New Testament Bible Study by John Stanko

Matthew Study 23: 20:1-34

Dear Student of the Word,

Have you ever been around someone who is desperate for God, someone who has a deep need that only God can fill?  How do you respond and react to their cries and pleas for help?  Sometimes I am not as empathetic as I would like or need to be.  The same thing happened when Jesus walked the earth and His disciples had the same struggle I have had. 

Also, if the Lord asked you what you wanted Him to do for you, what would you say?  This week I had this to say about that:

v. 29 – I have visited Jericho, which has the distinction of being the lowest city on earth.  Today it is in the hands of the Palestinians, and is not usually included on any tour to Israel.  Because the elevation is so low, it is extremely hot and dusty.  I am not sure what time of year this took place, but I hope it was winter, for a crowd following Jesus in summer would have been walking in unbearable heat.  Yet people were so desperate to be with Jesus and have their needs met that I can see it happening no matter what time of year this was.  How desperate are you to be with Jesus?  Will you walk through the desert to have a chance to fellowship with Him?

v. 30 – There were two blind men who heard that Jesus was passing by.  These men could not see, but they could hear, and used what they had, their ears and voices, to get a hold of God.  Are you using all that you have to “get hold of God”?  What more can you do?  These men shouted to try and get Jesus’ attention in spite of the crowd and noise.  They didn’t just send a request for a meeting; they cried out!  Jesus was famous everywhere He went and everyone must have talked about Him for even these blind men to know who He was. 

These men shouted and asked that Jesus would have mercy on them.  That is a good prayer to utter any time.  Why not make it your prayer today?

v. 31 – The crowd acted like the disciples when the children tried to gain access to Jesus – they tried to get the blind men to stop shouting!  It was making everyone feel awkward and uncomfortable.  Have you ever been with anyone whose love or need for God made you feel the same way?  One man once defined a religious fanatic as someone who loves God more than I do.

The more the crowd tried to quiet the two men down, the more and louder they shouted. They knew their need and were not going to allow the crowd to keep them from their day of help.  After all, the crowd didn’t realize what it was like to be blind and they had a chance to be healed.  Lord, help me to identify with others in need, to feel what they feel so I won’t judge or belittle them as they seek You for help.

vs. 32&33 – Jesus stopped and called back to them, asking what they wanted. It would seem obvious what they wanted, but I would imagine that some don’t want to be free of their affliction and only want help learning to live with it.  That was not the case with these men.  Yet, Jesus still made them declare what it was that they wanted.  If Jesus asked you that question today, what would you say?  What do You want Him to do for you?  These blind men were crystal clear as to what they wanted; they wanted to see, and they said so in no uncertain terms. 

You won’t receive anything from God unless you are clear and ask without hesitation or apology. We are all blind and needy when it comes to spiritual things, so there is always something for which we should be seeking God for help.  What is it in your life right now?

v. 34 – Jesus must have moved closer to them so that He could touch them.  He moved closer to them after they had made the effort, even through shouting, to move closer to Him.  I think I saw that principle someplace else in the Bible:

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:8).

The blind men were instantly healed and joined the crowd following Jesus. Can you imagine the joy that they experienced that day?  Can you imagine the joy that they had in the crowd, talking about what God had done for them?  There is no joy like a joy that stems from having a need miraculously met by God.  What’s more, these men did not have to seek God for a long time.  He heard their cry and touched them immediately.  Don’t get into a mindset that you have to seek God for a long time to have a need met.  That just isn’t necessarily true. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

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RADIO: Don't forget to tune in to Your PurposeQuest: The Power of a Focused Life every Wednesday at 9 AM Eastern time on the Voice America.  If you miss the show, you can access any of the past broadcasts at the network archives. 

I got my radio show numbers for June and they were great!  I had more than 5,000 listeners and almost 800 downloads!  I am happy with that, but now I am facing a decision. Do I renew my contract after August 13?  I will need $1300 per month to continue the show.  What do you think?  Should I renew?  

Perhaps you, your organization, or your company could sponsor one show for $400?  I would be glad to design a show around your cause or work if you sponsor it.  Then you could download the show and use it for your own purposes.  This may also fit into your missions budget, since the show goes around the world.  Perhaps your organization would like to add your ad banner to my announcement page on the station, the same page that everyone who downloads any show sees. If I have the money raised by August 13, I will continue. If not, then I will have to shut it down.  It's your call.  What do you think?  Write and let me know.

NEW WEBSITE: Also, make sure you check out my new website and take advantage of the many features that will help you discover your purpose. What's more, every Bible study I have composed for the last seven years (19 New Testament books) can now be found in the site archives. 

Matthew Study 22: 19:1-30

Dear Student of the Word,

When you read the gospels, does it seem to you like Jesus was vague about who He was and is?  Have you ever read a modern commentary that raised that question, casting some doubt on Jesus' true identity?  If so, then you can rest assured that Jesus was clear and direct about who He was, what He had come to do, and what would happen to those who did not respond to His mission.  Consider what I wrote for one of the days in this week's study:

v. 28 – There is instance 18 where Jesus said, “I tell you the truth.”  Do you get the idea He was trying to tell them and us something?  He was saying, “I know what I am talking about!’  This time He responded to Peter’s question concerning the disciples’ reward for leaving all to follow Jesus.  Jesus went on to speak authoritatively about what would happen at the last judgment. 

Only God could have the knowledge to answer the question the way Jesus did.  He stated that He would sit on a glorious throne.  Only kings sit on glorious thrones, so Jesus was declaring Himself to be the King of heaven!  Then He declared that those who had followed Him as the original apostles would sit on their own thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel!  Jesus was thus proclaiming that His followers were superior to those who followed the Old Testament Law, for they would judge them.

Plus, if Jesus was able to promise His followers a throne, that meant He had the authority to bestow those thrones upon them.  Thus He would exercise dominion in heaven and not just be an ordinary “citizen.”  The gospels are full of proofs that Jesus was and is the King, and many of those proofs came from Jesus Himself.  Jesus did not come right out and say, “I am the King!” but rather stated that He would sit on a glorious throne in heaven.  Isn’t that telling the audience that He was a King without saying it in direct terms? 

v. 29 – Jesus did not stop by defining the rewards for Peter and the men. Jesus said that anyone following Him would be rewarded accordingly.  Jesus doesn’t just reward leaders; He rewards followers, too!  Jesus acknowledged that some would have to break with family inheritance and even family relationships to follow Him. That is an unfortunate reality, for some family may not be thrilled when another family member decides to follow Jesus.  When that happens, Jesus will reward them!  The account in Mark is more specific

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Mark 10:29-31).

What have you had to surrender to follow Him?  Whatever it is, know that He realizes what you have given up and He will reward you for it!

v. 30 –It may seem that followers of Jesus aren’t being “compensated,” but they will be eventually.  It may not happen until the final judgment, but it will indeed happen.  God has a big book and sharp pencil and He writes down everything that anyone who knows Him does on His behalf.  He never forgets and will reward us, if not in this life, then in the life to come. That is why Jesus urged His followers to store up treasure in heaven, for God is faithful to reward His people.  That is also why Jesus had urged the young man to sell His possessions and give to the poor, so that he would have a heavenly reward that he could anticipate receiving. 

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Luke 12:33-34).

What treasures are you storing in heaven?  What price have you paid for the gospel of the Kingdom?  Whatever it is, be reminded today that God will reward you abundantly in His way and in His time, which may be in the age to come. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download matthew_study_22.doc

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Don't forget to tune in to Your PurposeQuest: The Power of a Focused Life every Wednesday at 9 AM Eastern time on the Voice America.  If you miss the show, you can access any of the past broadcasts at the network archives. 

Also, make sure you check out my new website and take advantage of the many features that will help you discover your purpose. What's more, every Bible study I have composed for the last seven years (19 New Testament books) can now be found in the site archives. 

Matthew Study 21: 18:1-35

Dear Student of the Word,

The Church should be the most powerful entity on earth, for she functions in cooperation with heaven itself!  Yet this is not always the case.  We seem to know how to do Sunday church services, but we struggle when we try to do or be anything else, especially in today's liberal milieu.  It seems that Jesus held a different picture of the Church and how it should function.  With that in mind, this week I wrote:

v. 18 – There is that “I tell you the truth” phrase again.  What else could Jesus say, yet what He was about to say was so strange to the subnormal spiritual climate in Israel that it would be considered abnormal instead of just normal. Does that makes sense?  Things were so bad that Jesus tried to raise the level to normal and that made Him sound at times like He was mad!

This statement is similar to the one we read in Matthew 16:19 but in this chapter it is spoken in the context of reconciliation.  It seems that Jesus was saying that if the Church decided that the offending brother who refused to be reconciled should be out of the church, then that decision is binding in heaven as well.   This is contingent of course upon the people coming together around the Lordship of Jesus and not just to advance their own agenda.  Many have been “condemned” by the Church who were simply political enemies or prophetic voices.  The Church agenda was not truly a spiritual one, but one of power and control.

I believe in this principle.  I believe in the church gathering and Jesus being in her midst.  When that happens I believe God can direct the decisions and there be unity between heaven and earth. I also believe this principle has been and can be abused   Once example of this dynamic functioning properly in Acts 15:

With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements (Acts 15:23-28 emphasis added).

v. 19 – It is interesting that this principle of two-or-three-gathering has been applied to prayer, but in this context it applies to reconciliation, with dealing and resolving conflicts.  We want this principle to be true about prayer and I have quoted this many times when referencing prayer, but this promise doesn’t seem to have anything to do with prayer!  It has everything to do with the ability of the Church members and leaders to have wisdom form heaven to deal with problems, as Paul expected:

I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers (1 Corinthians 6:5).

v. 20 – Jesus is in the midst of those who come together in His Name – for the purposes of doing and resolving His business.  The Church today is anemic and usually only convenes for Sunday service and meaningless annual meetings, so there is no concept of problems or issues between believers actually being resolved by the Church.  After all, that is why we have the court systems!  Yet Jesus seemed to promise that He would be present with believers who convened with the purpose of carrying out the business of heaven.  Do you agree with my assessment of the present state of the Church?  Do you agree or disagree that the Church should be involved in disputes among believers?  Can we ever recapture this dynamic in the modern church?  What would it take to do so?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download matthew_study_21.doc

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Don't forget to tune in to Your PurposeQuest: The Power of a Focused Life every Wednesday at 9 AM Eastern time on the Voice America.  If you miss the show, you can access any of the past broadcasts at the network archives. 

Also, make sure you check out my new website and take advantage of the many features that will help you discover your purpose. What's more, every Bible study I have composed for the last seven years (19 New Testament books) can now be found in the site archives. 

Matthew Study 20: 16:24-17:27

Dear Student of the Word,

For many years, I thought Jesus avoided indicating who He truly was in the gospel accounts except in rare cases.  I have come to see from our recent studies in Matthew just how wrong I was.  The gospel accounts are full of direct and indirect evidence that Jesus was not only a moral teacher but the Son of God!  This is why the gospel writers wrote and this is the main message that they communicated.  You will see evidence of this in this week's study. 

This week I wrote:

v. 24 – This tax was a two-drachma assessment (about two days wages) on every Jew to help maintain the Temple in Jerusalem as commanded by Lord through Moses:

Then the Lord said to Moses, "When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the Lord. All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the Lord (Exodus 30:12-14). 

The tax collectors asked Peter if Jesus paid the tax, which was actually redemption money for every person over 20 years of age.  Remember, Matthew was writing to Jews, so this question and the answer would be of interest to everyone who was reading. 

v. 25 – Peter answered that Jesus did pay this tax and his answer made sense, since Jesus had given every indication that He did uphold all the Law as a good Jew.  Yet when Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak.  He asked Peter a question about whether or not sons of royalty paid the taxes that the king established.

v. 26 – Peter correctly answered that the sons of royalty did not pay taxes.  Jesus implied that He was such a Son, a Prince in fact, and that He was exempt from such a tax.  Jesus had no need to pay any redemption; He had come to redeem man from the need for such a tax. 

v. 27 – Jesus was not going to press the point beyond the lesson to Peter.  So then He instructed Peter to go throw in a line, take out a fish, look in its mouth, find a four-drachma coin and take it pay the tax for both Jesus and Peter.  Wow!  There is so much to see in this story and all of it indicted that Jesus was and is the Son of God. 

1.  Jesus knew what Peter had been talking about before Peter told Him.

2.  Jesus knew that He was a Son exempt from the tax.

3.  Jesus was gracious and did not want to offend the tax collectors by refusing to pay.

4.  Jesus had mastery over the fish in the sea.

5.  Jesus was generous and paid the tax for both Peter and Himself. 

Can you see any other lessons to be learned from this story?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download matthew_study_20.doc

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Don't forget to tune in to Your PurposeQuest: The Power of a Focused Life every Wednesday at 9 AM Eastern time on the Voice America.  If you miss the show, you can access any of the past broadcasts at the network archives. 

Matthew Study 19: 15:29-16:23

Dear Student of the Word,

Do you take for granted the insight God has given you into His Word and work?  Has this insight caused you to be a bit proud, feeling like you have an "inside track" to God?  This week we move into Matthew 16, where Jesus took His disciples away to have an important but private conversation.  When Peter declared that He was the Christ, Jesus declared him blessed!  Yet in the next breath, Peter became Jesus' counselor and Jesus had to rebuke him for his impudence to assume that because He knew one thing about the will of God that He then knew them all.

This week I wrote:

v. 21 – The disciples had just discovered, from Jesus’ own words, that He was the Christ.  As if that wasn’t enough revelation for one day, Jesus went on to explain that He had to go to Jerusalem and be killed, only to be raised again from the dead.  Now we see why Jesus took them so far away from the crowds.  They had to have this most serious talk and have time to process it away from their Jewish cultural pressures.

It is interesting that later the disciples acted as if they had never had this conversation with Jesus.  When He died and they were huddled in fear in the upper room, it doesn’t seem that anyone reminded them of this meeting and discussion.  You can understand why Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith at that time.  He predicted what would happen, but they did not believe or remember it! 

I have been at home for six weeks as I write and being at home for me means no income.  Yet I feel like I have a wonderful chance to trust the Lord.  Too often in the past, I have acted like the disciples in this case.  God promised He would provide, but I didn’t believe Him!  I fretted, wondered where I had gone wrong and pleaded with God to do what He promised to do. I forgot His past provisions and promises.  He always provides, although not according to my timetable.  Yet this time I am determined to take Him at His word, trust in Him and rest.  How about you?  Are you fretting, or not taking God at His word, as the disciples did in this verse?  You can make a decision to think differently today if that is the case.

v. 22 – Peter was full of confidence and some pride after he had given the correct answer to Jesus’ question as to who He was.  Peter decided then to become Jesus’ counselor.  When Jesus predicted His death and resurrection, Peter took Jesus aside and began to tell Him that He was incorrect.  This would never happen to the Messiah, the Chosen One of God!  Who can be God’s counselor?  Who can give Him advice?  Peter tried and I have, too.

I have presumed I knew what God would and could not do.  I have confidently boasted that I knew the mind of Christ on certain issues when I did not.  I had opinions, but I didn’t know, but I acted like I knew.  I hoped that certain things would or would not happen, yet I spoke with such certainty.  This has caused me no small amount of anxiety and even anger, when I was proved wrong, after being convinced I was right.  Has this ever happened to you?

v. 23 – Jesus must have shocked Peter with His response.  He referred to Peter as Satan and told him to fall in place behind Him!  Peter was not speaking the mind of God, but was speaking the will of the devil.  Can you imagine that?  One minute Peter is speaking the revelation of God, the next the revelation of the devil!  Good insight once isn’t a guarantee of ongoing insight, that’s for sure! 

While we have not seen his opposition since Matthew 4, we see here that the devil was still opposing Jesus in more subtle ways.  This proves the validity of what Jesus said:  The gates of hell would not prevail but would certainly try to do so. Jesus dealt ruthlessly with Peter’s rebuke, since it was directed at the very purpose for which He came – to give His life for His sheep.  You cannot deal with the devil in halfway measures.  You must oppose him firmly (but you don’t have to yell at him).  Where are you encountering devilish opposition at this point in time?  How do you intend to deal with it?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download matthew_study_19.doc

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Don't forget to tune in to Your PurposeQuest: The Power of a Focused Life every Wednesday at 9 AM Eastern time on the Voice America.  If you miss the show, you can access any of the past broadcasts at the network archives. 

Matthew Study 18: 14:30-15:28

Dear Student of the Word,

Jesus confronted Jewish traditions while on earth, yet He still confronts religious traditions today.  Usually those traditions are contrary to God's word, yet people can become attached and devoted to those traditions. Do you have any such traditions in your life?  Don't answer too quickly.

This week I wrote:

15:12 – I love the disciples!  They were so much like me!  They were concerned that Jesus had offended the Pharisees and weren’t the slightest bit concerned that the Pharisees had offended Jesus!  The disciples still identified with their nation and people at this point and Jesus had just offended their leaders who deserved to be offended.  I have always been too concerned with what other people think and not always concerned with what God thinks.

"I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God” (John 5:41-44).

Who are you more concerned with offending, God or man?

v. 13 – Jesus did not back down from what He said.  In fact, He intensified it, insinuating that some if not all of the Pharisees were not leaders that God the Father had appointed.  If that was the case, then God would eventually pull up those leaders by the roots.  Of course this is exactly what eventually happened when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem along with the Temple. 

v. 14 – Jesus ordered His disciples to disengage from the leadership of the Pharisees.  He declared that they were blind guides, who would lead their followers into a ditch.  Be careful whom you follow!  If they sound like they know where they are going, but don’t know where they are going, then they are to be avoided.  Whom are you following?  Of course, ultimately you are following Jesus.

Do the people you are following know how to get to Jesus themselves?  Or are they blind guides, groping in the darkness?  It isn’t enough that they have a successful ministry, drive a big car or live in a mansion.  That is no guarantee of their right standing with God; it is an indication that they are good communicators and business people.  The mark of a godly leader is that they have been to Jesus and know how to guide you there as well.

v. 15 – The explanation of what Jesus had said to the Pharisees seems so simple and straightforward today, but it was a radical new concept to the disciples.  They had been taught repeatedly to maintain the rules of cleanliness, so as not to defile themselves.  They were told since childhood to avoid dead bodies, pork, shellfish, women and Gentiles, all of whom could make one ceremonially unclean, unable to participate in the Temple worship.  Jesus was now declaring that all those things could not make anyone unclean.  It was what someone thought or said that rendered them unclean in God’s sight.  This was indeed radical and the disciples needed time to process this new concept.

Are you stuck in any old thinking where service to God is concerned? I know many who are.  For example, some believe that if they go to “church” on Sunday, they have done their duty to and for God.  Some think that they are doing God a favor by going to “church.”  First of all, church isn’t a building and it isn’t the house of God.  It isn’t a holy place any more than a movie theater is holy.  The people of God are the building of God.  They are the holy place.  So you see, you had better not answer too quickly as to whether or not you are stuck in some old thinking where God is concerned.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download matthew_study_18.doc

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Don't forget to tune into Your PurposeQuest: The Power of a Focused Life every Wednesday at 9 AM Eastern time on the Voice America.  If you miss the show, you can access any of the past broadcasts at the network archives. 

Matthew Study 17: 14:1-29

Have you ever had a life storm, one where the winds were howling and the waves pounding?  Jesus' disciples always attract storms, just like they did in Matthew 14.  In that storm, however, Jesus came to them, walking on the turbulent waves.  This week we take a look at storms and the lessons we can learn from them. 

14:26 – I have always chuckled at the disciples’ conclusion when they saw Jesus walking on the water.  They thought He was a ghost!  That means ghosts were a legend and in the back of people’s minds just like today.  While it is somewhat humorous now, it wasn’t then, for these men were terrified and cried out in fear.  Jesus was always doing the unexpected, but this instance went way beyond multiplying loaves and fishes or healing a blind man. 

Why would Jesus do something like this?  Jesus was constantly trying to expand the thinking of His disciples where faith was concerned.  They were raised in a culture in Israel that expected today to be like yesterday and tomorrow to be like today.  Yet Jesus had come to shake up the status quo in every sphere of life. 

How much of the unexpected happens in your life?  Or are your tomorrows going to be like today?  Is this a good thing?  Is this what God would want for your life? If God did shake things up in your life, how would you respond?  Like the disciples in terror?  Would you see those changes for what they are, or would you think it was something bizarre like a ghost?

v. 27 – Immediately Jesus spoke to put their minds at ease.  I am not sure that He expected them to react with such fear.  He ordered them to “take courage.”  Is that what you need to do as well?  Courage is something you can summon at will and act accordingly. How courageous are you?  With how much courage do you operate on a daily basis?

v. 28 – Peter asked for confirmation that the “ghost” speaking to them wasn’t a ghost at all, but rather Jesus, who He claimed to be.  Peter knew that if it was truly Jesus, then Jesus could call him onto the water and he [Peter] could walk on it as well.  What quick thinking on Peter’s part. While the others were still processing the moment, Peter summoned the courage to ask for the impossible.  Peter was looking at what he had previously considered impossible and then decided not to be content just watching.  He wanted to participate.

v. 29 – Jesus did not rebuke Peter for his request.  He didn’t say, “This isn’t a show my friend.  This is something that is reserved for me.  You just stay in the boat.  I am showing off what I can do for you to watch.”  Instead, Jesus immediately told Peter to come on out.

Jesus is saying the same thing to you and me: “Don’t be a spectator, don’t be content to watch someone else do what others consider impossible.  Go for it!”  What does getting out of the boat represent for you today?  Is it starting a business?  Speaking before a group of people?  Praying for the sick?  Breaking with your family traditions to do what is in your heart? 

At Jesus’ command, Peter got out of the boat, stepped into a raging storm and performed the impossible.  Peter walked on the water, too.  The storm and waves became irrelevant.  The only things that mattered were Jesus’ word to come and Peter’s faith to obey. 

What about you?  Are you focusing on the storm or Jesus?  Are you looking for where you can go or where you can be safe?  Are you properly interpreting what Jesus is doing or seeing it to be a “ghost” – something that is unpredictable and fearful?

There are so many lessons to be drawn from this story of Jesus walking on the water.  I urge you to consider this story seriously and apply the lessons to your faith walk today. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download matthew_study_17.doc

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Don't forget to tune into Your PurposeQuest: The Power of a Focused Life every Wednesday at 9 AM Eastern time on the Voice America.  If you miss the show, you can access any of the past broadcasts at the network archives. 

Matthew Study 16: 13:31-57

Dear Student of the Word,

It is the Memorial Day holiday weekend in the States, but this is no holiday from God's word for me.  I will send out this study today, go to church tonight, prepare to preach at another church tomorrow, and finish a 14-page paper on Jesus in Matthew 11 for a seminary class.  I am not complaining, for God's word is worth the investment of time.

Have you ever felt stifled where you are, like people won't accept you as anything but who they have known you to be?  This happened to Jesus and it's part of the focus of this week's study, in which I wrote:

13:55&56 – While the people were amazed in Jesus’ hometown, which would have been Nazareth, they were also offended and a bit put off.  They knew Jesus when He was growing up and they were well acquainted with His family.  Notice that Jesus had brothers and sisters.  This flies in the face of the Catholic doctrine that Jesus was an only child because Mary was a perpetual “virgin.” 

This teaching came about because Catholics also teach that Mary was sinless, thus Jesus was sinless.  If Mary had to be sinless for Jesus to be sinless, then how was Mary sinless?  Were here parents sinless?  Of course they weren’t but the Catholics felt pressure to “defend” and explain how Jesus, a man born of a woman, could be without sin.  I have never been anti-Catholic in these studies and I never will.  I am just pointing out that Jesus had brothers and sisters, yet that did not detract from the fact that Jesus was sinless.

v. 57 – I wonder if this is why Jesus relocated his base of operation to Capernaum?  The people there never Him as the local boy, so they could accept Him in His new role as rabbi and itinerate teacher.  The residents of Nazareth could not get accustomed to Jesus’ new role, and it affected His ability to function.  He could do no miraculous works there because they did not believe in Him; they knew Him as Jesus, Mary’s boy.  We can also now understand what Nathaniel said in John’s gospel. The people of Nazareth were a dead group where faith was concerned:

"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip (John 1:46).

That may be true in your life as well.  People who knew you as you once were can have trouble accepting a new you.  That is true for family, church, or a place of employment.  This can actually hinder God’s work in your life, so that He must relocate or reposition you for you to be effective in the purpose He has for you.

In my former church, I was an administrator.  When I wanted to teach and preach, they would and could not let me do so, because I was John the administrator.  I had to relocate 500 miles away, where those people never knew me as an administrator, so I could be accepted as a preacher and teacher. 

I suppose that is why, in part, God has had me relocate every ten years and why I have had a major purpose transition about every five years.  That is so I could grow, or so that the people I was around would allow me to grow – or at least not prevent me from growing.  Are you due for a transition?  Is this why you aren’t as effective as you could be (because people are trying to hold you in a role you have outgrown)?  I urge you to allow God to position you in or to a place where you will be most effective, where you can embrace the new things in your life that God has for you – and where others can embrace the new you, too. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download matthew_study_16.doc

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SPECIAL NOTICE:  Don't miss the second broadcast of my new radio show, Your PurposeQuest: The Power of a Focused Life this coming Wednesday, May 28, at 9 AM Eastern time on the Voice America network.  You don't need any special equipment or software.  Just go to their website and click on their flagship station and I will be on for a live broadcast.  The show will air at 2 PM in the UK, 3 PM in Zimbabwe and South Africa, 4 PM in Kenya and 9 PM in Singapore. Then it will be broadcast again 12 hours later, and after that it can be listened to or downloaded from the archive section.  The show will air every Wednesday at the same time.

You can download and listen to last week's show by going to station's archives.

Feel free to email me your questions for the show, or you can call me when the show is live at 1.866.472.5787.  Here is a description of the first show:

    Episode Two: Making A Major Midlife Job Change

Feel stuck where you’re working now?  Don't know how to make a change?  Not sure what you want to do and where you would be best suited to work?  If you answer “yes” to any of those questions, then join John Stanko and his guest Sheila Hunt as they discuss how Sheila answered these questions for herself.  Then find out what she did about it!  You’ll hear how Sheila made a transition from the field of education to corporate America.  Join John and Sheila as they talk about faith and courage to do what you love.

Matthew Study 15: 13:1-30

Dear Student of the Word,

Did you ever consider that the parable of the sower could have just as easily been called the parable of the soils?  This week we move into Matthew 13 where Jesus begins a series of lessons on the kingdom of God.  He began with the story of the sower who went out to sow seed, which had varying degrees of success in sprouting and taking root. What was the difference?  The difference was the condition of the soil, for there was nothing wrong with the seed.  Here is a sample of what I wrote in this week's lesson:

13:5-9 – Without the explanation to follow, we would have no idea what Jesus was talking about, or it would be left to our personal interpretation.  I want to have insight into God’s word, but I don’t want to be weird and force meanings that the Holy Spirit never intended.

One of the best ways to gain insight into God’s word is to seek the Lord through study.  This is something I have not done enough of the last few years.  I prepare these studies and I prepare for teaching and preaching.  Yet I am not satisfied with the depth of my understanding, so I have enrolled in a doctoral program at Reformed Theological Seminary.  I have completed twenty percent of the program and it has helped me focus and discipline myself for study.

Yet when I study, all I can do is position myself for God to open my eyes and ears to the truths in His word.  While I do my part, any insight I receive is grace, but I must position myself to receive the grace.  What work are you doing to be able to receive God’s grace?  The least you can do is pray for insight like the psalmist:

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law (Psalm 119:9-18).

Jesus often said, “I tell you the truth,” and “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  Jesus would always tell the truth but not everyone wanted to hear the truth.  Those who wanted to hear would hear, those who did not would go home and have no idea what Jesus was talking about.

Do you have ears to hear?  Then what are you hearing?  What new insight about God or His purposes do you have?  How are you sharing this with other people?  What difference has it made in your life and purpose?  What changes do you need to make to gain more insight into God’s word?  I am not saying that you need to go back to school like I have done, but there is something you can do, or stop doing (like watching television), to provide the time you need to position yourself for the grace of insight into God’s purposes.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 15.doc

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SPECIAL NOTICE:  Don't miss the inaugural broadcast of my new radio show, Your PurposeQuest: The Power of a Focused Life this coming Wednesday, May 21, at 9 AM Eastern time on the Voice America network.  You don't need any special equipment or software.  Just go to their website and click on their flagship station and I will be on for a live broadcast.  The show will air at 2 PM in the UK, 3 PM in Zimbabwe and South Africa, 4 PM in Kenya and 9 PM in Singapore. Then it will be broadcast again 12 hours later, and after that it can be listened to or downloaded from the archive section.  The show will air every Wednesday at the same time.

Feel free to email me your questions for the show, or you can call me when the show is live at 1.866.472.5787.  Here is a description of the first show:

Episode One: Write a Book, Save a Child
 
Have you ever thought about writing a book?  Ever wanted to travel or start a company that will make the world a better place to live?  If so, then you won’t want to miss John Stanko’s inaugural program with his guest, Diana Scimone.  Diana is a publisher, author, world traveler and founder of “Not For Sale,” a nonprofit organization working to alleviate the child trafficking problem around the world.  Join John and Diana as they talk about writing, travel, purpose and how you can be a person of purpose, too!

 

 

Matthew Study 14: 12:22-50

Dear Student of the Word,

Have you ever asked God for a sign, some kind of confirmation that would let you know without a doubt that He wanted you to do something? Jesus' contemporaries also asked for a sign, but He refused to give them one, except for one. In this week's study, we look at what He promised to provide and how that sign should impact your life. This week I wrote:

v. 38 – The Pharisees were undaunted by Jesus’ assault on their character and spirituality. Next they wanted a sign, something beyond the normal that would confirm in their mind that Jesus was the One. John the Baptist did not ask for a sign; John simply wanted Jesus to reaffirm the truth of who He was. The Pharisees did not believe what Jesus said, so they wanted a sign, promising then at least to consider believing but only after they received a sign.

There were already plenty of signs for the Pharisees to consider but they were mired in unbelief and, contrary to what they thought, no sign at that point would have stimulated their belief in Jesus.

v. 39 – Jesus responded with another scathing attack, referring to those who asked for a sign as a wicked and adulterous generation. The Pharisees asked for the same thing that the devil requested in Matthew 4. He wanted Jesus to put on a show and throw Himself from the pinnacle of the Temple. Jesus refused to perform on demand for the devil and He refused the same request from the Pharisees.

Jesus performed His signs and wonders to meet the needs of people, not to provide documentation for those who were intent on judging His performance. Jesus told them that there would be a significant sign and called it the sign of the prophet Jonah, veiling what He meant to hide it from unbelieving eyes and hearts. He explained the meaning of this sign in the next few verses.

Does it make sense that an unbelieving heart requires a sign and that the sign simply allows control to remain with the observer? By that I mean the one beholding the so-called sign can still accept or reject the sign, still decide whether the sign is “enough” to warrant belief. God is not averse to providing a sign, but it is one of His choosing. Let’s read on.

vs. 40&41 – Of course the sign of Jonah was a reference to Jesus’ impending death and resurrection. That is the sign that the unbelieving generation would receive and, true to form, they would reject that sign. Jesus offers the same sign to our generation and has to every generation since He came, the sign of His resurrection.

God raised Jesus from the dead. If God raises the dead, He can do whatever He promises. If you are looking for a sign to confirm God’s power and authority, that is the sign that God provides. If you are looking for a sign that God is with you, then that is the sign. If you are looking for a sign that God can do what He promised He would do for you, then that is the sign. There is no other, and you should require no other.

If God can raise the dead, He can do anything. Do you act like He can do anything?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 14.doc