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I feel that sometimes our fellowship with fellow Christians is on a surface level because we do not have time to get to know someone anywhere. We may worship together but rarely do we know a name. That I believe may be some of the Church's problem. We are a surface level Christian. "See ya next week!" I think we could have mid week Fellowship in small groups. This is what we do at our church. We all have each other's telephone numbers and we have our own Facebook page limited to the members of the church or those that attend. This way we share all week long.

The call to the Great Banquet is an invitation. An invitation one cannot refuse. If you believe you will "drop" everything and follow. We as the servants must impress upon those who are invited the importance of such an invitation. It may be the last invitation you receive. We too are called to the Great Banquet. Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. He calls us, we obey. There is no other way to be Happy in Jesus.

Jesus was harsh with those who made excuses to follow him because they were just that, excuses. They never had any intention of following him . To follow Jesus must be first! Every responsibility we have must come after the call the follow Him. The call is urgent because time is fleeting. We are not promised tomorrow. What you do today may be all you have left. We must be ready. No excuse is adequate. Jesus comes first!

The Parable is about grace in that those who were not worthy to come to the table are now invited. They and us have been cleansed and invited. If we reject the Master's invitation we will not taste the feast now or later. The poor, the crippled and the lame are sought out. This is evangelism. They are urged, compelled to accept. This great banquet points to the feast in the Kingdom of God. We must gather and evangelize now for the kingdom. Each person who is invited and urged to accept in full faith will eat with the Master.

In The Parable of the Great Banquet the original guests represent the rich and socially elite. These would be the Pharisees and the Jewish religious leaders of the time. The later guest represent the poor and the common people and the outlying areas would be the Gentiles. These are the people others would not invite. To compel them to come in is to impress upon them the importance of attending. This sense of urgency applies today as this meal is the chance to repent before it is too late. John's message of "Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" is as important today as it was then. We do not know the day or hour of his coming. We must be prepared.

We will be held accountable on Judgment Day if we waste what we were given. l If you use what you are given and are faithful you will be rewarded. God knows the true faithful and what is in your heart.

All things come from God. All glory is His for our successes. We are independent entrepreneurs in the sense God gives us free choice to choose our paths. God has bestowed certain talents on us. It is up to us to use them for Him. A self made person always says "I did it". A steward knows and says it comes from God.

The factors that make up a person's ability to out something are; 1) Raw Talent, 2) Drive, 3) Faithfulness, 4) Moral character, 5) and Willingness to focus time to the task. I feel God gives us all talents and gifts. Some just do not unwrap them. If on feels "called" they will strive to complete the call. If God calls you to a vocation or job He will get you the tools you need and stand beside you.

I think the talents represent the "gifts" God has given us. I feel it is hard to see these talents in yourself. I have had the psychologicals for the ministry. Mine gifts are compassion, counseling and teaching. My spiritual gifts are Evangelism, ministry and counselor. These are the gifts and fruits God gave me to use to further His Kingdom. God has called me to the ministry. I fill a pulpit and I do street ministry.

The Kingdom started small and grows like the yeast. It is narrow because there is only one way to enter the Kingdom. The Kingdom grows by our spreading the good news. The banquet will accept all but only those with saving faith and those who accept NOW will be seated. Don't wait!

The guests at the feast in the Kingdom of God will be for all peoples, the Jews and the Gentiles. The ones "thrown out" will be those who did not repent and respond to Jesus' call. Those excluded will be those who wait until it is too late because we do not know the hour of his coming.

I think Jesus is saying the entrance to the Kingdom is narrow because there are requirements to enter the Kingdom. Love, forgiveness, pardon and above all Love the Lord your God. Some people will not enter because they can not fulfill the requirement. Delaying until it is too late is like a death bed confession. Worldly pleasures entice them more than eternal life with Our Father.

The point of the Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven is things start small and grow. We must be patient. Jesus disciple's expected a warrior. They got Jesus who conquered sin. Conquering sin is much "bigger" than fighting a war. The effects are much further reaching that a military warrior. "All good things come to those who wait." If one tries their best and prays God will take care of you. One example I can think of is my husband's cancer. We had complete faith in God to take care of us. We prayed His will not ours. He has had a bone marrow transplant and seems to be doing well. We are both ministers and put our completed faith and trust in God to do what was best for both of us.

Praying the Lord's Prayer asks the Father to forgive us of our sins as we forgive others. Forgiving in order to be forgiven doesn't work on its own. We must let go the chains that hold us if we want something better.

Jesus in the above statement is most serious. We tend to forgive but remember and treat the other person differently. We must totally or 7 X 7 forgive. Forgiveness is a foundational principle of the Kingdom along with love your neighbor. Forgive him and love him.

God forgives us why can't we forgive others? The King was insulted because he forgave a huge sum and had mercy. The servant could not forgive a small sum and had no mercy. We can never repay the debt of Jesus on the cross.

The times Jesus said to forgive are figurative. We must always forgive and forget. There is no end to forgiveness. The number 7 mean complete. We are to forgive completely and always. Our Heavenly Father is a forgiving Father. Just do not continue to do the same thing over and over again and expect Him to be patient.

John 3:16 is probably one of the earliest verses we ever memorized. It tells us of the great love God had for us. It tells us he loved us so much he sent his one and only son to us that if we should believe what he taught what he died for we too would have eternal life. If we too believe, and are born anew into the faith by water and the blood, and have saving faith, worship God above all we too will have eternal life. This is our destiny.

To be born of water and the spirit is Holy Baptism. I think water refers to Jesus as the living water. So it is poured over the head or we are immersed in it. Jesus the living water is now all over us and His Spirit dwells within us. Just as I said I would explain by being baptized we are immersed in our Savior as the living water and we are filled with his Holy Spirit,

Entering the Kingdom and "born anew" both have to do with Baptism. We are born anew into the Spirit of the Kingdom by water and his blood. I believe born anew is the best translation. We are born once from our mother, but being born anew is from the water and the Spirit.

Jesus is teaching that one cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born again. Born again of water and the Spirit. Being truly born again is a gift that allows us to see and feel the Kingdom within us.

The Kingdom is the most valuable thing we can strive for. We should spend our lives striving for this goal. One merely has to worship the Lord, and be a Matthew 25 Christian. There is no other life. This kind of live gives you peace in your heart knowing God is always number 1. As I look out a window or see new life, whether a child or new leaves on a tree I know this is God's way of renewing life. He is taking care of us. This is what I would tell one struggling with the way. Look around you, what do you see? Life. This comes from God. Make him number one in your life and the rest of your life falls into place.

Jesus ask the rich man to follow him. Sell all he had give it to the poor and follow him. The man had great wealth, he could not part with it. Jesus wanted the man to follow him and be a disciple. what an honor. The man wanted his wealth more than he wanted Jesus. Poverty and self sacrifice does not make you a Christian. It is what you do with what you have. Then follow the Lord.

Money can be the root of all evil if we value it more that worshipping the Lord. Money too can be a good thing. It all depends on how you use it. So money itself is not evil. The rich young ruler valued money more that the eternal life. We are afraid of being poor. We are afraid of wanting. Having enough money to live on and put a little back is not a crime. But, we must use what we have to worship the Lord and take care of our neighbors.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price have in common the men who purchased the land and the pearl did it to obtain something of value. The point of the parable is we should try very hard to make the Kingdom of Heaven ours along with Jesus. Nothing is as important as obtaining eternal life with the Father. Our lives should reflect as if we were a God coin. Created by God to serve God 24/7.