Having the Mind of Christ

Today’s Reading: Matthew 4:18-22 ESV

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 

Matthew 4:19

These were Jesus’ words to Peter and Andrew who were fishermen. Jesus had spoken with authority that they left their boats and followed Jesus IMMEDIATELY. James and John were also called so they IMMEDIATELY left their boats and their father and followed Jesus. They were willing to follow Him to be fishers of men, a complete change in their lives. God will use them to bring people to Himself. They will be disciples of Jesus who would preach His good news and make other disciples.

How about you? Have you decided to follow Jesus? Did you respond in prayer to His call from the previous article? I believe that once we made Jesus our Lord and Savior, we ought to follow Him IMMEDIATELY. That does not mean we have to leave our jobs and family because God placed us wherever we are for a purpose. We can share the good news to our family, neighbors, coworkers and people around us. Jesus’ heart’s desire is that no one should perish. He wants everyone to come to repentance. His will for us is to win souls. These fishermen were uneducated; we should not have any excuse to be able to share our faith.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

1 Peter 2:21

Nokseng, a Garo man, a tribe from Meghalaya which then was in Assam, along with his family decided to follow Jesus Christ in the middle of the 19th century through the efforts of an American Baptist missionary. Called to renounce his faith by the village chief, the convert declared, “I have decided to follow Jesus.” His two children were killed and in response to threats to his wife, he continued, “Though no one join me, still I will follow.” His wife was killed, and he was executed while singing, “The world behind me, The cross before me.” This display of faith is reported to have led to the conversion of the chief and others in the village. Nokseng followed Jesus’ footsteps and persevered until the end resulting in the conversion of others.

“Following Jesus requires sacrifice. There are times when the immediate benefit of going our own way may appear to outweigh the potential gains of obedience. Jesus wants us to know that our sacrifices aren’t in vain, and there’s nothing we can surrender that exceeds what’s attained in following Him” (7 Promises for Those Who Follow Jesus).

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

2 Timothy 4:5 NLT

The Lord isn’t slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.

2 Peter 3:9 NLT

It’s my prayer that as we go over Jesus’ Words daily, our passion for Him will grow deeper resulting in a deeper passion to win souls. In Jesus name, Amen.

Today’s reading: Matthew Chapter 4:12-17 ESV

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Matthew 4:17

This is the gospel in a nutshell. It is the same message John the Baptist was preaching in Matthew 3:2. John the Baptist was proclaiming that the Messiah is coming. Now Jesus, the Messiah has come, preaching the same message. Why do you think so?

I am sure you will agree with me that we live in a broken world where we can see immorality, divorce, abortion, envy, lust, pride, hatred. We can still see some good things in this world but God designed it to be a perfect world wherein we love each other and we love God most of all. 

So what has brought us to this brokenness? It is sin! The bible tells us that people did not choose to obey God and sinned. 

That’s why Jesus’ first word here is:

Repent!

Why? For these reasons:

Reason #1

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:23 ESV

We are all sinners, and we have to humble ourselves and realize we are all sinful by nature. Have you ever lied? Hated someone? Cheated? Been proud? Or envious?

Some people try to get out of this brokenness by being good, by being religious, by making money or pursuing a career. Some may try to drown it out by drinking alcohol or by using drugs. But none of these could get us out of brokenness because it does not get rid of our sins!

REASON #2

For the wages of sin is death…

Romans 6:23a ESV

The penalty for sin is death – spiritual death!

But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23b ESV 

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8 ESV

But because God loves us so much, He made a way to save us from this death penalty. He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sin by dying on the cross for our sins. Salvation is a gift!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 ESV

Reason #3

For the kingdom of God is at hand…

Jesus spoke with authority and ordered people to turn from their sins for God’s rule was about to begin. This is the core of His teachings. From here on, He will be talking about the kingdom of God. There is so much to learn about the kingdom of God as taught by Jesus, but for one thing, it will include faithful followers of Christ whose lives were changed because of the power of the Holy Spirit.

Are you a faithful follower of Christ?

Have you repented of your sin?  And turned away from it?

Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? And have you been reading and obeying all His teachings?

Did you know that you cannot save yourself by your own efforts?

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV

If your answer is “no” to these questions, the Bible is clear:

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:9-10

If it is your heart’s desire to follow Jesus, pray this prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, find a bible believing church and start reading the book of John in the Bible. For those who answered “yes” to the questions, you are called children of God. If your hearts so desire, share this and let’s be partners in sharing the gospel to others.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

John 1:12 ESV

Lifting up to God’s throne of grace for the salvation of all families and members that all will spend eternity together. In Jesus name.

Recap from last week, Jesus sets an example for us to follow. He humbled Himself to be baptized to show His submission to God’s rule and righteousness. Then, the Holy Spirit came on him and led Him to the wilderness to counter the temptations of Satan by using God’s Words.

Today’s reading: Matthew Chapter 4:1-11 ESV

1st Temptation:

After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus was hungry. Satan approached Jesus and challenged Jesus to turn the stone into loaves of bread if He is truly the Son of God. But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

Matthew 4:4 ESV

This response is written in Deuteronomy 8:3.

Truly, we cannot live by bread alone. Life is more than physical food. Real life depends on God’s Word.. His Word (the Bible) is our guide to any situation we are facing. It is important to hear, obey and meditate upon God’s Word. It is our spiritual food. After all, everything we own or have are gifts from God. Our sustenance is not in the gifts but it is in the Giver.

2nd Temptation:

Satan then also used God’s written Word to challenge Jesus…

“and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,‘

and

‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.‘”

 Matthew 4:5-6; Referencing Psalms 91:11-12 ESV

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'”

Matthew 4:7 ESV

This response is written in Deuteronomy 6:16.

We cannot do foolish things and expect God to protect us. Satan is the father of lies, the great deceiver. He will even quote verses from the Word of God! This is the ultimate reason why we have to read God’s Word – to know the truth.

3rd Temptation:
Satan promised to give Jesus all the kingdom of this world and its glory.

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'”

Matthew 4:10 ESV

The response is written in Deuteronomy 6:13.

Then the Satan left Jesus. Jesus won. And He was ministered by the angels.

Again, Jesus sets an example for us. He has shown us that the Word of God is the best way to counter temptations. By reading, meditating, and having God’s Word in our hearts, we will be able to recognize temptations are lies. And when we endure temptations, God will make a way to minister to us just as He did with Jesus.

I hope and pray that we can learn the power of using God’s Words when being tempted through His example. Let us always seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we may have the mind of Christ as we go through His teachings, for His name sake. Amen.

In one of the sermons of Francis Chan, author of the best-selling book Crazy Love, he encourages people to read all the words that Jesus has spoken in the Bible. It makes sense: if we want to have the mind of Christ, we need to read His teachings, and obey Him. So, I did, and began sharing His teachings from the book of Matthew.

I truly believe that if we want to be Christ-like we should read His teachings, meditate upon it, pray about it, and obey it. So, let me share the 1st verse that Jesus has spoken from in the book of Matthew in the New Testament. I encourage you to read the book of Matthew while following my blog.

Today’s Reading: Matthew Chapter 3 ESV

But Jesus answered him,
“Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he (John the Baptist) consented.  

Matthew 3:15 ESV 

This was Jesus statement when John the Baptist hesitated to baptize Jesus. John felt he should be the one to be baptized by Jesus. 

Jesus did not say John was wrong but said, “Let it be so now…”

Some bible scholars say the word “now” implies that this is related to the work He has to do, so that He should be baptized now. But, it also conveys His approval of what John the Baptist is doing. I believe it shows how much God identifies with us. He is God in human form, and “now,” He is standing in front of John in the place of sinful men.

John was baptizing for the repentance from sin. Jesus was sinless and not in need of baptizing by John, but He humbled himself to be a perfect example for us all.

“for this it is fitting for us”

Some bible scholars think “us” refers to Jesus and John. Others say it is meant for all of humankind. Jesus came to take our sins upon Himself. He died for us.

“to fulfill all righteousness”

To some bible scholars, this one act was an important step in Jesus’ mission to identify with fallen man, and His mission was fulfilled at the cross.

Father, it is my prayer that all who come to believe in Your Son, Jesus, will follow the act of humility portrayed by Your Son, Jesus, our Lord and Savior, for His name sake. 🙏

Although the main purpose of my blog is to study all the words spoken by Jesus, it is important to note what happened after Jesus was baptized.

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:16-17 ESV

Here, we see what is meant by The Trinity. The people saw Jesus. He is the Son of God. The Holy Spirit, who is God, came down on Jesus. Then God the Father spoke about his Son. All three of them– the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are God. All three manifestations in one.