The emptying of our nest of 4 beautiful children has allowed us to reset our lives by living light for the sake of spreading the Light through the local gospel ministry of the Stillwater Community Chapel. (https://stillwater-chapel.org/) This blog is the musings and ministry of the Wolfgangs as we have gone wherever God leads. May we always live light and in the Light, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Matthew 10:34-42...The hardest rejection, the three requirements and the rewards from the receiving
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You meet all kinds out on the trails in the RMNP! This one was a friendly face I saw after snowshoeing from Coyote Trailhead to the Bowen/Baker Trailhead. This one was a good turn around point. Thank you to whoever took the time to create this smile maker. The trail made by me behind our little friend was filling back in already from the wind whipping down the Kawuneeche Valley.
It was a great Sunday gathering to end Jesus' sermon in Matthew 10. Here are my bullet points for the chapter.
Jesus draws to Himself and names the 12 disciples. (at His feet)
Jesus gives them the authority of being His apostles. (sent out ambassadors)
Jesus gives them practical instructions for their mission. (where to go, who to speak to, what to say, where to stay, what to take and not take, etc.)
Jesus tells them of 2 responses and what to do (receive you so stay, reject you so shake the dust from your feet and move on)
Jesus spends more time on the rejection response.
Jesus tells them of the 4 areas of resistance, rejection, or persecution fronts. (religious authorities, governing authorities, family, and all of society)
Jesus commands them not to fear man (be in fright of, flee from) but fear God (be in awe and reverence of leading to obedience).
Jesus zeros in on the hardest resistance, family.
Jesus gives them the 3 requirements to follow Him. (supreme love of Him over all other human relationships, living out His salvation given to them every day (effect of carrying the cross) and loyal obedience to Him)
Jesus ends with going back to those who receive the messenger and message and what those who assist would receive. (prophet, righteous man, disciple)
This last part captured me this time. When I first went through the Gospel of Matthew it was at the Gaylord Family Fellowship Church in Gaylord, MI. It was over 15 years ago, I think. I recorded all the messages on CD's prior to having a YouTube channel. I think I would have remembered this point because I think this is something I will refer to in the future.
The main point is that God will reward or bless those who assist His ambassadors whether prophet, righteous man or disciple. A prophet was one who spoke the very words of God directly from Him at times and had a more national impact upon the tribes of Israel. A righteous man was one who studied and taught the very words of God from the scrolls and had a more community impact. He was probably a synagogue ruler or rabbi that was very much revered and loved. A disciple was one who sat at the feet of the rabbi. He was a learner and followed around the one who was doing the teaching orally and by example. His impact was more one on one with someone else. The person is receiving them (prophet, righteous man, or disciple) as an ambassador of God and God's words from them. If they receive them then they receive Christ and also God who sent Christ for them.
It is hard not to see the hierarchy in this illustration from prophet to righteous man to disciple. You can see it from national impact to community impact to one on one impact. I couldn't help but relate this to different types of churches that God uses.
The disciples would probably not have described themselves as prophets, "thus saith the Lord" types. The disciples would probably not have described themselves as righteous men for they were not of the Sanhedrin or synagogue rulers or rabbis. They would have described themselves as just those who are sitting at the feet of Rabbi Jesus. They were a rag tag group of men from common areas of life that Jesus had said to them, "follow Me."
I think you could say there are some churches used by God to be of the prophet type. They have a more national impact. They have a platform that stretches beyond the boundaries of their county. I don't believe I have ever been a part of one these types of churches.
I think you could say there are some churches used by God to be of the righteous man type. They have a more community impact. They are churches who have generations attending them. They have a deep bench of spiritual leaders. They have long standing traditions and they are thought of when someone mentions church in their county. I have been a part of a few churches I would put in this category.
I think you could say there are some churches used by God to be of the disciple type. They are made up of those who don't have a rich deep church history. They are people pulled together sitting at the feet of Jesus through His words and maybe hearing some of those words for the very first time. They might not even be known to be gathering in the county and most of the awareness of them is one on one communication. I have been a part of a few churches I would put in this category.
Stillwater, I think, is in this last category. I think the people of Stillwater would put themselves there also when given these descriptions. God has pulled together a rag tag group of people from all walks of life to gather for His words each week. We are not known widely in our community but one by one people enter through the church building doors to meet the church body that assembles there.
What is tremendous to experience is to see the "cup of cold water" that comes in to assist this type of ministry. Some of those cups have come from you, the readers of this blog for the past 14 years. At just the right time an assistance (a cup) comes that allows Stillwater to take another step for God or we have taken the step and we see God provide what is needed. Those cups are so important to those on the mission fields all over the world that would describe themselves in the disciple category.
So a huge thank you for the cups sent our way over the years. Those cups come in many forms. Sometimes its financial; sometimes its your very presence (we love visits); sometimes its a note of encouragement; and sometimes it's the unending prayers for us.
I am daily challenged to think of what cup of cold water I could give today to someone who is sitting at the feet of Jesus.
This isn't 5,000 men plus women and children as in the passage last Sunday but this is our 5,000+ for the week. It is amazing to be all around the table at once. There are now 20 of us. We have went from addition to multiplication in our family as each of our 4 children are now having their families. Our 2 year reunions have been highlights of our lives and this one was spent in Colorado. This picture featured the 20 rainbow trout the grandchildren caught at a local kids' fishing pond. Jesus is going to present 2 amazing events back to back for his disciples. In this big feed they are ready to pass off the responsibility to someone else. They tell Jesus to send the crowd away and their solution is that those people can fend for themselves. They use the word " only " and calculate what was possible with the money they may have had. The disciples were identifying and pointing at the need but they were not going to get involved ...
See the bike in the foreground? Pumped up the tires and have been making trips to town and back a couple times now. The mountain in the background is locally called Mount Baldy but officially Mount Craig. The bridge is over the canal between Shadow Mountain Lake and Grand Lake. A lot of wedding pictures are taken here. I am itching to get up into the mountains and see the roaring waterfalls and the beautiful springtime mountain flowers. Another Easter/Resurrection Service has come and gone. Covering the same material each year can be a challenge at times and especially when you are in front of some of the same people. Thankfully there are typically visitors on this special Sunday from the area and from afar. Last year I handled the whole of Matthew 28 and focused on which story we were following. Was it the pre-made cover-up story fueled by a bribe from the religious leaders to the soldiers that the disciples overtook ...
Doesn't she look like a true mountain woman eating here bison/cranberry jerky? This is a recent trip up to Lulu City on the Colorado River Trail that was only in existence for 5 years and the population of 200. Only 3 sides of one cabin remains. For awhile it was just us and the wildlife on the trail but this is the time of the year when people migrate to the park. We love family. My brother and his wife, Tom and Tammy, swung into Grand Lake for a couple of days and also shared a worship experience at SCC. This was the trek up from the Alpine Visitor Center to get our photo at the sign. Seek to keep family ties strong. Seek to restore them if they have been severed. Pull out the super glue and piece it back together. With both mom and dad gone now, my next connection to them are my siblings who carry on similar experiences of our time on Lehman Road so many years ago. We ventured into chapter 14 of Matthew this pas...
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