Small Things Are Great

You must be willing to lose a congregation for the sake of having a Church fellowship. Jesus never begged the crowds to stay when they were DISTRACTED from the mission. Instead, He often spoke hard truths that filtered out those who weren’t truly committed.   In John 6:60-66, after teaching that He was the Bread of Life and that His followers must eat His flesh and drink His blood, many disciples said, " This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it? " And just like that, they packed their bags and left. Did Jesus run after them, apologizing for sounding too deep? Nope. He didn’t soften His message or chase after the crowd—He let them go. In Luke 14:25-33, when large crowds followed Him, He didn’t hand out free fish and bread to keep them hooked. Instead, He turned around and dropped a bombshell: " If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. " Translati...

Today happens to be a day worth writing about. After 2 years of visiting schools, meeting with CU Patrons and students, we finally managed to host our own sub county leaders training. I am overjoyed and tired. My lesson in this journey, is that quick-fixes do not work. All lasting change requires time and effort. Persistence is the mother of personal change. "It's like that classic story of the young boy who travelled far from his home to study under a great teacher. When he met the wise old man, his first question was, 'How long will it take me before I am as wise as you?' The response came swiftly, 'Five years.' 'This is a very long time,' the boy replied. 'How about if I work twice as hard?' 'Then it will take ten,' said the master. 'Ten! That's far too long. How about if I studied all day and well into the night, every night?' 'Fifteen years,' said the sage. 'I don't understand,' replied the boy. '...

I’ve noticed something interesting—most books I’ve read that have close to 0% doctrinal error tend to be written by believers who were or are in their 70s and 80s. You know, people who’ve actually had enough time to marinate in scripture and let the Word beat their opinions into shape.   The more I study scripture, the more I get why this is the case. Understanding the full depth of the text TAKES TIME. It’s a process, not an overnight revelation. Honestly, I keep finding errors in my own past understanding. I look at some of the things I once thought were profound, and I want to sue myself for THEOLOGICAL MALPRACTICE.   That’s why, if you’re about to pick up a religious book, I have some advice: check the author’s spiritual mileage. If they have less than 50 years in the faith, PROCEED WITH CAUTION. A lot of these books are just denominational cheerleading, emotional hype, or sneaky ways to fatten pockets. The “hot takes” fade; the truth doesn’t. Young folks? Write ...

We are in the book of Samuel. Initially, this book was one. But due to it's enormous length and the fact that one single scroll would be too heavy, it was split into two. In this writings we get to see the beginnings of democracy among the Israelites and the pros and cons of the same. We will also have an opportunity to see TWO LEADERS who started very well and ended things in a very bad way through the eyes of Samuel. Having Psalm 3, 16, 32, 51, 106 and a few others at the back of your mind as you read this portion will really help in bringing more understanding to the story we're about to delve in. The author or authors of Samuel are not known. The write-up however helps in telling the story of Eli-Samuel and Saul-David. Eli was a good leader who had to step down or fall down because he honored his household above God and because of this, Samuel was appointed by God. Saul on the other hand was a bad leader. Handpicked by God to lead, but later on leadership went to his head a...

It’s fascinating to see that Genesis to Deuteronomy could essentially be God introducing Himself to mankind. And how does He do it? Through His names—each one revealing a new aspect of who He is. Here’s the order in which we encounter them in the Torah or instructions according to the Jews:   1. Elohim (God, the Creator) – Genesis 1:1 2. YHWH (Yahweh/Jehovah) (The LORD, the Self-Existent One) – Genesis 2:4 3. El Elyon (God Most High) – Genesis 14:18-20 4. Adonai (Lord/Master) – Genesis 15:2 5. El Shaddai (God Almighty) – Genesis 17:1 6. YHWH-Yireh (The LORD Will Provide) – Genesis 22:14 7. El Olam (Everlasting God) – Genesis 21:33 8. YHWH-Rapha (The LORD Who Heals) – Exodus 15:26 9. YHWH-Nissi (The LORD Our Banner) – Exodus 17:15 10. YHWH-M’Kaddesh (The LORD Who Sanctifies) – Leviticus 20:8  11. YHWH-Shalom (The LORD Our Peace) – Judges 6:24 (Technically in Judges, but continuing the revelation).   This grand introduction culminates through a man named Moshe (Mo...

We looked into the book of Ruth and I couldn't help but think of it as the story of the 3 widows - Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth; When Women Loose MEN But Not MEANS. We live in a time where women have apparently been so "empowered" that we sometimes fail to see the place and role of men in their lives. In this book, we see women who had leadership, presence and the guidance of men. It also appears that this men were not lazy men. They provided, protected and participated in their homes. When they returned to Bethlehem, there was land and a house waiting for them and while in Moab, it seems that they never lacked. Naomi needed men in her life, and she had that through her husband and sons. The death of Elimelech comes 10+ years before his sons but Naomi was never worried until her sons died too. Her sons were her men and she was not worried even in a foreign land. The sons later get married and die and this is when the women ask themselves, " WHAT DO WE DO NOW? " When t...

Last year, as I was reading through the Bible, the Lord reminded me of the importance of slowing down and seeing the scriptures for what they truly are. I wrote about it in this article: [Pressing Into God, Not Just MOG](https://mapstage.blogspot.com/2024/11/pressing-into-god-not-just-mog.html).   This year, as I continue applying that principle, something else is becoming clear—something that might just be my focus for the year. I’m beginning to see, in a deeper way, that the scriptures are not about me. They are all about Him.   Now, I’ve said the phrase " history is His story " before, but I’m realizing I hadn’t fully grasped its weight. It's easy to read the Bible as if it's just a record of the patriarchs, the priests, the prophets, and the people in between. You go through Bereishit (Genesis), and it feels like it’s the story of Adam, Chava (Eve), Qayin (Cain), Hevel (Abel), Noach (Noah), Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and the rest. But it’s not.   Think ...

You’ve probably seen it before. A minister starts off on fire, preaching the gospel, making disciples, and then—boom!—they’re running a food program, a relief fund, or a rescue mission. Before long, teachings are replaced with sermons on supply chain logistics, and their prayer time is spent writing proposals for donations.  They even write a book about it and market it to raise funds for the charity work. Don’t get me wrong—charity is good. But when charity becomes the ministry, that's off and we then have a problem. A problem that the early church faced and overcame. In Acts 6:2-7, the apostles had a real issue. The church was growing, widows needed food, and complaints were flying in. But when faced with this crisis, the apostles made a shocking statement:   " It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. " (Acts 6:2) Wait—did they just say it’s not right to serve tables? Is charity now bad? Not at all! But it’s not...

We're currently reading the book of Joshua, and my thoughts keep circling back to the meaning of his name—and the striking picture it paints of Jesus (Yeshua). It’s unfortunate that Bible translators chose to translate names. Nouns should have remained in their original form to preserve their meaning and place. Take Joshua, for instance. His Hebrew name is Yehoshua , a combination of Yeho (Yahweh) and Shua (salvation), meaning “Jehovah saves.” And that was his mission—to lead a people who had been under the law, across a barrier, into the promise of God (Joshua 1:2-3). But this promise wasn’t new. It had been spoken long before, when God revealed Himself as Jehovah Jireh (Genesis 22:14). Notice the wording:   " So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, 'On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided .’"   Did you catch that? "Will provide" —not "has provided." This wasn’t about the ram caught in a thicket. I...

Reading through Leviticus, I can't help but think: " This was a lot of work !" Too many guidelines, too many rules—one had to be smart even in worship, lest you mess up and suddenly find yourself offering a mandatory guilt offering for an accidental sin (Leviticus 5:15). And let’s be honest, some of these laws required serious mental gymnastics to remember. Imagine living in fear that touching the wrong lizard (Leviticus 11:29-30) could make you unclean!   After reading Leviticus 27, where even dedication and redemption had price tags, my brain whispered, " This is exhausting !" No wonder Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30 must have sounded like a breath of fresh air to the Jews:   > “ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. ”   At this point, I imagine a tired Jew...