Dear Student of the Word,
I gave you a week off last week and hope you used it to catch up on past studies that you haven't had a chance to read. I used it do some other writing. As January ends, isn't it interesting that by looking at four verses every day, we are already into Matthew chapter five. I have been doing four verses per day for more than six years and it has enabled me to write studies for 18 books of the New Testament. There is no substitute for sustained, concentrated effort in any area of life. Don't feel like you have to take big steps to be successful. You just have to take consistent steps in an area of interest and you will have a large impact.
This week I wrote:
5:1 – Jesus was a superb teacher. How did he ever communicate with the large crowds without an audio system? At times, He used the topography of the area to do so. There is a Catholic church on a hillside by the Sea of Galilee today and it has an amphitheater next to the lake. If you stand at the bottom of the hill, with your back to the lake, you can speak to the hillside and the slope of th hill carries your voice over a large area. There is a good chance that this is what Jesus did and where He did it.
Today, we have new ways to speak to the masses of people. If you have something to say, people will want to read or hear it. Today, you can have a website, start a blog, do podcasting, use YouTube or any number of other resources that involve technology. When you read this, there may be even newer and more efficient ways to communicate with mass markets.
Whatever the means, are you utilizing these means to communicate your message and fulfill your purpose? Or are you stubbornly resisting these media, as has often been the case with church and spiritual people? If you aren’t resisting, are you fully utilizing their capabilities and possibilities to touch as many people as possible?
Many of these media involve or require writing, and I encounter many people who feel a need or call to write. Yet many don’t write for a variety of reasons, fear usually being the main reason. Are you afraid to write? Are you afraid of your creative side—afraid that people will laugh or ignore, that it won’t be “very good,” that you won’t have the time to finish? Do you not write or produce creative things because you don’t know what you will do with them when you are finished? I doubt if Jesus had notes, but He certainly addressed the crowds with memorable messages. With His help, you can do the same with whatever medium you choose. I suggest you don’t put off creating any longer. The world needs to see and hear what you have inside of you.
Feel free to add your comments to this week's study. You can do this and 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 4.doc
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