The Tree Church

For thousands of years, people got sick and died without ever knowing what was killing them. Mankind’s ignorance that bacteria was the force behind sickness was destructive for so long. What if we are living in a more destructive time and even more ignorant? We are. The reality is that there is an unseen force destroying billions of lives every year and it’s spiritual. We still battle in the physical, but the motivating force behind it is spiritual. The only way to fight back is through spiritual methods.

At times, Jesus leads our lives to "storms" (difficult situations) so that we will learn to trust Him so our faith will grow. The reason we fear present situations is because of past experience (whether ours or someone else's). Jesus wants us to understand that present reality changes past experience...Jesus is now in the boat with us and that makes all the difference!

Jesus continues His theme of responding to His commands/teachings with obedience. He then gives an illogical example. He says, “No one lights and lamp and covers it with a jar.” The idea is that no one gets saved (the light of Jesus) and then hides it by not doing good works. That’s illogical. An honest and good heart listens with the purpose of obeying. The idea is that the only logical response to salvation is to respond in obedience.

All of human history is now viewed in relation to one event, the birth of Jesus Christ. When Jesus came into the world, He changed human history on two important levels. He changed the very culture (how people viewed needy people, women, slaves, generosity, etc.) and He changed the spiritual reality. Before Jesus, everyone was spiritually dead and after Jesus, true life was available. So what’s our “BC” and “AD”. How were we and how have we changed? How can we partner with Jesus to partner in the ministry of LCC?

The heart of the message, and I think the heart of Jesus, is getting people to recognize (not for condemnation but for the hope of change) where they are…what type of soil they are and calling for them to desire to be the good soil.

When we understand how much we have been saved from, we will show greater mercy to other people and worship Jesus more. The way to love better, be more forgiving, be more patient and be less judgmental is to realize how great your own sin is/was and that Jesus forgave it.

Each idea in this passage is challenging the religious community that was simply going through the motions and trying to justify themselves. Jesus' whole message was that to follow Him takes obedience through actual behavior.