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3. How does Jesus respond to Peter's plea for him to leave, due to Peter's sinfulness? Why doesn't Jesus address Peter's sinfulness at this point? What does Jesus talk about instead? Simon Peter was experiencing the first moments of realization that Jesus truly was the Lord, the Messiah. He understood that he was literally standing there before the promised Anointed One, and I think he probably felt profound awe but also deep shame and absolute terror! In the presence of holiness, one realizes personal sinfulness. Peter had previously been brought to Jesus, but had not believed in Jesus and responded in faith like his brother Andrew. He had returned to the familiar life he knew as a fisherman. Jesus didn’t need to challenge that lack of faith here because Peter was now fully and sorrowfully aware of it. Instead, He reassured Peter that there was nothing to fear and that the Lord had a mighty purpose for his life in the kingdom of God. This time, Peter didn’t hesitate. Thank You, Lord for second chances. 4. Does Jesus require all his disciples to leave everything? If not, why not? If so, in what sense? In following the example that Jesus Himself has set for us, the answer is yes – essentially He does require His disciples to leave everything in the sense of what our hearts cling to and what we cherish most. The ideal is a willingness to release every single person, possession, talent, ambition, hope, dream, expectation, need, etc in life that we treasure so that absolutely nothing is more important in our lives than the LORD and His kingdom. He understands our imperfection in actually thinking and living that way, but the bottom line question He asks of me is “Would you be willing, if that’s what I must ask of you?”. In reality, what a profoundly hard question.

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What things does Jesus ask Peter to do and in what order? Why the progression, do you think? Why do you think Jesus asked Peter to attempt the seemingly impossible task of catching fish during the day, after he's tried all night and failed? John 1:40-42 records that Simon’s brother Andrew was a follower of John the Baptist, who introduced him to the Lamb of God. Realizing he had just met the promised Messiah, Andrew immediately chose to follow Jesus and brought Simon to meet Him. So Simon had already personally encountered Jesus and knew who He was. On this day by the Sea of Galilee, Simon Peter had surely been observing the scene and hearing what Jesus was teaching as he washed fishing nets. As someone Peter already knew, Jesus interrupted the teaching and entered Peter’s boat. He first asked Peter to put out just offshore so that He could move back to settle the pressing crowd and better teach them. I see this as an invitation to participate and join Jesus in giving the Word of God, a picture of fishing for men that Peter had no concept of yet. The focus was on assisting Jesus “cast the net” in meeting the need of the Teacher and the multitude at that time. When Jesus finished teaching, His focus shifted from the vast crowd to the deep need of one man. He turned His attention to Peter, who had just heard the Word of God proclaimed and explained like he’d never heard before. I wonder if much of what Jesus taught that day was for the benefit of His “captive audience” of one sitting next to Him in that boat. Jesus said for Peter to launch the boat out into the deep. This almost sounds like a command that Peter certainly could have declined, but I think it was ultimately the call on Peter’s life and purpose – to spiritually launch out into the deep waters of faith. And so He led this fisherman, who finally obliged the request in spite of exhaustion and unfinished work after the long night of unproductive fishing, into that specific experience. Jesus knew exactly what would stir Peter’s faith and clearly demonstrate the call on his life to become a fisher of men. Two things I note. What a loving and personal God, who comes to each of us as individuals with our own specific needs, first revealing those needs and then supplying the answers. And what a picture of how we must come to the end of self-reliance and ability in order to truly see the sufficiency and supremacy of God.

3. Which was the more important motivator for Jesus: compassion or duty? Did they ever conflict? Jesus was truly concerned for the afflictions and needs of these people, but His highest priority was the Father’s will. Because of His compassionate heart, it was probably difficult for Him to leave without healing everyone who sought His help. He relied on the Father’s perfect directions even more than the important compassion He felt. Obviously this is a clear conflict. But it’s also a clear example of the importance of choosing what is best over what is good. The right choice will always be the Father’s will rather than self-determination.

2. How did Jesus treat the sick people he encountered that afternoon and evening in Capernaum? What kind of example does that set for us to follow? Jesus recognized and responded to the hurt and pain of every single person as individuals that day. No one was overlooked or ignored. That sets a high bar for the kind of selfless compassion He displayed as our example.

What does Jesus' ministry of laying on of hands for healing teach us about him? Jesus had a concern and deep compassion for people that led Him to minister to the hurting in a very personal way. He showed respect for each person's affliction. He spoke to them as individuals. He looked into people’s eyes. He held someone’s hand or touched their blind eyes or surely laid His hands on disfigured feet, for example. The sense of touch is very intimate and is somewhat healing in itself. Jesus extended Himself in a personal way to offer the healing. This is much like a good doctor treats patients, and the Great Physician set the example.

5. Why isn't recovery from demonic deception always instantaneous? What is the process of deliverance that a person must go through to come to full freedom? When the things we are led by demonic deception to think, speak, and act on are not challenged, they slowly but surely become ingrained and affect what we believe and feel and do. This creates habits and strongholds. Even when this is recognized and dealt with, those habits and strongholds still have to be dealt with. It can take a long time to fully discover what they actually are, face them, and root them out. I’ve struggled all my life to fully receive the concept of being completely, passionately, and purely loved by our Father, without having to do anything to earn or deserve it. And I’ve had to battle the feeling that I just couldn’t really trust that love. I believe the nagging little voice of such doubt that I would hear in my head originates in the whispers of demonic deception. In a nutshell, the only way to overcome that has been from identifying & owning up to the deception, knowing the Truth, and relying on the Spirit to make that Truth real to me as completely trustworthy.

3. Why do you think the demon oppressed man interrupted Jesus? The demon who controlled this man was an operative of satan, the Enemy who would use or do anything available to subvert the plan of redemption. I think it may have been an attempt to reveal Jesus as Messiah before the time was right in order to stop the message of spiritual liberty and deliverance that would free God’s people from spiritual oppression. Also, the question “Have you come to destroy us?” reveals recognition of Jesus' authority and an apprehensive expectation of judgment. 4. After you've read Dr. Wilson's essay on "Demonization and Deliverance in Jesus' Ministry" (in Appendix 2), do you think he proves his assertion that demonization describes a range of demon influence, rather than complete possession? Why or why not? I’ve never heard anyone address a clear perspective on this type of question and have wondered about it but never deeply investigated on my own. Thank you, Pastor Ralph, for this thought-provoking view. Yes, I do agree that “demonization describes a range of demon influence, rather than complete possession”. An unsaved person has absolutely no protection against the deceptive power of evil, so it’s no surprise to think that the Enemy’s influence would be very controlling. The real question for me has always been the question of “demon possession” for Christians, since that is the wording we see in Scripture. We already recognize that when we receive the Holy Spirit, it’s a life-long process of yielding every part of our inner being to His presence and control. So, what about all the parts that haven’t been given over to Him yet? That’s where we are still operating in the flesh and are vulnerable to the Enemy’s influence. When we act on any sinful thought or desire we have, we are giving in to the pull of evil that seeks only to steal, kill, and destroy our faith and walk in the Spirit. That isn’t being possessed by a demon. It’s being influenced by demonic deception and allowing open opportunity for a demonic foothold. I think all believers struggle with this battle on some level because it begins in the conflict between the spirit and the flesh, which is something we all face. The degree of influence we allow to go unchecked determines the degree of control it has over our thoughts, words, behavior, and actions.

What is the relationship between Jesus' commission in Luke 4:18-19 and his ministry acts in Capernaum? Jesus literally delivered the good news of freedom from bondage as He released people from the influence and oppression of demons. Every time a demon was cast out of a person’s life, that person received liberty from spiritual captivity and deliverance from blindness. Jesus' words were spoken with conviction and authority, compared to the scribes who often spoke in the synagogue. What was the source of Jesus' conviction and authority? His divinity? Or something else? Should we expect conviction and authority to attend our own teaching? Why or why not? When Jesus spoke, He wasn’t making personal commentary or repeating the philosophies and determinations already made by Jewish scribes or other teachers. He spoke with such authority because He was speaking the Word of God, and God’s words are THE truth. And as Son of Man who set aside the rights and authority of His deity (Philippians 2:6-7), I think Jesus spoke according to the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. That kind of teaching rings true and carries enormous authority. I’ve experienced a tiny bit (in comparison to Jesus!) of that as a teacher. When the Holy Spirit leads my study and teaching, I am amazed at the power of the Word.

4. How did Jesus show courage in the face of rejection? What lessons can you learn from his example? Jesus knew the truth of the Scriptures, the Word that He Himself had spoken to man (John 1:1; Isaiah 40:8). He knew the value of the Father’s unfailing love for Him (Isaiah 43:4). He knew the will of God was perfect and that His purpose on earth was to do that will (Genesis 17:7; John 6:38). And Jesus knew the faithfulness of the Father, not only to that perfect will but also to His beloved Son (Deuteronomy 7:9). Trusting all of what “He knew that He knew that He knew” gave Him the courage to face the rejection that began in His hometown and followed Him through the next 3 years of ministry. Here in this very first challenge, He trusted the Father and the Holy Spirit more than what the people thought of Him or how they reacted to Him. I have found Jesus’ example to be the perfect model for my own life. What Jesus knew here was much deeper than head knowledge. It was an experiential heart knowledge that developed through knowing God personally and intimately. We learn to trust God more deeply as we see Him respond to our faith and use it to work in our lives, and then remember all we know of Him and what He’s already done as we face the challenges ahead. Trusting the Truth is ultimate freedom. Trusting the love of God is ultimate worth. Trusting the will of God is ultimate purpose. Trusting the faithfulness of God is ultimate confidence.

2. Why do you think Jesus "rubbed it in" with two stories of God blessing Gentiles while Jews were still in need? Is he egging on the residents of Nazareth? I really don’t think Jesus was egging them on. I think He was calling them out for the blindness to their profound lack of faith and its consequences. God manifests His power and provision where there is faith. But they couldn’t see beyond “religion” with its perceived entitlements, or their own flawed understanding of who Jesus was revealing Himself to be. 3. Why couldn't they kill Jesus at Nazareth? Why did Jesus willingly allow himself to be captured in the Garden of Gethsemane? It was not Jesus’ time to die. The plan of salvation was to be prefaced by His work to fulfill the commission He had just confirmed to them from Isaiah’s prophecy. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus willingly surrendered to capture because the hour had come for His death.

How can it be that Jesus can go from declaring his commission from God on high one moment, to being subjected to an attempted assassination the next? Have you ever experienced highs and lows this extreme? The people of Nazareth had pigeon-holed Jesus into the image they had of him. They had known him all his life and I can imagine that the question about being Joseph’s son could have been a subtle and very snide reminder of his humble upbringing as an "illegitimate son" raised by a carpenter. What kind of background was that for the well-spoken man before them who had just declared himself to be Messiah? And then He exposed their desire for miracles to be done for them as for others, perhaps revealing a feeling of entitlement or a resentment that Jesus didn't display His miracles for their benefit as He did for unworthy Gentiles. But the ultimate insult was when He exposed their utter lack of faith in who He truly was and their unbelief that Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled right there among them. I can relate to this scenario on some level. As an adult, I was called into a public position of ministry in the church I’d grown up in. There were certainly times of resistance when I sensed I was being judged by perceptions of who some thought me to be since they’d known me since childhood. I even experienced a lack of support from some family members who displayed jealousy. I wouldn’t put this on the extreme level that Jesus experienced, but I understand it.

5. Did Jesus have any special powers at his disposal to resist temptation that Christians today don't have? Jesus relied on the power of the Word of God and the power of the indwelling Spirit to enable Him to resist temptations. Christians today, as the Body of Christ, have the very same “special powers” available to withstand temptations! 6. What lessons about how to resist temptation does Jesus teach us disciples in this passage? Jesus showed us that the Word of God is a powerful weapon that cannot be overstated in importance because it is THE truth. Believers have to start by recognizing the reality of the battle with temptation. And then we must follow the example Jesus set for us and get serious about the critical need for knowing the Word. Having Scripture planted in our hearts and minds equips us with an arsenal for the Spirit to draw from to enable us with the right truth for the specific lie of every temptation we face.

2. What is the essence of the first temptation, to turn stones into bread? Which temptations we face are similar? The essence of the temptation to turn stones into bread was the pride of trusting self-reliance instead of trusting God for provision. It was a subtle temptation to question or mistrust the Father’s care, to seek an answer to a need in an inappropriate way apart from divine direction, to act in a prideful way in meeting needs in life. We are so very vulnerable to this temptation in our lives because it strikes at our most basic instincts to go after whatever we think or feel that we want or need. I really can’t think of any facet of human life where we don’t have to battle the pride of self-reliance. No area where we don’t just naturally rely on self, look for answers without the Spirit’s direction, and even subtly question God’s goodness and care by ignoring or rationalizing or outright not trusting Him. 3. What is the essence of the second temptation, to attain power and splendor? What similar temptations do we face today? The essence of the temptation to gain worldly authority and glory was the pride of seeking personal honor rather than doing all to glorify the LORD, elevating self instead of submitting to God’s plan, purposes, and timing. That would involve selling out to the Enemy for a shortcut to position and power. If Jesus had agreed to this temptation, the entire plan for salvation would have been thwarted as He sought to begin an earthly reign before the cross. I think most people enjoy personal honor and attention. We want to feel accepted or validated, or perhaps more powerful. One thing that first comes to mind are the big-time ministries of TV “pastors” and teachers. Teaching the Word and receiving public adoration and acclaim – and wealth – become a focus that seems to completely ignore the glory of God. At some level, we all can relate to that in some way when we do things in the name of God that make us look good but aren’t in His plan and timing or for His glory. 4. What is the essence of the third temptation, to throw oneself down from the temple? How do we face this temptation today? The essence of this temptation was the spiritual pride of presuming on God to prove Himself by rescuing us from disastrous consequences of our reckless unwise choices. It seems to be another subtle level of the 1st temptation, where Jesus was tempted to question the Father’s care for His physical needs. I believe we’d all have to say we have ignored the wisdom and leading of the Spirit in making decisions or taking actions that resulted in messes we didn’t know how to clean up. And then we’ve expected the LORD to prove His love and power by getting us out of trouble. We are not to test or provoke God with our lack of faith and disobedient behavior.

Is temptation only merely inevitable, or is it necessary to our growth as disciples? Temptation is inevitable because of our innate sinful nature that just naturally leads us to follow our own desires (James 1:14). Once we become a child of God, a fierce life-long battle begins between the old nature and the new nature of Christ we have received. Paul vividly described his own war in Romans 7. I think this war is largely based on fighting these temptations. And temptation is a primary tool Satan uses to distract and pull us away from God and His will. This enemy will use any vulnerability we have to do that. Temptation is also necessary to our growth as disciples. The LORD never tempts us to commit sin and reject Him (James 1:13), but He will use the war with those inevitable temptations to draw us to Him. He sometimes forces us to face them by intentionally allowing or leading us into our own wilderness experiences – always for greater good. I can clearly recall the first time I realized that was happening to me, and immediately understood that this was going to be a time for testing everything I’d ever said I believe about God and His Word. The temptation to rely on what I thought, felt, or desired would be disastrous. I learned that untested faith is unproven faith. He uses our inner temptations to bring His children face-to-face with our true hearts and minds & to give opportunity to know His faithfulness. He uses this testing to stretch, strengthen, grow, and deepen our faith as we learn to reject self-will and desires in order to trust God’s will and desires.

6. Did Jesus become the Messiah at this point? Or become divine? Or how do you understand this decisive event? From the time Adam and Eve were expelled from the presence of God [I believe it was the incarnate Christ who enjoyed fellowship with them in Eden], the plan for redemption and Satan’s destruction was revealed (Genesis 4:15, Isaiah 7:14). That plan and its purpose rested on Messiah, who came as Emmanuel, God with us. When Jesus came to earth as Son of Man, He humbled Himself & set aside His equality with God in order to serve and glorify the Father (Philippians 2:5-8). But His identity and divinity as a Person of Triune God never changed. I believe Jesus was always Messiah. When He came to be baptized, He was stepping into His role as Messiah, and the “Anointed One” received the promised anointing to enable Him in that role. I think the decisive event of baptism by the Spirit was, in a way, a moment of restoring His full access to divine power [still under control by the Spirit] to equip Jesus the Messiah for His earthly mission. And actually, that’s pretty much what we also receive in Holy Spirit baptism!

3. Why do you think God staged the dove to descend in a visible way? (verse 22) Here, at the onset of Jesus’ ministry of redemption, “the heavens were opened” (vs.21) in a visible way for all to see the Spirit of God in a visible way as He descended to Jesus. This confirmed to John that his cousin Jesus was, without question, the Messiah that his own ministry had been preparing God’s people to receive. God was fulfilling a prophetic promise He made to John that the One coming to baptize with the Spirit would be identified and confirmed when the Spirit visibly descended and remained on the Son of God [John 1:32-34]. 4. What was the significance of the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus at this time in his life? Having been covered by some measure of the Spirit all His life, Jesus was now filled by the Spirit in a new overflowing way that anointed Him with the spiritual power of God. The moment had come to begin the work of redemption, and this power was essential to enable Him to accomplish it. 5. How did Jesus interpret the Voice that sounded from heaven? Jesus knew this was the voice of God the Father, who affirmed His love [and all that comes with pure love] and His pleasure in the Son’s obedience. This had to be an incredible source of confirmation, encouragement, and courage!

What do you think Jesus was saying to the Father as he was praying after his baptism? (verse 21) Pastor Ralph, thank you for such a beautiful perspective of this critical moment. It’s a fresh understanding for me of divine Jesus’ complete humanity. I never considered before that there had to be a crossroads moment in His life where He had to accept the burden of [our] sin and turn to the LORD in total reliance for redemption – just as every believer has a specific point in life of accepting the consequences of sin and turning in repentance to the only One who can save us. I imagine that as Jesus recognized the moment had come to begin His ministry, He humbled Himself in yielding to the mission and prayed for strength, courage, wisdom, and favor from the Father. He may have been praying for the full measure of the Spirit’s grace that would be required. He almost surely prayed that He would bring glory to the Father and God’s will would be done. In some ways, I can imagine this as the beginning of a prayer that would conclude 3 years later in the agony of the Garden of Gethsemane. Here we can clearly see triune God joined in total unity to begin the work of salvation as Jesus the spotless Lamb yielded to the plan, the Holy Spirit descended to visually consecrate and anoint Him, and the Father audibly confirmed His favor and spoke blessing over His beloved Son. Why would Jesus be baptized along with all the sin-laden people at the river that day? Wasn't he in danger of miscommunicating to them who he was? Jesus came to serve as the sacrificial lamb of atonement for God's people by giving His own guiltless life for them. This plan was introduced with the Passover lamb and its blood applied over the doorposts (Exodus 12:11-13), where sin and its penalty were symbolically transferred onto a lamb's innocent life whose blood was then offered as atonement. While Jesus was blameless and holy, He came as Son of Man and had to fully identify with humanity in our need for repentance of sin and salvation from it so that He could fully secure our redemption. He likely knew He would be misunderstood, but His focus was on the will of God.

4. We may be afraid of "fire-of-judgment" kind of language, but what should our response be to warnings of terrible judgment? First of all, we should be grateful to have been given warnings. God always warns before sending judgment so that people have the opportunity to repent and turn their hearts back to Him. I cannot say that I look forward to the intense judgments that seem to be rapidly drawing closer in our current era. But I have to keep setting my heart and focus on who I know God to be and on all the promises of restoration that follow judgment. His refining work is always to draw us to Him, always leads to greater blessing in the end, and is always for the purpose of His glory. We should be humbled by the warnings, driven to God’s Word and promises, and motivated with a sense of urgency to share them with others who need to know. 5. How good a change-motivator is the warning of future judgment? What other motivators might people respond to in addition to this? Or better than this? I won’t try to second-guess what God decided to use for motivating change. But along with the warning of judgment to come, we must share the hope and purpose and love found in Christ.

3. What does it mean to be "Spirit-filled"? How would our lives be different if we were truly filled and flooded with the Holy Spirit? When we’re redeemed from sin through faith in Christ, we are given the in-dwelling presence of His Spirit. The Spirit is present in fullness but does not take over by force. We must cooperate with His direction and yield our will to Him. But we generally hold back more of ourselves than we give to Him to inhabit. It’s like being a large house with many rooms but only allowing the Spirit to occupy 1 or 2 of them. As we submit and open all the doors to allow Him to inhabit every space of our lives, we are overwhelmed with His presence and become Spirit-filled.

2. What does John's comparison of water baptism to Spirit baptism tell us about what Spirit baptism means? John could only baptize the people with water, which symbolized the cleansing they needed from sin and the repentance required to receive that cleansing. But neither John or the water had any power to literally provide this inner cleansing. Spirit baptism is the actual act of spiritual cleansing that is given to us by God once we have repented of sin and received the pardon provided through Messiah’s atoning sacrifice. Christ actually does have the power to cleanse, purify, and refine us. He does this through sending His Spirit to immerse believers into the spiritual Body of Christ and accomplish this inner work of cleansing. Water is merely a symbol for the actual cleansing power of the Spirit. Years ago I read a commentary about baptizo that I’ve never forgotten. It’s a word picture that’s a great analogy. This word was actually used for the process of pickling. Dipping a cucumber, for instance, in water can clean the exterior, but can’t do anything to transform it into something new. But immersing that cucumber in a pickling solution completely changes its taste, smell, color, texture, usefulness, shelf-life. It changes that vegetable into something entirely different from what it was, and this change cannot be reversed. Baptizo seems to be the perfect word for the transformation that occurs when one is baptized & immersed in the life-changing Spirit of God.

Isn't John the Baptist's humble statement, "the thongs of whose sandals I am unworthy to untie," a bit overstated? Are we unworthy to serve Christ? If so, why? If not, why not? John’s statement was a declaration of the supremacy of the Messiah. John knew he had been appointed and anointed to prepare the way for the coming of the One promised by God centuries before to redeem the people from the bondage of their sins. As this final prophet preached with a power and authenticity like nothing these people had likely ever heard, they were convicted to respond and began to wonder could he actually be the Promised One. John was firmly rooted in the humbling lessons of the wilderness where he had been trained and inspired by God Himself for this task. He wanted to make it completely clear that, in comparison of purpose and position and power, he understood himself to be unworthy to do even the most lowly servant’s task for Messiah. I don’t think I’ve ever considered this question in this particular way, but yes, I would have to say that we are unworthy to serve Christ. Nothing we can offer out of our natural sin-contaminated state is worthy or acceptable, and our best efforts are like filthy stained rags in His sight (Isaiah 64:6). Only what is inspired by and done of the Spirit through us as fruit of God’s grace makes our service worthy, not efforts from a personal sense of righteousness (Romans 14:17-18). John understood and respected his own unworthiness in comparison to the supremacy of Jesus.

Why do you think John the Baptist calls people a brood of vipers, a den of snakes? God’s Chosen People had become a generation poisoned by pride in their national identity as they presumed security with God because of their lineage, Jewish in name only as a people entirely missing personal relationships with Yahweh. God indicted them as dangerous slithering offspring that were producing only the lethal venom of rebellion that would destroy them all in His soon-coming righteous judgment. Father, show me where I presume on Your mercy and promises, or harbor rebellion that harms others and will have to be judged. How did the Jews' religious pride in Abraham keep them from taking John's call for repentance seriously? How could religious pride have that same effect on us? The Jews had become smug and self-righteous in relying on their heritage as children of Abraham and they neglected personal obedience to Yahweh, the God of Abraham. That caused them to go blind to any recognition of their separation from God and need for repentance. It would only take a few changes to the words of those 2 sentences to describe much of today’s Body of Christ. The judgment described by John in vs 9 was specifically directed to the Jews and it doesn’t apply to this Body in the sense of being cut off from God, but certainly demonstrates how seriously God takes an attitude of pride and rebellion in His people. It causes much loss. While salvation is secure, when we lose humility and become proud and self-secure, we create separation from God that also requires repentance with the evidence of bearing kingdom fruit. We need to beware of taking on an attitude of religious superiority or presumption on God that blinds our spiritual vision and deadens our ability to hear His voice. Father, guard my heart with humility and truth. In what way does sharing clothing and food with the poor constitute meaningful repentance? What ways do you find to do this in your everyday life? The fruit we are to bear in keeping with honest repentance begins with loving what God loves. That love is demonstrated by mercy and compassion for people less fortunate than we are, which begins with helping meet basic needs like clothing and food. Sharing in the needs of others also reveals my level of trust and shows a confidence in God’s promises to take good care of me. One thing I often try to do is keep a gift card to a grocery or "big box store" in my wallet. When I encounter a need and feel the Spirit’s prompting, I have something to readily share. Also, I do what I can to help support a local ministry that uses donations as a platform for meeting needs locally & afar in order to share the message of the Gospel. There always seems to be a closet filled with things I don’t need or will never use again! And then, there are organizations like Samaritan’s Purse that need $$ donations to deliver the Gospel through meeting basic needs on a massive scale around the world. Father, give me eyes to see the needs of others, ears to hear how You lead me to be an answer, and a heart to be compassionate and kind and generous. Tax collectors were tempted to collect more than was due them. How does this same temptation show up in your line of work or education or home? The answer to the tax collectors’ question of what the fruit of repentance should look like in their lives was multi-faceted in its one simple sentence, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do”. This fruit should start with a godly love for the downtrodden that’s demonstrated by treating others as fairly as they themselves want to be treated. They should be honest and just in their dealings. They should reject misconduct such as extortion or false accusations, and live with integrity. They should confront the greed rooted in their hearts and learn to be content. We have to face those same heart-issues and deliberately work to grow in love, honesty, integrity, and contentment as we encounter temptations to benefit ourselves in deceptive ways that rob from others. Father, reveal any greed and disrespect for others that is harbored in my heart. How will we know when we have repented? What are the fruits of genuine repentance? We will know we have repented when we have turned away from the wicked selfish desires for self and begin to care about the needs and rights of others, when we begin to care more about what God loves and values than our own desires or pleasure or comfort. We’ll begin to see changes of the heart in all the ways John challenged the people of his day, with new desires and perspectives. Father, show me what You see in my heart and help me turn away from sin toward desires for the fruits of repentance in my life that will bring You glory. How does discontent with our lot in life cause us to sin? What would constitute repentance in this circumstance? Discontent only breeds sinful negative things. It is a mind-set that says God is not good, or doesn’t care for me, or isn’t fair, or isn’t enough to give me what I expect from life. It says God can’t be trusted and I have to make things happen for myself. It leads to worry, anxiety, fear, greed, flawed judgment, sense of entitlement, distraction from life’s truly important matters. All of that is self-centered, self-focused, self-reliant – and self-destructive. Repentance from discontentment would start with humility before God, recognizing/confessing the futility of prideful pursuits and turning to Him in faith that His promises to care for my needs and always seek my good are true. It requires training myself to identify discontent and choose to reject it. Father, give me discernment to quickly identify attitudes of discontent. Help me to be humble before You and to maintain an outlook of trust in Your faithfulness and gratitude for Your goodness. Amen.

Why do you think God chose someone like John to be Jesus' forerunner? Actually, God chose John before he was born to be the forerunner of Jesus. I feel sure John’s parents deeply instilled in him the miracle of his birth and the message of his life’s purpose that was revealed by the angel Gabriel before his conception. As a young man, I can imagine how growing up with the knowledge of such a clear call on his life to prepare Israel for the coming Messiah may have led him out into the desert at the Spirit’s leading to enter into the deep communion with the LORD that would shape him into the servant-prophet he was called to be. That intimate search for God outside the confines of the rigid structure and soon-to-be replaced demands of religious law shaped his unshakable reliance on God. But it also shaped him into a rugged, odd-ball, uncultured nonconformist! John wasn’t bound by human perceptions or opinions or doctrines, but by an intimate relationship with the God of Israel. He had confidence in truth learned directly from God. He was fearless in speaking that truth to challenge false doctrine or corrupt teaching or misplaced confidence in simply having a Jewish identity. Those kinds of barriers to truth had to be addressed in order for people to humble themselves in order to “prepare the way of the Lord” through their repentance and God’s forgiveness. And John had a single-minded focus on delivering that message. How can we be sure that all our personal differences are part of God's plan and purpose? Can't some be patterns of sinful reactions to past events? (Let's resist the temptation to get too deep into the mystery of predestination. Grin.) God creates us for the overarching common purpose of glorifying Him. But within that purpose He creates each of us for differing components of His plan. He gives circumstances/traits/qualities/abilities unique to each of us to equip us for fulfilling our own individual role in His design. But it’s our responsibility to individually seek His plan for us, yield to it, and let the Spirit lead us in how to rightly use those gifts for His glory. As a Body, we have to work together to complete His plans and purposes. And yes, I believe that many times our differences can result from patterns of sinful reactions to our own experiences. God desires to use the lessons we should learn from those reactions to make us better servants for His purposes. John was raised in the desert. What kinds of circumstances has God used as a training ground for your preparation? I recently worked on a study of lessons about wilderness experiences. Sometimes God leads us out of our safe & comfortable cocoons into “deserts” where everything is stripped down to the essentials. It's like a classroom where He wants to teach us total reliance on Him, where He seeks to draw us close in recognizing He is our only reliable source of truth, strength, sustenance, direction, hope. Luke 3:2 recounts it was in the wilderness, where John learned these things, that “the word of God” was given to him. It is there that the LORD also teaches us to seek Him above all else, listen to His voice, find purpose and direction, willingly obey what He says, and find joy in Him. One of my most profound wilderness experiences was a 2 year period when my daughter first became ill and had to learn to live with a serious chronic auto-immune disease. As I fought fear and depression in my walk through that journey with her, it seemed that every single person in my life – including my husband and my own mother - had blinders on to my own heartbreak and struggle. But that emotional isolation drew me deeper into the Word, taught me how to battle fear with faith, showed me what a loving and faithful Father I have, and provided profound lessons I would never have learned otherwise. I finally came to realize that He wanted me to rely on no one but Him during that time and that He is my Enough for everything I need. I don’t ask to go into the wilderness, but I have learned to look for the lessons when those hard experiences inevitably come. How dependent are you upon what others think and say about you? How can you change this without becoming callous? My confidence in who I am comes from confidence in whose I am. I’ve suffered hurts and some rejections, but have learned not to let that destroy my understanding of who I am in Christ. Sometimes I do have to work hard at maintaining humility and kindness, but that comes through staying close to Him. What would you say to a person suffering from chronic guilt over past sins? How can guilt be healthy? How can guilt be unhealthy? Chronic guilt is like a heavy ball & chain that you drag around in everything you do. Dealing with that weight and struggle can color your view of who you are, become your identity, strip you of hope, drain your strength & purpose. When we have sinned, we should feel guilt when we realize the wrong. It is healthy to accept a sense of responsibility for the offense & realize we are accountable. But guilt becomes unhealthy emotional bondage when we refuse to allow the Holy Spirit to use it to lead us to repentance for the wrong against God Himself. That creates broken fellowship and a need for reconciliation with Him (Isaiah 59:2). Guilt is unhealthy when we hang onto it, refusing to humble ourselves with honesty before the Father and then accept the forgiveness and restoration that Christ has secured for our confessed sins and repentance (Romans 5:6-9). It can actually be a point of pride. Why is humbling (such as repentance and baptism in John's day) necessary to form disciples of Jesus? Repentance for wrongs can only come with being humble enough to rightly see where you’re wrong, what you harbor in mind and heart that caused that wrong, and the need to confess the wrong and turn from it. Pride never leads to repentance. It is antithetical to the humility required to become a disciple who is being shaped in the likeness of Jesus.

At Pentecost, the Father and the Son sent out the Holy Spirit from heaven to spiritually baptize those who had believed in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. This permanent immersion in God’s Spirit had never happened before in all of human history, but the promise had been prophesied in Old Testament scriptures. In Acts 1 & 2 there are 6 word analogies for this event: baptize, come upon, filled with, pour out, receive the gift, and the promise (of the Holy Spirit as foretold in Scripture and by Jesus). Since they are all used in describing this one day of the Spirit’s coming at Pentecost, it seems clear that these analogies are indeed essentially used synonymously. When the outpouring of the Spirit happened, the 120 people meeting together in one place were filled and began to speak “in other tongues”. The full account reveals these were understandable, known human languages. There were Jews staying in Jerusalem who were “from every nation under heaven” (from 3 continents) and spoke a variety of languages and dialects. A multitude throughout the city heard the sound (of the Spirit) like a mighty rushing wind and came to investigate. Verses 5-12 describe their astonishment that despite the fact that these Spirit-baptized Galileans were speaking to at least a dozen different language groups, each foreigner was hearing in his own native language. They were “amazed and perplexed” and wondered what this meant. In verses 17-21, Peter reminded them of the prophecy of Joel (2:28-32). The full prophecy he quoted includes events that are still yet to be fulfilled, but I think Peter was indicating to them that “the last days” had begun and God was pouring out the promise of the Holy Spirit (vs.33). This began with the Jews, but was later also offered to the Gentile world. Salvation had now come to all who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with repentance, and this salvation was/is accompanied by the baptism/overwhelming/infilling/poured out gift of the long-promised Spirit.