Lust is adultery. Radically protect yourself from it.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. Matthew 5:27-30

In our day pornography has become an epidemic.  There may have never been a time when this command has been more ignored.  If we are followers of Christ then we need to look at people as Christ did.  As Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:1-2: “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.  Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”

Reconcile before you pray.

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you,  leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.  Truly, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:23-26

It can be easy to forget that our relationship with God has a lot to do with our relationship with others.  In fact, it is difficult to separate the two.  As John says in 1 John 2:9-11: “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.   Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.  But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”  Let us do all we can to live at peace with others so our prayers may be unhindered.

As Paul says in Romans 12:17-19: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”

Do not be angry with a brother.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Matthew 5:21-22

This is one of those passages that brings to mind the famous Mark Twain quote: “It’s not the parts of the Bible that I don’t understand that bother me.  It’s the parts I do understand.”  It is very clear.  As James puts it in James 1:19-20: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or Prophets. I came to fulfill them.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.  Truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.  Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20

God’s revelation of Himself and His will in the Old Testament was not abrogated by Jesus.  Instead it was amplified, and clarified, and made possible by Jesus.  Just knowing about these things is not enough.  They must consume us.  We can now have intimacy with God and know Him from within and hear Him constantly through His Spirit.  We can not just know about His ways but actually live in them through the power of His Spirit.

Let your good deeds bring glory to God.

Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16

As children of the good God, we must display His character and be good as well.  This will result in good deeds.  These must be done in such a way as to glorify our heavenly Father and not to bring attention to ourselves.  He is the source of our goodness and must be acknowledged as such.

Rejoice when you are persecuted for My sake.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. Luke 6:22-23

In a broken world, up is down.  In the present world, still awaiting full restoration and redemption, aligning ourselves with the righteous and good King of all creation will result in being hated and mistreated.  This is actually a good sign.  We need to rejoice in such treatment for His sake.  It will result in eternal reward that far outweighs our temporary suffering.  It demonstrates we are on the right side.

A major worldwide concern in our day is terrorism.  Given the fact that there is so much fear about this issue, you could say that terrorists have succeeded in their objective of creating terror.  This is indeed a sad state of affairs.  What we are in desperate need of, is lovists.

As far as I know, I am creating the word lovists.  Lovists are people who demonstrate and engender love.  This kind of love can only come from God who is love and fills people with love.  Love is more powerful than fear.  Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).  This is the best way to defeat and overcome terrorism.  Romans 12:20-21 tells us, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Saul of Tarsus was a violent and feared terrorist. God transformed Saul into one of the greatest missionaries of all time, the Apostle Paul. God is similarly redeeming some terrorists in our day and calling them to serve as His ambassadors. Many of the same characteristics the enemy intends for evil can be turned to advance the Kingdom of God. Those who are forgiven much, love much (Luke 7:47), therefore such people serve the Lord with great fervor.

We should look for opportunities to turn remarkably evil people to the Lord. Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners (Matthew 9:13). We should also look for people who have similar characteristics to people who are notable terrorists and consider if they could be equipped to be fruitful servants of the Kingdom of God. There are several characteristics of successful terrorists that are also helpful for those who want to multiply fruit in the Kingdom.

• They tend to be quiet personalities. This helps them develop rather than overshadow others whom they are mentoring. This leads to a multiplication of leaders and laborers.
• They keep their word. This gives them greater authority because people come to trust them.
• They control their anger. This helps them act with intentionality rather than blindly lashing out.
• They are people of self-discipline. This causes people to respect them.
• They seek out mentors. They are learners.
• They are daring risk-takers. This demonstrates their commitment to the cause.
• They are driven and have a constant and strong sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo.
• They are willing to “go it alone” if necessary, but seek out others who are similarly committed.

“The people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” (Luke 16:8b) We could learn a lot from how terrorists spread their ideology. Their use of the internet, social media, training materials, video, ideological writings, personal recruitment, training camps, focus on equipping, and calls to action and sacrifice are all wonderful models for citizens of the Kingdom of God. We should be creatively using those same tactics to advance the message of love in service of the God of love.

Lovists have a manifesto in the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapters 5-7.  If you don’t have that memorized, read it again. That is truly a revolutionary message. That is a creed deserving our full commitment. Living in that way is a challenge worthy of our full devotion. Jesus is a King who is worthy of everything we have and everything we are: heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Let’s be lovists who effectively advance an agenda of loving God completely and loving others as we love ourselves. Let’s spread that message. Let’s multiply lovists by equipping others to do the same.

Anyone who lives in the USA and hasn’t been hiding under a rock this year knows that our nation is highly dissatisfied, discontent and divided.  The recent elections and post-election events have made that fact even more obvious.  There have been widespread demonstrations that have highlighted some of the issues that have people concerned.  There is an entire other list of anxieties which would have been raised if Clinton had won.  With either group, the people who are concerned need to realize two facts.  First, the solutions cannot and will not be found in either candidate or in any other political or other human leader.  Second, their stated desires do not go far enough or deep enough.  They need to look deeper.  They need to go further.

Below are some refrains or slogans that have shown up at recent demonstrations:

Let’s Go to Canada
Many people expressed a desire to leave our country and move to Canada.  Go further.  What they really desire cannot be found in Canada either.  What they desire can only be found in the Kingdom of God.

Not My President
One of the most common recent slogans has been “not my president.”  Fair enough.  But no candidate can truly deserve our full loyalty.  Only the King of kings and Lord of lords is worthy.  Go further.

Black Lives Matter
This is another common slogan.  Again, very true.  Go further.  All lives matter. Only in Christ can anyone attain the level of respect they deserve.

Respect Women
Many women in our country are feeling as if they are considered second-class citizens.  In some ways they are correct.  What they really need is not merely respect, but to be deeply valued and treasured.  They can only be properly appreciated through being rightly related to God. Go further.

Clean Air and Water
Some people are concerned that our country is not paying enough attention to caring for the environment.  True enough.  It isn’t just air and water, however. We have failed to be good stewards and caretakers of all creation.  Go further.

Stop Racism
Virtually every person alive would at least pay lip service to this idea.  Go further.  We need to admire and even sacrifice for people of every background.

Viva la Raza (long live the people…Mexican slogan)
Yes, long live the Mexican people.  Long live every people.  Eternally.  Go further.

Climate Change is Real
Yes, the climate is being negatively impacted by human activity.  In the same way, societies, relationships, and the broader environment, are being negatively impacted by our collective irresponsibility.  We need to take seriously God’s assignment to care for creation. Go further.

Save Health Care
God cares about people’s health and well-being.  He is concerned for “the least of these.”  He also desires people to be prosperous and joyful and wise.  Go further.

LGBT Power
What the LGBT community really needs is salvation of their body, soul, and spirit.  They need to experience the power that can only come from becoming all the Lord intends for them to be.  Go further.

Hate Won’t Win
Absolutely!  More than that, love WILL win.  Go further.

I Won’t Live in Fear
That is wonderful.  What we really need is more than that.  We need to live in love. Perfect love casts out fear. Go further.

Si Se puede (“yes it’s possible” in Spanish)
Yes it is.  Unfortunately, those who are saying this have a very pale and weakly aspiration that may not be fulfilled in the way they foresee.  What will be done ultimately is God’s will. That is far more than they imagine.  Go further.

Do not be amazed at My authority.

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.  Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to his Son the possession of life in himself.  And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man.  Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice  and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation. John 5:24-29

Jesus had been explaining that the healings He was performing and, indeed, all His activities were sanctioned and even commanded by God the Father.  The Father had given Jesus all authority, including the authority to judge all people who ever lived.  He had authority to condemn and punish and authority to justify and reward.  He had authority to give life, not just temporarily but eternally.  Therefore, we must not be surprised at anything He does.  God has given Him all authority.

Go and learn what it means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

“Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Matthew 9:13

Jesus said this in explanation to why He was spending time ministering to the despised tax collectors rather than “good” people.  Those who recognize they are not good and cannot be good and respond to Jesus’ offer to make them good are why He came.  He doesn’t want people to cover their brokenness with religious activity without affecting the heart.  Instead, he wants them to be changed by His grace and then to offer that same grace to others.  He wants humble hearts which in gratitude show mercy to others in the same way they were shown mercy.