This painting is entitled, “Checkmate”.  It had hung in the Louvre in Paris until it was sold at a Christie’s auction to a private investor in 1999.  As you can see, it depicts Satan playing chess against a young man.  The competition was for the soul of the young man; he belonged to Satan if he lost.  The title betrays the intent of the painting.

What is the primary mission of the Christian? What is our reason or purpose for being in the world? God makes our mission very clear in Matthew 28:19-20, when He tells us “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Thus, our primary mission is to evangelize, to teach, and to baptize. But, too often, I’m afraid we spend a lot of time on what we call “Christian endeavors” that aren’t necessarily in support of that mission. To clearly understand our Christian mission, it’s also helpful to understand what our mission is not. Our primary mission is not:

Our Connect Group theme for the year reminds us to “Keep It Real!”  This month we consider Real Love.  The reason we must deal with this topic is because so many people have an inaccurate understanding of Real Love.  Their definition is so far off that many people have never understood the “Real” meaning. 

The family is very important to the God of heaven because He created it (Genesis 2:21-24).  He joined the first couple in marriage. “Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman and brought her to the man.” (v. 22).   He stated the importance of each of them leaving their homes to establish their own home.  “Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.” (v. 24).  He put them together so that they could raise children who would leave them and establish their own homes. “…they shall become one flesh.” (v. 24).

Social media has thrown the term influencer into the forefront of our consciousness. Through blogs, YouTube, Facebook, and other social media outlets, people are expressing themselves and influencing the thoughts and views of many other people. Advertisers, political campaigns, and television programming rely on polls that often reflect the views of the most popular influencers.

It has been said that knowledge is a powerful thing. However, in a group, knowledge can be a dangerous thing as it can cause friction between people with varying levels of knowledge. In a church, it is very important to create an atmosphere of unity where everyone feels equally a part. But it is difficult to have that atmosphere when there are some who don't know as much about the Bible as others do.

The scene on Mt. Sinai when Moses first went to the top to speak with the LORD must have been awesome!  While he was there, the LORD spoke the 10 commandments in the hearing of all the  people!  Moses later recorded these words about that scene.  “These words the LORD spoke to all our assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice…” (Deuteronomy 5:22).

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17).  This is Paul’s admission that every moment of our lives is an opportunity for good.  The words “whatever” and “all” are the words that indicate this.  He is reminding his readers that they need to be aware of every moment or every day and what they can do in those moments.

The faithful keep the faith.  That is the message of the New Testament.  “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3).  This is Jude’s thesis statement for this little letter. 

What best defines self-control for you? Is it seeing a table full of wonderful desserts and simply turning away since you do not need it? Or is it seeing a table full of wonderful desserts and boldly striding up to it to partake in moderate amounts? (Replace the desserts with homestyle cooking and you have my dilemma.)

When you are standing at the bottom of the mountain you intend to climb, it can be an intimidating sight.  The top seems to be somewhere among the clouds.  The trail to the top is filled with obstacles.  The time commitment to reach the top is significant.  You might think, “Am I ready to do this?”  You might even wonder if it will have been worth it when you finally reach the top.

Paying attention is so hard for many people.  Admittedly, there are many who have a hard time paying attention because they have an emotional or a physical issue that is an obstacle.  These people are easily distracted.  They lose connection in the moment and are led away down a different path.  Trying to bring them back is difficult.

“That person is real!”  I have heard that compliment many times about people.  What is intended by it?  It means that the person is not trying to make people believe something about them that is not true.  This person is honest in his or her portrayal of self.  They are real because they are not false.  What you see is what you get!

The word “meekness” has an improper reputation. The base word “meek” even rhymes with a word with which it has been associated:  weak. But, meekness does not mean weakness. 

There many phrases that are used in public prayers that we, who have been a part of the church for all of our lives, have heard many times.  These are not improper or wrong.  They are just overused often without really understanding what they mean or even if they have a meaning.  One of those phrases is “guard, guide, and direct us.”  These three words are similar.  There are slight differences in their meaning.  “Guard” is a defensive term.  Using this word in prayer seems to ask God to protect us in our journey through life.  The word “direct” brings the thought to mind asking God to show us or point us in the right direction. 

The one word that summarizes the book of Hebrews is BETTER.  Jesus is better than the angels because He has received a greater inheritance (Hebrews 1:4).  Hebrews 7 discusses the story of Melchizedek who blessed Abraham when he returned from the slaughter of the kings.  The text speaks to this event saying that, “…the lesser is blessed by the better.” (Hebrews 7:7).

The pull of the world is so powerful!  As each day begins, we already have in our minds, on our smart phones, on a wall calendar, or even in a voice reminder everything that we need to do that day.  We have places to go, people to see, and things to do.  We are busy!

Fido the dog has no idea why he is named that. The Marines, however, know very well why Semper Fidelis is so important to them. Each of these terms is related to another term that you know quite well. Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park is so named because it faithfully gushes forth on time and has done so for a long time. Fido the dog is so named because he is faithful to his master. The Marines are “Always  Faithful”.  And, it is from Old Faithful that we learn the definition of faithfulness.

“…but whoever drinks from the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” (John 4:14).  These were intriguing words for a woman who had just walked about 2 miles with a large clay pot to get water for her family for the day.  You have probably seen pictures of women walking with their pots balanced on their heads.

A 2-way mirror is a valuable tool in criminal investigations. Using this tool, investigators are able to conduct an interview of a suspect, not only to hear what he says, but also to “see” what he says with his body language.