It has always intrigued me that Jesus did not teach the disciples the basics that we teach.

Salvation by grace through faith is clear enough in John Chapter 3 and is undoubtedly fundamental to the Kingdom that He was introducing, but why did He leave the clearest explanation of this truth to a meeting with a Pharisee at the dead of night?

His recorded teaching, confirmed in all the gospels, was a series of EARTH SHAKING STATEMENTS , often unsupported by reasoning (the Greek method) or precedent (the Hebrew method). They have a paradoxical appeal. They speak of a world which is beyond reach, attractive, but when tried in experiment, they work here and now.

Let's consider some of them.

• Humble men are very fortunate
• It is better to give than to receive
• Those who mourn are fortunate
• Happy are those who strive for peace
• Happy are those who are persecuted because they are good
• Happy are the kind and merciful
• Be very glad when you are reviled and persecuted unjustly
• Let your good deeds glow for all to see so that they will praise your heavenly Father
• Come to terms quickly with your enemy
• Don't make any vows
• Give to those who ask and don't turn away from those who want to borrow
• Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
• Don't do your good deeds publicly to be admired
• Pray in secret without repetition
• Fast in secret and God will reward you
• Don't store profits here but store them in heaven
• If your eye is pure there will be sunshine in your soul
• Don't worry about things - food, drink, money and clothes
• Don't be anxious about tomorrow. Live a day at a time.
• Don't criticize and you won't be criticized.
• Ask and you will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened
• Do for others what you want them to do for you
• The way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit produced
• Not all who talk like godly people are godly
• Those who listen to my instructions and follow them are wise

I want this web site to do the same.

I invite you to write a short study to help others to follow each saying.

It will appear on the web site for others to learn and comment.

Let's return to the teaching
I hope this is an unbiased list of the teaching in Matthew 5 to 7. I have only omitted passages which reinforce the ten commandments directly. Add to this the following from the rest of Matthew:

• follow me and let the dead bury their dead
• those that are well do not need the doctor but those that are sick do. I have not come for the righteous but for sinners to repent.
• daughter your faith has made you whole


the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force

if the mighty works which have been done here had been done in Tyre they would have repented long age

no man knows the Father except the Son and he to whom the Son reveals Him

Come to me all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest, take my yoke and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls.

I will have mercy and not sacrifice

The tree is known by its fruit

A good man out of the treasure of his heart brings forth good things

Every idle word that men speak they shall give an account

By your words you shall be justified, and by your words condemned

evil spirits, when they return, bring worse spirits with them

whoever does the will of my Father is my brother, sister and my mother

this people honours Me with their mouths but their hearts are far from Me

its not what goes into the mouth that dirties a man but what comes out

A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign

Those who God has joined in marriage must not be separated by man

Whoever divorces, except for adultery, commits adultery

Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them

to have eternal life enter into life and keep the commandments

it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven

give to the government what belongs to it and to God what belongs to Him

in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage

the first commandment is to love the Lord completely, and the second is to love your neighbour as yourself

Don't be called teacher because Jesus is your teacher and you are brothers

Don't be called father because God is your Father in heaven

don't be called head because one is your head, Jesus Christ

whoever will exalt himself will be abased, he that humbles himself will be exalted

Sower                Hear the Word and understand it and bring forth good fruit

Wheat and tares    Good and bad will grow together until the harvest

Mustard seed        The kingdom doesn't look significant but is effective

Leaven         Just a little of the Kingdom has a big effect

The net        Many are attracted to the Kingdom but discarded

Farmer        God loves to see everyone involved in kingdom work

                   All are treated fairly and some generously

Two sons    Those who do the will of the Father enter heaven, not those who say they will.

Vineyard       The kingdom will be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits

Marriage     The Father will may sure there are guests for the final banquet

Talents         Use what God gives you wisely
 
 

Why is this not the basis of our teaching today? Is it something that Jesus said to His disciples when He sent them out that is so different? Again Matthew records the following words to the disciples.

• pray the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth labourers into His harvest
• preach "the kingdom of heaven is at hand", heal the sick, cleanse lepers....freely you have received, freely give
• if the house is worthy let your peace come upon it
• I send you forth as sheep among wolves, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves
• don't fear those who can only kill the body
• it is not you who speak but the Spirit of your Father in you
• whoever will confess me before men I will confess before my Father in heaven
• if you find your life you will lose it but if you lose your life for my sake you will find it
• a prophet has honour, except at home
• beware the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Saducees
• I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven
• If any man will come after me let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me
• If you have faith as a mustard seed you will say to this mountain be removed and it will go and nothing will be impossible for you
• Truly, except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven
• whoever receives a little child in my name receives me
• whoever offends a little child will be punished very severely
• if your hand or foot offend you cut them off
• it is not the will of the Father that one little child should die
• if your brother sin against you, tell him, then take a friend, then tell the church
• what you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and what you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven
• again if two or three of you are agreed and ask it shall be done for them by my Father in heaven
• where two or three gather in my name there am I in the midst of them
• forgive your brother over and over again
• forgive because you have been forgiven so much more by your heavenly Father
• there are some who have made themselves eunuches for the kingdom of heaven's sake
• everyone who has given up houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, or children for my name's sake shall receive a hundred times and inherit everlasting life.
• many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first
• in the world leaders exercise authority, but is will not be so among you; the leaders will serve and give their lives like Jesus
• if you have faith you may say to this mountain be removed and cast into the sea and it shall be done
• watch because you do not know when your Lord will return
• Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, taking in strangers, visiting the sick and those in prison is a ministry to Jesus ending in eternal life
• Go therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all the things I have commanded you.

Speaking for myself I find there is a low priority on caring for the worlds poor people. These are our neighbours in this global village where we see such horrors on TV and know this is only the tip of the iceberg of the world's poverty. I want to use this website to bring together those who want to improve the situation by aid and trade. Everyone has God given skills and experiences they have endured. He wants us to use those skills and experiences to bring aid or establish businesses to benefit the world's poorest countries.

Jesus life was so practical. He used His time to benefit people. We must too if we want to be like Him.

From my small experiences in Kazakstan there is so much that people of any age can do whether they have a lot of time or a little. It's been the most rewarding time of my life.

Now I'm going to ask YOU to help expand this teaching

I am not looking for degrees or qualifications in teaching.

Just sincere experiences you can share or thoughts the Lord gives you.

If you want to help please cut the text above for your comments and click Input Comments

Otherwise please return to the main page

Practical Christianity