Ephesians 5:20

Verse of the Day Devotion: Ephesians 5:20

“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” – Ephesians 5:20

God has done, and is doing, so much for us.  Much more than we could ever imagine.  We often give thanks to God when a great thing happens that gives us joy.  Some examples are when we win a wonderful prize, when someone we enjoy fellowshipping with comes and visits us, when a miracle happens in that we are either healed of a terrible disease or we are delivered from a very trying issue.  We give thanks for the food we are about to eat, and for the day we are about to rise from our sleep and enjoy.

But what about for other times?  What about when we go through difficult situations? Paul says regarding this thought.  “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. This can be difficult to do, but let’s look at this closer.  We are to rejoice at all times, in all situations and circumstances.  It is easy to see why we would rejoice when wonderful things happen to and for us; and even when it is just an ordinary event.  But what about being thankful during hard times?  Yes, we should be thankful to God even during these times.

Why should we be?  As the above verse states, ‘for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us.’  Whatever God does or allows to happen, we know it is for our good.  If He chooses for us to, for instance, lose our job, He has a purpose for it.  If He allows us to become disabled in any way, then He also has a reason for it. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28. Everything that happens to us, God has a reason for it. This is what we must remember during these times. I remember when I was blind for around three months. Yes, it was hard, but it helped me understand even more His love for me.

Also, I have been able to help others in the same situation. As Paul also said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. Sometimes, what God allows is not for our benefit but for another’s. However, we benefit because we now have the knowledge and the compassion to help others through very similar situations.

In closing, every situation and circumstance we find ourselves in is something to be thankful for, whether we perceive it as good or not.  And the reason is that God either caused it or allowed it.  If there was not a ‘good’ reason for us to be placed in a situation, God would not have allowed it. Remember, all things work together for our good.  We may never know or understand what that good is, but we must trust Him that it is for our good.  And a lot of times, these trials may be the means to draw us to Himself.

What an amazing and loving God.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Matthew 4:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 4:1

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” – Matthew 4:1

After His baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.  This is looked at as the first act of His ministry, a battle so to speak with Satan.  This was not something He did of His own accord but was led there by the Spirit for a purpose.  I believe that purpose was to show that He could be tempted and not fall as man has, and thus reveal who He actually is, the one who could and would pay the penalty for our sins.  Note a similar situation of temptation.  “The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.” Genesis 3:4-7.  They also were tempted by Satan, however, they listened to him rather than God.  They believed the words of the serpent and followed what he said.

Jesus, on the other hand, did not fall into Satan’s trap.  The first temptation was “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” Matthew 4:2-3.  Here, Satan told Jesus how to address His hunger.  But Jesus quoted Deuteronomy to answer him.  “He humbled you and let you be hungry and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.”  Deuteronomy 8:3. In other words, what proceeds from God is what man lives by, not simply bread.

Then Satan brings Him to the pinnacle of the temple for the second temptation.  “and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.”  Matthew 4:6. This is a quote from the Psalms. “For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.”  Psalm 91:11.   Satan attempted to use scripture himself, however, “Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.” This is a quote from Deuteronomy which says, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.” Deuteronomy 6:16. Notice the words of Jesus “On the other hand, it is written…”

Then lastly, the third temptation, which he did from the top of a very high mountain.  “And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:9. And of course, He again quoted scripture with this.  “Then Jesus said to him, Go, Satan! For it is written, YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY ” Matthew 4:10.  And this is a quotation from Deuteronomy again.  “You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you,” Deuteronomy 6:13-14.

This is why we need to study the scriptures and get to know what God said.  Jesus used scripture to answer all the temptations placed on Him by Satan, and this is a good way for us to fight temptation.  Knowing what God says is good and what He says is sin will give us the weapons we need to resist him and get him to flee from us.  We need to take advantage of this so we will be able to say “NO!” to Satan when he tries to defeat us.  Remember the words of James when he wrote, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. And the way to submit to Him is to follow His word completely.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Romans 8:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 8:1

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1

In Genesis 3 Adam and Eve sinned causing all of mankind to be under the curse.  “Therefore, just as through one-man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”.  Romans 5:12. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, death came into the world.  But even more important in my thoughts, perfection was lost, for sin was passed on from generation to generation.  Man could not address this problem himself, for the solution was the shedding of the blood of an innocent, perfect man, who would have the sins of all imputed to him, thus paying the penalty for us.  Also, we would be justified, declared righteous, if we choose to accept this work done by Jesus.

This is what happened.  Man, himself could not do it, for no man was innocent, without sin.  Therefore, God had to come down himself and die for us.  And He did, through the second person of the trinity, Jesus the Christ.  Peter says the following when describing his calling, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:21-24.  Because of the death Jesus died for us, we are justified by our faith in His work.  “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”  Romans 5:1-2

I know this is understood by all who are Christians.  However, do we rejoice because of this?  This is the most incredible picture of love ever exhibited in this world.  We were condemned and bound for eternal punishment because of our sin, and there was nothing we could do.  So, God did it for us.  He spent over thirty years here on earth living an absolutely perfect life, ending in dying a horrendous death to pay the penalty for our sins.  Do we show our appreciation for this as we should?  As I said above, we were condemned, but now the condemnation has been done away with for us who are truly saved by faith in the work of Christ.

We must rejoice with everything we have, for we are reconciled with God and we now have access to Him.  “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”  Romans 5:10-11.  Never let this work of Christ be minimized at any cost. Be mindful of it at all times, for without this work, we have no hope, but through this work we have absolute hope, for our sins are forgiven and we are now children of God.  “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”  Luke 2:14. William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Matthew 8:20

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 8:20

“Jesus said to him, the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” – Matthew 8:20

Jesus was speaking to a crowd of followers.  It was not just the twelve who walked with Him, there were many who heard what He was teaching, saw the many miracles He performed, and desired to know more about Jesus, who He was and what He taught. We read in Matthew the following, “Then a scribe came and said to Him,  Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Matthew 8:19.   The use of the word teacher tells us that He truly did not understand who Jesus was.  Also, in the rabbinic culture, the scribes were held in high esteem.  They normally were well taken care of and all their needs were met.  I am sure he expected Jesus to say, “Sure, come along, that would be great.” However, Jesus knew this man’s heart and that he was no doubt expecting everything to be the same, and for him to be taken care of as he was being a Rabbi.  However, the focus verse states His answer, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Matthew 8:20.  As we continue reading, we see no indication that he followed Jesus.

Notice that Jesus did not say to him that he was not welcome to follow Him.  But what He did say was the truth of what it meant to follow Him.  He did not paint a beautiful image of what it was like to be a follower.  But what He did say showed that it was not as easy as he had thought.  In essence He told the scribe that there were no guarantees.  There was nothing that promised they would have a place to sleep that was comfortable and safe.  The animals will have more assurance of a good night sleep then he would if He followed Him.  As you see what happened throughout Jesus’ ministry, there were a lot of uncertainties.  Food was not always available, and they were not always in places of safety.

And we need to be careful that we do not present a rosy picture of this life.  Yes, God will never leave us or forsake us.  Yes, He will give us joy and peace in all situations.  And yes, He will always love us and take care of us.  Too many times evangelists will use the technique of painting a picture to new believers and disciples that all is well, you can get what you want, and that you always will be safe. If we do, we are hiding what is going on in many countries where the governments are out to punish all those who worship Jesus.  Also, we are telling them that everyone will listen to them, and not give them any trouble.  Times can get tough.  And Jesus did not hide this aspect of following Him.  And if He did not hide this, then neither should we.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Matthew 18:22

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 18:22

“Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” – Matthew 18:22

Jesus here is laying out a principle which is important for us to follow.  Before our focus verse, Jesus had just been teaching about the sins of a brother, regarding what to do in the event a brother does sin.  Jesus replies by saying, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Matthew 18:15-17.  He was laying out the idea that we should do what we can to restore a brother if possible so that they will remain a follower.

“Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”  Matthew 18:21. Peter here is making this a more personal issue.  He is not asking about if a brother sins, but if a brother should sin against him.  Peter was using the tradition of the Jews regarding forgiveness.  The Jews taught that a man was to forgive another three times, but not the fourth.  Peter here is extending the number to seven, basically saying should forgiveness be exercised to this extent.

However, Jesus throws him a curve in our focus verse.  He doesn’t say seven, or even an extravagant number such as fourteen or even twenty-one times.  He says we are to forgive our brother seventy times seven, which calculates to four hundred and ninety times.  This goes well beyond the tradition of the Jews.  What Jesus is basically saying is that no matter how many times he sins against us and asks for forgiveness, we are to forgive him.

Now it is the duty of someone who sins against us to ask for forgiveness.  “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” Luke 17:3. However, we have a duty if our brother repents and asks us for forgiveness, and that is to forgive.  As many times as he sins against us and asks forgiveness.  And why is this?  Because this is what Christ does with us.  No matter what we do and however many times, He will forgive us.  “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9.  There are no limits noted here, therefore we should have no limits if we are to be like Christ.

This can be a very difficult thing to do.  If someone does the same thing over and over again to us and then repents and asks for forgiveness, we are obligated to forgive.  If they do this, there is obviously an issue with that person, and in that, we leave it in God’s hands.  But we must forgive them.  I believe we should pray and ask God to change them so that they do not persist, and we should admonish them so that they are aware of what they are doing.  But we cannot withhold forgiveness.

I want to encourage us if we are in that place where repeated sins are done against us, we should heartily pray for them and work with them where they allow us to.  This is a loving act, to repeatedly forgive the same thing from the same person.  But as stated above, this is what God does for us.  Therefore, we are to go and do likewise.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Romans 8:28-29

Verse of the Day: Romans 8:38-39

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39
This is an absolutely beautiful passage.  Paul is very clear that there is absolutely nothing that can cause God to stop loving us who are members of the Body of Christ, his should give us immense peace.  Because of His love, He will always be with us, helping us through all of our trials and troubling times.  And you can trust this, because He said I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). You can trust God to bring you through everything you go through.  If hard times come, remember He is with you.  And He will always be with you.  This is His promise to you, and one thing we know for sure, He always keeps His promises.

Matthew 5:14

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Matthew 5:14

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” – Matthew 5:14

Before we discuss this specific verse, let us look at several verses in the Old Testament that helps lay out what Jesus meant in our focus verse. First, “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” Isaiah 42:6-7.  Notice what this verse is saying. God is calling someone who would do His work through a new covenant on the earth. The Old Covenant was a conditional agreement that God made with the Israelites. The Old Covenant was in effect during the dispensation of the Law. It is ‘old’ in comparison to the New Covenant promised by Jeremiah the prophet and made effective by the death of the Lord Jesus. And this new covenant would replace the old one. “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Hebrews 8:6,10.

Then God tells His servant, “He says, It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the protected ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations, so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6. In this verse, we see that God’s servant was declared the light of the world. Jesus tells His disciples this which is recorded in the Gospel of John. “Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12. And we see here that God’s servant who was made the light of the world was the coming Messiah.

Now we come to our focus verse. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14. In John, Jesus declares Himself to be the light of the world, however, He knew His ministry would not last longer than His life here, so He passes on this responsibility to His followers. It started out with His disciples, but now it includes all true Christians from the time of Christ until He returns.

As a side historical point, Charles Spurgeon writes the following regarding lights of the world. “This title had been given by the Jews to certain of their eminent Rabbis. With great pomposity they spoke of Rabbi Judah, or Rabbi Jochanan, as the lamps of the universe, the lights of the world. It must have sounded strangely in the ears of the Scribes and Pharisees to hear that same title, in all soberness, applied to a few bronzed-faced and horny-handed peasants and fishermen, who had become disciples of Jesus.”

Physical light is necessary for physical life. A forest full of trees with very thick covers of foliage high above has very little plant life on the ground except for moss or lichen, which needs little sunlight. Plants will never move away from the light; they are said to be drawn to the light. In the same way, spiritual light is necessary for spiritual life, and this can be a good test of our standing in Christ. The believer will always tend toward spiritual things; he will always tend toward fellowship, prayer, the Word of God, and so on. The unbeliever always does the opposite because light exposes his evil, and he hates the light. Indeed, no man can come into the true spiritual light of Jesus Christ, unless he gives everything to Christ.

Now, Jesus gives Christians a great responsibility when He says that we are the light of the world, because He claimed that title for Himself as He walked this earth. And now He wants us to continue this duty, which is to shine the light of truth into a very dark world. And the light that we shine is not our own, but the light of Jesus reflected by us to the world. In other words, when we receive the light of Christ, we are not just to experience it, but we are to share it with those who do not know or see the truth. Note what He says in the next verses. “Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:15-16. Jesus shines His light upon us so we can reflect this light to a lost world. What do people see when they look upon us? Do they see the light of Christ, or do they see the darkness of this world? If they see the latter, then we must get our act together and stop covering the light and start shining it forth, for it is the light of Christ we are called to show the lost, and this is the only way we can convince them we are truly followers of Christ.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, President and Founder of True Devotion Ministries.

Matthew 6:19

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 6:19

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” – Matthew 6:19

Before we move deeply into this passage, it is important to see what was considered as treasures or wealth in the ancient world. Treasures consisted in clothes or raiment. Raiment was considered as covering, clothing, or general garments. However, treasures also consisted of gold, silver, gems, jewelry, wine, lands, and oil. The ancient world delighted greatly in display, in splendid equipment and costly garments. In fact, their treasures consisted much in beautiful and richly ornamented articles of apparel.

Now, looking at verses 19 and 20, their wordings are almost the same words as the other, but with very clear distinctions regarding the definitions of treasures. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.” Matthew 6:19-20. The thought here is not to ‘treasure up treasures.’ The word in the Greek for ‘store’ is the Greek word ‘thēsaurizō’ meaning to amass or reserve, to treasure together things. In these two verses, Jesus set up an absolute contrast between on earth and in heaven. He urged his followers to forget earth and think of heaven. We must not waste our time trying to get ahead in this world. He was asking them which is more important, temporary life here on earth or eternal life in heaven?

Later, He uses different wording to express basically the same point. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”  Matthew 16:24-27. Notice the wording here, ‘he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.’ The idea isn’t that earthly treasures are intrinsically bad, but ultimately, they are of no eternal value. If this is the case, then it is unwise for a disciple of Jesus to dedicate his life to continually expanding his earthly treasures, for they will, in the future, have it taken away by theft or destruction. Heavenly treasure, on the other hand, cannot be stolen of destroyed.

What He was saying was whatever you consider your treasures, either those things on earth or those things in heaven, is what you consider most important to you. And this is nicely capsulated in verse 21. “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21. Jesus drew the conclusion that you can only have your treasure in one place, either in heaven or on earth. We cannot have it in both places. He is not saying we cannot be rich here on earth and be a true Christian for God has given many of His people wealth. But which is most important to us? Where are our desires, our heart?

Then Jesus finalizes this idea in verse 24. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Matthew 6:24. It is important in understanding this verse to note that the Greek word translated ‘wealth’ is ‘mammōnas’ or mammon. Christ proceeds to illustrate the necessity of laying up treasures in heaven from a well-known fact, that a servant cannot serve two masters at the same time. His affections and obedience would be divided, and he would fail altogether in his duty to one or the other. One he would love, the other he would hate. To the interests of the one he would adhere, the interests of the other he would neglect. This is a law of human nature. The supreme affections can be fixed on only one object. So, says Jesus, the servant of God cannot at the same time obey him and be greedy, or seek treasures supremely on earth. One interferes with the other, and one or the other will be, and must be, surrendered. Theologian Albert Barnes describes it quite well. “Mammon is a Syriac word, a name given to an idol worshipped as the god of riches. It has the same meaning as Plutus among the Greeks. It is not known that the Jews ever formally worshipped this idol, but they used the word to denote wealth. The meaning is, ye cannot serve the true God, and at the same time be supremely engaged in obtaining the riches of this world. One must interfere with the other.”

In closing, the idea is that if we place God as who we will follow, no matter what, then we cannot focus on attaining wealth. Also, if we place wealth, or mammon, as what we will follow, then we will not focus on God and His ways. It is important that we look at our thoughts, desires, and how we live our lives and ensure nothing comes before following God and obeying every command He gives us. Nothing should ever come before serving God in all things. And we must remember that we don’t have to be rich to serve mammon’ money and material things; the poor can be just as greedy and covetous as the rich.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, President and Founder of True Devotion Ministries.

Matthew 28:19

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Matthew 28:19

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19

This is a powerful verse that lays out our commission, as Christians. When the eleven remaining disciples saw Jesus they honored Him. However, there were some who still doubted. “And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.” Matthew 28:17. Now this does not say when they arrived to where Jesus was, but when they saw Him. From a distance they worshipped Him. Upon seeing Jesus, they immediately worshipped Him, for they knew He died, and seeing Him living again helped them in seeing the truth of His resurrection. Matthew here tells of their doubts showing their honesty, that they did not agree simply to say that he had risen. They only believed when they saw Jesus alive. Their caution in examining the evidence is proof that they were not deceived in regard to the fact of his resurrection. When the saw Him, they fully believed.

And Jesus, knowing where they were and, I am sure, knowing of their doubting, went to them. And He declared His immense authority given to Him. “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:17. This authority was given to Him by the Father. And because of this authority, He declares His command to the disciples, which includes our focus verse. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20. Because He has been granted universal authority, He begins by giving these eleven disciples their mission calling. They were to go out and make disciples, as He did when He selected them. Now, this baptism was not of water. John the Baptist said he baptized with water, but not the Messiah. “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11. This baptism was not an outward work, but an inner work. Theologian Adam Clarke puts it this way. “Christ’s religion was to be a spiritual religion, and was to have its seat in the heart.”

The disciples were not called to bring men into traditions. They were called to help people understand the reality and purpose of Christ’s work here. And this did not stop at their acceptance of the truth, they were called to ‘make disciples’, not merely to make converts to Christianity, but teach them what it means to be a follower of Christ. This is one of the problems we face today. Many go out and get people to accept Christ, then leave it at that. They do not take the time to train them in the faith. Jesus spent three years training His, therefore we must take more than a few minutes to let them know what being a Christian is about. And too many churches do not take the time to train people. They have their several sermons every week, but do not help people grow in their own understanding of this new life.

In the last verse in this chapter, Jesus tells them to teach everything that He taught them. This is not a simple task that can be completed quickly, for there is much to learn and apply to our lives. This will take time, and He is commanding them to take the same time and attention He did in training them. This is not easy or quick, but it is required in order to help others become strong in their faith. We who are Christians must put forth all the effort we can to teach the truth, all of it and not just the favorable parts. We need to be ready to give loving correction as Jesus did, and also edification to encourage as Jesus did. True believers want to learn and grow in the faith. Unfortunately many so-called churches are falling short of this, preaching, and teaching what people want to hear, not necessarily what they need to hear. This can be difficult but it is our calling. Examine the writings of Paul and see how he taught. This will show how much we truly love Christ and His light will shine forth from us in ways we cannot even begin to imagine.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Matthew 5:14a

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Matthew 5:14

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” – Matthew 5:14

When Jesus came in the flesh to this world, it was to help the people here, both Jews and Gentiles, to understand the grace of God through His sacrifice in paying the penalty for all our sins. And by understanding this truth we can then accept this sacrifice that covers our sins if we believe Him and the one who sent Him. The first chapter of John lays this out beautifully. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:1-3. He starts by declaring Jesus to have been since the beginning and existed when everything was created. In fact all that came into existence was through Him. And then we come to verse 4. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4. What He is saying here is that because He came, we have access to eternal truth. When we walk into a dark room, we have no idea what is there because all we see is blackness, for there is no light. However, when we turn on the light, we then see clearly what is there. It is essentially the same idea we see in verse four above. Jesus came here to reveal the truth to all people, especially since the Jewish leadership were not.

Now there are several clues that ‘shine a light’ on who this light is. We read again in John the following. “There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light but came that he might bear witness of the light.” John 1:6-8. This could be none other than John the Baptist who came to declare that Jesus was the promised Messiah; to be a witness that Christ is this promised light. He was not the light but was a witness to the light. And this light was intended for all people. “There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.” John 1:9. This light that reveals truth was not intended only for the Jews, but all who are in the world. But unfortunately many, including God’s people the Jews, would not know Him. “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” John 1:10-11. But those who believe would receive a great honor. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13. This incredible honor was the right to be adopted as sons and daughters of God.

Jesus tells them later that He will not always be the light. “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5. While He is here on the earth, He is the one who shines the light of truth in this world. But who is it that will do it after His ascension?  This is seen in our focus verse. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14. The disciples became the light in this world after Jesus’ ascension. Jesus, knowing that His Spirit and righteousness are found in them, declares they are the light of the world, shining the light of Jesus who is the true light of the world. And since they did not live forever, this blessing has fallen on all true Christians to this day and going forward till His return. This light is the same light that shined forth from Christ. But now we are to be a reflection of this light. People when they see us must see the truth of the gospel being lived out in us. And when they see us living it out, they will be able to see their need for Jesus to provide salvation to them. For just as the moon has no light of its own, reflecting the light of the sun, so are we, true believers, to reflect the Light of Christ so that all can see this light in us. This light is proven to others by the good deeds we do in faith and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The focus here is Christians are to maintain an obvious and credible witness to the world that shows we are true believers, faithful and true to God in all ways. And this evidence must be sincere and trustworthy regarding everything about us. “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” 1 Peter 3:14-16. We are to have such a love for unbelievers that we will do all we can to show the truth of the gospel by reflecting the light of Christ to all people. This is our calling. So let us go out and make it happen.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.