New Testament Bible Study by John Stanko

Matthew Study 12: 10:32-11:19

Dear Student of the Word,

Has God ever allowed something to happen to you that you never expected? Have you ever questioned God about why it happened or searched for reassurance that God was with you. In this week's study, we look at that very thing happening to Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist. John was perplexed by what He saw Jesus doing and sent emissaries to question Jesus as to His true identity. This week we will look at what Jesus had to say in response to John's disciples and what more Jesus had to say about John himself.

The study for one day this week reads as follows. I hope you will take time to study every other day, too:

11:2&3 – Remember that John and Jesus were cousins through their mothers’ side of the family. They had to be acquainted prior to the start of their ministries. So John would have known Jesus prior to recognizing that He was the Christ. It is all the more impressive that John could see past the family relationship to recognize Jesus as the Son of God. At any rate, John sent disciples to ask Jesus about His mission. Obviously, John was expecting the Messiah to do things differently than Jesus was doing. John had already declared that Jesus was the Lamb of God (see John 1:19) but now John had to ask to make sure.

One has to admire John’s honesty and desire to know the truth. John trusted that Jesus would tell him the truth as to whether or not He was “the One.” John did not make public his doubts before he had sought Jesus for the truth. Also, John was not shy about expressing his true feelings and thoughts. He was an honest man. Are you honest with God?

v. 4 – Jesus gave no indication that He was offended by the questions posed by John’s delegation. He directed them to go back to John and report only what they saw and heard, no more and no less. This may seem like a simple response, but Jesus urged them not to interpret what they saw and heard, just to report it. The Pharisees, who also beheld what Jesus did, could not help but draw incorrect personal conclusions from the evidence, and pass their bias on to others. Jesus urged John’s disciples not to repeat the same mistake.

v. 5 – What did John’s disciples see? They beheld Jesus healing the blind, lame, lepers, and the deaf. They heard Jesus declaring the good news of the gospel to the poor. Yet that was not what Israel, including John, had expected from their Messiah. They had expected a more militant, political Savior, who would restore the throne of David in a literal sense. They had a Messiah who did wonderful deeds without any of the political overtones they had expected.

John for one was so confused that he had to ask if Jesus was truly the One, the Messiah. If John was confused, you can imagine how many others were as well? Notice that Jesus did not answer directly, “I am the One.” He urged John to examine the evidence, determine whether or not He was from God and come to him own conclusions. He urges you to do the same.

v. 6 – There are times when things happen that you may not have considered possible when you first started to serve the Lord. When those things happen, you can be scandalized by the events and question God’s intent of faithfulness. I just met with a family who have hit hard times in their family business. The bank is threatening to take action unless they meet their obligations. Yet they are staying true to God and to their governing values of excellence and integrity. They are trusting God in the midst of trying times. How about you? Are you questioning God’s faithfulness? Are you asking “why, God?” questions. I am not saying it is wrong to ask those questions. Just don’t stop until you obtain some answers so that you do not become bitter or disillusioned or worse yet, question God’s love.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 12-1.doc

Matthew Study 11: 10:1-10:31

Dear Student of the Word,

I was home for one day after Nigeria and I am now heading to Texas. I always enjoy the challenge of finding how I am going to send these studies from the road. It's usually not too difficult, but at times it can be. Right now I am in the Pittsburgh airport and there is free wireless internet. That always helps!

This week we see how Jesus chose some disciples to send out and minister in His name. I had this to say about how He chose them and how it relates to you and me:

10:1-4 – When God calls you to a purpose, He calls you by name and He calls you to Himself. It isn’t just a task, it’s a relationship with Him. I have found that when I function in my purpose, God provides for me and takes care of all I need to fulfill my purpose. He speaks to me, and my relationship with Him is somehow closer and more intimate.

Here Jesus called twelve men to Himself and gave them authority. That was a question the Jews always asked Jesus; “By whose authority do You do these things?” Jesus did the things He did in the authority of His purpose. That is all the authority you need as well, for your purpose is your command from heavenly headquarters. When you move in your purpose, you don’t need an invitation to the party, so to speak. You invite yourself. Someone else said that you nominate yourself for the job. I like that.

If your purpose is to help the poor, you don’t need anyone to invite you to do so. You show up where the poor are and start helping them. I was reflecting on this issue of authority the other day, and came up with nine aspects of purpose that give you the authority to do whatever it is God wants you to do. Here they are:

1. The authority of results – your purpose helps you bear fruit; no one can question your authority when you can show them the fruit of your labors.
2. The authority of clarity – your purpose is one clear, concise statement of what you are on earth to do. People will follow and respond to you because you are direct and focused.
3. The authority of knowledge – your purpose enables and even drives you to be skilled at what you do. You will have more insight and knowledge about your sphere of purpose than others.
4. The authority of calling – God assigned your purpose and wants you to fulfill it even more than you do. He will open doors and create opportunities for you to succeed.
5. The authority of integrity – your purpose causes you to live by your values, the things that are most important to you. You don’t want to undermine your purpose, so you have added incentive to be an honest person of your word.
6. The authority of courage – your purpose makes you a leader where you function. You face your fears because your purpose is more important than you are. There are people waiting to benefit from what you do and who you are and you press through obstacles to be there for them.
7. The authority of success – your purpose gives you endurance to press through the barriers and endure long periods of suffering and regular setbacks. You don’t only achieve results; you do so over a long period of time, which constitutes some measure of success
8. The authority of humility – you know your source of strength, which is God Himself. You acknowledge your source but you don’t deny that you are good at what you do because God helps you.
9. The authority of honesty – you do not engage in “false humility” (denying what you can do) but you know your limitations and face your limitations and weaknesses with openness.

Can you think of any others to add to the list?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 11.doc

Matthew Study 10: 9:9-9:38

Dear Student of the Word,

I am delighted to send this week's installment from Nigeria, where I ministering for the first time. I am in Kaduna, in north Nigeria, where I am working with the Assemblies of God churches and leaders. I teach every morning this week from 9 to noon on leadership subjects, and I am honored to be part of the work here. It is hot, but it is a privilege to teach from God's Word any place and at any time.

This week, we study quite a few instances of Jesus' healing ministry. I make the following statement about the great things that Jesus did in abundance:

v. 32 – No Jew reading Matthew’s account could possibly deny Jesus’ divinity. There was no one who had ever done what Jesus did, and done so much of it. He healed every kind of infirmity with which He was confronted. He often knew the sources of the people’s problems; in this case it was a man mute due to demonic presence. Only someone with divine perspective could know that. Jesus raised the dead, healed blind men whether they came alone or in pairs, and had healing power flow from Him, as evidenced by the woman with the issue of blood.

Matthew wasn’t just providing a picture that Jesus was a good man. Matthew was making a case that Jesus was (and is) God! There was no doubt in Matthew’s mind that these great works could be performed not by a good man or a prophet. These things were all evidence that Jesus was the Son of God!

These powerful deeds set Jesus apart from every other notable religious leader. Mohammed, Buddha, the Dalai Lama, and millions of Hindu gods never, ever did anything close to the deeds that Jesus did. No religious leader ever matched His power or authority. Jesus isn’t just one of the great religious leaders; He is the greatest, because He is God! Therefore, Jesus cannot just be one way to God, for He is infinitely superior to the any other ways. Not only was Jesus a superior teacher to any of His “rivals,” He was also performed superior acts of mercy and power.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study. And if you can contribute toward my faith trip here to Nigeria, please go to my website and take care of that today! Thank you.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 10.doc

Matthew Study 9: 8:14-9:8

Dear Student of the Word,

I trust that you had a good resurrection weekend and that you feel empowered to do even more for the Lord, since you carry resurrection power in you. I have enjoyed my time at home this year, but I will be on the road for the next three weeks to Seattle, Nigeria and Texas. I love preparing these studies because they keep me in the Word no matter how busy I am or where I go. I hope you are finding the grace to be in the Word as well.

This week, we continue to study Matthew's accounts of Jesus, the Healer. Jesus was and is magnificent! He touched and cured situations from which most people avoided. This week I wrote:

vs. 24-26 – What a picture of confidence and peace! Jesus was sleeping while the waves overwhelmed the boat. What does this tell us about Jesus? 1) Jesus was fully human, since He was exhausted from His ministry encounters; 2) Jesus had complete confidence in the Father; 3) there was no need for Him to stay awake on watch because God had everything under control; 4) Jesus was God, since only has authority to speak to the waves and wind and they obeyed.

What does this tell us about the disciples? 1) They were afraid; 2) these were seasoned fishermen, but the power of the weather frightened them; 3) they knew that Jesus could help them, since theywent straight to Jesus with their “prayer request;” 4) they did not have confidence like Jesus; and 5) their fear had caused their faith to dissipate.

My finances are a bit low right now, but I refuse to panic like I have in the past. They aren’t really low; I’m just stepping out to publish, broadcast and innovate, all of which cost money. This is my daily prayer: I trust You, Lord. I will sleep while You watch and work. I will remember the exhortation in the psalms:

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves (Psalm 127:1-2).

Are you aware that God provides for you, even while you sleep? Is this truth evident in your daily life, your thoughts, your actions?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 9-1.doc

Matthew Study 8: 7:13-8:13

Dear Student of the Word,

I am in Washington DC and, before I drive back to Pittsburgh, I thought I would send out this week's study. This week we finish up with Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount and come down the mountain with Him as He heals and ministers to people's needs. No matter how high the mountaintop experience, you must always come back down to the day-to-day life that God ordains as normal.

This week I wrote about shortcuts to prosperity or God's favor. I wrote about this on my blog, but it bears repeating here:

vs. 24-27 – I am old enough now to have some perspective on things and I have seen the long-term effects of people who built wisely and foolishly. The wise took Jesus’ words and applied them with a view toward long-term success. Others looked for a shortcut and for a time seemed like they had found one. Yet, when the pressures of life or when God tested their work, their life and work were found to be shabby and shaky.

You cannot escape the fact that your work will be tested in this life. Jesus didn’t say “if the winds blow” but rather “when the winds blow.” Paul alluded to the same inevitability when he wrote:

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

I am especially concerned with how many seem to offer financial shortcuts to God’s people. Some promise great returns for a “seed gift” of a certain amount of money. I have heard some promise the gift of wisdom if someone donates $951, since there are 951 verses in the book of Proverbs. This is pure nonsense and is the equivalent of a spiritual lottery. People put up so much money in the hopes of “winning” a lot more money. This is what takes place in a casino and should not take place in God’s business. It’s true that you give and God will bless you. But there is only one way to gain wealth:

In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty (Proverbs 14:23).

You gain wealth by hard work, wise investments and the grace of God. Those who come with promises of wealth if you give a gift to their work and ministry are frauds:

For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God (2 Corinthians 2:17).

What is peddler? The dictionary defines a peddler as “one who deals in or promotes something intangible (as a personal asset or an idea).”

Don’t look for spiritual shortcuts. There aren’t any. Build wisely, like a master builder, and put your hope and expectations in God for the long-term. Have you been guilty of looking for and experimenting with shortcuts, especially where money is concerned? If so, you need to repent and change your ways.

I would welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them and find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 8-1.doc

Matthew Study 7: 6:19-7:12

Dear Student of the Word,

I am in England to take part in the Christian Booksellers Convention. I was walking through the booths yesterday, marveling at how many Bibles and Bible study aids there are on the market today. Yet are we any more Bible-literate or knowledgeable than our predecessors? Perhaps not! Why? Perhaps because no matter how many things we have to help us study the Bible, we still must do just that: take the time to study. That is what I try to help you do in these studies. I want you to "get into" the Word and then apply the Word on a daily basis.

This week we continue to study Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, paying close attention to Jesus' reminders that God is able to provide for us, freeing us from worry. This week I wrote:

6:25 – Someone once said, “When you see a therefore, make sure you see what it’s there for.” This therefore is there, in this case, to assure us that God can take care of us; we don’t need to fret over money matters where provision for basic needs is concerned. God will take care of providing food, shelter, clothing and transport; there is more to life than those things. God created you with those needs and He isn’t going to allow those needs to go unfilled. Do you believe that? If you do, then you don’t have to be concerned if God asks you to do something and you aren’t quite sure how your basic needs will be met if you do that thing. He will take care of you.

I have found the main reason that more people don’t make transitions to jobs or opportunities that are better suited to who they are and what God wants them to do is a concern over provision. This is important, I know, but it isn’t the main thing – doing the will of God is the main thing. When you do the will of God, the God of that will must provide for you or you can’t do it. God guides where He provides. Where it’s God’s will, it’s God’s bill.

What would you do today if it wasn’t for the money you needed to live? That is the very thing you were probably created to do, so how can you engage that thing in the shortest time possible? Today I do everything that I love and get paid to do it. You can do the same; perhaps not overnight, but it can happen with sustained, concentrated effort. Don’t let money be the main focus; let the will of God be the main focus.

6:26 – God takes care of the birds and the other creatures of nature. Why not you and me? When I take a safari to Africa, I am always struck by one obvious fact: abundance! There is plenty of food, water, and space for millions of animals. They seldom lack. If it’s true for the animal world, then it’s true for humans as well. When you think of life, do you think abundance or lack? How do you think will determine how you act and affect the decisions your make?

6:27 – Worry is a futile effort. Someone said it is negative faith – believing for bad things. You and I cannot affect the outcomes of much – so much is out of our control, that it makes more sense to get on with life and trust God for the outcome. That is what I am trying to do more effectively.

I would welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them and find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 7.doc

Matthew Study 6: 5:43-6:18

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time for another dose of God's word. When I call it a dose, that make it sound like the Word is some kind of medicine. In a manner of speaking, it is! It will cure what ails you and prevent many ailments from ever starting.

In this week's study, we continue to look at Jesus' remarks in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. This week we see that Jesus addressed the heart issues that should go with the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting and giving. Below are some of the remarks I made on the topic of prayer. I would love your feedback on what I wrote.

6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread.

v. 8 – I may get in trouble with some for writing this, but I think we must be careful not to get into a “works mentality” where prayer is concerned. I have heard some say, “Nothing happens until we pray.” I’m not sure that’s true. What do you think? Does God limit what He does to what His people pray? Then I’ve heard some others declare that the problems in the nation or world are there because the church isn’t praying like it should. Yet, in my opinion, there is more prayer being offered up now than at any time I can remember in my lifetime. Is it that we aren’t praying or is it that God isn’t doing what we ask, because God wants to do something else other than what we are trying to impose on Him?

I try to make my prayers simple and economical. God does indeed know my needs and heart and I don’t have to repeat my petitions over and over to get His attention. I also don’t need to mention His name every third word: “Lord, I thank You, Lord, and I come before You, Lord, and I ask You, Lord, to do great things, Lord, in Your power, Lord.” When I talk to anyone else, I don’t say his or her name over and over in the conversation. I don’t need to do that with God either.

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord (Psalm 139:1-4).

v. 9 – I’ll probably stir up controversy with this next statement as well, but I don’t think the Lord meant for us to memorize this prayer and recite it to Him verbatim on a regular basis. Jesus said we should pray like this, not pray this exactly. The Lord’s prayer, as we know it today, is a pattern, not a law. When I was young, I recited this prayer and it meant very little to me. I know people who pray this prayer no matter what they need from God. They don’t believe their own words will be good enough to touch or reach God, so they pray this prayer. I have heard of soldiers praying this prayer in battle. If I am in battle, I want to pray, “Lord, help me! Protect me!” Do you agree or disagree? What benefit is there in praying this prayer over and over again, word for word? Do you think that was what Jesus intended to happen?

v. 10 – I had better be careful in this discussion, for I don’t have particularly deep or relevant insight into prayer. When I was a pastor, I preached a series on prayer and the people were more confused when I was done than when I started! I had them thinking about something that should flow naturally. It was kind of like dissecting a frog in biology class. You can take and display all the frog parts but you can put them back together again. You no longer have a frog but only the parts that make up a frog. That was how it was with my teaching on prayer. People had all the parts, but they couldn’t put them back together to make a whole.

I would welcome your comments to this week's study. You can do this and find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 6.doc

Matthew Study 5: 5:13-42

Dear Student of the Word,

Time marches on, and so does our study of Matthew. This week we continue with a study of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus taught His disciples how to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and religious leaders. This teaching must have taken the breath away of the listener, for Jesus moved them from the matter of external sin to internal matters of the heart.

This week I wrote:

Matthew 5:38-42 -- What did Jesus intend to do when He issued these statements?

1. Christians are to be different. They are to have different standards of behavior, especially when their rights and property are concerned.
2. Christians are to put their ultimate trust in God to protect their rights and property.
3. Christians are not to exert undue effort in maintaining their rights.
4. Christians are not to take their standards for justice from their culture but from God’s word.
5. Jesus was establishing the groundwork for His disciples to understand how He was going to respond when the Jews and Romans wronged Him.
6. Jesus was not asking His followers to do anything that He was not willing to do and model.

Those last two points are important, for Jesus modeled what He wanted His disciples to be during His own life and death. Perhaps it is proper to ask, when confronted with a tough choice of how far to go to defend yourself, “What would Jesus do?” Where do you need to ask and answer that question in your life today?

Feel free to add your comments to this week's study. You can do this and find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 5.doc

Matthew Study 4: 4:12-5:12

Dear Student of the Word,

I gave you a week off last week and hope you used it to catch up on past studies that you haven't had a chance to read. I used it do some other writing. As January ends, isn't it interesting that by looking at four verses every day, we are already into Matthew chapter five. I have been doing four verses per day for more than six years and it has enabled me to write studies for 18 books of the New Testament. There is no substitute for sustained, concentrated effort in any area of life. Don't feel like you have to take big steps to be successful. You just have to take consistent steps in an area of interest and you will have a large impact.

This week I wrote:

5:1 – Jesus was a superb teacher. How did he ever communicate with the large crowds without an audio system? At times, He used the topography of the area to do so. There is a Catholic church on a hillside by the Sea of Galilee today and it has an amphitheater next to the lake. If you stand at the bottom of the hill, with your back to the lake, you can speak to the hillside and the slope of th hill carries your voice over a large area. There is a good chance that this is what Jesus did and where He did it.

Today, we have new ways to speak to the masses of people. If you have something to say, people will want to read or hear it. Today, you can have a website, start a blog, do podcasting, use YouTube or any number of other resources that involve technology. When you read this, there may be even newer and more efficient ways to communicate with mass markets.

Whatever the means, are you utilizing these means to communicate your message and fulfill your purpose? Or are you stubbornly resisting these media, as has often been the case with church and spiritual people? If you aren’t resisting, are you fully utilizing their capabilities and possibilities to touch as many people as possible?

Many of these media involve or require writing, and I encounter many people who feel a need or call to write. Yet many don’t write for a variety of reasons, fear usually being the main reason. Are you afraid to write? Are you afraid of your creative side—afraid that people will laugh or ignore, that it won’t be “very good,” that you won’t have the time to finish? Do you not write or produce creative things because you don’t know what you will do with them when you are finished? I doubt if Jesus had notes, but He certainly addressed the crowds with memorable messages. With His help, you can do the same with whatever medium you choose. I suggest you don’t put off creating any longer. The world needs to see and hear what you have inside of you.

Feel free to add your comments to this week's study. You can do this and find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 4.doc

Matthew Study 3: 3:1-4:11

Dear Student of the Word,

We began our study of Matthew a few weeks ago, and we are already in chapter four. I hope you have enjoyed the first few installments as much as I enjoyed preparing them. This week we look at John the Baptist's ministry. It is interesting that the Lord did not "set John up" in the Temple or near Jerusalem. Instead He assigned John a place in the Judean desert!

This week I wrote:

3:5 – I recently visited a site in Israel that could have been where John did some or most of his baptizing. It is a remote area today, so it must have been even more remote in John’s day. People had to make an effort to get to where John was; God did not make it easy on them to come and do what they needed to do. If they came in winter, it would have been cold. If they came in summer, it would have been hot, for the region is in the desert.

So let’s summarize: John was a bit eccentric with a strange diet and outlandish outfit and ministered in a remote, deserted region. Yet everyone came to see him! Why? It was because God stirred their hearts. It had been almost 400 years since the prophet Malachi had penned his book and the word of the Lord was scarce. Now, however, God was “moving” and everyone was moving with Him.

Remember the point I made that in the Christmas story: God set everyone in motion and often people were inconvenienced to be part of what God was doing. When John began his ministry, God put everyone in motion again. Are you in motion? Where are you going? Why are you going there? If you aren’t in motion doing what God wants, then what are you doing? Are you serving God at your convenience?

Feel free to add your comments to this week's study. You can do this and find the studies to Corinthians, First Timothy and Mark's gospel on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Download this week's study: Matthew Study 3.doc

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As we start a new year, I ask that you consider a contribution to my purpose work around the world. I offer these studies I write at no cost and will continue to do so. It would be most helpful if you would consider a gift if you have found benefit in my work as you walk out your own PurposeQuest. You can make a donation using a credit card by going to my website and using PayPal, or you can send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Thank you for helping me do the work that I was created to do.