Matthew 11 - If the Mighty Works Had Been Done...

As I was reading through Matthew 11, something occurred to me that I had never noticed before. Beginning in verse 20, Jesus “began to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not...” Have you ever tried to serve God and tried to witness to others, but they wouldn't listen?

Don't Feel Alone!

At times, the same thing happened to Jesus and His disciples. Jesus did many mighty and miraculous works, and yet so many people repented not. It doesn't say they didn't believe... It says they didn't repent. The devil believes in God, but lives in defiance to Him. I believe much of this world believes in the reality of God, but choose rather to live a life of sin than repent and come to Christ. But this is not my main point. In verses 21-24, Jesus then upbraids (rebukes) these cities who repented not.

“Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.”

Here in this passage, Jesus is talking about judgment of these nations. Notice a few things in this passage:

“More Tolerable on the Day of Judgment”

While many of us are familiar with the Judgment Seat of Christ (For the Saved) and the Great White Throne Judgment (For the Lost), we do not know all of the details. What we know about these judgments is taken from various passages of Scripture. The unrepentant are clearly lost and will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment. According to Jesus, the judgment of some will be more tolerable than that of others. Now for me to say much beyond this would be just my opinion. According to the context, the day of judgment will be worse for those who have rejected the mighty works of God. This seems to be in agreement with Luke 12:48- “...For unto whomsoever much is given, of whom much shall be required.” This, however, is a double-edged sword. While those who have rejected the great works of God will have a harder judgment than those who have not, how does this apply to those of us who have been saved and given the Great Commission?

“Whomsoever much is given, of whom much shall be required.”

Now let me be clear, our faithfulness to carry the Gospel to the lost does not affect our salvation, but it does affect our rewards. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, our lives will be tried as by fire, and every secret thing will be brought into light. As our works are tried, what will Christ find? Notice in verse 21, that Jesus makes an “If” statement. If these mighty works had been done there had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Read that again, if these things had been done, judgment would have been different for those people. There are some who have a lackadaisical attitude towards reaching the lost, and it's a result of false doctrine. They believe that those who are going to get saved will get saved regardless of their obedience to the Great Commission. This is utter nonsense. The last time I read my Bible, Jesus gave us the great commission for a reason. Before the foundations of the world, God the Father drew up the plans of Salvation. Then God, the Son, came into this world and died for our sins. Then before ascending to Heaven, the gave us the Great Commission to carry the Gospel into all the world. Then he gave us God, the Spirit, who indwells us to fulfill this Great Commission. He has given us the privilege to be Ambassadors for Christ.

“They Would Have Repented Long Ago...”

I can't help but to ponder this idea. If judgment could have been different for Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom, then how could it be different for the people of the world we live in. WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO REACH THE LOST! I don't like to think about how eternity could have been different if I had been more faithful as a witness for Jesus Christ, but it's something I really need to consider. Not to live in despair and defeat, but to make a difference in the way I live my life. How many people would have repented long ago if we had been more faithful. On the flipside, how many people will we see in Heaven because of our faithfulness. I believe we will never know til we get there. Here are some good questions to ask ourselves:

How important was my salvation to Jesus Christ?

How important is the salvation of others to me?

How can I be a better witness for Christ?

What changes should I make TODAY in order to make that happen?

Matthew 10 - Being a Disciple of Jesus Christ

Today, rather than study one specific thing in Matthew 10, I wanted to look at several verses and see what Jesus told his original twelve disciples. Although these things were spoken to the original twelve, many of them still apply to us today.

v. 7- “And as ye go, preach, saying, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Notice that he commands them to preach. Oftentimes, we think of preaching as being what somebody does in a church pulpit. However, preaching is something that we should do as we go. It is proclaiming the good news. Proclaiming who God is, what He has done on the cross, and what He wants to do in the lives of others. Also, proclaim that Jesus is coming back!

v. 14- “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.”

Nobody ever said that the world will listen to what you have to say. I know there have been many times when I've tried to tell others about Christ, and they didn't want to hear it. People will rip up a gospel tract right in front of your face. Remember this- They are lost, and this is what lost people do! The more we understand lost people, the more we understand what God saved us from! When they reject you, don't get offended or give up. When this happens, remember that they rejected the apostles, they rejected Jesus, and they will reject us. Shake the dust off your feet and move on!

v. 17- “But betware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues...”

The other day, when I was doing door-to-door visitation, there were some people that asked if we were Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons, as if we must be one or the other. While JW's and Mormons are notorious for door-to-door visitation, it got me to thinking- “They must not be aware of other Christian goups that actually bring the gospel to their doorstep.” A quick yellow pages search showed that there are 546 Baptist church results in Jacksonville FL listed under “Churches-Baptist-Independent”. There were only 26 listed under Kingdom Hall (Jehovah's Witnesses). If there are over 20 times as many Baptist churches in Jacksonville, I wonder why so many people have never had somebody come to their home and share the gospel with them? Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of ways to share the Gospel, and I'm sure Baptists are doing it in a variety of ways, but I do sometimes wonder if we've lost the zeal that we've once had. Back to verse 17. Men will deliver you up to the councils. There will be times when the opposition will try to silence you any way they can. I've probably read this verse at least 20 times, but have you ever noticed where Jesus said they will scourge you? In the synagoges... This is where the Jews assembled to worship God. There will be times when the “religious” crowd will turn against you. To scourge means to whip or lash somebody, but can also mean punishment. Have you ever been punished for witnessing to someone?

v. 21- “And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.”

Have you ever had an Atheist, Agnostic, or Muslim try to quote the Bible and make it look like a hateful piece of writing? It's nothing new... Satan did the same thing (Matthew 4:6). This is one of their favorite verses. Especially when they say, “Jesus taught that” and sound like they know what they're talking about. Anytime someone quotes a verse that sounds kinda fishy, go back and look at the context. There IS a thing called context.  Jesus is saying that others will do this to his disciples. When you live your life for Christ, sometimes even family will turn against you. In certain cultures, families will disown their children for becoming a Christian. In others, such as certain Muslim cultures, they will kill you. This is why Jesus later says, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Don't let your family keep you from getting saved or living for God. When you live for God, you will love your family even more, and God can use you to help deliver them from Hell.

v. 24-25- “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?”

When the world persecutes you, ridicules you, or forsakes you for following Christ, remember that we are not greater than our master. When Jesus cast out demons, the scribes said, “He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of devils casteth he out devils.” We live in a day when many people reject Jesus as God's Son, but say, “He was a great teacher.” We are now moving into a day when people are now attacking Jesus and God the Father. If they attack God, they will attack us. It is not us they hate, it's the God we serve.

There are plenty more great things found in Matthew 10, but I don't have time to go over them all. The general idea here in this chapter is that there is a price to serving God. If you are a child of God, don't be surprised when the world turns against you. Don't be surprised when your friends and your families forsake you. Embrace this fact and remember that God will never leave you.

Matthew 7- What is your life built upon?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? “What is my life built upon?” Our lives are all built upon something. As we progress through life, there are foundational principles that guide us. I rememer once reading a book by Dr. James Dobson. He gave an illustration that explained the formitive years of our life (Ages 15-25 or so), which compared them to wet concrete. As we progress through those years, most of our habits and behaviors are set for the rest of our lives. After much study, he found that most people do not change much after these years, and those that do, often have a harder time breaking away from the foundation they have built. Just like wet concrete, we are all getting set in our ways in some form or another.

Although Jesus never spoke of specific ages, he spoke of this foundation that our life is built upon.

Matthew 7:24-27 - “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

Two Houses

If you were to take a look at these houses, they may both look pretty good. Both houses may seem sturdy and look strong. In fact, both houses could look pretty much the same on the outside. Both of them may seem just fine. But there is an unseen difference, one is built upon a rock, and the other upon sand. 

The storms WILL come...

Both houses seem strong, but you notice that at some point or another, the storms will come. The rain will come down, the wind will blow, and the floods will come. How will these houses endure?

The Result

Only the house that is built upon the rock will last. So is the life that is built upon Jesus Christ. This world is constantly changing and is like shifting sand. Every few years there are new diet fads, clothing, and other things that really aren't as important as they would like to make us think. The house that is built upon sand may good at the moment, but when the storms come, it will fall down. So is the life that is built apart from Jesus Christ.

It is comforting to know that when you build your life upon Jesus Christ, you don't have to worry about change. Sure, we will still see the fads of this world, but when it comes to our foundation, He never changes. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the LORD, I change not;”. This world who is built upon shifting sand will never have that peace. In light of these truths, we should ask ourselves these questions:

“What is my life built upon?”

“If the foundational years of my life are like concrete, then where am I in this hardening process?”

“What habits and patterns in my life are in danger of hardening?”

“When the storms come (which they will), will my house stand?”

Matthew 6- Our Father Which Seeth in Secret

As I was reading Matthew 6, I noticed a pattern. When dealing with the hypocrites, whose desire was to be seen of men, He mentioned “Our Father Which Seeth In Secret.” In fact, He did this 3 times! Each time, as He spoke of different religious practices, He compared man's way versus God's way. I think He had a point for us to learn.

In the area of alms, or giving, let us remember that this is a good thing, and it's a thing we ought to do. Man's Way is to bring attention to the fact that we give. The pharisees had somebody sound a trumpet before them. This brings everyone's attention to their so-called good deeds. Jesus said, “They have their reward.” He says this because they only seek their own glory, and that is all they will get. He then instructs us in God's Way. He said, “Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.” This is a figure of speech. Our desire should be that no one see our good deeds. Why? So that our alms may be in secret. Why is that? Because “thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”  Oftentimes we seek to do well and it seems that all of our good deeds go unseen. I can tell you that NO GOOD DEED GOES UNSEEN. I think it's awesome that Our Father, which seeth in secret, sees them. And best of all, He will reward thee openly. Kinda ironic, don't you think? That is God's way.

For the sake of time, I will highlight the two other times that Jesus speaks of our Father which seeth in secret.

PRAYER

Man's Way- Desiring to pray in public, with the intent to be seen of men. Also charactarized by vain repititions and much speaking.

Man's Reward- They are seen of men

God's Way- Jesus said to enter your closet, shut the door, and pray to God (not to others to be seen). Remember the fact- God knows your needs before you ask Him. Jesus gave an example prayer we know to be “The Lord's Prayer.” It is a fairly short prayer, which contrasts the vain repititions and much speaking.

God's Reward- He will hear your prayer and reward you openly.

FASTING

Man's Way- They fast, but they look very sad and disfigure their faces so that everyone will know that they have fasted.

Man's Reward- They may LOOK spiritual to the undiscerned, but they appear as hypocrites to others.

God's Way- Wash your face, anoint your head- Basically, clean yourself up. The goal here is to not appear as if you have fasted. You should not want the attention of others.

God's Reward- God will see your sacrifice, and he will reward you openly.

CONCLUSION

I can't help but to point out that after these three things, Jesus then speaks on laying up treasures in Heaven. Perhaps these are the rewards that God will openly give us? No thief will ever steal. When you do things to be seen of others, it might make you look good, or it could make you look like a hypocrite. Either way, your glory will only last a short time. When you do the right things for the RIGHT REASONS, God sees everything that you do. Remember that God loves to reward you openly. Jesus then states that “No man can serve two masters: For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.” Think on these questions:

When we do good things in this world, why are we doing them?

Are we doing them with the secret desire to be seen of men?

Or are we doing them in secret, so that our Father, which seeth in secret, will see them?

Who is your master?

May 2012 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,
May is here and time is summer will be here before we know it! We hope that each of you are doing well. God is good, even when we don't know it! Last month was a very busy month for us. We were involved in meetings, fellowships, and missions conferences in SC, VA, NC, TN, and GA. One week, we were actually scheduled to be in 12 services! April was a good month to us, as 2 more churches took us on for monthly support, 2 others have committed financial support, and many others will prayerfully consider us as their financial situation allows.

While April was a very busy month, it was quite taxing physically. I (Jeremy) had a very rough week with some stomach problems. I eventually decided to see a doctor. After a shot was given to settle my stomach, I was able to recover with some medication over the next week or so. Praise the Lord! I am now back at 100%! Michelle has taken up the hobby of making bows and hairclips for the girls who visit our table in the churches we visit. Lila loves meeting all the people in the churches we are in. Every time she sees another baby or child, she gets so happy and squeals with excitement! One church gave her a bag with her name on it with clothes and many other things she will surely enjoy. We are very grateful for all the people who have been so good to us!

This month, we began making plans for our next trip to Nicaragua. We will also have much more time to spend on calling churches and filling up our schedule for the rest of the year. Thank you for all of your prayers. This month, please pray for the following:

     -That God will help us to be an encouragement to the people we come across.

     -That God will open doors and help us get into the churches of his choosing.

     -That God will continue to raise up laborers with a burden for lost souls here in US as well as the rest of the world.

In Christ,
Jeremy and Michelle Blanz

April 2012 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

It is already time for our April prayer letter, and as I reflect upon what God has done throughout March, it reminds me of how good God is. Last month was a very busy month for us. We drove over 4,500 miles to be in scheduled meetings and missions conferences in nine churches throughout FL, AL, TN, and even NJ. We were involved in everything from teaching Sunday School, singing, preaching, Children's church, visitation, and many other things. One new church began supporting us last month, and others have committed to supporting us in the future. We also were able to book more meetings in AL, NC, VA, and MA.

Although missionary deputation involves lots (and I mean lots) of traveling and hard work, it also has some perks. Because we travel to so many places, we are able to see places that we would otherwise never be able to see. We were able to see historic Philadelphia, eat a real Philly Cheesesteak, visit New York City, and even take a brief family trip to Lookout Mountain. We were also able to visit some family for a few days while we were in TN. Lila is now 6 ½ months old, 15 lbs, and is much more mobile than ever before. She is loved and adored at every church we go to.

Thank you for those who prayed specifically for our safety last month. We drove through some bad storm systems last month, and one of the towns we were in was devastated by a tornado the night before we arrived. Please pray for the following:

1. The families that were impacted by the tornadoes.
2. That God will continue to give us safe travels
3. That God will help us seize every opportunity to share the Gospel
4. That God will help us raise the support we need to get to Nicaragua.

In Christ,

Jeremy and Michelle Blanz

March Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that you have had a great start to your year this January. January has been a slow month in some ways, but a very busy month in others. This month, we were able to spend some time in at home in Jacksonville with our friends and family as well as take care of some things we can't do while on the road. Everyone really enjoyed getting to see how much Lila has grown and developed. She now “talks” all the time and grabs at everything she can see! It has also been good to attend our home church and be involved in sharing the Gospel here at home!

In January, we had a lot less traveling than we are used to. While we had scheduled meetings in Alabama and Florida, most of our time was spent trying to fill our schedule for 2012. As far as scheduling is concerned, January was the most productive month we have ever had! Throughout the month we have scheduled 21 meetings in the states of Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia! Although we now have a nearly full schedule for the next 3 months, we also have many meetings booked throughout the rest of the year. In January, we also saw 2 new supporting churches and 1 more that has committed to begin support next month.

Over the last month, God has given me more of a burden to pray for the churches and people we come into contact with. We believe that God still answers prayer and that “with God all things are possible.” As we look into the coming months, we need God more than ever! Please pray for:
1. That God will enable churches to support us in Nicaragua.
2. That we will be able to fill our calendar for 2012.
3. That God will use us while we are on deputation.
Thank you for your prayers!


In Christ,
Jeremy and Michelle Blanz