The Jaffray Offering Devotional | Week 3

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Icebreaker:

Share about a time in your life when you felt God was guiding you.

Verse:

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”- (Matthew 19:26).

Study:

What gets the way of whole-heartedly serving God? Are you blinded by worldly possession? Does fear cripple your ability to step out in faith? In Matthew 19:26 Jesus is responding to the disciples’ question “who can be saved?” Jesus has just explained how hard it is to be saved.

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

“Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’[c] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]”

“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:16-26).

When Jesus said, “with God all things are possible” He was not saying a general catchphrase to be applied anywhere and everywhere. He is speaking specifically about things that get in the way of truly, wholeheartedly following Jesus. The kind of dramatic life change that seems impossible to the disciples—the rich entering the kingdom, the young ruler selling all his possessions—is possible with God.

The idea is that we cannot be saved, or enter the Kingdom, out of our own power. It must be on account of God. In Matthew 19, there is also the story of Jesus and the little children.

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there (Matthew 19:13-14).

This is a positive example of how we should approach the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus also answers Peter immediately after this verse and affirms that he will be part of the Kingdom, and that the Kingdom includes a whole new family, many times larger than Peter’s natural family.

Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[e] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first (Matthew 19:27-30).

All of these verses, especially Matthew 19:26, should be generally applied and should give disciples of Jesus great comfort. All things are possible because God exists and loves us. God will accomplish His purposes.

In Luke 22 Jesus is in the garden praying.

Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:39-44).

How often do we pray “Not my will, but yours be done”? God is capable of saving sinners and giving them eternal life; no one can hijack this power, but perhaps the most useful quesiton is: how  will we respond to God’s power? We should respond with humility, submission, and trust. We recognize that He has a sovereign plan, and that we have to trust that He is going to do what is best.

Rather than focusing on the negative “what ifs” we need to focus on positive “what ifs”. Instead of “What if that person is going to think I’m weird if I ask to pray for them?” ask yourself, “What if that person’s life will be transformed by God if I ask to pray for them?” Whenever fear creeps in, take a moment to remind yourself that through God all things are possible, and that His plan is one we can trust.

Jesus also answers Peter immediately after this verse and affirms that he will be part of the Kingdom, and that the Kingdom includes a whole new family, many times larger than Peter’s natural family.

Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[e] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first (Matthew 19:27-30).

All of these verses, especially Matthew 19:26, should be generally applied and should give disciples of Jesus great comfort. All things are possible because God exists and loves us. God will accomplish His purposes.

In Luke 22 Jesus is in the garden praying.

Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:39-44).

How often do we pray “Not my will, but yours be done”? God is capable of saving sinners and giving them eternal life; no one can hij­­­ack this power, but perhaps the most useful question is: how will we respond to God’s power? We should respond with humility, submission, and trust. We recognize that He has a sovereign plan, and that we have to trust that He is going to do what is best.

Rather than focusing on the negative “what ifs” we need to focus on positive “what ifs”. Instead of “What if that person is going to think I’m weird if I ask to pray for them?” ask yourself, “What if that person’s life will be transformed by God if I ask to pray for them?” Whenever fear creeps in, take a moment to remind yourself that through God all things are possible, and that His plan is one we can trust.

Learn more about South Asia: What if, in between soccer conversations and Sunday services, you could help spread the Gospel to the largest least-reached population in the world? What if one of the very best ways to reach this far-away mission field was to stay engaged right here on your own?

Partnership is a core value of the Alliance’s international work, and we’ve earned this reputation all over the world. We are privileged to be able to join local indigenous leadership as God uses us together to expand the spread of the gospel through planting faith communities, national strategies, and other resources. However, we also bring partnership home, connecting churches and individuals to ministry opportunities like online international mentoring: a pandemic-proof platform for sharing the love of Christ with people in a distant country.

Most of us feel uneasy or unprepared to start conversations with our neighbours or share our faith openly. But it doesn’t have to be that way… really! Becoming an online mentor is really all about walking alongside someone in their journey – no matter where they’re at. If you sincerely desire to encourage others and guide them in taking the next steps in their spiritual walk, you can become a mentor. Mentoring is not counselling, nor is it intended to replace professional help. As a mentor, your role is to empathize, provide people with helpful resources, and guide them in their spiritual journey. If you’re a caring person who is in a committed and growing relationship with God, you can become a mentor!

To learn more visit  https://tmm.io/

Reflect/Discuss:

What are the reasons you have for not engaging in the Great Commission?

What would it look like if you were willing to give up everything to be a disciple of Jesus? What would it look like if you ignored your “buts”, trusting God to give you what you need to do the work He has called you to do? What might you be able to accomplish for God’s kingdom here on earth?

What are you willing to do this week to begin breaking down your barriers to doing what God is asking you to do? What do you need to ask of God to help you be successful despite your limitations?

Prayer Points:

• Pray that the people mentoring will be bold in sharing and supporting people in South Asia
• Pray for open eyes to recognize what your “but” looks like and how it may be preventing you from engaging in the Great Commission
• Pray that courage will overtake fear when it comes to stepping out in faith