Matthew 22:2-13

Have you ever heard the following reason for rejecting the gospel?
“A good god wouldn’t condemn people to a bad place like hell.”
 
I believe the opposite is true; God as a testimony of His love for all created hell. That’s right, God loves us so much that He has even given the option of going to a place that has a complete absence of His influence to those who reject Him, those who want nothing to do with Him, those who idolize self declaring no need for Him and those, such as the man in the parable, who reject the only possible way into heaven, which is, being clothed in the garment of Christ’s righteousness through faith.
 
Sorry, there is no room service in hell because there are no servants, only arrogant prideful masters of their own dark isolated dominion of self. No wonder there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, God’s realm is relational, and hell is anti-relational.
 
In contrast, the inner workings of heaven are based on relational service and celebration. After all, we must make preparations for a great wedding feast! All are invited, but sadly, not all accept. Reserve your room today with the Chief Concierge, the Master Servant, who is Jesus. He will personally prepare a place for you. You have His Word on it.
 
““Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:1-6, NIV.

Ed Herford

Good Morning!

Reminder:  If you have just joined the NTC but would like to see all of the daily emails that have been sent you can follow this link: http://www.agapeoutpost.org/?page_id=7 and it will take you to the Agape blog where you will find every day’s email!  Make sure you check the website for the testimony help that Mike mentioned on Sunday.  You’ll find it on the NTC page.  Blessings to each of you as you continue the challenge!

Today’s Reading: Read Mark 3-4, Romans 16

A Devotional Thought from Mike:

If you joined us at the beginning of the Challenge, by now you have read the New Testament every day for just over two weeks. I commend you! I pray that God’s Word is beginning to bear fruit in your life. But notice a second step required for the Word to bear fruit in your heart:
Mark 4:20 (NKJV)
20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
What does it mean to accept God’s Word? Let’s see what the Word tells us. In the parable here in Mark, the constant is the seed, the Word of God. It is always “good seed.” But it only bears fruit in one kind of soil–”good soil.” How is “good soil,” or a “good heart” defined by the parable? 1. Broken up (plowed, not hard) 2. Cleared of rocks  3. Cleared of “thorns” (cares of the world). So, to “accept” the Word, we need to be sure our “soil” (heart) is “good.” It becomes good when we allow God to plow it up through repentance (initial obedience to the voice of God). It becomes good as we ask God to take out, or break up the “rocks.” It becomes good as we ask God to remove our thorny cares.
How is your soil this morning? Are you bearing fruit?
Here is another question: why did Jesus speak in parables (earthly stories with a heavenly truth buried inside) instead of speaking plainly?

Mark 4:33-34 (NKJV)
33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.
34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

So the answer is He only reveals spiritual truth to His disciples (when they get “alone” with Him). You will only truly understand the Word if you make the commitment to be Jesus’ disciple and by the ministry of the indwelling Spirit:

1 Corinthians 2:13-14 (NKJV)
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

This morning I challenge you to move beyond just “believing in Jesus” to “following Jesus” as an obedient disciple. It is then that you will understand and accept His Word bear much fruit!

Thoughts on Romans.
You have “flown” through Romans in six short days—kind of like a quick tour. The book of Romans is a short course on the great doctrines of our faith: the cause of depravity; justification by faith; faith and works; the person and work of the Holy Spirit; old and new nature; election and free will, etc.., After the Challenge is over I would encourage you to go back to Romans for a more in-depth look to go beyond “reading” to “studying God’s Word.

Note: Paul wrote, better yet, “dictated” Romans to his scribe, Tertius.

16:22. “Tertius” was a Roman name (often used for a third child), sometimes used by Jews. Most of the ancient world was too illiterate to write letters, certainly letters as sophisticated as this one; they depended instead on scribes. Those who were highly literate were also wealthy enough that they could dictate letters to scribes as well, sometimes their own secretaries, who were usually literate slaves. Paul’s host may have lent him his scribe, or Tertius may have been a professional scribe; in any case, Tertius seems to be a believer, because scribes did not normally add their own greetings. That Paul followed the common practice of signing dictated letters (1 Cor. 16:21; Galatians 6:11; Col. 4:18; 2 Thes. 3:17) indicates that he used scribes regularly.
— Bible Background Commentary
Mike