Frank's Bible Blog

Matthew 28-- Darkest before the Dawn

The saying goes that it is darkest just before the dawn. That certainly was the case in the hours preceding that first Easter Sunday morning. It seemed that all hope had been lost when Christ died on the Cross, but now something truly wonderful had happened. Christ was alive! Imagine what this meant to Christ's disciples at the time. What looked like a devastating defeat had turned into a glorious victory. Death and sin had been conquered. Imagine what it would have been like as the 11 remaining disciples (Judas had committed suicide) gathered to see their resurrected Lord. They had seen Jesus do some amazing things while He walked with them, but nothing as incredible as this. As they gathered together, Jesus gave them their marching orders--to make disciples of all the nations. Then He left them with a promise "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (v20). As followers of Christ, we experience the victory of Easter every day as we walk with the Lord. There is always hope because their was an Easter! As we journey through this life, we must remember two things--the same things Jesus told His disciples gathered on a Galilean mountain. We must remember our mission is to make disciples and we must remember that Christ is always with us, no matter what we are facing. If you are facing a dark time in your life today, remember Easter.  Return to your mission, and rely on Christ's power and presence in your life.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 27-- A Soldier's View of the Cross

Imagine that you are a Roman soldier in the first century A.D. You are deployed in a "peace keeping" role in a city called Jerusalem. The governor is in town to make sure that a local celebration called "passover" doesn't get out of hand. Today, you are assigned to the governor's detail ready to carry out anything he commands. A man named Jesus is brought in to be judged by the governor. You have heard some rumblings about this Jesus, but don't know much about Him and really don't care. You watch Jesus' encounter with your boss and how your boss reacts to the crowds who for some reason seem intent on having this guy executed. Finally, the governor turns this guy over to you to begin the execution process. Your apathy now turns to antagonism as you and your friends begin to mock and beat this supposed "king of the Jews." It is time now to move the prisoner to a hillside outside of town where you will carry out his execution by crucifixion--the worst form of suffering that you know.

Too weak to carry the wood that He will be nailed to, you order a man from the crowd to carry Jesus' cross the rest of the way up the hill. After you nail Jesus to the wood and drop the cross into the ground, you watch the suffering begin. Your antagonism, however, turns to intrigue as you watch this man handle himself the final hours of His life. Although this Jesus had been stripped of everything, and is hanging helpless on this cross, He seems somehow to still be in control. There is something very different about today--and something very different about this prisoner. An eerie feeling comes over you as an incredible darkness sets--even though it is the middle of the day. That darkness continued for three hours until you hear this Jesus cry out something. You draw closer to hear Him cry out again--and you watch as life leaves him.  But even that was different.  It wasn't like He just died--like you had seen so many others die--rather, it was more like He stopped living. Like He was somehow in control of even this moment. Then there was a horrific earthquake. Now it is clear to you, this man was who He said He was. "Truly this was the Son of God" you exclaim to all those gathered around. What started as apathy turned to antagonism then intrigue and finally ended with this confession.

How do you view the cross of Christ today? Are you apathetic--you don't think what Christ did has any relevance for you? Are you antagonistic for some reason--maybe you feel that God somehow let you down? Or maybe you are reading this today with great intrigue--you are trying to discover who Christ is for yourself. Hopefully, if you haven't already, you will come to the place that the solider came to when he made his confession. Hopefully today you will realize that Christ's death was for you--to pay for your sin. Hopefully today you will embrace Christ as your Savior, as you acknowledge that He is the only way of salvation from sin and the only pathway to Heaven. If you have never done so, then stop right now and thank Christ for dying and raising from the dead for you. Ask Him to forgive you of your sin and to give you eternal life. Don't just be a spectator at the cross...embrace it for yourself!

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 26-- When Your Closest Friends Let You Down

Have you ever been let down by a close friend or family member? How did it feel when you were counting on them but they didn't come through for you? What if you were going through the darkest days of your life and all your friends deserted you? What would you do then? Matthew 26 records Christ's arrest, trial, and the events leading up to it. But notice what is happening to Christ emotionally as His closest friends let Him down. When the disciples chastised the woman for pouring her valuable ointment on Christ, they were saying the ointment had better use than for Christ. We also see Christ betrayed by one of His closest followers. We see Christ pouring out His soul in prayer in anticipation of the suffering to come, asking only that His disciples watch and pray with Him. But alas, sleep was more important to them. We see the disciples all scatter and abandon Christ when things got tough.

So, how was Jesus able to persevere through this devastating time when even His closest friends let Him down? He stayed focused on the Father. He was intent on doing the Father's will no matter what. He found strength in His purpose and in the Provider. You too can persevere in difficult times if you will stay focused on your calling, your purpose, and if you seek strength from your Heavenly Father who loves you, created you, and wants the best for your life.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 25-- The Boy Scouts 5 P's

Although I was never a Boy Scout, I understand they have a phrase called the 5 P's--Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. I heard this years ago from a guy who had been a Scout and it has stuck with me. When you anticipate what is to come, and prepare adequately for it, you are ready even if what happens isn't exactly what you thought it would be.  In Matthew 25, Jesus continues His discourse on end times events and the importance of being ready when He returns. He uses two parables before describing a final judgment. In the parable of the young maidens, there were those who prepared for a potential delay by the bridegroom and those who foolishly did not. The second parable was about servants given money to manage while their boss was away. Here we see those who pro-actively took what they had been given and made more with it. Then there was the one who did nothing with what he had been given. Finally, in Christ's discussion of final judgment, there are those who ministered to "the least of these" and those who only gave lip service. The bottom line is that we prepare for Christ's eventual return by using the abilities that He has given us as we minister to those around us. That is proper planning and preparation for Christ's return.  How prepared are you?

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

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Matthew 24-- Jesus is Coming--Are You Ready?

As a child, I remember our church showing the movie A Thief in the Night, that explored what might happen at the time of the rapture of Christians from earth. More recently, there was an extremely popular series of books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins called Left Behind. These books and that movie looked at the future. Thief in the Night took its name from Matthew 24:40-44. This particular chapter is very unique in the gospels in that Jesus deals at length with future events, beginning with the destruction of the temple (which happened in 70 A.D.) and continuing till the end of the world as we know it. In a sense, it is a bridge between Daniel's prophecy of the Old Testament and the Revelation of the New Testament.

There are different schools of thought on how end time events will unfold and whether or not Christians will be present during what is called the Tribulation. While it is easy to get caught up in the debate, it is important that we don't miss the fundamental teaching of Christ in this passage--He is coming again and we need to be ready. Regardless of our eschatology (doctrine of the end times), Christ expects us to be faithful servants working as if this day were our last. None of us knows when our death will be or when Christ will come, or which will be first. But we do know that He expects us to make every day count for eternity. So, if you did know that this would be your last day on this earth, is there anything that you would do differently? Life is too short to waste even one day.  Let's make each day count for God's glory!

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 23-- Are you a Pharisee?

There were a few of us from America visiting with a group in a Russian home. The home owners were Christians, but the others gathered that day were not. We got to know the group and heard their stories and struggles. We also shared our stories and talked about our relationships with Christ. There was a young woman there who was especially receptive to what we were saying. She had a difficult life, and was struggling to find purpose and peace. We talked to her about God's love and His desire to have a personal relationship with her if she would seek forgiveness for sin and place her faith in Christ. As she was just beginning to understand all this, a local pastor who had joined our gathering came over and began talking with the lady. He told her that what we said was true, but she would have to first change her style of make-up and start wearing different clothes before she could come to Christ. My heart sank. This pastor, who should have known better, was adding extra requirements to the gospel. In Matthew 23, Jesus tackled head-on the Scribes, Pharisees and as He called them "hypocrites" of His day for adding to God's message and violating their own words by their actions. He told them "you travel land and sea to win one proselyte and when he is won you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves" (v15). Jesus took these religious leaders to task because they emphasized the outward appearance (vv5-9) rather than the heart. They added unnecessary burdens to the people (v 4). They were prideful and arrogant (vv 6-8). Most of all, they said one thing but did the opposite (v 3). They had a different standard for themselves than everyone else. Let's be careful as we seek to please the Lord that our walk matches our talk, that we keep the main thing the main thing, and that we don't distort the gospel message.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 22-- Answering the Tough Questions

I must admit that I'm a bit of a political "junkie."  I closely follow politics and enjoy watching the election process take place. It is especially interesting to watch candidates take questions from reporters. Usually, the questions asked are ones that have been posed a hundred times before. The candidate is well prepared and knows how to give a polished answer. But every once in a while a question will be thrown that takes the candidate by surprise. It is fascinating to watch the person stutter and pause and try to come up with a coherent answer--or to change the subject if it is an uncomfortable question. In Matthew 22 Jesus was peppered with questions, not from reporters but from religious leaders. It is amazing to see how He handles these. Whether it is the question about paying taxes, the greatest commandment, or the question about marriage after the resurrection (that question was posed by those who didn't even believe in the resurrection), Jesus responded with great wisdom. While none of us is Christ, God says that if any of us lack wisdom we should ask boldly for Him to give it to us, and He will. As we move through life we are faced with questions--probably not from reporters, but from co-workers, family, friends, etc.  We can respond with confidence if we will do two things: seek wisdom from God and spend time in God's Word.  Just as Christ responded with wisdom and with Scripture, we can as well. Maybe if more politicians did this we would all be better off!

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 21-- Classic Good verses Evil

Historically, some of the most popular movies made had themes centered on good verses evil. Often it is an evil or repressive establishment that is beaten back by popular champions of "good" (such as the Star Wars saga). Matthew 21 reads like one of those movies--except this was real! It is a show-down between Christ, who by this time had become extremely popular, and the religious establishment that actually kept people from a genuine relationship with God. This religious establishment also had considerable political power among the Jewish people. They saw Christ as a threat (and rightly so!). The chapter begins with Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem as crowds gathered to shout "Hosanna!" It moves to the temple where Jesus runs out those who were extorting the people and degrading God's house. Then in a face off with the establishment, Jesus tells two parables illustrating how they had rejected God's message of obedience and salvation. What is sad, though, is how quickly the cheers of the crowds would change to shouts of "crucify him!" as just a short time later Christ would be crucified. They would eventually be swayed by their leaders and turn on Christ. Let me encourage you: don't follow the crowds just to follow the crowds. Know what you believe and why you believe it. Then you will be able to take a stand whether the crowd is for what you believe or against it. Let's learn from the consistency of Christ who spoke the truth regardless of how popular the message would be to the audience at the time.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 20--Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

There is a well-known children's story that features a wicked queen who daily looks into a magical mirror and asks the question "whose the fairest of them all?" As long as the answer came back that she was,  everything was fine. When someone else became "fairer," the queen began to plot to get rid of this "competitor." Unfortunately, there are many people like that today. The world revolves around them and no one else. In Matthew 20, Jesus confronts this mentality first with a parable, then with his own disciples, and finally through His own example of the proper approach to life.

In the parable, Jesus told the story of a group of day laborers who agreed to work for an employer at a set price for the day. As they day went on, the employer hired more workers but paid them all the same regardless of how long they actually worked.  As you can imagine, the ones who worked the entire day were upset--even though they were paid the agreed amount. Their focus was on themselves and their "rights" rather than on the owner's right to do what he wants with his resources. Later, we see the mother of two of Christ's disciples requests that Christ give them higher positions of honor in His kingdom. Again, the focus was on themselves rather than on the One who has the right to do whatever He chooses. Jesus models the opposite attitude, one of selflessness, as He again describes His impending death (vv. 17-19) and then goes on to compassionately heal two blind men (vv. 29-34). Jesus gave up His genuine rights to everything so that He could suffer and die for us. We, on the other hand, try to claim rights that aren't even ours. We must stop looking into the mirror and think that everything revolves around us and start looking to God to see how He wants us to serve Him. We should be thankful for whatever God gives us and not look with envy at those around us who have received something different from the Lord.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 19-- What You Want to Hear or What You Need to Hear?

A network television talent show was recently in town filming for an upcoming show. My daughter and I went to it and watched the variety of acts. The ultimate winner for the season gets $1 Million, so a lot was at stake. Some of the acts we saw were quite good, and some were just awful. There was a panel of judges that determined if the act would go on to the next stage of the competition. After one group had performed, one of the judges said "Listen, we are not here to tell you what you want to hear, we are here to tell you what you need to hear." He then went on to share his opinion of their weaknesses, even though they were a crowd favorite.

Sometimes we are in situations where we must say what someone needs to hear, even though it may not be the most popular. That is very much the situation in Matthew 19 as Jesus dealt with issues such as divorce, children, and salvation. At one point, even Christ's own disciples could not believe what He had said. "When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished" (v25). But Jesus told the truth. He gave people what they needed to hear in order to make the right decisions. With the rich young ruler, He cut through to the heart of the issue--he loved and trusted in material things and had no place for faith in Christ. Some people are never confronted with truth; rather they hear only what they want to hear, and suffer as a result. Elsewhere in Scripture, we are told to "speak the truth in love." God may place us in certain situations where we are the only bearers of truth. We must speak up for truth, but just as importantly, we must do it with love.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 18-- Do you really want to be #1?

The crowd cries out "we're number one...we're number one" as they wave a giant foam "1" in the air. Being number one in sports, like business and so much of life, is the end pursuit of many people. Even Christ's disciples picked up the chant. "Which one of us is going to be number one," was their burning question in Matthew 18. Jesus quickly turned their focus off from themselves and their selfish desire for personal greatness and brings them back down to earth. He reminds them that there is more to life than themselves. There are others around them, some with real struggles, that they need to respond to appropriately. He illustrates first with children, by proclaiming that salvation comes when we take a child-like approach to God. Not boasting about who we are or what we have done, but with child-like simplicity acknowledging our dependence on the Lord. Jesus goes on to discuss how to handle a fellow believer who sins against you, then finishes the chapter with a story on forgiving others. The bottom line is this: greatness is not measured by your position in life but by how you treat others. You may have climbed to the top of the corporate ladder, but if you had to step on people to get there, then you are a failure in God's eyes. Even modern secular business books echo the principles of Christ. If you want to succeed, help those around you become great. Do that and you won't need a foam "1".

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 17-- From the Mountain to the Mundane

Mountain-top experiences are wonderful, but they don't last forever. Most of life is lived in the mundane rather than on the mountain. But the mountain times certainly help us get through the mundane! Chapter 17 starts with such a mountain-top experience, literally. Jesus is transfigured ("His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as the light") on a high mountain in front of Peter, James and John. Not only that, but Moses and Elijah appeared as well. Wow! What a day that must have been! No wonder Peter didn't want to leave--he wanted them to set up camp on the mountain. But alas, the experience ended and it was back to reality. They came off the mountain and were immediately faced with a problem that the remaining disciples could not handle. It was the kind of problem that could only be solved by "prayer and fasting" (v21). Then Jesus reminds them again of the reality of His impending death. If that wasn't depressing enough, when the disciples get back to their "base" at Capernaum, the tax collectors where waiting to collect. Remarkably, Jesus tells Peter to go fishing and get the needed tax money out of the mouth of a fish! Jesus even made the mundane task of tax paying interesting. The bottom line is this: enjoy the mountain top experiences of life and let them be refreshing times, but don't get discouraged when you have to face the everyday challenges. You can't live forever on the mountain, but you can through faith conquer the mundane and live a successful life for God's glory.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 16-- Preparing for What's to Come

As children mature, they are constantly being exposed to new things.  The "new" things may be simple, like a new food, or they may be something big. Sometimes the "new" is something good and exciting like a trip to an amusement park. Sometimes the "new" is a sad or potentially scary situation. As a parent, we try to do our best to prepare our children for what is to come. In Matthew 16, we see Jesus preparing those around Him for what was to come. In particularly, He prepares them for His impending death. With the Pharisees, who peppered Jesus to show them a sign, He prepared them by saying the only sign they would have is the sign of Jonah-- a vague reference to the fact that He would be buried three days just like Jonah was "buried" in the giant fish. Then, Jesus prepares those closest to Him--His disciples. He warns them about the false doctrines of the Pharisees. He solicits their confession about who He really was--an important truth they would need to cling to in the coming days. Finally, He lays out some of the specifics of His death but then quickly turns that around to be an example to the disciples. As Christ would physically die, they needed to "die" to themselves in order to follow Christ. How can this prepare us today to what might come in our lives? While we don't know the future, learning to focus our faith on who Christ is will make a world of difference. We don't need to go through life like the Pharisees looking for God to prove Himself through signs. No, we need to act with a mature faith that confesses that Christ alone is sufficient for all we need as we daily deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 15-- Reality or an Illusion?

Growing up I loved magic "tricks." I bought tricks from toy stores and "magic" shops and enjoyed entertaining family and friends. Later, I became a professional ventriloquist and also used illusions as part of my performances. If an illusion is done right, it looks so real that most people are deceived into believing it is real. The same can be said of worship. There are many people and churches that look like they are worshiping God, but in reality, it is just an illusion. Some of the most depressing places that I have visited around the world have been churches--churches that give the appearance of worship. This chapter in Matthew has worship as its theme. In the first 20 verses, Jesus confronts the religious leaders of the day about their false worship. He quotes from the Old Testament. "These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." False worship is based on the teachings or traditions of man over the truths of Scripture. It is a focus on outward appearances rather than on hearts that are holy. Genuine worship is also illustrated in this chapter. The Gentile woman who followed Christ and worshiped Him did so with great faith--and Christ rewarded her accordingly. The multitudes worshiped Christ with great focus. Three days they remained with Jesus even though they had no food. They did not let external matters interfere with their desire to see, hear and be touched by the Lord. How is your worship today? Do you just follow the rituals set forth by others without a heart that truly longs to honor God? Or do you approach God with faith, believing in who He is and in what He can do? Do you have focus in your worship or are you easily distracted? Is your worship real or just an illusion?

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 14-- Doing Life Together

As a father, I try to look for ways to share life lessons with my children. These aren't formal lessons like "okay, let's all sit down now and I'll lecture you on life." Rather, it is trying to find teachable moments as we do life together. It is looking at what is happening to us and around us, and seeing what we can learn from it. The disciples certainly benefited from Christ's formal teachings, but I think they got the most out of the lessons they learned from doing life with Him. In Matthew 14 we see four such lessons. The first lesson is one of conviction--having something you believe in to the point that you are willing to die for it. That was the lesson they saw when John the Baptist was beheaded because he refused to compromise his message. Next, they saw a lesson in creativity when Jesus took the loaves and fish to feed 5,000 men plus women and children. Initially the disciples only saw the problems--the time was too late, the needs were too many and the resources too few. Jesus saw beyond the problem to find a creative solution. The third lesson was about control. With amazement they saw Jesus walk on water and control even the wind. They discovered that nothing is beyond Christ's ability and control. Finally, they got a lesson in compassion. Jesus tried to get alone time, but He was moved with compassion to meet the needs of the masses. Conviction, creativity, control and compassion--good lessons for all of us to learn as we follow Christ.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 13-- Story Time

Every child loves a good story. Truth is, adults do as well. That's why some of the best songs and most popular movies are the ones with the strongest stories. Jesus made extensive use of stories, called parables, but not for the purpose of entertaining. In chapter 13 we see eight of these parables but Christ makes it clear the purpose for these stories was to enlighten those who truly desired to follow Him. Jesus intentionally did not always "connect the dots" of His stories--at least not with the masses. He gave them something to think about, something they would have to sort out on their own if they were truly interested. As Jesus illustrates here with the parable of the sower and the seeds, people react differently to God's word. Some immediately reject it. Some initially are excited about it but never let it take root in their lives. Others let it take root, but allow worldly interests to kill their fruitfulness. Then there are those who not only hear the word and let it take root, but they bear fruit. Are you like the masses who hear what God says but never really take it to heart? Or are you like the disciples who really wanted to understand and internalize Christ's teachings? When you read something in the Bible that you don't understand do you just dismiss it and move on? Or do you ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and then dig a little deeper? The Bible doesn't tell stories just for the sake of providing interesting reading. It tells stories so that God can reveal Himself to us and our lives can be changed.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 12-- Reading While Driving

A lot of automobile accidents occur because of driver distraction. It's no wonder. I've seen people putting on make-up, talking to kids in the back seat, even reading newspapers while they were driving. Even a short distraction can result in a crash. As we move through life, there are many things that come along that can distract us. Sometimes those distractions come from material things--we get focused on accumulating "stuff" rather than pleasing God. Some times those distractions come in the form of people who oppose what we stand for and want to derail us. Unfortunately, many believers are not well grounded in what they believe. When they are challenged, they either don't know what to say or they give in to the false logic they hear. Jesus is a great example of someone who stayed focused in the midst of opposition and challenges to His ways. In chapter 12, Jesus squares off with the scribes and Pharisees who were the religious leaders of the day. Throughout the chapter, Christ takes these leaders to task for their faulty thinking. Notice two things that Jesus did that kept Him from getting distracted. First, He approached everything from God's view of life rather than man's view. This gave Him the proper perspective. In the first 14 verses, Jesus shows these leaders that people are more important than procedures. They had lost site of the big picture. Next, Jesus understood His mission. He did not allow Himself to get side-tracked by the praises of the crowds (vv 15-21), the opposition of those who perpetuated the status quo, or even His own family (vv 46-50). If we will follow Christ's example of seeing things from God's perspective and staying focused on our mission, then we won't get distracted and end up "crashing" our lives.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 11-- Right in Front of Your Nose!

Sometimes no matter how obvious something might be, people miss it. Have you ever been looking for something that actually was right in front of you but you still didn't see it at first? It should have been obvious to you but for whatever reason you were blind to it. That was the case with Christ when He walked this world, and it continues to be the case with Him today. This chapter begins with an unusual interaction between the disciples of John "the Baptist" or "Baptizer" and Jesus. They came, on John's behalf, to ask if Jesus in fact was the Christ. Unusual given the fact that John himself proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah. But John now found himself in prison, and for whatever reason, had questions. Jesus didn't directly answer the question. Instead, he told them to tell John about all they had seen Jesus do. It was quite evident by Jesus' actions who He was--no one else could do what He had done. Jesus goes on in this chapter to take to task the multitudes in various cities who ignored John's message about who Jesus was. Not only that, but they saw for themselves what Jesus had done and still would not believe. They were looking right at Christ and His power and still missed it. But for the few who do "get it," Jesus promised that we would find rest in Him (v29). Even today people see God at work around them and yet are blind to their need to believe. Hopefully you are not like that! Hopefully you have "yoked" yourself to Christ and are experiencing His peace, comfort, and rest.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 10-- Your First Job

Can you remember your first job? Can you remember what it was like your first day on the job? My first "real" job was working at a fast food restaurant my senior year of high school. Day one was mostly training, which consisted of reading the employee handbook and watching filmstrips (yes, I did say "filmstrips" and not DVDs) before I was introduced to the cash register--my work station for the next year. In Matthew 10, we see Jesus sending out the disciples on their first jobs. Jesus was all about multiplication and raising up laborers for the harvest. He wasted little time in getting His followers engaged in ministry. His training instructions, however, were far more encompassing than what they would experience in the immediate. No, Jesus was preparing them for the future and long-term ministry. The reality is that much of this chapter applies to anyone doing ministry, including us today.

Notice three principles that Jesus gave that we should take to heart today. First, expect rejection. Christ was opposed and rejected and there will be those who reject us today. Second, trust God to know what to say when witnessing or ministering. Yes, you need to have studied His word, but it is God who will give you the right words. Finally, don't sweat it--God's got everything in control. He knows even the number of hairs on your head (v30) and He will take care of you. You don't have to have a theology degree, know the answer to every biblical question, or have been saved for decades to begin ministering. Trust God to guide you and jump into service for Him. If you are actively serving God, then ask yourself "what am I doing to multiply myself into more laborers for the harvest?"

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 9-- Standing Out in a Crowd

We were driving back to the Lagos airport in the African country of Nigeria. As we drove across a bridge, I looked down into the valley below and saw a massive sea of people. I don't recall ever having seen such a sight as that one. There apparently was some kind of market taking place. The people were crowded almost shoulder to shoulder across what seemed like miles. To me, it was just a big "blob" of humanity. I focused on the massive numbers, but didn't give thought to the individuals who made up that "blob." Jesus, on the other hand, when He saw crowds thought about the individual's needs. Chapter 9 closes with Jesus having compassion on the multitudes. He was teaching them and healing them, but He did something more. He brought to His disciples' attention the reality of the spiritual needs of the people. They were scattered like sheep without a shepherd. The real need was for laborers who could care for and guide them on a long-term basis. As Jesus put it "the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few." Earlier in the chapter, He had healed a paralytic man, called out one of those despised tax collectors to be His disciple, dealt with questions on fasting, healed a woman with a blood disease, brought a girl back to life, restored sight to two blind men, and delivered a demon possessed mute. Wow! But in the midst of dealing with these individuals, He didn't lose sight of the big picture--these people were representative of a larger group that needed ministry. Even Jesus as a man did not try to meet all the needs alone. That is why He later sends out disciples, prays for laborers, and commissions all of us to actively make disciples. Let's look beyond just seeing the crowds. Let's recognize the needs and sign up to be one of those laborers who can bring in the harvest.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 8-- How will the Crowd React?

Entertainers spend a lot of time talking and thinking about "the crowds." How will the crowd respond to this performance? Television producers show all their potential programming to focus groups before they make decisions to air them. They want to see how the crowd will react before they put the program into production. Well, Matthew 8 is very much about crowds and their reactions to Christ.

The chapter starts and ends with Jesus in front of two large but very differing crowds. In many ways, these crowds are typical of everyone who is exposed to the person and work of Christ. Everyone will find themselves in one of two groups. The first gathering had excited people longing to see Christ and desiring that He would touch their sick and encourage the discouraged. The second crowd was just the opposite--they had gathered to ask Christ to leave their community. You see, He had driven demons out of two men there. The demons begged to be sent into a nearby herd of swine. Jesus obliged and the swine immediately threw themselves off a cliff. Instead of focusing on the miracle Christ did, or His message of hope and deliverance, the crowd focus on the loss of income. You see, those swine belonged to someone and he would have to bear the financial cost of the loss. The second group only saw what they would have to give up to be with Christ, while the first group saw what they would gain. Between these two crowds, Jesus not only heals several individuals but He also talked about the price of discipleship. Yes, there are sacrifices that must be made to follow Christ. But the benefits that Christ provides and the power He brings to our lives (as demonstrated here by his calming of the stormy sea) far outweighs anything that we might give up. So, which group are you in today? Are you resisting complete surrender to Christ because of what you are afraid you will lose? Or are you following closely after Christ knowing that what He offers is so much better than anything you might have to give up?

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 7-- Sand Castle Construction

As a child, I lived in southern California and occasionally got to spend a day at the beach. No trip there would be complete without building something in the sand. It was fun to work on a project and imagine that it was much more elaborate and real than what I could make it. Before my day was over, however, the tide would make its way to my construction site and in moments wipe out all my work. Jesus in Matthew 7 uses a similar illustration to describe how people are building their lives--on the sand or on a rock. The rock, of course, is Christ's teachings. There are several things that He shares in the chapter that will help our life construction get established on firm ground. First, He tells us to avoid judging others because that usually does nothing but demonstrate our hypocrisy. Then He encourages us to be faithful in prayer. Next, He describes those who are true followers (building on the rock) and those who are not. True followers have come through the "narrow way" of salvation through faith in Christ alone. You can usually tell a Christ-follower by his or her fruit. But there are some who give the appearance of good fruit--they are doing good deeds--but they don't have a legitimate relationship with Christ (vv. 21-23). They are trusting in their works rather than Christ to take them to heaven, and that is the ultimate sand castle construction. It looks good, but it can't hold up very long. Are you playing in the sand or building on the Rock?

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 6-- See and Be Seen?

Some people take the "see and be seen" approach to life. They want to be the center of everything that is going on around them. They want to be noticed. Some do it because of their need for appreciation, respect, attention or maybe even love. Some just because they are self-centered. Jesus, as he continued the sermon on the mount in chapter 6, says that our approach should be just the opposite. We do what we do not for others to see and applaud us, but to please God. Three times in the first half of this chapter Jesus says "your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." He says that whether you are fasting, praying, giving or anything else, do it for the Lord. He sees what you are doing and He will reward it. It is much easier to do these without trying to draw attention to ourselves when our heart is set on heaven. Jesus goes on to say that where our treasure is, that is where our heart is also. Our treasure certainly includes our material possessions, but it also includes our time, priorities, and mental focus. Place these on God and you won't have to worry about what life may or may not bring to you. Whose attention are you trying to get today? Is it your boss, friends, co-worker, a boyfriend or girlfriend, spouse? Or are you doing what you do for an audience of One? What if no one knew the good things that you are doing today, would you still do them?

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 5-- You Call That a Mountain?

I always chuckled when people in my Virginia college town talked about the surrounding "mountains." Even the campus itself was said to be on a "mountain." Well, I grew up out west and saw mountains, real mountains. What Virginians considered mountains were what we called foothills. Our mountains were at a completely different elevation--a much higher level. That is the picture that Jesus paints as He starts into chapter 5 and what is called the Sermon on the Mount. There is the foothill level of life that measures success by minimal standards and being just a bit better than the next person. Then there is the mountain level. Jesus sets a whole new standard where meekness, purity and peace are celebrated and blessed. This level calls for people to do more than blend into society. It calls for us to stand out as a light to society. It calls for us to go beyond the letter of the law to discovering God's spirit and the realization that what we think is as important as what we actually do. Commitment to marriage is elevated, as is our commitment to integrity and the demonstration of true love even to our adversaries. Where is your life camped at today? Are you in the foothills or have you taken it to another level--the mountain level?

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 4-- Jesus' Maxpoint Journey

In my book Maxpoint, I describe the four stages of spiritual development that God wants to take all of us through. Those four stages of decision, discovery, deployment and destiny are illustrated well in Matthew 4 as Jesus begins His public ministry. During His 40 day fast in the wilderness (vv 1-11), Jesus was tempted by Satan to short-cut the cross and take the easy way out. Here we see that first stage of decision. Decision is about focus--deciding to move the focus off from ourselves and onto pleasing the Father. That is exactly what Christ did as Satan came at Him. The second stage is discovery, which is where we discover what God expects of us through obedience. Notice how each time He was tempted Jesus responded to the Devil with Scripture. He knew what was expected and He chose to obey. The third stage of deployment we see in verses 12-17 as Christ begins His preaching ministry. Deployment is about impact and learning to say "no" to busying ourselves with many good things in order to say "yes" to the great things--those things that we are designed, gifted and called to do. Jesus could have gone about ministry in many different ways, but He chose a proclamation (preaching/teaching) ministry and then used miracles to validate His message. He also began in Galilee, the place that the Father had assigned many years prior (vv 13-16).

Finally, we see the destiny stage as Christ begins to multiply Himself through others (the calling of the disciples in verses 18-22) and see the rapid expansion of ministry (vv 23-25). It is in this destiny stage that we reach our maxpoint, the place  where we are making the greatest impact possible for the glory of God given our gifts, talents, abilities and experiences. We see that exemplified later in Matthew with Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. The Christian life should be about progression, not stagnation. Christ, as we have seen, is our ultimate example. Are you progressing in life toward your maxpoint or are you stuck in one of the early stages? I hope that you will decide today that you want nothing less for your life than for God to use it to make a great impact for His glory.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 3-- A Man on a Mission

"Traffic is slow in both directions as onlookers glance at the wreck." How often have you heard those words on the radio during your daily commute to work? Traffic on the opposite side of the freeway slows down to see what is happening across the way. There certainly were those curious about what they would see, but I think the onlookers 2,000 years ago who paused to see John were looking for something deeper. Matthew 3 introduces us to John, the cousin of Jesus. He was quite the sight, and people were coming from all over to see him.  But they were also drawn to his simple and clear message. He called everyone, even the religious elites, to repentance. John was clearly a man on a mission. He was called by God for a specific role--to prepare people for the coming of Christ. He fulfilled that mission with determination and focus. He stayed on message and on target, even though there were many who opposed his message and others who felt his mannerisms were strange. When Jesus came to him to be baptized, he refused at first. He recognized that Christ was the focus, not himself. I believe all of us have a divine purpose and mission. It may not be to preach in the wilderness like John, but God has a role for each of us to play in advancing His kingdom. I would encourage you to discover your unique purpose.  Once you do that, stay focussed on your mission. It is easier to do that when you realize that life isn't about you.  It is about Christ and glorifying Him.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 2-- Worship vs. Worry: A Contrast in Leadership

Leaders come in all shapes, sizes, temperaments and styles. And there are good leaders, mediocre leaders and down-right bad leaders. You can probably think of leaders that you know at work, in business or in society that fit one of those categories. Matthew 2 paints a great contrast between two types of leaders, and shows a family caught in the middle. On one hand, you have "wise men from the East." Little is known about these men. We know the general region they were from, we know they were wealthy, and we know they most likely held some kind of leadership or ruling role in their society. Although we don't know much about their background, we do have pretty good insight into the kind of leaders they were. They knew the Scriptures, they desired to worship the Lord, they were willing to make sacrifices to encounter the Lord, and they weren't threatened that a better or more powerful leader than themselves had emerged. Herod, on the other hand, was just the opposite. He worried about losing power. His world centered on himself rather than on God and others. He would do anything to maintain his authority, no matter how much pain and suffering it caused. In the middle is Joseph, Mary and the young child (no longer a baby), Jesus. They had no political power, wealth or leadership positions.  But they had something better--they had God guiding them and helping them navigate the changing political landscape. Today, maybe you relate best to Joseph and his family in that you feel powerless to change the situation around you. I would encourage you to do what they did, and seek God's direction. On the other hand, you may find yourself in a leadership position. In that case, I would encourage you to be like the wise men and not Herod. Don't be self-focussed or feel threatened by others. Rather, try to turn your leadership role into an act of worship by striving to glorify God in your daily dealings.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 1-- Life Comes at You Fast

There is an insurance company here in the U.S. with an advertising slogan that says "life comes at you fast." It shows unexpected events, some quite funny, happening to people's automobiles. The message is that you need their coverage so that you are ready for whatever might happen. There is a lot of truth in that statement--life at times does come at us in unexpected ways. We think we have it all figured out when something changes. That was the case with Joseph. He's a normal, blue collar guy engaged to this Mary girl and just doing life--like everyone else. Next thing he knew, the unexpected happens--and it was something that he knew he hadn't caused! "What do I do now," Joseph thought as he found himself in the middle of a very embarrassing situation. But as he contemplated his next move, God sent a message. It wasn't exactly the message one would expect--the child was conceived of the Holy Ghost. It was pretty far-fetched, but Joseph did what God said and went forward with the marriage. And we are all glad he did! Yes, life does come at us fast; but if we will learn to listen to God, even when it is a stretch of our faith, we will successfully navigate whatever is thrown at us. Like Joseph, we can discover that being guided by God is better than human logic--and better than anything any insurance company could provide.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.