BEARING FRUIT The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.  And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.  And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.  And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word,  but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for…

CALLED TO BE FISHERS OF MEN! And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” —Mark 1:17 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. —Acts 1:8 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.  Therefore go and make disciplesof all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded…

THE WICKED SUPPORT WICKEDNESS Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.  And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.  So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”  For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.  Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.”  Now the chief priests and the elders…

NO GOOD REASON FOR NOT BEING A SERVANT! For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ —Matthew 25:35-39             Many wonder about what…

BE FLOURISHING IN PROCLAIMING OUR LORD The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.  They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. —Psalm 91:12-15             Are you flourishing?  To flourish is to grow and thrive, to increase and prosper, to be doing well.  Are you?  Think of a healthy tree that is really thriving.  Are you like that in your relationship with our Lord and…

HE INVITES “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers…

HARD, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE, FOR THE RICH TO BE SAVED Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. —Matthew 19:24        I’ve read that in some eastern countries the proverb reads that “it is easier for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle.”  The main point of this proverb is that it is hard for a rich person to be saved.  Why?  Because they trust is in their riches and they will not trust the Lord.  “When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and…

JESUS HAS RISEN! And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.  He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’  And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’  You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.  An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” —Matthew 16:1-4 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly…

DOUBTING When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”  Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see:  The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”  —Matt 11:2-6             John, in prison, was he having doubts about who Jesus was?  Apparently so!  Difficult circumstances for the one it was said of…

THE PARABLE OF THE FISHLESS FISHERMEN Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” —Matthew 9:37 There was a group called The Fishermen’s Fellowship. They were surrounded by streams and lakes swarming with hungry fish. They met regularly to discuss the call to fish, the abundance of fish, and the thrill of catching fish. They got all excited about fishing! The only problem was, they really weren’t fishing. One member suggested that they needed a fishing philosophy, so they carefully defined and redefined fishing, and the purpose of fishing.…