Author: Steven Bolden

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When just following Jesus isn’t enough…

Matthew 26:47–50 (NASB 2020):

47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chiefpriests and elders of the people. 48 Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign previously, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him.” 49 And immediately Judas went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him

In v.50 Jesus refers to Judas who just betrayed him as friend. The Greek word used is hetaíros – properly, a companion (normally an imposter), posing to be a comrade but in reality only has his own interests in mind.

Compare that to John 15:15 where Jesus calls those that are part of the true vine friends. The Greek term used is phílos – a friend; someone dearly loved (prized) in a personal, intimate way; a trusted confidant, held dear in a close bond of personal affection.

In many evangelical churches today the “gospel” being preached is what I call pre-resurrection gospel. The just follow Jesus gospel. Life stressing you out? Follow Jesus. Your marriage is a wreck? Follow Jesus. Your finances are in need of financing? Just follow Jesus. Judas followed Jesus and yet Jesus was only “Rabbi” to him. A wise teacher. Someone he followed with his own selfish intentions in mind. This type of “gospel” has no life change.

The gospel of the Bible doesn’t leave out post-resurrection teaching. The reason for the resurrection. The only way to get grafted into the true vine as John 15 speaks of.

Yes, follow Jesus. But, the following is a response to accepting the gift of salvation and a new kife offered in the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Just following Jesus isn’t enough…

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Living in a Kingdom – part 1

Daniel 7:14

14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

It is mid-term election season as I write this post.  People in our country are pre-occupied with exercising their power to elect our nation’s ruling body.  Take away that right and people will protest…no people will riot.  The power to elect our government representatives is paramount to our form of government.

As children of God you become citizens of God’s Kingdom.  God’s kingdom is a absolute monarchy.  As Daniel 7:14 states, in God’s Kingdom His power is sovereign and His rule is everlasting. One of the stumbling blocks for people use to a democratic earthly government is that very fact…as a citizen of God’s kingdom He rules absolutely.  His rules, His way, and it is about Him.  You don’t get a vote and you don’t change how God rules His Kingdom.  Becoming a citizen in God’s Kingdom changes you.

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Living in a Kingdom – Intro

You’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your savior…Hallelujah!!!  You are citizen in the Kingdom of God.  Now what?  What does it mean to live in a Kingdom?  There are plenty of bible studies, articles, and sermons on Kingdom Living.  Really great ones.  With the plethora of resources, teachings, not to mention Jesus’ explicit teachings on His Kingdom why do we Western Christ followers struggle to grasp or fully live out the mantra “Kingdom Living Now”?

In the Western world we understand Democracies. We are baptized in the rights of the individual.  We have the power to vote. If we don’t like how our government is performing we can protest. Demand change. Appeal court rulings…this is what we know.  But, as a Christ follower we are now citizens of a Monarchy not a Democracy.  We are citizens of the Kingdom of God.

God willing, in this series I want to take a stab at revealing the differences in living in a Monarchy versus living in a Democracy.  My intent is to hopefully reveal basic thought patterns and ingrained behaviors that impede our ability take hold of and operate in God’s Kingdom. Peel back our Western blinders to the understanding of what is means to live in a Kingdom. 

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Faith files…part 3

Unwavering Faith

Mark 11:22-24 (NASB)

22 And Jesus *answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

Unwavering faith is sincere and unbending.  To believe God without question.  When you pray with unwavering faith you are to believe as if it has already happened.  The verse in Mark sounds absolute.  But what does “whatever” mean in the context of this teaching?  Does it really mean whatever?  No it doesn’t.  If it did I would have 3 Lamborghinis, a summer beach house in Hawaii, and a Swiss bank account because God knows I’ve prayed for them! James 4:2-3 tells us that we don’t receive what we pray for because we ask wrongly.  We ask for selfish things.  So “whatever” has exclusions. I John 5:14-15 tells us that whatever we pray for things in line with God’s will He hears us and grants them. 

Unwavering faith depends on us having assurance that He will grant the request.  If we don’t know for sure then it is impossible to pray with unwavering faith.  When you pray “not my will but thine be done” it is an admission that we do not know that what we are praying for God will grant.  That’s doubt.  So we must know God’s promises in order to pray with unwavering faith.  God’s promises are found in the Bible.  Some of those promises are:

  • Romans 10:13 God promises to save all those who call upon Him for salvation
  •  Hebrews 12:14, Romans 6:22 God will sanctify all who have been redeemed
  • Philippians 4:19 If we seek first the Kingdom of God He will supply all our needs. Need depends on the goal you are trying to achieve. You will always have all that you need if your goal is to continue to do God’s will.
  • Romans 8:28 In everything God works for good all who love Him.  When our specific requests are denied it is because something is being prepared that is better.  So we can pray with absolute confidence that God will provide what is best for us.

If we pray for these things, we can pray with unwavering faith that they will come to pass.  Knowing this should reshape your prayer life.

Past Series Posts: Intro Part 1 Part 2

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For those who have ears…Part 2

Matthew 5:14-15 NASB

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”

This instruction from Jesus was to the apostles directly and to His disciples generally. In today’s times true believers are His disciples. We are called to be the light in this world. Getting our light from the true source which is Jesus we are to be candles or beacons. In this world filled with darkness, evil, and sin we are to fill the dark void with love for others (all others), charity for the sick and less fortunate, and hope which is the gospel.

Jesus also says we are a city on a hill. Our devotion to God should not be lived out privately. It should be seen from a far. The new life Christ has given us should be the seen like a city on a hill. A city on a hill that is a refuge from the ignorance and depravity that the ways of the world has to offer.

Darkness is the absence of light. Darkness only exists when light is not present. Evil is darkness. If evil is “prevailing” what does that mean?

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For those who have ears… Part 1

Matthew 5: 16 NIV

16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.”

A little sprinkle of Jesus in your life doesn’t work. Adding Jesus to your life like a little seasoning on a meal is not enough. “Your marriage falling apart? Try Jesus” or “Your business failing? Look to the Lord” sounds good. So good that some of the largest Mega Churches these days deliver such messages every Sunday. These apply the patch messages does a disservice to the Body and sets up seekers for failure.

Don’t get me wrong, Jesus can and does turn those situations around in our lives and makes them flurish. But it doesn’t happen if your “conversion” is grounded in making a bad situation in your life better unless the bad situation IS your life itself. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Jesus died on the cross and rose again to give us a new life not patch up our life in an area or two leaving the rest of our old life intact. God doesn’t share. He wants all or nothing at all.

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Posting beyond the “Like”… part 2

1 Kings 19:1-7 (NIV)

19 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

3 Elijah was afraid[a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

Life is tough.  Life itself can suck the life out of you and make you want to give up.  As a Believer, you may feel that you just aren’t strong enough to continue. You are not alone in feeling this way. Many people do.

When you are in the pit mentally, physically, and/or emotionally as Elijah was do as he did. First, make your petition to God.  Not facebook and not Dear Abby. Elijah prayed honestly.  So should you.  God hears you and He will send His angel(s) to minister to you as He did with Elijah.  It may be directly or it may be through people that are led into your life.

Secondly, change your diet.  Not your physical diet but your spiritual and emotional one.  Your life diet.  Consuming the world’s “keys” to life is junk food. The Dr. Phils, the <fill in the blank> self help book, or the hip new motivational speaker are the foods you should never eat.  They provide instant gratification, no real nutritional value, and leave you hungry an hour later.  God fed Elijah bread and water and he lasted 40 days and he was able to climb a mountain! Begin to consume God’s instruction on life. Commit to His diet and you will receive the strength necessary to live this life.

Pray. Eat. Live…

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Truth Sessions (Part 5) – Worshiping God doesn’t get you to Heaven..

Acts 16:13-15(NIV)

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized,she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

There are many subjects in the Bible that God choose not to fully reveal the answers to. But, there is one that He has made very clear. In order to have eternal life with God you must accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. Why isn’t worshiping God enough? I mean, I acknowledge Him as my creator, I follow the 10 commandments, I love people and help the less fortunate, I attend church regularly… isn’t that enough?

The answer is NO it is not. God is holy by nature and infinite. His requirement for living with Him in Heaven is to be holy. Sinfulness​ is the antithesis to holiness. We humans have a sinful nature and are finite. So, there is nothing a person who is finite and sinful can do on  their own to satify a requirement of a being that is infinate with a holy nature. It takes someone who infinate and holy to meet a requirement of someone who is infinate and holy.

God’s word states that forgivesness of sin must come through the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). God provided a way for sinful finite people to meet this by allowing Jesus who is God (infinate and holy) to come down to earth and shed his blood as a remission for all sin. By accepting Jesus’ gift, our sins are forgiven and God sees us as holy. Through Jesus alone has the requirement been met. Worshiping God in and of itself is good but does not get you into Heaven (John 14:6). Lydia is an example of this. Are you Lydia?

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Truth Sessions (Part 4) – People don’t need money…

Acts 3: 1-8 

“3 One day Peter and John2 Now a man who was lame from birth3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping,

The Word teaches that there will always be poor amoung us. It also teaches that we should give to and take care of the poor. That is part of our ministry on earth. As a Christian that is not our mission. Our mission is to make deciples (Matt 28:16-20). Often we give money to the poor, which we should, but we stop there feeling satisfied with our “good work” or we don’t give at all because we don’t have any cash on us. Both cases yield the same result…A failure to provide what they need. Wholistic ministry is ministering to the mind, body, and soul. This failure to fully minister bleeds into our everyday walk and becomes a habit in all our interactions. 

People want our time, money, and help but do we give them what Peter did? Peter didn’t walk away because he didn’t have the money the crippled man asked for. He stopped and gave him freedom. He mentioned the name of Jesus and through Jesus the man was healed and began praising God. In this life, the ability to walk represents freedom. Freedom to move. Freedom to live. It is only through Jesus can we experience true freedom. We can’t make disciples by just giving. We must live like Jesus and we must speak the gospel. People don’t need money. They need Jesus. As a Christian you may not always have money but you have an abundance of Jesus. Give abundantly!

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Truth Sessions (Part 3) – Blessings don’t come from prayer…

One of the most frustrating things that happen when people become Christians is that they don’t experience the radical life change and blessings raining down from Heaven as they are lead to believe by what I call the “Slot Machine in the sky” sermons so prevalent today.  Say the prayer and accept Jesus, go to church, tithe (if you want to), be a good person, and pray and God will bless you with health and prosperity.  That is the checklist straight from the “Christians for Dummies” book.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a big proponent of the “…for Dummies” books.  But, there are no shortcuts or clef notes when it comes to God.  He already provided complete instructions called The Bible,  the perfect example in Jesus Christ, and the consummate instructor in the Holy Spirit.

Joshua 1:6-9 NIV

6 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.

7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

In this text, God was speaking to Joshua just before Joshua was to take over leading the Isrealites after Moses’ death but this instruction is a recurring theme through God’s word and is still speaking to us today.  God’s blessings does not come from prayer even though prayer is of the utmost importance in a Christian’s life.  Blessings come from obedience.  Ephesians 2:10 states that we were created in Christ to do good works which God had already planned for us. Once saved we are remade and re-purposed.  When you get a new job you don’t continue to do your old job and expect raises, bonuses, much less a continued paycheck!  Yet, we apply that logic to becoming reborn in Christ.  Jesus provided the new job discription in Matthew 28:19-20, demonstrated how to do the job in the life He lead on earth, and provided a life coach in the Holy Spirit to ensure we will always have the proper guidance. To unlock the ubundant life we are so desperate to have is not through prayer, it is through obedience…Matthew 6:33