Category: Commands of Christ

Let your light shine before men…

Matthew chapter 5 brings us a lot of Christ’s most famous teachings. It’s where we find what’s commonly referred to as “The Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 3-12). In fact, I debated and prayed about what to reference as part four of this series because in verse 12, Jesus says:

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great…

And that can read as a command, but, for me, it’s more of a comfort than a command. It comes off the heels of Christ talking about being persecuted and insulted because of following Him.

In verse 13, just after the Beatitudes, Jesus reminds us to stay salty

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again?

While this is a good remind to keep to our faith and allow it to grow so that through us the world can taste a little better (figuratively, please don’t go biting random things), it’s not exactly a command. In verses 14 and 15, Jesus reminds us that we are the light of the world. He points out that you can’t hide a city on a hill and no one lights a lamp and then tries to hide its light. The whole point of lighting the lamp is so it can shine light on the house. Then, the command comes in at verse 16.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

In later verses, Jesus is going to tell us to pray in secret rather than for public show. So, what does he mean when he says to let our light shine? The key here, I believe comes toward the middle of the commandment. “…that they may see your good works…”

Christianity is not a passive faith. It’s meant to be more than a Sunday morning thing. In fact, it’s meant to be more than “going to church.” Remember: the church is not a building, the church is the body of believers that meets inside the building. Every organ in the body serves a function, even the appendix (they discovered its purpose in 2007).

In verse 15, Jesus comments that once lit, the lamp is put on a lampstand to give light to all who are in the house. So, when it comes to viewing Christianity as an active faith, not a passive one, who needs our light? Those who can’t see it. Nonbelievers, those who haven’t heard the full gospel are the first that come to mind but what about young believers looking for examples of how to behave as Christians?

There’s an old Christian song by a band called DC Talk named “What if I stumble?” There’s a line in the song, where the writer askes, “What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?” I think for someone who genuinely loves God and wants to lead others to Him, that’s a natural question. I am ashamed to say, however, that I have often let my fear of that making Christ look bad prevent me from making Him look good.

When you let your light shine, there are going to be those who knew you before your lamp was lit that make sure you know they know who you used to be. Own it. God already knows who you used to be. The difference is, God also knows who you are going to be. The dark doesn’t like being exposed. It can’t exist in God’s light, so if it can shame you into covering your light, it will.

But, we also have to be mindful of how this command ends: “…and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Here’s the balance: Be an active Christian. Look for where God is working in your community, in your church, in your day to day life. Ask Him for guidance on how he wants you to be a part of that. Adjust accordingly and take action. That’s the “good works” part. If you’re genuinely trying to bring glory to God through works; he’ll show you the works He wants you to do! The critical piece to remember is the works are about bringing glory to God, not to yourself.

Here’s a small confession. At the time of this writing, I’m a digital marketer by trade and I’d like to think I’m pretty good at it. God has blessed me with a mind that is both creative and analytical. But I don’t use any of my SEO magic on this website. That’s intentional. If I try to make this website “seen” then it will stop being about God.

I use these blogs to help me digest scripture. Yes, I type it out like it’s a message to someone, but that’s only because I don’t want to talk to myself (though when I read as I type, I sort of am, Hi, Me!). Writing has always helped me understand things better. You can call me crazy, but I’m only doing this online because I felt like God wanted me to. I have directly shared this site with exactly two people. I don’t even know if they’ll ever read it. I only share it when I feel like God is telling me to. One of those people is my pastor and the other is my prayer partner and Bible Study Buddy. They are the people who will hold me accountable if what I take from scripture is wrong or needs fine tuning.

One of the things on social media that gets under my skin are the false prayer warriors who will show up in my feed, claim they are saying a prayer over people, but then say something along the lines of, “If you want this prayer to apply to you, you need to like, comment, subscribe, and share this with at least 3 people.” When you make claims like that, it’s not about God anymore. If God is the one providing the message and he wants it to be amplified, he’ll take care of it going viral in his own way.

Here are the things I want to make sure you take away from this ramblefest:

1. Let your light shine: Own your faith. Own the fact that God is still working on you. Be proud of being one of God’s people and don’t hide it. The answer God gives me every time “What if I stumble” resonates a little too hard in my soul is that it’s okay if I stumble, it’s okay if I fall because as they writer points out, He never turns in the heat of it all.
2. Do Good works: Be an active Christian, not a passive one. Make an effort to see how God is working around you, seek guidance on how God wants you to participate, and then adjust your life and take action.
3. Glorify God: Never make your good works about you. Do them in public, don’t hide them, but don’t publicize them or seek attention for them. You are doing them for God’s glory, not your own. You don’t need anyone to like/comment/subscribe if you’re doing God’s work. He will amplify the message according to His will.

And Brian, if you ever read this, I want you to know that you helped relight my lamp and I am and always will be grateful for it.

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.

Ok, so today, we get to talk about the first disciples and the command that I’m not sure I’d have listened to. I think it’s easy to look at some of the teachings in from our perspective and think something along the lines of, “Well, it was Jesus, obviously they followed Him!” But neither Peter nor Andrew, James nor John, had the advantage of the Bible like we do.

Matthew 4:19 (NASB 2020) reads:

And He said to them, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of people.”

I want to take a brief moment to point out that some translations say “Fishers of men” and, in the language of the time, when referring to humanity as a whole man/men/mankind is what was commonly used. It’s not intended as exclusionary language.

In Mark 1: 14, we see the same command again:

And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

In Luke, Chapter 5, we get a little bit more of the story than we do in the first two gospels. Jesus was teaching on the bank and borrowed Simon’s boat (Simon who would become Peter). He preached and taught and Simon listened. Then, in verse 4, Jesus says to Simon

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let your nets for a catch.”

We’re going to come back to that verse in particular at a later post because it deserves its own attention, but for the sake of this one, it’s important to note that Simon didn’t want to do it, but he did. In fact, in Verse 5, Simon replies

Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

If you’ve read this passage before, you know that the nets almost burst from what they brought in. At this point, Simon who would become Peter knows. He doesn’t think he knows who is before him. He knows. In Verse 8 we see him cry out

But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

While the story is somewhat less in John, we do learn in John that Simon Peter’s brother, Andrew, had heard John the Baptist speak and then listened to Jesus. Andrew also knew. He believed it so much that he went and found his brother to make sure he shared the good news. John 1:41-42

He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah.” He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter)

So while Luke and John don’t really have the “follow me” command, the spirit of the command is in both gospels. Now, at the top of this post, I mentioned that these people didn’t have the benefit of the Bible like we do. They didn’t have the benefit of the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s truth to them like we do.

I am the youngest of three siblings. My brother, the middle child, and I had a bit of a sibling rivalry growing up (and I word it that way because I don’t want to say mean things about him on the internet, I’ve matured since childhood). I know without a shadow of a doubt that if I had gone to my brother and said, “Bro, I have met the Messiah, and he’s awesome and I want you to meet him too.” I’d have been met with jeers, jokes, and a being shoved in the dryer. He wouldn’t have believed me.

Sometimes, I wonder if Jesus were to come back today and I had the same level of conviction that Peter and the rest of the disciples had that He was who He said He was; who would I tell first? But that is what it means to be fishers of people. A core command of following Christ is sharing Him. It’s a part that we tend to dilute with worry about offending people or respecting boundaries. But it’s part of the job.

I do not know a lot about fishing, but I know that different fish prefer different bait. I think a lot of being a fisher of people is the same. Some of the lost are going to look at our actions and if they don’t see us behaving in a way to aligns with what Christians claim Christ was all about, they aren’t going to bite. Some of the lost are going to want to listen to our words and testimonies and that will be enough to plant a seed. Others are going to be like that annoying fish who always takes my bait (I’m not a good fisherman, full disclosure). They’re going to question and hit the line repeatedly and only persistently casting in the water is going to get them hooked.

I do not do the best job casting my line. I am often silent when I feel like God would be better served to speak. More often than not, it’s because I am so very scared that my words will push people away from Christ rather than draw them in. I worry that my example will push people away. I am so worried that I’ll say or do the wrong thing, that I freeze.

Then, God reminds me that Moses hated talking in public and said he was bad at it. Peter tried to shoo Jesus away because he was acutely aware of his own sins. Jesus gave Simon a different name because Simon wasn’t that person anymore. He was God’s now.

See, the command here is simple: “Follow me, and I will make you what I need you to be.”

If you’re a Christian and worried that your capabilities aren’t enough, God will make you what he needs you to be. You just have to follow Him. He will lead the way.

If you’re not a Christian and want to know what it’s like to follow Christ, let me start by telling you what it’s not. It’s not a magical prayer that suddenly fixes everything wrong in your life. It’s a relationship with God who will shape and mold you into the best possible version of yourself. Most of that process will be uncomfortable. Some of that process will hurt, but every time you lack back at where you were from where you are, you’ll look up in gratitude knowing that God put you in a better place through the process.

Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

As this series is focused on the commands Christ gave the church, I’m intentionally skipping over the responses Christ gives to the devil when he is in the desert facing temptation. While that experience is important to the nature of Jesus gives examples of using scripture to rebuke the enemy; the words spoken in that section aren’t commands given to people. I think that distinction is important to make.

With that in mind, we arrive at Matthew 4:17 (NASB)

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Repent is a hard one for some folks. First, let’s handle the etymology. As the New Testament was primarily written in Greek, we need to understand the word choice Matthew uses here. The Greek word used is metanoia. Meta meaning “after” or “change” and noia meaning “mind.”

Meanwhile, the word repent comes from an old French word, repentir, which means to feel regret and stems from that Latin word paenitere, meaning to regret or feel sorry. The Latin root, poena, means punishment. This creates a big chasm between how we’ve been taught to repent versus what Jesus is actually telling us to do.

So, let’s get this clear:

Repentance is not an apology or feeling guilty for your sin. Repentance is allowing God to transform you and fundamentally change who you are, allowing you to turn away from sin and pursue God instead.

To be a little more blunt: if nothing in your life changed, you didn’t repent. If you’re still clinging to things that you know draw you away from God rather than draw you closer to him, you didn’t repent. If your mind didn’t change, if there was no transformation, you didn’t repent.

Here’s the good news, though. Repentance is easy and God does most of the work. We will always struggle with sin, it’s part of being human, but when we repent, we stop using being human as a justification for continuing in sin and start using God’s word as a shield to help prevent us from sinning.

There will always be temptation. When you feel that temptation starting to build, you have three choices. You can give in and satisfy whatever is tempting you. You can lie to yourself and tell yourself that you’re strong enough to resist, knowing you will eventually fail. Lastly, and the option I recommend, you can pray. God already knows you’re tempted. But when you feel the temptation creeping in and you take it to God because you don’t want that sin in your life anymore: that’s what repenting looks like.

Jesus didn’t come to sacrifice Himself and rise again just to make us feel bad and apologize. He did so to give us an option to pursue God instead of sin, to let us live for something greater than ourselves. Each morning, when I pray, I ask God to protect me from myself and from the enemy. I know that my flesh does not crave God, but my heart does. My soul does. I’d like to tell you my mind does, but that’s where the flesh does its work.

When I was teaching English in China, part of my teaching training was learning about the power of immersion learning. I would instruct my students to surround themselves with things they enjoyed but were in English instead of Mandarin. If they loved basketball, they should listen to the English commentary. If they watched the news and couldn’t get local news in English, they should put the subtitles in English. I told them to listen to English music. Because the more they surrounded themselves with their target language, the easier it would be to learn it.

Christianity works in much the same way. While some may argue that profanity isn’t a sin; is it really the kind of language you think Christ would use? If not, don’t talk that way. It’s fine to have a love for music, but is the message in the lyrics you’re singing along to one that draws you closer to Jesus? It’s fine to be politically active, but are you prioritizing God’s message over your political party’s agenda?

See, what Jesus was telling us to do was to change who we were. That’s not something any of us can do on our own. Repenting is giving up everything about who we are to God and allowing Him to remake us how he sees fit. It’s scary, but it’s what we’re called to do.

Sometimes, God works slowly, allowing that change to progress over time. Sometimes, God works quickly and pulls the rug out from under us because we need to crack our thick skulls on the floor a couple of times to get the message (that’s me more often than I’d care to admit). Letting go of that control and giving it to God is one of my biggest struggles.

Here’s my challenge to you: Think of your favorite thing to do. Ask yourself this question: If God told me, in a crystal-clear voice, to stop doing this, could I? Any activity you can’t say “Yes” to on this question is something that has a bigger hold on your heart and mind than God.

A walk with God is, in its most fundamental state, the process of allowing Him to eliminate who we are in favor of who He wants us to be. If you’re not allowing Him that level of access in your life, you need to repent because the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Okay, I know you’re probably expecting something profound here and, while to me, it is, it might not feel that way to you at first. That’s okay. Before I dive into it, however, I want to make sure to cover one key detail: this blog series is intended to cover direct commandments from Jesus. I’ll be looking at the words in red in my NASB 2020 Bible. I won’t be looking at implied commands and instructions, only the moments where Jesus specifically tells His followers to do something or to live a certain way. I think this is important.

What is the First Command of Christ?

If you’re reading the New Testament starting in Matthew, the first time you see those good ole “words in red” is in Matthew chapter 3, verse 15. We’re going to look at 13-17 for context.

Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Let’s take a look at Jesus’ words here:

Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.

So when we read the full context, this is the story of Jesus getting baptized. John the Baptist wanted to refuse what Jesus was asking him to do. John makes it clear when he says, “I have need to be baptized by You,” that he doesn’t feel worthy. This is John the Baptist and HE doesn’t feel worthy?! But see, John walked with God and when our spirit is aligned with God, we don’t feel worthy. When we acknowledge that God is Holy, and pure, and righteous, and we see the gap between what He is and what we can never be; a little bit of feeling unworthy is only natural.

But let it sink in for a minute that Jesus said, “Permit it at this time.” That’s bigger than you might think. I’ve heard preachers go a full sermon on why baptism is important. The fact that the first time act of Christ’s ministry was being baptized shouldn’t be lost on anyone. I think there is, perhaps, a more profound teaching that comes from this command.

At some point in your Christian walk; God is going to ask you to do something you feel unworthy of doing.

There are countless times in the Old Testament (take a look at Moses’s early ministry, for example) where prophets openly told God that they didn’t feel unworthy; but this is the first time in the New Testament that we have a person who had a strong reputation for serving God (even if it didn’t make him well-liked but some religious groups) say he’s unworthy.

But what does Jesus, the one that John knows came to literally be the savior of humankind, say to John: “Permit it at this time.” Then, John pushes those feelings of unworthiness aside. John knows he’s looking at the Son of God. He’s known Jesus was the Son of God since before either of them were born (which is a really cool story). John then does the uncomfortable thing Jesus asked him to do.

Then, as soon as both are aligned in God’s will. Both do the thing that Jesus knows God needed done:

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased

See, John could have still refused. He could have doubled down on how unworthy he felt for the task God had put at his feet. Matthew doesn’t give us an exact number of how many people were watching. But in verses 5 and 6 we see

Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all of Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

Based on that, I think it’s pretty safe to assume it wasn’t a small number. This not-small-number of people got to see something jaw-dropping because of John’s obedience. They got to see the very first proof of who Jesus was. They got to hear the voice of God state that this was His son and in Him, God was well-pleased.

If John had doubled-down on his unworthiness and continued to refuse to do the thing Christ was asking of him; they’d have all missed that moment. Now, let’s make this a little more personal.

I have not gone a day of my Christian walk feeling worthy of the grace and love I receive from God. I don’t think I ever will. I also don’t think I’m supposed to. Jesus’ baptism kicked off his entire ministry. How many people do you think became ready to accept Him for who he was because of that moment?

God is going to ask you to do things that take you out of your comfort zone. I have no business writing this blog. I’m not a scholarly theologian. I got my writing start falling in love with fantasy novels and wanting to create them. The extend of my studies come from my bible and the preachers who I’ve been lucky enough to have guide parts of my walk. I’m not as faithful in writing it as I should be because sometimes, I just feel so unworthy. I have to remind myself, God never asked me to be worthy.

The first command of Christ wasn’t, “Go and make yourself worthy.” The first command of Christ was “Permit it at this time.” Jesus needed John to be willing, not worthy. Isn’t that awesome?

No matter what life you’ve lived until now. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a Christian, a new Christian, a “Good Christian,” a super-flawed Christian (like me), a jaded Christian on the verge of a gap, or anything else. It. Doesn’t Matter. God doesn’t need you to be worthy; God needs you to be willing.

If you’re not a Christian but you feel God calling you to be one of His people, welcome to the family! I’ll be honest, there might be times that people in this family let you down, but God will not. Remember that. How do you join up? It’s pretty simple, you don’t even have to learn a secret handshake! Here are the steps:

1. Say a prayer acknowledging who God is, that you know He sent His son, Jesus, to carry the burden of our sins, to die on a cross and then rise again to build a bridge that gives us a way back to God. If you need help with that; something like this might work: “God, I need You in my life and I am so grateful You don’t require me to be worthy to have You. I believe that You sent your Son Jesus to die for my sins and to be resurrected so that I could have a relationship with You. I want be part of Your works. I am willing.” Feel free to make that prayer your own, customize it to fit you. Share it with a friend if God has asked you to do so.
2. Find a local church. The first church you find may or may not be the one God wants you at permanently. Don’t worry, He’ll let you know. Ask for Him to guide you and He will. He may have you at one church body for your entire walk and He may send you to several.
3. Ok, so this is the important part. When you find that church, it does not matter if you think it’s the one God has intended for you to stay at for a while or not; but tell the preacher/pastor/priest, whatever the minister is called and tell him your good news. “Hey, I found this random weirdo on the internet rambling about the first command of Christ and I found out that I don’t have to be worthy, I just have to be willing. I prayed this prayer and told God I wanted to be a part of His family and to do His work.” Or, you know, however you would word it. But tell somebody that can help you get started and mentor your walk. Hopefully, they’ll help you get baptized as well (if even Jesus did it before starting his ministry, so should you).
4. And now the hard part that I fail at more than I care to admit: tell everybody. It’s okay to start small. You can start by telling people you love and people you know love you. Then, slowly expand. Small steps forward are still steps forward.
5. As you tell everybody, read your Bible. Don’t have one, they’re pretty cheap on Amazon. I really like the NASB 2020 edition; but it’s not for everyone (I prefer the more literal translation it aims for, but it’s probably not the right translation for a new Christian because it doesn’t have the best flow and readability in places). The pastor at the church I attend currently likes to say that the best translation is the one you’ll pick up and read. It’s good advice.
6. Here’s where I’ll get a little controversial. Even if you don’t currently feel that you have the time to read daily; pray daily. Start every morning off with prayer. God did so much to have a relationship with you and you just told Him you wanted one with Him. You build that relationship by talking to God. It doesn’t have to be formal. You can talk to him as casually as you like. But talk to him every day. Multiple times a day is okay. I try to start my day with an earnest prayer. I say what I like to call “micro prayers” as they day goes by. I try to end my day with prayer to thank God for putting up with me. A daily relationship with God will make your best days better and your worst days bearable.

If you’re already a Christian but haven’t been baptized; do it. I’m not going to type out a whole extra blog within this blog to explain why you should. It should be enough for you that Jesus started his ministry by being baptized and that if we agree on nothing else, we agree that we are supposed to be trying to follow His example. I’m not going to argue about full immersion baptism versus head sprinkles (at least not here). However your church does it, that’s good enough to get started.

For those of us who have been called, been baptized, who know God is wanting you to do a thing that you’re uncomfortable doing (looking at YOU, man in the mirror!). Friend, if you feel even a quarter as unworthy as I do to be doing God’s work and sharing His message, I get it. Make a commitment with me now to permit it anyway. Here’s part of my morning prayer that you can adapt to your own:

“Heavenly Father, You are holy, mighty, and true. The creator of all things and for reasons I’ll never fully understand, You make the decision to love me when I’m at my best and even more when I’m at my worst. No words of gratitude will ever fully express how grateful I am to be able to have this relationship with You. Today father, show me Your will and how I can adjust my life to be a part of it. Send my feet where You want me to go. Use my words to speak Your message. Use my hands to do Your work. In the name of my savior, Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit I pray, Amen.”