The Bible Speaks to You James Early

107 – What would happen if Jesus came to your church?

Last week in Episode 106, I asked my guest, Markus Watson, what Jesus would say to our churches. I'm still thinking about his response.

He said, "He would say, 'I love you guys. Follow me.'"

This week I expand on some of the things Jesus might say to your church or my church.

Jesus’s core message never changed
I think it’s reasonable to assume he would say to us the things he said to his disciples and the people who followed him. 
He would tell us we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He would tell us to love God with all our hearts, and love our neighbors as ourselves.He would rebuke the self-righteous, Pharisaical thoughts wherever he found them. He would be patient with us.He would probably rebuke our lack of faith, just as he did with his disciples. But his rebukes would come, not in condemnation, but from the immense depth of love in his heart for us.He would teach us the Scriptures and open them up in way we could see and understand things we had never seen before.But most of all, I believe he would tell us about the kingdom of heaven, that it is hear and within us, and our need to completely change the way we see and think (i.e. repent) about God, ourselves, and creation, from a material, earth-based view to a spiritual, heaven-based perspective.Revelation 2 & 3

The more I’ve thought about this idea of what Jesus would say to our churches today, the more I’ve realized he really has already said what every church needs to hear in the book of Revelation in chapters 2 and 3.

The challenges, the struggles, and the mistakes, the victories, and the defeats the seven churches in Asia experienced are indicative of what the whole Christian church faces today.

Does your church face some of the same challenges these churches faced? 

Are you holding fast to your faith in spite of the temptations all around? Is your church caught up in worldly ways, to small or large degree, and need to repent? 
Jesus makes incredible promises to those churches that overcome worldly temptations. To hear these promises and how they can apply to your church, tune in to this week's episode.

James Early is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster and conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)

Where does the church go from here?

As our churches emerge from the pandemic, what direction will we take? What is our vision for the future? Where are our churches going? How do we find our calling?

These are some of the questions my guest, Markus Watson, addresses in this week's episode.

Markus is a Presbyterian minister in San Diego, CA. In our conversation he digs down into the heart of what church is all about.

He shares how at first, he resisted the call to go into the ministry, but now pastors not only a church, but other pastors and churches as well.

We talked about 
The challenges pastors face from the pressure their churches put on them and the pressure they put on themselvesThe importance of silence and solitudeSpending time prayerfully in the Scriptures Surrendering the control of the church to God Some of the struggles churches in North America are facing todayMarkus says the real need for churches today is to pay attention to what God is doing in their communities and then get involved in that, to see where healing and wholeness are needed.

He defines the church's calling as Shalom, not just peace or the absence of hostilities, but the comprehensive state of well-being that touches every aspect of daily life.

The church is called to bring Shalom into the world, to bring this well-being into our relationship with God, with others, with all creation, and with ourselves.

Different churches are good at different things. They have different gifts to bless their communities with.

How is your church uniquely wired to bless your community?

How do you figure that out? That's what Markus's book is all about, Beyond Thingification: Helping Your Church Engage in God's Mission.

How is God calling your church?

I starts with listening to God and to people in your community and fellow church members. It requires time spent in prayer and in the Scriptures.

Over time, you and your church will get a sense of where you belong and where you're going as a church. 

I asked Markus what Jesus would say if he walked into our churches today.

"He would say, 'I love you guys. Now, follow me.'"

Our call to follow Jesus and serve the world begins with our belovedness. Do we find our identity in what we have accomplished or in Jesus's love for us?

We all need to find our identity as "the one whom Jesus loves."

Markus defines the ideal church as
a community of love for God, each other, and our neighborsa community that takes action flowing from that loveWhere are we going as a church?

The church must learn to adapt to be "church" in new ways. Church is not going to look the way it used to. We have to let go of a desire to return to the past.

Markus says that the decline of the church is actually a gift which we get to wrestle with. It forces us to answer the question: Why do we exist?

It's not just to provide spiritual services for the community. Church exists to bring God's healing and wholeness into the world, to bring God's Shalom into the world.

How will your church fulfill it's calling?

James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)

105 – Is it possible to have unity in the body of Christ?

Have you ever wondered why there are so many different Christian denominations? And why isn't there more unity in the body of Christ?

In doing a little research for this episode, I found estimates ranging from 1,200 up to about 40,000 different Christian denominations.

If we all believe in Jesus, why can't we agree on everything else?

Why is the Church divided?
If you want to know how, study history. I think the more important question to ask is: Why does this happen? Why does it still happen?

In this week's episode, I talk about two basic reasons: It's about the difference your perspective can make on how you see the Bible. And the filter or lens we look through also changes what we see and believe.

Paul metaphorically describes the church as "the body of Christ"
Just as each part of the human body has a different place and function that coordinates and contributes to the whole, so in the body of Christ, all believers have a unique place and a function that no one else can fill, different gifts, talents, and abilities. Paul encourages all of us to work together in harmony and appreciate how all the different gifts work together as a whole.

Maybe you’re in a church that is the very right hand in the body of Christ. That doesn't mean that everyone else has to be just like you. 
But isn't that how many Christians think? They know they are sincere Christians and falsely assume everyone must be just like them in order to be Christian. They have defined "Christian" as being the right hand. They even have their suspicions of the left hand: "I mean really, they have everything backwards."
And too bad for Christians in the left foot of the body of Christ. The right hand Christians think they have to convert the left foot Christians to be just like them.

Christian unity
But the body of Christ is not and cannot be a giant right hand. There are many members or parts and each has a unique place, perspective, and function. Each has something different to offer to the whole that no one else can. 

Do you really want unity in the body of Christ if it means letting each member of the body of Christ be themselves? Or do you still want everyone to be just like you?
We need to let go of our personal perspectives and opinions and see things from Christ’s perspective. And we have to let the Holy Spirit wash our mental and spiritual “kitchen windows” that we don’t even realize are dirty.
When we do this, we will be able to say with Paul, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: [and we could add neither protestant or catholic, fundamentalist, evangelical, or liberal,] for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)


James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster and conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)

104 – How did you pray when you were three?

I was at a church related conference not too long ago and you should have heard the discussions these folks were having. They were dancing theological circles around each other. 

I didn't even understand all the words they were using.

It was all in a spirit of brotherly love and respect for one another. And it was really inspiring to hear their deep conversations.

But it also made me realize that all their human intellectual brilliance was not the thing Jesus was necessarily looking for or requiring of his followers. 

Jesus expects us to be as little children. He says in Mark 10:15,  “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”  

We should pray less like adults, with all our knowledge, and pray more like a three year old.

In this week's episode I share a beautiful experience from when my oldest daughter was three. She had a terrible earache. I called a friend to help us pray for healing. What he said made all the difference. The earache just melted away.

Prayer is powerful.

Back to praying like a three year old.

A three year old can be an endless patter of needs, observations, silliness, thoughtful reflections, and spontaneous expressions of love. They are confident that you, as the parent, are always listening and interested in what they have to say. And to give them what they need.
Do you ever talk to God that way, asking for what you need however big or small, with the absolute assurance that He is listening to you at all times and ready to help you when needed?    
Go back to being three – or rather the mental attitude you had when you were three – and pray from that point of view. In your best three year old voice, just talk to God. Ask Him questions. Listen for the answers. Have a conversation.
 It doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s not supposed to be complicated. Jesus wants us to pray as little children. He wants us to see through the eyes of a child, and live with the innocence, purity, receptivity to good, and trust that kids have.
The prayer of receptivity that a three year old has, may seem like a simple little thing and not adequate for all the challenges you’re dealing with. You may think you are too mature for that. But it’s really a way of seeing the world, a way of living in expectation of good.  A way of complete trust in God to take care of you and meet all your needs. It is powerful attitude in prayer that opens the windows of heaven right here and now.
I encourage you to practice praying like a three year old. 
James Early is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster and conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)

Have you ever wondered why Jesus told us to be as perfect as God?

What did he really mean by this?

Too many people today are trying to be perfectionists in everything they do, but this isn't really what Jesus was talking about.

All that human effort at being perfect is just that, human effort, human will, and human egotism.

There's nothing wrong with striving for excellence, but trying to make yourself perfect is pretty much impossible.

The word perfect in Greek means to be complete.

That doesn't sound so demanding. But, here again, Jesus is saying we need to be complete the way God is.

The context of this verse is about how we love our enemies. We are to love them with agape love. This is how God loves everyone, good and bad, sinner and saint.

But what if Jesus is really expecting us to be perfect?

In this week's episode, I talk about what it means to be perfect in the way Jesus is referring to.



James Early is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster and conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)

102 – How are you related to Jesus?

There are so many facets to your relationship with Jesus. Here a few obvious ones:
Jesus is Lord and Savior: it's a Master-servant relationshipJesus is the Messiah, or Christ: it’s a relationship between prophecy and its fulfillment in our livesJesus is our teacher: it's a teacher-student relationshipHe is the Great Physician: it’s a healer-patient relationshipJesus is all these things and they are beyond value
But Jesus is not just all these high and holy things to us. He refers to God as his Father and our Father (see John 20:17). That makes Jesus our brother since we have the same Father.

And Jesus called his disciples his friends (see John 15:14, 15). That can certainly apply to you and me as well, as long as we actually follow Jesus in what we say and do.

When you think about it, it’s amazingly wonderful we can know Jesus as our Lord our teacher, our Great Physician, but for him to also be our friend and brother makes the relationship even more meaningful.
But there's one more aspect of our relationship to Jesus that most folks never really consider.

We can be Jesus' mother
Before you start thinking I'm crazy, check out what Jesus says when his mother, his brothers and sisters can't get through the crowd to talk to him. He asks the crowd, 
Matthew 12:48-50  ESV 
48  "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?"
49  And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 
50  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Here’s another example of why you can’t take the whole Bible literally. Jesus did not mean we become his literal mother. We don't turn into Mary. Only she could fill that role.
It's easier to see how we can be Jesus' brothers and sisters. But his mother? Really? Yes, really.

When you hear God’s voice and do God’s will, you are, in effect, “giving birth” to Jesus in your heart and in your life. Every time you obey God's will, Christ appears more clearly in your life and to those around you.
But think about the relationship a mother has with her child. A mother does not just give birth; she nurtures, loves, protects, teaches, and guides her child. 

Every time you set aside your will to listen for and follow God's will, you are metaphorically mothering the baby Jesus, the toddler Jesus, the teenage Jesus, the grown man Jesus in your heart. 

You are giving your love to the Cause of Christ just as you would to your own child.

I encourage you to embrace this aspect of your relationship with Jesus. It is close. It is intimate. It is powerful, full of love and support. It is holy. 

As you give birth to and partner with Christlike thoughts and actions, nurture them and they will nurture you.
It all comes down to listening for, hearing, and doing God’s will. This is the very heart of prayer. In fact, every time you hear God’s voice and obey it, you are praying.

When you do this, you become a member of Jesus's immediate family.

Cherish all the ways you are related to Jesus.


James Early is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster and conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)