The Kind Of Employee Jesus Would Hire

Today’s Bible readings are Numbers 4:1-5:31, Mark 12:18-37, Psalm 48:1-14, & Proverbs 10:26

Proverbs 10:26

²⁶ Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.

This is a very bold statement. Some people don’t care what their bosses think about them. They would read a verse like this & say, “Who cares. My boss is a jerk.” I want to answer that question:  GOD CARES!

Why do you think this verse is in the bible? If this didn’t matter to God would He give us instruction on it? This is not the only place that work ethic is mention in the bible.

Ephesians 6:5-8

⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. ⁶ Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. ⁷ Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ⁸ Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

Some would argue that this is not for us today because we are not slaves. That is true, but all scripture is relevant for today. There are principals for us to take & apply to our lives. I see 3 principals in this text that teaches me Christian work ethic.

1.      Respect my boss.

You may not always agree with your boss.  That is OK. It is not your job to agree with them. It is your job to make their job lighter. You have been hired for a task. They pay you to work. So don’t get upset & complain when they have you work. That is what you are there for.

 Don’t join in the boss bashing at the workplace. The bible tells us to “judge no man that is not your servant”. You serve your boss, not the other way around. We are told to serve our boss the way we would serve Christ. Would you ever bash Jesus? I think not. SO DON’T BASH YOUR BOSS!

2.      Do good & work hard EVEN WHEN THEY AREN’T WATCHING.

I have a staff at our church that works with me. I NEVER have to follow them around & make sure they do what is expected of them. They do it & do it well. That is rare nowadays. Let me give you great word of advice—PUT YOUR STINKING CELL PHONES AWAY!!! Some people are more involved with their private life at work than they are with their work responsibilities. HEAR ME YOUNG PEOPLE, YOU DON’T GET PAID TO TEXT & TALK ON THE PHONE TO YOUR FRIENDS!

There is always stuff that we would rather not do. But again, you get paid to do what others don’t want to do. God will bless you for your faithfulness. Integrity in the workplace matter.

3.      Work with enthusiasm.

Stop being a grumbler. The dread of the job is ALWAYS worse than the job itself. You are doing it for Jesus. Do it with passion, zeal, & excellence. Nobody boss likes a sluggish, negative employee. If you want to be blessed, walk in the light of the scripture. Be an inspiration to those around you.

You are light & salt, always remember that. Work is one of the best places to let your light shine. Let’s get radical & start living our faith at our workplaces. I leave you with this encouragement:

Colossians 3:23-24

²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Pastor Richard Schlotter

The Believers Authority

Today’s Bible readings are Numbers 2:1-3:51, Mark 11:27-12:17, Psalm 47:1-9, & Proverbs 10:24-25

Mark 11:27-28

²⁷ They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. ²⁸ “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

This is a great question that leads to an incredible truth for us as believers. It drove the Pharisees crazy to see Jesus being so successful & winning the hearts of the people they way that He was. They wanted to know where His authority came from. How was Jesus able to do the things that He did? What was behind His power?

We know that is was God who was behind what Jesus was doing. God gave authority to His Son to do the works that He was doing.

Acts 10:38

³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

What is authority & why is it important???

Authority:  1. the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine.

2. a power or right delegated or given; authorization

Authority is “delegated power”. It is when a person who has power gives another the right & authorization to operate under the power of the one who possesses it. It is what a police officer has. They may not be powerful, but the law that they represent has great power that is vested in them. That authority gives them a right to command & control things. Their authority is also backed up by the power of the law.

Jesus came & God gave Him authority to work miracles & release people from the control of darkness. The reason that He was able to operate at such a level of power was because He understood the authority that He possessed. He many times said, “It is not I, but the Father in me that does the work.” Jesus had authority because He was under the authority of His Father. He was totally submitted to His Father. That is why He operated at such a high level of authority.

Why does this matter to us? It is one thing to realize the authority of Jesus, but how does it affect us today?

The main reason is because Jesus gave us the same authority that He has. That’s right, the same authority that Jesus has; YOU HAVE!!! It is given to every believer who is in submission to Jesus. Remember when Jesus sent out the 12 apostles? He gave them authority to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, & cast out demons. They went out in that authority & had GREAT success. He later sent out 72 more others with the same commission & the same authority.

Luke 10:17

¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

Jesus was modeling to us that if we will surrender & submit to Him that He will give us authority to live a different kind of life, a life of freedom. The kind of life where we are no longer dominated by the devil, but rather, we will exercise authority over him; just like the disciples were doing here.

Remember the “Great Commission”?

Matthew 28:18-20

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus gave us His authority. He had the right to do so. He promised to be with us to the end, JUST AS, God was with Him!!! This is the GOOD NEWS!!! What does this mean for you & I???

Mark 16:15-18

¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

This is what authority will do for a person. It changes a person’s life when they realize the authority they have & the ONE who stands behind it backing them up. We have power to do the works of Jesus because we have the authority of Jesus.

I challenge you to take that authority & use it to bring freedom to others. That is what it is for. Go out & start breaking the chains of bondage today in Jesus name!!!

Pastor Richard Schlotter

 

Untie The Colt

Today’s Bible readings are Leviticus 27:14-Numbers 1:54, Mark 11:1-26, Psalm 46:1-11, & Proverbs 10:23

Mark 11:1-3

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

This was the pinnacle of Jesus public ministry. As He rode into this town people began to proclaim, “Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.” As He was preparing to enter this town He told 2 of His disciples to go into town & bring Him a donkey that they would find tied to a tree. He had a plan for the donkey. He was going to use it to ride into town signifying victory. Like a king returning from battle doing a victory lap, Jesus was going to ride into town to show His victory to fulfill what the prophet spoke of Messiah:

Zechariah 9:9

⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Here came their King. They rejoiced loudly & boldly as He approached them. I pray that this will be the attitude of our hearts as we gather in our churches to worship the King of kings & Lord of lords. I long for the day when we express our gratitude & love in this type of way.

What really caught my eye today was what Jesus told the disciples to do for Him prior to His arrival. He was planning to enter the city, so He sent 2 disciples in to “UNTIE” a colt that HE had a plan for. Jesus told them if anyone asks to simply tell them that it was needed for the Master’s service.

Praise God!!! This is our job description. We are to go out setting people free in Jesus name. We see that the nature of Jesus is to UNTIE & FREE people.

1.      Alcoholics

2.      Drug addicts

3.      People with depression

4.      People with mental illness

5.      People caught in sin

6.      People shackled by shame

7.      People burdened by sickness

8.      People who have lost hope

9.      People trapped in darkness

10.   People enslaved by satan

Jesus has sent us, His disciples, on a mission to “UNTIE” them. He has equipped us to do the job.

1.      He has given us His name—which is the Name above all names.

2.      He has filled us with His Spirit—which gives us GREAT POWER.

3.      He has given us His Word—which will not return to Him void, it will prosper in what it was sent to prosper in.

4.      He has given us a testimony—which stirs faith in other people to receive for themselves.

5.      He has given us His armor—which enables us to stand our ground.

We are destined for success if we will just go. I want to share with you the reason why it is so important that we follow through with our mission. It is vital that we are serious about following through with the call that Christ has given us. First of all, if we don’t go who will?

Secondly, Jesus has a plan for their life. He told the disciples:

³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

He had a plan for the donkey. He has a plan for people too. He wants to use them for His glory. He wants to use them to do another victory lap in the communities that they are from. Jesus wants to fill their lives & display that He is STILL the VICTORIOUS SAVIOR.  To Him be glory now & forever more!!!

I believe that the same thing can happen today that happened that day. As Jesus rode into town on the donkey the people saw His victory lap. They knew what this meant. They began to praise God. Revival was starting.

As others see Jesus doing a work in the lives of those that are bound, they will not be able to deny that Jesus is STILL THE CONQUERING SAVIOR. People can debate & argue about many things when it comes to Christianity, but they cannot deny the power of a transformed life. We, His disciples, have a mission. Our mission is to go out and get people free in Jesus name son He can then use them for His glory. This will bring Him that greatest praise. Let’s aim to do it!!!

Pastor Richard Schlotter

If you follow my decrees

Today’s readings are Leviticus 25:47-27:13, Mark 10:32-52, Psalm 45:1-7, and Proverbs 10:22

Leviticus 26:3-6

New Living Translation

³ “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, ⁴ I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. ⁵ Your threshing season will overlap with the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will overlap with the season of planting grain. You will eat your fill and live securely in your own land.

⁶ “I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals and keep your enemies out of your land.

God tells us that if follow we his decrees and are careful to obey his commands he will provide for us and protect us.  I love that God is willing to keep us safe and provide for us and all we have to do is be obedient to his commands and follow his decrees.

Matthew 22:36-40

New Living Translation

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

³⁷ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’^{[a] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[b] 40} The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

So this piece of scripture sums up for me how I do that.  Love God with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind.  Then love my neighbor as myself.  We all know who our neighbor is right.  EVERYONE! This is not a difficult thing to do.  God gives us the grace to do these things, because we all know how different people can be from one family to the next.  God’s grace helps us to look past the differences and love people.  Because that is what the kingdom of God is all about bringing people to God. 

Kelly Schlotter