Salem's New Testament Challenge

Jesus would have grown up with his Bible being the Old Testament scriptures. The first parable he shared refers back to the many prophets God sent to call His people (the Israelites) into repentance and true worship of God. The people rejected those prophets and many of the people were going to reject God's son as well. Interestingly enough the religious leaders realized the parable was about them. Jesus shares several amazing truths for us that we can follow today: 1. It is important for us to follow our government's laws and also follow the laws of God. If and when the two areas of our lives oppose one another we must rely on God's laws because His are filled with truth. 2. The greatest commandments are to love God and love others! 3. God looks at our hearts when we give - not how much we give. Dear Heavenly Father, continue to open our eyes to Your truths as we read Your Word! Let them not just be words, but truths of how we live our lives. In Jesus' name,

Getting caught up in a movement can be exciting. For three years, Jesus had taught, healed, hung out with sinners and gone against those in religious power. The people felt that Jesus was different - they felt he could be the one the Old Testament scriptures were talking about. The people were right, but they were wrong on how God was going to bring about this new kingdom. In one week, the people following Jesus would realize their ideas about Jesus were wrong. I'm so thankful God is not limited to our human understanding and sees and offers us what we really need instead of what we think we need . Mark 11

This chapter is full of difficult topics. Ultimately, Jesus is teaching that a relationship with him should be the priority in all our lives . Many times we follow our own desires and our hearts are hardened to surrendering certain areas of our lives to him. It could be marriage, our finances or our position in life to name a few Jesus discussed.   Dear Heavenly Father, teach us to surrender all the areas of our lives to You! In Jesus' name, Amen! Mark 10

As a teacher, I cannot help but point out that following Jesus is serious! So serious that if I am causing a child to stumble spiritually there is a huge consequence. Following Jesus is actually obeying his teachings and training others to follow him as well. Our lives should be seasoned with salt and shared to offer a tasty message of the greatest story of hope. Our lives can be entangled with sin, but instead Jesus offers freedom and salvation from those things. Mark 9

This chapter covers: * Jesus once again feeding thousands of people with limited amount of bread and fish. * Jesus warning his disciples of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod (yeast represents how quickly sinful thoughts and ways multiply). * Jesus heals a blind man. * Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah * Jesus predicts his death * Jesus shares how to be his disciple: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" - Jesus Christ What a privilege we are given to follow Jesus! This world is not our home! Mark 8

" You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions ." Jesus continues in this chapter to let us know that God is looking at our heart!  We could be the cleanest, most rule following people in the entire world and yet our actions be ugly, unkind and judgmental. Do people see Jesus living in us? Do they see evidence of the Spirit of God: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control? Dear Heavenly Father, lead us, direct us, so that others are able to see You. We pray that our lives reflect You to the broken world around us. Thank you for the hope we have in You, I pray that we long to share that hope with others! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen. Mark 7

We have the privilege of being able to look back on Jesus' life and realize that he never sinned. While he was growing up under the care of his parents, living life with his siblings and growing up around town, they did not have our vantage point. Mary and Joseph would have known the events around Jesus' birth were miraculous, yet Jesus was still born and grew up the same way his siblings did, the same way the other kids in town did. Jesus learned the skill of carpentry from Joseph. I'm sure he was kind, never cheated anyone, worked hard, but he was just an ordinary person as far as they could see. Once Jesus began his ministry and went into his home town the people could not get over the fact that he had grown up there, they had no faith in the miracles he was able to perform through the power of the Holy Spirit.  This portion of scripture challenges me to allow people I've grown up with, people I know and even people I've taught to change ( Of course I kno

The encounters in this chapter intrigue me: 1. Jesus has a conversation with the demons that had taken up residence in a man. Of course the demons knew who Jesus was. They had chosen to follow Satan rather than God and now they were encountering him again. Well of aware of the power Jesus possessed, they asked permission to be allowed to move residence from this man into a herd of pigs. Jesus granted their request and the demons drove 2,000 pigs into the lake. 2. The people of the town of Gerasenses cared more about their pigs than a man coming back into his right mind. The entire scene scared the people. The crazy man was now dressed and in his right mind. They lost quite a bit of money on the loss of the pigs and they just wanted Jesus to leave. 3. The man who had been healed was told to go tell all that the Lord had done for him. (usually Jesus told people not to tell) The man wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus told the man to go home and share what God had done for him.

Just like Matthew, Mark also records some of the short stories (parables) that Jesus taught. * The Farmer (who planted seeds on four different types of soil) * The Lamp * The Growing Seeds * The Mustard Seed The area in which Jesus ministered Mustard seeds Mustard plants As Jesus told these stories to the people, they would  have been able to visualize what Jesus was talking about. All of these were ordinary things they knew about or dealt with on a regular basis.  Even though the people heard the stories, they really didn't take the deeper meaning of them to heart. I know I've been singing "This Little Light of Mine" since I can remember, but singing and living it are two very different things! Do people see the evidence of Jesus living in us? In the story of the farmer who planted seeds on the four different types of soil, I always pray that the "soil of my heart" will be good soil. I don&

"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath" - so often we treat "sabbath" as a "have" to. God never intended sabbath to be about obligations. He meant it to be a day of rest, of refreshment, connection with friends, family, and most importantly Himself. When we view sabbath as simply "having to go to church" instead of "getting to go" spend time with our best friend and celebrate His goodness in our lives it can steal the whole purpose of the sabbath away. It is way more than going to church, it is a whole day of reconnection with God who is unbelievably good to us. - Peter Burroughs Jesus healed a man with a crippled hand on the Sabbath and the religious leaders lost it and wanted Jesus dead. The crowds continued to follow Jesus looking for miracles and Jesus continued to perform them.  His own family members had a difficult time with what Jesus was doing. I'm sure it didn't make sense to them how their son and

"Have you heard about the guy named Jesus? I'd heard a lot about him, but I just went to hear him speak for the first time yesterday. He actually healed a man and even told the man that he forgave his sins. I've never seen anything like it. I'm definitely going back to see what else he is going to do!" - a common person of Jesus' time period "Who does Jesus think he is? How dare he tell that man his sins are forgiven? Only God can forgive sins! I don't know what kind of crazy magic he's performing, but it certainly can't be from God. He even hangs out and eats with such wicked, lowly people. No religious person that wants to keep a good reputation would dare do such things. He doesn't even keep the laws of the Sabbath, he doesn't follow rules and traditions." - a pharisee Jesus rocked everyone's world. For the common people they couldn't get enough of him and what he had to offer in the moment, yet Jesus wanted to

Today we are able to begin reading Mark's account of Jesus' life on this earth. Unlike Matthew's account, Mark does not give any information about Jesus' birth. I am so thankful that we have four different accounts of the life of Jesus, because we are able to see Jesus' life from different eyewitnesses and friends of eyewitnesses. It is believed that Mark received most of his information from Peter, one of Jesus' closest disciples. As you read Mark 1, you may notice that Jesus says several times not to tell people who he is or what he has done. During that particular period of history, the Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah, but they were looking for a political Messiah to save them from the Roman government. That's not what Jesus came to do; his purpose was to establish an eternal kingdom and did not come to cause a political revolt.  The video below is made by thebibleproject.com   and the creators have done an excellent job of summariz

Before God laid the foundation of the earth - before he created Adam and Eve - before Adam and Eve sinned - God's plan of salvation was already in place. Therefore, Jesus' death was not an accident; it was not a failure rather it was the fulfillment of God's plan of redemption. A tomb could not hold Jesus. No guards could keep an earthquake from happening and opening wide a now empty grave. Jesus defeated sin and death forever! Jesus commissioned his disciples to make more disciples of all nations. As His disciples today that commission is just as true for us. "I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28

My western, American mind has a difficult time wrapping around the fact that people stand around and watch others be tortured and killed. The scenes that play out in Matthew 27 break my heart as an bystander 2,000 years later, yet I also know how easy it is to get caught up in the frenzy of a situation and to fall into the same mindset as the crowd around you. "Crucify him!" If the people around you are so adamant about his guilt, he must be guilty of something serious. As Jesus died that day, about 30 Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled. (Judas' blood money and what it bought, he would be thirsty, no broken bones, etc) Once Jesus died, I'm sure chaos erupted. The earth and grave knew what had just happened. An earthquake and people rising from the dead and coming into town. This was no ordinary man. Even though the disciples seemed to forget Jesus said he would rise again in three days, the chief priests and pharisees did not. They had Jesus' tomb well p

Jesus was not surprised that his disciples deserted him when the authorities came to arrest him. He actually predicted it over and over again. Jesus had also predicted that he would rise from the dead in three days, yet his disciples could only see their present circumstances. The man they had spent the last three years with, who they believed to be the Messiah, was in custody. This was not what they had pictured with Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus had constantly talked about the kingdom of God, this didn't look like a kingdom to them. This looked like the end of a false teacher. The chapter ends with Peter sneaking around the palace trying to figure out what is going on. It doesn't take people long to realize he was one of the twelve disciples and when questioned, he adamantly denies it. On the third denial the rooster crows and Peter instantly is reminded of the fact that Jesus had predicted this very thing. I'm so glad the story of Jesus doesn't end here, because th

It's important to remember that we cannot earn our salvation - salvation is a gift, because of the way Jesus lived his life. He offers salvation freely to those who receive it, yet as believers in Jesus Christ, it's important how we live our lives. Our lives should be lived purposefully as we serve God and those around us. The talents that God has given us should be used for His glory. We should be sharing the hope of Jesus Christ with those around us.  Dear Heavenly Father, give us clarity and a sense of Your purpose. Thank you for the talents You have given us. Let us use them to help point people into a relationship with You. In Jesus' name, Amen. Matthew 25

Reading and growing in God's Word is a must for Christians, because it places a solid foundation under our feet, so we are able to discern truth from lies. In this chapter, Jesus is talking about the signs of the end of the times. This topic has caused many people stress and fear throughout the ages, but Jesus says, " Do not be alarmed ."  Jesus is going to come back, but no one knows exactly the day or time. The beauty is we don't have to know when we have a relationship with Christ, because we will be ready. When I was a teenager, there was a book out, Eighty-eight Reasons God is Coming Back in 1988 . The book became obsolete in 1989. Many other people have tried to predict the time - impossible. God will come back in His perfect timing.  In relationship to eternity our lives on this earth are but a breath. Our time on this earth will pass away, but God's words never will. We do not need to fear today or tomorrow, we can walk with God with this unpredicta

The religious leaders of Jesus' time spoke the truths of the Scripture, but they added so many religious details and traditions to their teachings that no one could live up to their standards. As believers in Jesus Christ was don't want to live our faith out like those religious leaders did. At Salem we want people to encounter Jesus whatever stage or situation in life they are in,  "See to it that no one misses the grace of God!" Our faith in God is not about rules, but rather a personal relationship. Following all the rules don't make us right with God, but when we are in relationship with Him we want to follow the rules, because we love Him. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for our free gift of salvation - even though it was not free for You. It cost You the life of Your Son. Thank you for loving us and continually wanting a personal relationship with each of us! Let our lives reflect Your grace to the people around us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. M

"Teacher," they said, "we know that you are a man of integrity... You aren't swayed by others." I don't think the religious leaders were trying to be nice when they were saying these words, but people could not help but notice that Jesus was a man of conviction. He cared more about what His Father thought of him than what people thought. He had a plan and he acted, taught and lived his life with purpose. The religious leaders tried to trap him with a question to which they believed he would not be able to answer, "What is the greatest commandment?" His answer summarized the entire law with two statements, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." 1) Love God 2) Love Others Questions for today: 1. Am I filled with integrity as I live a purpose-filled life following God? 2. Do I ca

As I read this chapter, I think about Holy Week as we celebrate it at Salem. Palm Sunday we wave the branches as we remember Jesus' triumphal entry into the city. If we travel back 2,000 years the journey the week held for him was the most difficult moments he experienced as a man. He chose to be obedient to the Father, even though his flesh fought against him.  Jesus continued to fight for what was right, heal the lame and blind and teach the people about the kingdom of God.  I still am moved by how the children loved him. My sister-in-law shared this song with me over the weekend and thought of how many times in Matthew we see the faith of children. May we all continue to have the faith of a child.  Matthew 21

What a privilege, we as, believers in Jesus Christ have. God's kingdom is based on God's standards not ours. Whether we have been in relationship with God from our childhood or came into relationship with him in our adulthood we are all considered heirs of God. Our gift is the free gift of salvation, because of Jesus Christ's sinless life, death, and resurrection. Once again Jesus reminded his disciples that being great by God's standards is being a servant. "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."   Dear Heavenly Father, empty us of our desires and fill us with Your desires. Teach us to truly serve and love the people You have placed in our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Matthew 20

"But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first." In God's kingdom success looks different than what we are used to hearing. Success in God's eyes is a heart attitude - a heart that follows after His leading. Giving up our own desires and serving Him and the people around us. Matthew 19

I can still picture my husband walking with a fishing pole in his hand and my son, who was about four, following him also carrying a fishing pole. On the path they were on they came to a creek they had to cross. My husband gave instructions to my son and without whining or questioning he did just what his dad asked him to do. It was at that moment I realized my son had complete faith in his father. This is the kind of childlike faith God is asking of us. As we grow older we can become so hardened by human circumstances that we forget our Father knows best. Even if the world around us is screaming, "You can't do that!" or  "That won't work!" or "That doesn't make sense!" -  if God has asked us to do it, we need to follow His direction and leading. If Nehemiah had listened to, "You can't do that!" - he never would have gone to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. If Moses had listened to, "That won't work!" - he

In our reading yesterday and today, Jesus told his disciples that he would have to suffer, die and then rise again three days later. Even thought they had been with him for three years, his teachings were still difficult for them to understand. As we continue to read Matthew, we will see that the disciples were still caught by surprise when these events actually happened.  So many truths that Jesus taught the disciples were not truly understood until the Holy Spirit came on them and other Believers at Pentecost (Acts 2). What a privilege we have today as Christians to have the Holy Spirit of God living in us as we journey through this life.  Dear Heavenly Father, we pray that you will open our eyes to your truths. When we do not understand, I pray that we will seek Your wisdom as we have the precious gift of the Holy Spirit to guide and counsel us. In the powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  Matthew 17

As I read chapter 16, I couldn't help but notice the vast difference from the mind of Christ to the mind of a human being. Our human minds are so limited and yet we question God so often and think we have all the answers. Think of all the miracles that Jesus had performed up to this point in time, he was giving sight to the blind, healing the lame so they could walk, and so many other miraculous healings, yet the religious leaders still asked for a sign from heaven. If they would have known their Old Testament teachings, they would have known that those were signs from heaven. My prayer today is that we would be emptied of our own selfish thoughts and desires and be filled with the thoughts and desires of Christ. How amazing to walk through life intentionally, loving and leading people the way Jesus loves and leads them.

So thankful you have been reading through the New Testament with us. We are officially over half way through the book of Matthew! Way to go! Isn't it amazing that we have to explain to our children the idea behind why we did certain things when we were kids? They don't know how to use a rotary phone, most of them would have no idea what an 8-track is, or that there was a time when seat belts weren't mandatory to wear. Those are just a few examples, but think about the slang you used or one liners from movies that don't make sense unless you've seen the movie. I write those things, because that's how it is when we are reading the Bible sometimes. Things that were recorded in the Bible would have to be explained to us, because the ideas were from 2,000 years ago in a Jewish culture. So we are at somewhat of a disadvantage with some of the things Jesus said, like why would he call the Canaanite woman a dog ?  Yet there are other things that Jesus says that y

Several things which stand out to me in chapter 14: * Jesus had to walk through the brokenness of life, just like us. When John the Baptist died, Jesus took some time to be alone with the Father. As I follow Jesus' example, I realize how much I need to spend time with God, allowing Him to give the strength I need each day. * He didn't get annoyed by the people following him - He fed them supernaturally. He doesn't get annoyed when we follow him or bring the major things or trivial things in our life to him - He feeds us the truth of the Bread of Life. Matthew 14

Jesus taught using parables in chapter 13. Did you notice that he spoke in parables to the large crowds, but he did not explain them until later when the disciples asked what they meant? Even the disciples asked, "Why do you speak in parables?" Jesus' response was that the knowledge of the kingdom was not given to the people. It almost seems unfair, until he explains further and quotes from the prophet Isaiah. The crowds had been following Jesus for a long time and even though they heard Jesus' messages, they really didn't listen. Their hearts were hardened to the truths of his words. My prayer is that our hearts are like the good soil in the Parable of the Sower! When we don't understand a truth that we will seek to understand. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." Let us be people who seek whole-heartedly after Jesus and His kingdom! Matthew 13

Jesus' words have a way of piercing the soul. As with every chapter there are so many truths, several that stand out to me are the following: * In the Old Testament God's requirement to His people was to love Him with their whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Sacrifices were a way God gave them to show their love for Him. Over time the people continued the outward sacrifices, but began worshiping and loving other gods more. "I desire mercy not sacrifice." The question I have to ask myself is, "Are my actions about a show or do I worship God because I love Him more than anything?" * Do my words and my actions match? What fruits are my life producing? The fruits of God's Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5). If these are not seen in someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ (the majority of the time) who is truly leading them? Dear Heavenly Father, let our lives

Jesus' teachings were so radically different than how the religious leaders had interpreted God's laws from the Old Testament. They had set up rule upon rule, tradition upon tradition with no relationship behind the motives of their actions. Jesus turned their world upside down when he began teaching with authority, healing people and offering hope to the broken. John the Baptist ended up in prison for preaching God's message of repentance and even he contemplated whether Jesus was the promised Messiah or not. Jesus' response was not just yes, he had his disciples respond by telling John the things Jesus was doing had been prophesied about the future Messiah in Isaiah 61.  God desires for people is to know Him, yet in our pride we can push His truths far away from us. My prayer is that my faith is that of a child's. May I always trust in Jesus when the world or religion tells me I'm crazy. Abiding in Him is truly the only way to have peace. Matthew 11