Don’t Be Afraid of Tomatoes!

Today, Pastor Michael discusses the importance of not fearing as a believer. He draws a parallel from history, when people in the past, many centuries ago, were afraid of tomatoes because they were called ‘poison apples.’ They believed tomatoes were lethal, but in reality, the acid in tomatoes was reacting with lead from pewter plates used in those days. Just as a prepared soul has no fear of the end, we, too, should not fear the unknown. Remember, this message is not just about tomatoes; it’s about our faith and how we face the unknown.

It’s Wednesday evening, and the apostles are leaving the temple, having spent three days there. They are commenting on how impressive the buildings were there. By this time, the sun is going down in the west, silhouetting the temple and making quite the impression. Jesus told the apostles that not a stone would be left of these buildings, and this made the apostles question the reasoning of that statement, asking Him privately when that would happen. They mistakenly equated the end of the buildings with the end of the world.

Jesus replied, in His longest teaching on the end times, describing events and conditions that are the beginnings of sorrows. The early indicator that something major is coming.

Getting back to our theme, don’t be afraid; the problem is not the end times, the problem is the fear in us. If you are a follower of Jesus, you do NOT have to be afraid!

(CSB Notes) Jesus prophesied (announced, not merely predicted) the destruction of the great buildings. Symbolically in the withering of the fig tree (11:12-14,20-21) Jesus had already prophesied their end. Some question the accuracy of not one stone will be left upon another because some stones remain today in the Western Wall, but this was not part of the temple itself but the foundation that supported the platform on which the temple stood.

Verses can be found in Mark 13: 1 - 8.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

You Can’t Outgive God.

Today, Pastor Michael is expanding upon where Jesus cleaned the temple out of all the folks doing business inside, instead of worshipping. He runs them out and comes back on Tuesday and the religious leaders come out to meet Him, wanting to know what on earth He was doing back at the temple. The next day, Wednesday, they try tripping Him up again. So now, we’re at the point where Jesus is betrayed and arrested.

Jesus knows this. All of it.

So He just sits down on one of the low benches, around the Temple. There were a bunch of offering boxes around and He saw many people coming and going. He watched quietly until one special woman, a widow, approached the boxes. She reaches out and deposits two tiny little coins, and Jesus turns to His disciples and says, “She is giving more than anyone else.”

His disciples marveled at that assessment, wondering where it came from. Jesus taught them that she gave all she had; others simply give out of a surplus.

The core idea of this message is: You Can’t Outgive God!

(CSB Bible Notes): Stewardship is measured by the sacrifice we make, not by the amount we give. The widow’s willingness to give all she had represented better stewardship than the large gift of the rich who retained abundant resources. The amount left after the gift is a more significant figure than the amount of the gift. Christian stewardship involves sacrificial giving that counts the need rather than the availability of resources for personal use.

Verses can be found in Mark 12: 41-44.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Toxic Leadership.

Today, Pastor Michael talks about something we universally seem to run into: Toxic Leadership.

Everyone seems to have a story or know someone affected by Toxic Leadership. But it hits closer to home than we think. The biggest group of people who should answer to their role in leadership are YOU and I. While we may not have the “title” of “Leader,” leadership is really and truly about power and influence.

Today’s core theme, knowing that, is: Truly leadership seeks to serve, not to be served.

In today’s lesson, we’re with Jesus about 48 hours before he will be crucified. He is talking to His disciples about toxic leadership; those leaders (the ‘scribes’ in those days) were more concerned about being served than serving others. Their love of recognition is what Jesus is calling them out for.

All pride is ugly, but spiritual pride is extra ugly.

So what can you do? Lead. But be a leader like Jesus, all about serving OTHERS.

Verses can be found in Mark 12: 38-40.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.