Frank's Bible Blog

Luke 24-- Solving Mysteries

Mysteries are very popular with people. They have been for as long as I can remember. Whether it is a mystery book, movie, or TV show, people are intrigued by trying to solve something that is unknown. The thing about mysteries is that they are not completely unknown--somebody somewhere knows what happened.  But the rest of us have to put clues together until the mystery makes sense. This is probably how Christ's followers felt on that first Sunday following His death.  The crucifixion was a surprise--a mystery to many, even though Jesus had repeatedly predicted it. Then there were the women who found Christ's tomb empty in Luke 24:1-8. What should they make of that? What happened to the body? The mystery, however, began to unfold as the resurrected Jesus Himself expounded Scripture to His followers. First to two men walking to a nearby village called Emmaus (v13), then later to a gathering of the apostles, Christ explained the mystery. Jesus "expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (v27) and then "opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures" (v45). There are many things in life that seem like a mystery until we begin to understand them in light of Scripture. So, if you are struggling with the mysteries of life, I would encourage you to turn to the One who knows everything. Ask Him for wisdom and insight. Ask Him for understanding as you look into His Word for answers to life's questions.
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 23-- Power Play

Many people become consumed with power. Sometimes at work a person gets a position of power and wants to "lord it over" others. They focus on themselves and use their power just because they can. Christ, on the other hand, demonstrated what it was like to have ultimate power but purposely limit it for the benefit of others. That was the situation in Luke 23 when Jesus was tried and then executed on a cross outside of Jerusalem. He had the power to silence the false accusations of those who wanted Him dead, but He chose not to use it. He had the power to avoid the humiliating taunts of the soldiers, but He ignored them. He had the power to stop the processional to the execution site, but He pressed on anyway. He had the power to come down from the cross, but He chose to stay. Finally, He had the power to forgive--which He chose (v34). Just because you have power as a boss, parent, business person, etc. doesn't mean that you always have to use it. Sometimes, like Christ, we must put aside what we can do in order to benefit others. And, like Christ, there is a power that we should always choose to use--the power to forgive.
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 22-- Timing is Everything

There is a big difference between sprinters and marathon runners. While they both are athletic, fit, and competitive, their races are very different. A sprinter in the 100 meters gives a lot of focus to how he or she starts the race. The timing out of the starting block is critical because the race is so short. Not so for the marathon runner, who must give attention to the pace of the race. For these runners, the timing of when to hold back and when to make a move is more critical. Timing is important for both events, it is just used differently. Luke 22 shows us how Jesus masterfully understood timing. He knew the right time to do things. He knew how to not get ahead of things but rather to take things in an appropriate manner. For example, He used the occasion of the Jewish passover to institute the "Lord's Supper"--a visual dramatization of His death. His timing connected Himself and impending death to the time that the death angel passed over Jewish homes in Egypt following God's command for sacrifice and salvation. He then resolved a conflict among the disciples concerning who would be the greatest. He talked to them about the timing of leading and that their day would come but it wasn't then. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He realized the time of His death had come--and although He humanly wanted to avoid it, He knew as the Son of God that the time was right. Moments later, as He was being arrested, He acknowledged to those seizing Him that "this is your hour" (v53). It was their time to be in control of the situation, not His. Sometimes in life we need to act like a sprinter, but most times it is like the marathon runner. Regardless, we need to ask God for wisdom to do the right things at the right time so we don't get ahead of what God wants or fall behind.
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 21-- Looks Can Be Deceiving

On a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska, our family visited a gold mine and learned how the area used to be mined. We were also shown how to pan for gold and even given a bag of dirt to try for ourselves. When I first poured the dirt into the pan, all I saw was dirt and rocks--nothing resembling gold. At first glance, it looked worthless. But as I separated out the rocks and then panned out the dirt, I was pleasantly surprised by what was left. Sure enough, there was gold in that dirt (o.k.--some gold flakes worth about $4!). But the point is that I had to sift through the visible to get to the important things. This is what Jesus taught in Luke 21 where He commented on a widow woman's offering then gave a discourse on end-time events. In both cases, He said that we need to look beyond the obvious to read what is really happening. The widow woman's measly offering of pennies was of more value than the huge sums given by the wealthy because it was given sacrificially. There was more happening than met the eye. The same is true with global events. We should learn to not always pass judgment by what we first see in others or in what is happening around us, but rather try to discern if there is something deeper. As we do, we may just find a gold nugget!
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 20-- Learning from Lumberjacks

During a family vacation in Alaska, we attended a lumberjack show. Two teams competed in a series of events--everything from splitting wood to climbing trees. The most captivating event was the log roll, where two men stood on a log in a pool of water tried to knock the other man off balance. Not only did they stand, but they ran on that log in an attempt to beat the opponent. That event took not only courage--it actually was quite dangerous--but wisdom. Each man needed to know how to position himself on the log, how to respond to movement changes, and how to anticipate his opponent's move. He needed to know how to best apply the knowledge he had about the event to the particular moment. In Luke 20, we see Jesus exemplifying both wisdom and courage when peppered with questions from various religious leaders. Jesus was asked about His authority, the lawfulness of paying taxes, and about marriage in the resurrection. That last issue was raised by those who didn't even believe in the resurrection. In each case, Jesus responded with wisdom. Some times He answered a question with a question. Some times He brought a larger perspective to the question. Not only did He act with wisdom, but He showed courage as He publicly showed the error of these leaders. We should ask God for courage to stand up for Him, but also the wisdom to know how to say the right thing at just the right time. Courage and wisdom isn't just for lumberjacks--they comprise an important balancing act that every believer should master.
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 19-- The Executive Summary

An executive summary takes the main thoughts of a long document and summarizes them into a couple paragraphs. It allows you to get a quick overview of the document before digging into the details. In many ways, Luke 19 is like an executive summary on the life of Christ. In it we get a great synopsis of Jesus' life, purpose, plan and character. We see Jesus interacting with a tax collector named Zachaeus and discover that Christ's purpose for coming was to "seek and save what was lost" (v10). When the people thought the coming of God's kingdom was going to be both immediate and political, Jesus put God's plan into perspective. He told a story about a noble man going away to a far country to be crowned king before returning to his land. The Father's plan was for Christ to go away for a time but to one day return as King of kings and Lord of lords to judge the earth (vv11-21). Christ then made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The shouts of hosanna remind us that Christ is worthy of praise (vv28-40). We then see His compassion as He weeps over Jerusalem (vv41-44) before demonstrating His holiness by chasing the crooked vendors from the temple (vv45-48). To recap our executive summary on Christ, we see that His purpose is to seek and save people. His plan is to establish an eternal kingdom. His nature is one of compassion and holiness, and He is worthy of our worship. Now that we have this synopsis of Christ, we must ask ourselves "how should I respond to this? Is there something in His purpose, plan or nature that should impact my life? Am I giving Him the worship He deserves?"
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 18-- Rugged Individual or Humble Child

The American west was know historically for its rugged individualism where self-reliance was king. While that may have been celebrated in the 1800s, it is not how God wants us to approach Him. God despises self reliance because it sets us in opposition to Him. We in effect say "we don't need God--we can do it ourselves." Jesus drives this point home in Luke 18 when He tells us that God exalts the humble and that we must receive the kingdom like a child. When asked by a rich young ruler about what he had to do to get eternal life, Jesus immediately saw this man's hang-up. He was self-reliant and trusting in his wealth. When asked by His disciples about this, Jesus explained how difficult it is for those who have accumulated a lot on their own to be able to turn everything over to God and humbly trust Him. Peter responded by saying that they had left all to follow Christ. To which Jesus assured him that in the long run he would gain far more than he sacrificed. The chapter closes with Jesus encountering a blind man. As the man cried out for Jesus, the Lord asked him "what do you want me to do?" The man explained his need and humbly asked Christ to intervene. The man knew there was nothing he could do on his own to change his situation and he wasn't too prideful to ask for help. That is how God wants us to approach Him. We set aside our pride and acknowledge our dependence on God. Then we will experience the incredible blessings that only God can give.
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 17-- Remember Your Manners

We teach our children at a young age to say "thank you" when someone does something nice for them. Unfortunately, some kids grow up and exchange their manners for an entitlement mentality. In Luke 17, Jesus healed 10 men suffering from leprosy yet only one bothered to say "thank you." Earlier in the chapter, Jesus discussed forgiveness and faith--both of which require a good amount of humility. Later, Jesus described events surrounding the coming of the kingdom of God (vv20-37) and said those alive at the time and "in the field should not go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it and whoever loses his life will preserve it" (vv31-33). If the world revolves around us, we will end up very disappointed and short-change ourselves. If, however, we can lose our lives by humbly walking before God and others, then we will truly find it. We won't need any reminders to say "thank you" because we will truly be appreciative. We will remember our manners all on our own.
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 16-- Buy Now, Pay Later

We've all seen the commercials to buy that new furniture now and you won't have to start paying it off until much, much later. The marketers try to entice us to get whatever we want now without thinking about the real cost. But "payday" eventually comes and the reality of the debt plus interest hits hard. A lot of people live their lives like this. They focus on getting all they can now without considering the expense later. You see, everybody lives for something. We either live upward, focused on Heaven and eternal rewards or we live outward focused on material things and ourselves. Luke 16:14 tells us that the Pharisees "loved money" and sneered at a parable Jesus told to illustrate that you cannot serve both God and money. They were caught in an external trap that bound them to legalism and the pursuit of power and fortune. The problem with living for fortune is that it is short lived. Jesus illustrated this with the story of a rich man and a beggar who both died but who had very different eternities. The man who had everything in this life found himself "in hell where he was in torment" (v24). In life he had everything, but in death he was begging for a drop of water (v24). If you find yourself today caught-up accumulating possessions, focused on climbing the corporate ladder, or lost in a growing desire to have more, remember this: "What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight" (v14). You might get a lot now but end up paying for it for eternity.
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 15-- Can't Find the Car Keys

Have you ever lost something, like your car key, then had to spend considerable time looking for it? We all have. Sometimes we lose things of minimal value--maybe we drop a penny on the ground--and spend minimal time looking for it. But if you drop something of great value, say your wedding ring, then you keep looking until you find it. You will expend whatever effort is necessary until it is located. Luke 15 is a chapter about things of value that were lost. Here, Jesus tells three parables. The first about a shepherd who lost one of his sheep. The second about a woman who lost a silver coin in her house, and the third about a father who lost his son to rebelliousness and riotous living. All of the the lost "things" were very important and dear to the ones who lost them. In the case of the shepherd and the woman, they launched into a vigorous search until the missing items were found. In the case of the father, searching wasn't an option. He had to wait and watch for his son to come around. The three stories, of course, illustrate lost people (those who have not received God's love and forgiveness) coming to God and the rejoicing that takes place in heaven when they do (vv7,10). It reminds us that Christ came to seek and save the lost, but it also encourages us to be concerned about the lost. Like the shepherd, there are times that we need to go out looking for the lost--maybe even to another country or culture. Like the woman, there are times when the lost are nearby--maybe even in our house. In other situations, like the father, all we can do is watch and pray. The lost person has heard the gospel, knows what he or she needs to do, and prayerfully in time will do it. Let's be concerned about finding those who are lost.

_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 14-- The To Do List

Are you a "list" person? You know, someone who makes a list for everything--to do lists, shopping lists, Christmas lists, etc.  Whether or not you are a "list person," you do have a list of priorities, they just may not be written down. We all do. Those priorities are demonstrated each day by our actions and how we spend our time. Luke 14 is all about priorities. Jesus used a dinner party at one of the ruling Pharisees' homes to teach about the importance of setting other people as a priority, especially those who cannot repay you for any good that you do for them (vv1-14). He also talked about making God and our Christian discipleship a priority. Many people fail to commit their lives to Christ because they have other priorities, things that are more important to them (vv15-24). So they turn down Christ's invitation in order to pursue their own agenda. If something is going to be a priority in our lives, then it means we must make a commitment to it (vv25-27). We must count the cost of that commitment in advance and then follow through with it (vv28-35). So then, what are your priorities? Not what you may have on your list but what you actually demonstrate with your life. Do your priorities all center on yourself or do they focus on others and serving Christ no matter the cost?

_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 13-- Can't See the Forest

You've heard the expression "can't see the forest for all the trees." Maybe you have even been on a hike in the woods when all you saw were trees but you didn't have perspective on the forest. You couldn't tell how big it was, how far into it you were, or what was up ahead. You could only see what was right around you and you had to make assumptions about distance. Many of us spend a lot of our lives "in the trees" and we lose perspective of the big picture of the forest. Luke 13 is a great example of this as Jesus tried to help those He taught get a better perspective. First He deals with two current events where people were tragically killed (vv1-5). The "tree perspective" said they were killed because they were worse sinners than the rest. The forest perspective was that everyone is a sinner and eventually all will die. Those who haven't died yet are left alive at God's mercy so that they have a chance to "bear fruit" or commit their lives to God (vv6-9). Jesus then healed on the Sabbath (vv10-17). Tree perspective said there were other days in the week to heal. Forest perspective said people are more important than projects. Jesus taught about God's kingdom (vv18-21). Tree perspective said it couldn't really see the kingdom and doubted it was real. Forest perspective said great things start small and must be given time to develop. When asked about salvation, Jesus explained that tree perspective looked at what you did and thought that would save (vv22-31). Forest perspective said there was only one way of salvation, and unless taken, God would say"depart from me, all you workers of iniquity" (v27). When told that Herod wanted to kill Jesus (vv31-35), tree perspective said you better run and hide. Forest perspective said everything will take place in God's perfect timing and not a day sooner. So, which perspective do you have? Do you see the trees or do you see the forest?

_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 12-- Stressed Out

Does it seem to you that people today are more stressed-out and anxious than ever? It does to me. Even among Christians there seems to be an increase in worrying. More and more are playing the "what if" game--what if this happens or what if that happens--rather than relying on God. This anxiety is actually paralyzing many people and keeping them from living a fulfilled life. In a lengthy discourse found in Luke 12, Jesus gives solid insights that can help all of us avoid the paralysis of worry. Freedom begins with a proper fear of God (vv4-10). You see, when we truly see and understand God for who He is--awesome, powerful, majestic, holy--then the rest of life falls into place. We are able to trust Him to know what to say when we are in difficult situations (vv11-12). We won't be focused on material things and trying to get more "stuff," rather we will be trying to lay of treasure in heaven (vv13-21). We will then understand how much God loves and cares for us (vv22-31). We will appreciate the fact that the Father knows what we need and that it is His "good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (v32). We won't be paralyzed but rather we will be prepared and faithful servants (vv35-48) able to withstand adversity (vv49-53) and discern the times (vv54-56). So, next time you find yourself getting anxious and stressed, take a few moments to focus on God's nature. Develop a healthy fear and appreciation for His might, and you will be overwhelmed with peace.

_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 11-- What Not to Wear

You've heard the expressions "you have to look the part," "the clothes make the man," and similar statements about the importance of dressing right. There is even a TV show called What Not to Wear that helps people make better wardrobe choices. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to look nice, there is something wrong if we put all of our focus on the external. Luke 11 is a chapter of contrasts between those who focused on the outward and Christ's teachings about who we are inside. In verses 37-54 Jesus stirs up great controversy at a dinner party He was attending given by a Pharisee. He took the religious leaders in attendance to task about their focus on the outward rather than on their hearts and really listening to God's word. Earlier Jesus had commented on how that generation wanted a sign--they wanted to see something outward before they would believe (vv29-32). He went on, however, to warn that we need to be careful about what we allow into our lives (vv33-36) and how the heart affects our entire life. He taught that it is one thing to get the bad out of your life, but if you don't replace it with something good, then the void will be filled with things even worse than before (vv24-26). So what should we wear--on the inside? Certainly one of the best things is a life of prayer, which Jesus details in the first 13 verses of this chapter. We need to develop a lifestyle of asking our heavenly Father, seeking His intervention and knocking on heaven's door (vv9-13). Becoming people of prayer will help us set our priorities right and live in a way that honors God--and that is the best thing to wear!

_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 10-- Caught Up in the Moment

Have you ever found yourself so caught up with the moment at hand that you lost sight of the bigger picture? Maybe your favorite basketball team just made an amazing play and all the fans go crazy--until you look at the score board and realize your team is still down 30 points and its only the first half! Sometimes in life we find ourselves caught up with busyness and the stress of deadlines that we miss the reasons behind what we are doing. Or we focus so much on the details of a policy that we forget why the policy was enacted in the first place. Luke 10 is about keeping perspective even when we are tempted to get caught up in the moment. In verses 1-24, Jesus sends out a team of 70 to minister in various cities ahead of Himself. They came back very excited with wonderful stories of God's power working through them. While Jesus was excited for them, He reminded them to keep perspective. The greatest thing for them to rejoice in was the fact that their "names are written in heaven" (v20). Then Jesus is confronted by a lawyer who was trying to justify himself by how he lived in the moment. Jesus then tells the parable of the good Samaritan to give the lawyer a much bigger picture (vv25-37). Finally, during a dinner with sisters Mary and Martha, Jesus helped Martha  look beyond the busyness of her work to see the bigger picture. Martha was upset that she was stuck serving everyone while Mary hung out with Jesus. There wasn't anything wrong with Martha having a good work ethic. The problem was that she got caught up with the moment and missed the big picture--Jesus sitting in her living room! Don't let your work, as important as it might be, distract from the big picture of serving Christ and loving your family. Don't focus so much on the details of Scripture that you miss its purpose--a transformed life. Finally, don't get caught up in your ministry victories that you forget about the grace of God that saved a sinner like you. Let's keep things in perspective!

_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 9-- Getting the Full View

We drove through the foothills of Nevada, across the Hoover Dam, and into Arizona. When you cross the Hoover from Nevada you really can't get an appreciation for this massive creation of man because you don't really see the dam until you are right on it. Once you get across it, however, there is a place to park where the whole structure comes into view. Then you can truly appreciate this engineering masterpiece. Luke 9 is kind of like the panoramic view that you see once you get through the foothills--it brings the whole person and purpose of Christ into view. In this chapter, we see Christ model leadership as He sends out the apostles (vv1-6), is sought after by political leaders (vv7-9), and then spends intimate training and vision casting time with his inner circle (vv18-36, 43-45). We see the power of Christ as He feeds more than 5,000 people (vv10-17) and heals a boy (vv37-42). We see the character of Christ as He taught about humility (vv46-50) and chose love over vengeance (vv51-56). Finally, we see His wisdom as He helps would-be followers understand the true cost of discipleship (vv57-62). Pause a moment today and take a fresh look at Christ--His leadership, power, character and wisdom. As you do, you probably will see something particular that either helps you through a difficult situation or challenges you to change areas of your life that don't resemble Christ.

_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 8-- An Overturned Truck

I was driving out to the airport on a stretch of freeway where traffic typically flows well. On this particular day, however, traffic was coming to a stop. Police were closing the freeway and diverting traffic onto a parallel access road. As I moved through the area I saw why the normal traffic flow was disrupted--a truck had overturned and was blocking the freeway. It didn't look like anyone was hurt. There was just damage to the truck and a little inconvenience during the morning commute. In life there are things that interrupt our normal "flow" that should cause us to consider altering our course. Two of those are God's word and faith opportunities. In Luke 8, Jesus gives two parables, one about a sower and seed, the other about lighting a lamp (vv4-18). Afterward, Jesus is in a crowded house when it is announced that His mother and brothers are outside trying to see Him. Jesus responds "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it" (v21). The phrase "hear the word of God and do it" was the point Christ was trying to make with the parables. When we hear from God it isn't enough just to listen; rather we must alter our course in obedience to Him. Later in the chapter, Jesus calms a stormy sea (vv22-25), delivers a deranged demon possessed man (26-39), heals a woman with a blood disease (42-48), and brings a dead girl back to life (49-56). Each of these four instances were opportunities of faith--opportunities that required some kind of altering of the normal flow of life if they were to be realized. So the bottom line is this: don't be moving so fast down the freeway of life that you fail to respond to God's word or you miss the faith opportunities that come your way. Sometimes we have to slow down and make some alterations if we want to realize all that God has for us.

_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 7-- A Life Changing Phrase

Sometimes a simple phrase can change a person's life forever. It may be positive, such as "and the winner is..." or it may be negative, "I'm sorry to have to tell you that...". We see one of those positive phrases coming from the mouth of Christ in Luke 7:28, "but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." Why was this phrase so life changing? The context was a discussion about John "the Baptist" where Jesus praises John and tells what a great prophet he is. The bulk of the crowd were nodding with agreement because they had been baptized by John. But then, out of no where, Jesus drops the phrase that even the "common" people would be greater than John in God's kingdom. Wow! There was hope and a future for them! They didn't have to become some elite socialite, a religious leader, or anything else. God would accept them just as they were through Christ. But that is what Christ does--He gives hope to the hopeless. In this same chapter, He gave hope to the Roman centurion whose beloved servant was near death (vv1-10).  He restored the life of a widow's son with the phrase "Young man, I say to you, arise" (vv11-16). He forgave a woman with a notorious reputation as "a sinner" with the phrase "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace" (vv36-50). A simple but life changing phrase. Have you experienced the life-changing hope that only Christ can give?
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 6-- Smarter than a 5th Grader?

For 27 years the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. had a mistake on an exhibit notation. It took a fifth grader from Michigan to finally notice it and bring it to the museum's attention in order to correct it. For years, everyone assumed the exhibit was correct; after all, surely the curators and historians at the museum knew what was right. In a more dramatic fashion, that was the scene in Israel when Christ came along. People assumed that what the "experts"--the religious leaders of the day--taught was correct. Only this hadn't been going on for a couple decades but for hundreds of years! Jesus completely turned upside down the faulty traditions and thinking of the day. In Luke 6, He begins by setting the leaders straight about the sabbath (vv1-11). He then begins to shift the focus of His ministry to 12 men (vv12-16) out of the hundreds, even thousands, who followed Him.Even this approach to leadership development was different. Next, He presents to the crowds a radically different message than what they had heard from their "experts." Blessed are the poor, hungry, persecuted, etc. Love your enemies. Stop your hypocrisy. (vv17-49). Even today, what we believe and practice in our lives often contradict the so-called "experts." But that is o.k.! Jesus was right then and He is right now. Our focus should be on bearing good fruit in our lives (v43) by putting into practice the things we learn from Christ (v49).

_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 5-- Staffing for the Future

If you have ever been involved in the process of hiring someone for a position, then you know what a challenging task this is. Even though you carefully review the candidate's resume, diligently check references, and conduct an extensive interview, you can never know for sure how that person is going to work out until they start doing the job. But what if you weren't just trying to find a good worker for a company but rather you were trying to find people to help launch a movement--a religious movement--what would you look for? You would probably look for those with great knowledge and impeccable religious credentials. But that is not what Jesus did as we see in Luke 5. Here Jesus "hires" four men to His team. Simon Peter and the brothers James and John are professional fishermen--solid "working class" men but hardly religious leaders. Then he takes on Matthew, someone known for dishonesty and selfishness in his career as a tax collector. Not exactly the men I would have hired if I were in Jesus' position! Why these men and not those with religious leadership experience? We get some insight from the stories of this chapter. When Jesus heals the man whose friends lowered him down to Jesus from the roof, we see the religious leaders reacting with disgust and a lack of faith. Commitment to, and faith in Christ is the most important thing, regardless of what credentials you might have. Later, we see these religious leaders questioning Jesus about his followers lack of fasting. To this Jesus replied with a parable about putting new wine in old wineskins. These religious leaders were stuck in traditions and could not think outside the box. What Jesus was offering was radically different. So, he bypassed the credentialed for those who "forsook all and followed Him" (vv11,28). Do you have what it takes to be a key participant in Christ's global movement? It takes an unquenchable faith, a willingness to look outside your box, and a total surrender to Christ. You may not have the "credentials" to make a global impact but with those three things God can use you beyond your greatest imagination.

_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 4-- On Purpose

Every organization needs to know its purpose in order to be successful. Companies must ask "what business are we really in? Why are we doing what we do?" Having purpose doesn't guarantee success but a lack of it almost certainly guarantees mediocrity at best, and failure at worse. Strategic planning starts with purpose, then addresses vision--where you want to be at a certain point in time. Next it looks at mission--what we are here to do together that will move us towards our vision. Likewise, as individuals we need a clear understanding of purpose and then a vision for our life and an understanding of our mission. Jesus exemplified this in Luke 4. His clear sense of purpose is what enabled Him to overcome the devil's temptations (vv1-13). Jesus would not surrender long-term benefits for short-term gain. Jesus' vision was that no one would perish but all would come to repentance. So He went everywhere--even to those whom He knew would reject Him (vv23-29). His mission was prophesied by Isaiah (61:1-3) and He declared it to those gathered in the Nazareth synagogue--preach good news, liberate the spiritually captive, heal those with physical and emotional needs, and usher in God's age of grace (vv18-20). Jesus begins the fulfillment of that mission in the rest of this chapter as His public ministry gathers momentum. If you are struggling with consistency in your Christian walk, have an emptiness, or feel unfulfilled, maybe it is because you lack purpose, vision or mission. Do you have a clear understanding of why God brought you into this world? Do you have a vision of what you would like to see God do through your life in say the next 10 years? Do you understand the talents, gifts, abilities and callings that God has equipped you with so that you can find and fulfill your mission? If not, I would encourage you to spend some extended time praying about these things and then seek out godly counsel. Let's live our lives on purpose.
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 3-- The Specialists

They are called different things in different sports, but they are the specialty players who have a very specific focus and purpose in the game. In football it is the special teams player. In baseball it may be the closer. The closer, for example, is a pitcher who typically comes in at the very end of the game to "close it out." He may only face one hitter, but it is his job to immediately throw strikes and get the batter out. A closer knows he is not going to pitch nine innings--that is not his role. Spiritually, I believe there is a stage that God wants to move us into called the deployment stage, which I write about in Maxpoint. This is the place in life where we know what it is that God has called us to do and we do it with focus and determination. It is about learning how to say "no" to good things so that we can say "yes" to the greater things. Luke 3 is a good example of this as we are introduced to the ministry of John, often referred to as "the Baptist." John knew his specific role in God's plan--to prepare the way for Christ (vv16-17). He fulfilled that role with determination and boldness. He spoke out against sin among the common people (v7), government workers (vv12-13), military personnel (v14) and even political leaders (v19). This boldness and focus eventually cost him his life, but he died honoring God. He didn't compromise his calling, beliefs or message. Can the same be said of you? Have you deployed into the unique role that God designed for you? Are you serving Him with focus and determination?
_________________________

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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 2-- Try Being That Parent

There's a reality TV show about a family with eight children--one set of twins and a set of sextuplets. Watching the parents trying to manage a house full of young children like that is quite interesting (they do an amazing job, by the way). But imagine what it would have been like to have been the earthly parents to the Son of God. Luke 2 gives us an overview of Jesus' first 12 years. Imagine what it would have been like to be Mary or Joseph in that stable the night Jesus was born. You just finish giving birth when a troupe of shepherds show up telling a crazy story about seeing the sky filled with angels (vv13-18). Then you go to the temple to dedicate your child, like every good Jewish parent did at that time. Next thing you know an elderly man whom you have never seen before walks up, takes your child in his arms and says "I'm ready to die now--I have seen the Savior" (vv28-32). If that wasn't strange enough, a widow woman excitedly comes over and starts praising God for your son and telling everyone around about him (vv36-38). Then there is the incident when he was 12 where he is back at the temple, this time confounding the religious leaders with his questions and answers. No, none of us will ever know what it is like to parent the Christ, but we can create a godly environment where our children grow up like Christ increasing "in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men" (v52).

_________________________
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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.

Luke 1-- No Generation Gap Here

It was a daunting assignment. I had to take my 12 year-old daughter shopping to find an outfit for a school choir show in which she was a participant. Although we were from different generations, my daughter and I had the same purpose--find an appropriate outfit for the occasion. I must admit, as we went to store after store looking at outfit after outfit, the generation gap got bigger and bigger. Finally, however, we both found an outfit we liked. While there certainly are differences in generations, there should be a shared purpose and passion. In Luke 1 we see members of a family from different generations who shared the same devotion for the Lord. We are introduced to John "the Baptist's" parents, Zechariahh and Elizabeth, who "were both well along in years" and their relative, a young woman named Mary who became the mother of Christ. Zechariah and Elizabeth "were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments" (v6). Mary "found favor with God" (v30) and consider herself "the Lord's servant." Yes, different generations but no gap in their passion to honor the Lord. Generations may dress differently and even have different styles of worship from each other, but we should all share an unquenched commitment to Christ.

_________________________
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. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at www.maxpoint.org/message_board.