To teach and to preach in their cities

Matthew 11:1
Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.

Jesus told his disciples where to go and where not to go. He also told them the time when to go and when not to go. So it is with God and us today. We cannot presume to know where and when to go to spread the Word of His Kingdom. Sometimes it seems obvious to us, but God has different ideas. This is one part of our own training that we need to learn to wait for God and obey Him, even though sometimes we don't understand His priorities.

Let perseverance finish its work

James 1:4
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

After we are born again, that is the beginning of a new journey. The use of the words "Born again" is so accurate because like babies, we have to learn many things before we can grow up. Along the way there are various stumbling blocks. Some may keep falling more than others and God knows this already. Hence He encourages us to have perseverance and let the Holy Spirit mold us. Of course, our part includes surrendering to the Holy Spirit, but some will mature faster than others. For those who keep stumbling, it is important to realise the need for perseverance and keep coming back to Yshua when we fall. For in Him, there is no condemnation when we confess and repent.

For he knew what was in each person

John 2:24-25
But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

Our Lord Yshua know us well. He was not disillusioned with the many mistakes that Peter made, even though Peter will be chosen along with others to lead His church. God knows every hair on our head, so he would know each one of us very well. On the other hand, we are susceptible to disillusionment. In the church context, many have fallen away after being disillusioned by the misdeeds of their church leaders. This is certainly a play into the hands of the enemy. Instead, our response as we mature in Christ, is to look at only Yshua as our role model and somehow who could never fall. There may be other great church leaders, but we should think of them at most as big brothers or sisters leading us, but they are never our perfect role models.

Behold He is coming with clouds

Revelation 1:7
Behold He is coming with clouds

God is often associated with clouds. His presence was seen as the Cloud leading the Israelites as they wandered the desert thousands of years ago. Our Lord Yshua is expected to return in a cloud. For us, cloud also represents some unknown. This is especially true when we are physically in a cloud, we lose control because our senses are not useful anymore. Spiritually the concept is the same, when we are lost, we are in some sort of cloud. It is then that we should call on His name and put our full trust in Yshua that He will lead us through it.

He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him

 Mark 6:45
 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.

In this passage, Yshua send his disciples on their own way, of course knowing that they will be faced with a terrible storm not long after. So here there can be two views, one is that God lead us into trouble train us, the other one is that the trouble is there already and God will save us. We may not know exactly which one it is, but there is no reason to think that God is strictly one way or the other. There will be times that bring trouble, and there are other times that God will test us. However, God brings us on His journey and if we obey Him, we will come out in better shape spiritually than before.

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine

John 7:17
If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.

It is all about obeying the will of God, and this is also the key to understanding the secrets and doctrine of the Kingdom. We can read and understand the words of Scripture, but we cannot truly understand its meaning unless we are obedient to God and He opens our eyes. This is the way to live and walk with Yshua and also to discern things which are from God or not.

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies

Matthew 15:18-20
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

Our heart resides our innermost being where good and evil are present. Our Lord Yshua knows us well, and told us that the foul things coming from our mouth, are not just mere words. They have a presence rooted in our hearts. Knowing this, we can now examine the words coming out of our mouth and try to understand the source of the words. It is better that we examine and correct ourselves than God examining us.

Blessed are

Matthew 5:3-11
Blessed are ...

The beatitudes are some of the well remembered verses of Yshua's teachings. They appear very soft and spiritual, unlike the Ten Commandments with "Thou Shalt Not ....". The deeper meaning of the beatitudes are often missed, even by non-new believers. It seems to focus more on positive reinforcements by beginning with Blessed are those who will do certain things. Upon careful reading and understanding, it may not be easy at all. In fact it reflects the perfect standard that Yshua expects us to live up to. By our own means it is as impossible to follow as the Ten Commandments. It is only by surrendering to the Holy Spirit that we can live out the Beatitudes.

Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees

Matthew 5:20
For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Our Lord draws a comparison of righteousness with that of the Pharisees, more as a contrast that their type of righteousness should be avoided. This also means Yshua knows that believers can achieve a higher level of righteousness than the Pharisees. The way to achieve this is not by following rules and regulations, but by being a follower of Yshua. Our Lord's kind of righteousness is more than actions, it includes our motives and thoughts. We cannot achieve this just by obeying His laws, instead he changes our heredity from sinful Adam to perfect Yshua.

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption

1 Corinthians 1:30
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption

The Scripture says that when believers are in Christ, He becomes sanctification for us. That means that we don't need to try and be sanctified, but when we live in Him, we are sanctified. It is His sanctification that will be given to us. So again, it is not through our own efforts to achieve sanctification, rather we allow Christ to be in our lives and so we receive His sanctification. A commentator said that this is not about imitating Yshua, because we can never be like Him, but letting His perfect qualities exhibit in us.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification

1 Thessalonians 4:3
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.

Sanctification is a concept that may be interpreted differently by some, depending on the level of maturity in Christ. In the general sense, it means keeping ourselves pure, but has been interpreted by some as spiritual holiness. The verse above is about one simple practical example of sanctification - and that involves avoiding sexual immorality and lusts. It refers to our bodies as vessel for sanctification and honor. In other words, as a start to the road of sanctification, we must at least conquer such lusts and immorality.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

For many years I have read this without understanding the phrase poor in spirit. Only recently I discovered the interpretation from various sources. Instead of explaining with a few single word, poor in spirit means something like the opposite of self-righteousness. It is not strictly about humility. It is a person who realises that it is beyond his ability to achieve any kind of right standing or do anything that will be counted as anything in God's eyes. Our Lord Yshua opened the teaching of the Beatitudes with this because people need to reach this stage of poor in spirit before they can realise they need a Saviour to help them get right with God. Without this realisation the journey with Messiah cannot even begin. By ourselves, the situation is quite hopeless since we cannot earn any kind of salvation, then the realisation that Yshua has done it for us gives us the confidence that indeed we have the kingdom of heaven.

Those who wait on the Lord

Isaiah 40:13
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

For one action above, which is to wait on the Lord, the benefits and blessings are many. We will have renewed strength, we will have power to rise above the situation, we will not be tired despite having to run around, and we will walk with calm and steadfastness and not fainting given the pressures.

So what does waiting involve. There is no hidden definition of this waiting. It is a matter of waiting for God, once we presented out situation to Him. We would have prayed to Him about our situation, and so waiting for His hand to move. So the wait also involve patience on our part and not try to do things to help ourselves.

You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am

John 13:13
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 

Our Lord Yshua confirms His identity in the verse above. He lets His followers come to an understanding of who He really is. He never forces people to accept Him as Lord, nor to listen to His teachings. our obedience towards Him is a natural result of our growth. As we come closer to the living God, and really know Him through the Spirit, we cannot help but to obey Him. There will be times when we will fall and sin, but He already knows this. We must always come back to Him as our Lord and Teacher.

And he said, Who are You, Lord?

Acts 9:5
And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Paul was at the point of knowing the true Lord Yshua. Yshua never forces people to convert. He makes Himself known to people so they understand who He really is. When people come to believe and follow Yshua, the Spirit convicts them of their sins and they change their way of life to follow Yshua. It is not something that is forced on believers since that would not be true conversion. Asking the question "Who are you, Lord" is the beginning for many people in coming to Messiah.

And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power

1 Corinthians 2:4
And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

Paul wants his reader to understand that  it should not be his words and skills as a preacher and speaker to turn people to Yshua. That also holds true for any of the well gifted preachers. They should always divert the glory back to Yshua. It is God, through the Holy Spirit, who moves people's hearts to true conversion into followers of Yshua. We must not rely on any particular preacher for our salvation.

How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him

Matthew 7:11
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 

God reminds us of who He is, our real Father and the Creator who is still in control. Anyone who truly understand this would not be succumb to the cares of this world. They would have perfect trust in the Lord. In times of hardships and troubles, it is easy to forget who God is and that He is in control. This is the reason that we have to keep practising to acknowledge these facts when we are not in trouble. He knows about everything, in control of everything and He knows our individual cases. We need to actively practise trusting Him.

I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.

Romans 1:14
I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.

This is how Paul views himself. He was totally set free by the bondage of the Law. With his new found freedom, he knew that Yshua paid the price for him which he can never repay. On his own free will, he chose to be a bondservant to Yshua and devoted his life to tell others about the Kingdom of God, so that they too can be set free. Clearly not every believer do what Paul did, and there is no condemnation on others. Paul has set an example which is pleasing to God - it is something for us to be reminded of from time to time even if we don't exactly follow in his footsteps.

Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also

Matthew 5:39

But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 

This is an incredibly thing for a person to do in the natural self. It is similar to the teaching about going the second mile. However, may teachings of Yshua do seem to contradict the natural thinking. The spiritual way of life is higher and is the truth and Yshua's teachings are ultimately a benefit for us, it is definitely the way that pleases God. A commentary once said that Yshua's teachings are about doing things which are not our duty, and also that we cannot imitate Yshua, His nature is either in us or it is not.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne

Isaiah 6:1
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 

The prophet Isaiah saw the vision of the Lord the year that King Uzziah died. For background, the king has faithful to the Lord for the most part of his reign. He enjoyed great blessings in terms of the power and strength of his kingdom, which flows on to be blessings for the whole nation. Later on, he was struck by Leprosy due to his pride which cause him to burn incense in the Temple - that role is supposed to be for priests only. The end of his reign marks an important time and that time is also the calling of the prophet Isaiah. God knows when important chapters in history is beginning and ending. He knows the future just as well as in the past. Isaiah would have known the Lord already, and he was spiritually ready when the Lord called him.

We all come to the unity of the faith

Ephesians 4:13
till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 

To finally get to the fullness of Christ is the ultimate that all believers of Yshua should aspire too. This is not merely our own private spiritual growth. It also incorporates us together with the rest of the body of Christ. Knowledge of Christ is to be included with the unity of the faith. It is obvious but worth stating that strife and division tears the body apart and is counter-productive to the work of the Kingdom.

That I may know Him

Philippians 3:10
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 

This is the ultimate goal - that is to know Christ. It does not mean to know about Him, His life, His glorification and so on. It means to really be connected to Yshua and we cannot really do so if our heart is somewhere else. We must fully focus on Christ or lose focus on Him easily. There is the knowledge of His Resurrection, sharing of His sufferings and understanding His death. Beyond this we have to encounter the real living Yshua that no doctrine or theology would be able to help us achieve.

Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

We believers in Yshua are to consider each other to motivate us to love and good works - both hallmarks of a life in Christ. It is necessary to motivate each other, hence it is written in the Scriptures. The danger of not doing so is slipping into laziness spiritually. When that happens, it is easy to fall away. God knows us best and He told us to come together and support each other. That is why it is not possible to walk the Christian life alone and in isolation.

You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God

Joshua 24:19
But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 


Joshua was challenging the Israelites to see how committed they are in serving God, perhaps a little reverse psychology was in play there. He was correct in implying that it is not easy to serve God. In fact he may be literally correct in that we could not serve God, if it is up to us alone. Our sinful nature excludes us from serving Him. It is God who allows us to serve Him and we can only do this when we give ourselves to God. In other words, we cannot merely use our efforts but have to let God use us in order to serve Him.

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve

Joshua 24:15
Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.

The choice is ours. This is true in many things in life. Only we are our own masters, no matter if we live under the authority of others or not. God has given us freedom and that freedom is not to be taken lightly. It affects all aspects of our life. The ultimate freedom is the freedom to choose if we are on God's side or the other side. And choosing God's side is not mere lip service. There are evidence of whether we are walking with God or not, and these evidence are actually for us to assess ourselves before it is too late.

Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Basically, walking the life of Christ is not easy and Yshua has already told us that to prepare us. There will be various trials in our life and God allows this so that our character can be refined. Without trials, we will never grow to full maturity. A commentator said: "But a crisis will reveal whether or not we have been putting it (God's commands) into practice.

The parched ground shall become a pool

Isaiah 35:7
The parched ground shall become a pool

This verse is part of the prophecy of future Zion. It tells of a time where things will be restored to their glory as God intended it. Visions and prophecies are received by many in different ways. Some of the prophetic visions are so cryptic that followers don't know what to do about them. However, God gives a vision for a reason. One such reason is that of hope. It gives the people hope for the future and confidence that a good and just God will fulfill His promises.

Commit, Trust, And He shall bring it to pass

Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

This is a command that is 2 part action from us, and 1 part action from God. Our two parts are to commit and trust. God's part is to bring it to pass. The first action often involve prayer, pouring out our requests to God. Then we need to follow up by trusting. Praying followed by trying to direct God or simply continue with our own ways is not trusting God at all. Remember that we need to do two parts first before God can do His part.

Do not fret—it only causes harm

Psalm 37:8
Do not fret—it only causes harm.

How true is this statement. Trust this - God knows best. He has told us not to worry. Remember the illustration of how God cares of the birds and the lilies and provides for them. Since we are more than those, God's care for us is so much more than that. Any kind of worry and fretting is an indication that we still do not trust God enough or that we don't really understand Him. If we start to realise this, then it can be the beginning of building up our faith in God.

Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips

Isaiah 6:5
“Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips,

When Isaiah came into the presence of God, he knew how indefensible he was regarding his own sin. One interesting aspect is that this particular verse highlights the part of the body which is the lips. Different people are more susceptible to different sins. However, when we are convicted of our sins, it is not just a blanket conviction of all types of sins. Our specific sins will be revealed to us, and concentrate on the part of our body that commits those sins. So when God cleanse Isaiah, he specifically cleanse his lips - perhaps that was where he sinned the most.

Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple

Luke 14:26,27,33
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, ..... And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me ....So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

This passage is often taught that it is not trivial to follow Jesus and that it comes at a great cost. Another teaching is that following Jesus is a worthwhile cause and so we should count the cost and decide it is worth it. Yet another perspective is that of following Jesus rather than following doctrine. It is quite clear that Jesus asks people to follow Him and to be completely devoted. He does not advocate our devotion to any kind of doctrine. He asks us to look toward Himself rather than any of His teachings. So it is clear that being a disciple and following Him requires our complete devotion to the person of our Messiah Yshua.

You will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny

Matthew 5:26
Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

This verse follows the teachings of Yshua delivered after the Beatitudes. Yshua was teaching that hating someone is the same as murder in God's view. God knows that we all have sin and fall short of His glory. And the penalty for sin is death. Now Yshua has come to take our punishment for us. However we still have a part; and that is to repent and become right again with God. This is something that has to be done, so there it may as well be done sooner than later. This also includes forgiveness and being right with others around us.