a] spirits were healed. 19 Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.
20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,
“God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 God blesses you who are hungry now,
for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
for in due time you will laugh.
22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.
24 “What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.
25 What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
26 What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,
for their ancestors also praised false prophets.
27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.
35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
39 Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40 Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.
41 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42 How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
43 “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. 45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”
Luke 5
27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth.
“Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him.
28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”
31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
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Other accounts of this banquet describe the guests as "notorious sinners."
I have always found it interesting that notorious sinners WANTED to be around Jesus.
It's also interesting that Jesus obviously WANTED to be around notorious sinners.
So... as followers of Jesus, we face 2 questions here...
Do the notorious sinners of our day & time WANT to be around us?
And as importantly, or maybe more importantly, do each of us WANT to hang with notorious sinners?
At the very end of Paul's second letter to the followers of Jesus in Corinth, he made a few short, closing remarks.
I thought they were both appropriate for back then, as well as for today...
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2 Corinthians 13
11 Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words:
Rejoice - be joyful.
Change your ways & grow to maturity.
Encourage each other.
Live in harmony and peace.
Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
12 Greet each other with a sacred kiss.
This is a curious 10 verses written by Paul.
I think the most important element of these 10 verses is the juxtaposition of weakness & strength as a follower of Jesus.
Read them slowly & make what you will of what Paul writes...
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12 This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. 3 Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know 4 that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
5 That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. 6 If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Every time I hear some white Christian right evangelical whine about being so persecuted, I have to chuckle...
...because I think of these verses written by Paul...
Can you imagine the reaction of our prissy & precious brothers & sisters
if they had to endure just one of these things Paul endured?!
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2 Corinthians 11
23b I have worked harder,
been put in prison more often,
been whipped times without number,
and faced death again and again.
24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods.
Once I was stoned. (dan note: & Paul was left for dead.)
Three times I was shipwrecked.
Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.
26 I have traveled on many long journeys.
I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers.
I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles.
I have faced danger in the cities,
in the deserts,
and on the seas.
And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.
27 I have worked hard and long,
enduring many sleepless nights.
I have been hungry
and thirsty
and have often gone without food.
I have shivered in the cold,
without enough clothing to keep me warm.
28 Then, besides all this,
I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.
29 Who is weak without my feeling that weakness?
Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?
30 If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.
31 God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying.
32 When I was in Damascus,
the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me.
33 I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him.
Mark 12
28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate.
He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked,
“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 Jesus replied,
“The most important commandment is this:
‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.
30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
all your soul,
all your mind,
and all your strength.’
31 The second is equally important:
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
No other commandment is greater than these.”
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Boil down what Jesus said?
Love God, love others.
LGLO
2 Corinthians 9
6 Remember this:
a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop.
But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.
7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give.
And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.
“For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
8 And God will generously provide all you need.
Then you will always have everything you need
and plenty left over to share with others.
9 As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat.
In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources
and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
Psalm 121
1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
Mark 9
33 After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples,
“What were you discussing out on the road?”
34 But they didn’t answer,
because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.
35 He sat down,
called the twelve disciples over to him,
and said,
“Whoever wants to be first must take last place
and be the servant of everyone else.”
36 Then he put a little child among them.
Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,
37 “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf
welcomes me,
and anyone who welcomes me
welcomes not only me
but also my Father who sent me.”
Mark 8
34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, (Jesus) said,
“If any of you wants to be my follower,
you must give up your selfish ambition,
take up your cross,
and follow me.
35 If you try to hang on to your life,
you will lose it.
But if you give up your life for my sake
and for the sake of the Good News,
you will save it.
36 And what do you benefit
if you gain the whole world
but lose your own soul?
37 Is anything worth more than your soul?
38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person
when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
I'm countin' on a new body... 😁
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2 Corinthians 5
1 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down
(that is, when we die and leave this earthly body),
we will have a house in heaven,
an eternal body made for us by God himself
and not by human hands.
2 We grow weary in our present bodies,
and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.
3 For we will put on heavenly bodies;
we will not be spirits without bodies.
4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh,
but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us.
Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.
5 God himself has prepared us for this,
and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
6 So we are always confident,
even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.
7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.
8 Yes, we are fully confident,
and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies,
for then we will be at home with the Lord.
9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body,
our goal is to please him.
10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged.
We will each receive whatever we deserve
for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord,
we work hard to persuade others.
God knows we are sincere,
and I hope you know this, too.
12 Are we commending ourselves to you again?
No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us,
so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry
rather than having a sincere heart.
13 If it seems we are crazy,
it is to bring glory to God.
And if we are in our right minds,
it is for your benefit.
14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us.
Since we believe that Christ died for all,
we also believe that we have all died to our old life.
15 He died for everyone
so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves.
Instead, they will live for Christ,
who died and was raised for them.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.
At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view.
How differently we know him now!
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.
The old life is gone;
a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God,
who brought us back to himself through Christ.
And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.
19 For God was in Christ,
reconciling the world to himself,
no longer counting people’s sins against them.
And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors;
God is making his appeal through us.
We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,
so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
