Jedi 4 Christ

Every Jedi, and every disciple of Christ, is tested. Another word for that is tempted. James 1:3 says that the testing of your faith produces perseverance, or endurance. We must prove ourselves worthy of the honor and responsibility given to us. Our Master, Jesus, did not avoid the test just because He is God. He was tested, and He was tempted. Before beginning His ministry Jesus was baptised by John to fulfill prophecy. Then He went out into the wilderness as the Holy Spirit led him. He fasted 40 days (a very good way to discipline the flesh). Then the devil came and tempted Him. He used Scripture and appealed to Jesus in ways that would tempt Him. Picture from www.denofgeek.com Each time Jesus answered back with Scripture and stood His ground against the temptation. He proved to be faithful against some very tempting offers. (Who wouldn't rather take the glory, rule the world and AVOID the pain of the cross--that's what the devil offered Jesus, and he could've ...

Jesus, Example in Temptation Matthew 4 recounts the temptation of Jesus. Of course, He certainly faced others, including the temptation to avoid the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane, but Matt. 4 is a very specific retelling of the devil attacking Jesus in order to tempt him to sin. Jesus shows us by His actions how to handle temptation and be strong to resist it.  To start with, Jesus fasted. He was already practicing a discipline of self-sacrifice. He weakened the flesh to strengthen the spirit. Jesus resisted the temptations of the devil with Scripture. Note that the devil also used Scripture in the temptation. This is common. Our soul's enemy will try to confuse us with truth, facts and even Scripture used in a slightly wrong way. It may be difficult to discern the error in reasoning he uses, especially when our desire is often tied up in the misunderstanding. . . Thus the temptation. The devil has been studying human behavior since there were humans. He's well aw...

Jesus, Example to Sinners In learning from Jesus, the “Jedi” Master, I am challenged to deeply ponder the things He said, the things He did, and the things He prayed. So, as I read through the gospels again, these are the things I want to keep in mind. In Matthew 3:13-17, We know, as did John, that Jesus had no sin. But He came to John to be baptized. John started to protest but Jesus told him to allow it in order “to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus was willing to look like a sinner in order to be the example for sinners to follow. So John baptized Jesus. When Jesus came out of the water the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove and a voice came from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God gave a miraculous testimony about Jesus to those who were there. (And to us as it was recorded for all time). Baptism is an important part of following Jesus. He told his followers to repent and be baptized. They go together....

Jesus, our Master There are two meanings for the word master : One who has authority over others, especially servants or slaves. These carry out the work of the master in things over which the master has authority. A skilled practitioner of a particular art or activity. An expert. Both definitions apply to Jesus. Jesus is our master, or so we say as Christians. Thus He is the expert we learn from, our teacher, our rabi, our mentor, our example. Unlike Star Wars, Jesus is also the Owner and Creator of everything, and the One from whom the Force, The Holy Spirit, flows. In Eastern practices, as it was in the days of Jesus, the apprentices or disciples spend a lot of time with their master. They watch him, eat with him, follow him. One day, they begin to do things he does, the way he does them. They ask questions. They try. They fail and try again. Over time they begin to see their master’s motives behind what he says and does. As they understand their master...

Jedi Christian The word “christian” has been diluted over the years since Jesus ascended and His first followers lived out their faith. Jesus called them disciples, which means they had certain disciplines they kept. It was a way of life they learned as they followed Jesus around and He did His thing. Another way of putting it was that they were His apprentices. It was not easy. They lived in tumultuous times. Often their lives were on the line, but they kept doing what they’d seen Jesus do, what He had taught them to do. In fact, they acted so much like Jesus that, in one region, the people called them little Jesuses as a term of slander. The word they used was, “Christian.” Instead of being offended by the name, the disciples readily received the term, and referred to themselves as Christians. The name stuck. Now “Christian” can mean so many different things to different people. But what we lose most often, well at least in the West where we still have it pretty easy, ...