So, yesterday was an easy day of sermons...

...the morning one was about Jesus' words in Matt. 6 on giving, and the evening one was from 2 Timothy 1-2 on multiplying discipleship.

Nothing challenging there at all. Easy stuff that all believers do to the fullest, right? Right??

*sighs*

I needed to hear both messages. 2 Timothy has long been a favorite book; Paul's last letter, written to his young apprentice/disciple Timothy. 1 Timothy is Paul saying "so here's how this church thing ought to work" and 2 Timothy is Paul saying "and here's how this Christian life & discipleship thing ought to work."

And of course, Matt. 6 is in the midst of the greatest sermon ever preached. All of the "you have heard/but I say" passages are awesome. And let not anyone slide into the popular thinking that the sermon on the mount was all & only "judge not & you will not be judged." As the guy who discipled me says, "there's a lot of meat in that potato..."

Neither let anyone slide into the popular thinking of "well, Jesus cancelled the law so we can do or not do whatever we want and He'll still love & accept us." Go read Matt. 5-7; you'll not find that thinking in the red letters. Tony quoted C.S. Lewis (paraphrased here): If you enjoy the sermon on the mount, there's something wrong with you!

But in both messages, Tony did his usual blend of encouraging and raising the bar. Funny how preaching the Word does both of those, isn't it?

Anyway, please join me in praying for the Church to rediscover the joys of giving and of disciplemaking. (capital C in "Church," meaning my church, your church, the entire Body of Christ corporately)

Mike

p.s. - It was great to be in actual attendance at the deacons' meeting yesterday afternoon! Been way too long...

p.p.s. - “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt. 6:19-21)

p.p.p.s. - "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." (2 Tim. 2:1-2)