Clever Free Methodist

The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:16-20 , is packed full of so many life-changing words that a pastor could write a few months-worth of sermons. It is really fascinating to me what is packed into most of the words Jesus said.   We know the word “go” in “Go and make disciples” in verse nineteen. The word “go” does not imply that we “sit down and plan out” a trip or meeting. The correct translation is that Jesus is telling us we live out the Great Commission “while we are going.”   There is no specific destination given for “where” we are to go. It is simply an issue of living in awareness that this applies to “everywhere” we are at the moment. As you go about your day to be attentive towards living like Jesus and speaking the life-giving words of Jesus.   We go about our day in privacy and out in public on the alert, and fully engaged and prepared to “…give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).   Howev...

There are hundreds, if not, thousands of video clips that circulate on social media on a daily basis. Some have an agenda while others are manipulated to force a narrative upon us. I have also found that some just speak for themselves. I came across one of those video clips.   I’ll keep it “anonymous” as to who this was because my point is context . I would normally just brush off such a video clip as this, but I couldn’t. The person involved took the Bible out of context and was “forcing a square peg into a round hole” to make it justify his lifestyle.   He was expressing his displeasure with people criticizing him for being very rich. He did not appreciate that people were voicing their displeasure at his owning a mansion and having a private jet to fly him around the world. This television preacher made no apologies for living an “above and beyond” lavish lifestyle. In fact, he claimed them as a blessing from God.   I would have just brushed it off at that point and m...

I think we could spend hours, if not days, in just the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel. If there is one thing that is made clear in this writing is that God is passionately pursuing us and bidding us to have a relationship with Him that is restored by His Son, Jesus.   There is one verse, in particular, that stands out to me. John 6:37 , “However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.” Those that come to Jesus will never be rejected. If you come to Jesus, just as you are now, he will not turn you away. He gladly welcomes you to come to him.   It is not God’s design or plan that we live separated from Him. He makes the way for that relationship to happen. He initiated the plan. He paid the price. He gives freely. He gives us free-will to choose or reject that offer of reconciliation through Jesus, His Son.   God makes His intent clear:  Ezekiel 33:11 , “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the ...

Just before Jesus gives up His spirit on the cross, He utters a very powerful word. The word that He cries out is “ tetelestai” (tih-tellis-tie). When literally translated, this word means, “It is finished.” It can also refer to something completed or accomplished. The word occurs in  John 19:28  and 19:30 and these are the only two places in all of the New Testament where it is found. In the John19:28 passage, it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now  completed , in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘ It is finished ,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”   Did you know that the word  tetelestai  was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full? The Greek-English lexicon (by Moulton and Milligan) sa...