Judge Not

In Matthew 7:1, Jesus says, "Do not judge or you too will be judged." It's a simple request that He makes of us Christians. Don't judge. Well, that’s easier said than done. It's kind of normal to judge what others are up to, how they act and what they say. It's normal in the media and in the world; it's even pretty normal to find it in the church. But Jesus said not to do it. Judging someone is to not accept them, based on what they've done or said or look like. So what's the opposite of judging? Well, it would mean accepting people, no matter what they've done, said or look like. Jesus doesn't want us to reject others, to talk bad about them or to look down on them. So then, the opposite is to have grace for others. God has given us grace. I mean, He accepts us no matter what we've done. Jesus died for us, while we were still sinners. And we certainly aren't perfect yet, but He still accepts us. So this is our model. Now, accepting someone doesn't mean you have to let them live in your house; it just means you aren't thinking and speaking badly of them. Whether it's your friend, relative, neighbor, church leader or politician, encourage one another, and speak positive about others.

Pastor Jason Anderson
Living Word Bible Church
Scottsdale | Mesa | Ahwatukee

Life to the Dead

About 850 years BC, the Israelites were burying a dead guy, when suddenly they were attacked by some raiders. Well, they needed to free up their hands to fight, so they quickly chucked this man’s dead body into Elisha's tomb. Now, Elisha was a great prophet of God, back in the day. The Bible says, in 2 Kings 13:21, "When the body touched Elisha's bones the man came to life and stood up on his feet." Score! Elisha was dead, and they were just his dead bones, but God still used dead bones to bring life to someone else. You see, God works through people like you and me. Sometimes we think, “Oh, well who am I to bring life to someone else?” But even the dead bones in our lives, the areas in our lives that aren't perfect, God can still move through. God was showing us that He just needs a willing vessel. You see, when you received Christ, you received life, and now you are fully qualified to serve God and to lead others to the Lord. The enemy wants you to believe that you aren’t good enough to serve God, but you are. If you are waiting until you are perfect, well, that might happen, but remember this… you are ready, because Christ has made you holy.

Pastor Jason Anderson
Living Word Bible Church
Scottsdale | Mesa | Ahwatukee

Don't Stop Believing

In Luke 9:41, Jesus says to the people, "Oh unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you and put up with you?" The awesome part is that Jesus stays with us forever when we receive Him. But whenever the people around him got stuck, He would say, "Oh you of little faith," or "Oh unbelieving people." Now, when the coach of a team sees a weakness in the team that is causing them to not win, the coach will address it over and over again. So here is our coach, who wants us to win, and He's harping on the same key that we need, over and over. The key is [drumroll, please] our faith and our believing. Do we believe? Believing was necessary to stop the winds and the waves, move the mountains, give sight to the blind and raise the dead. Faith equals believing. So, if I'm on the team, and I want to do better, one thing I need to be actively training is my faith. And I don't even need a lot of faith to win. Jesus tells us that if we have just a little faith and do not doubt, we will see a big win. Have faith in God. Don't walk by sight; walk by faith.

Pastor Jason Anderson
Living Word Bible Church
Scottsdale | Mesa | Ahwatukee

A Place for Everyone

Let’s be honest. The world and Satan both want, and work very hard, to keep people out of church. Jesus assigned the disciples to build the church, which means it was important to Christ to set up the church. So, the world will try to convince you of a lot of lies about church. One lie is that the church is going to reject you. Jesus' entire message was for anyone who would believe. When you walk into church, lightning will not strike and the roof will not collapse; a more likely scenario is that someone will shake your hand—someone who is, or has been, in your shoes. Church is full of real people. You see, Jesus came for us, ALL of us. He came for the weak, the brokenhearted, the abandoned, the sinner, the addict, the greedy, the drunkard, the immoral, the perverse... He came for everyone. He didn't come to hang out with perfect people, because there is no such thing. He came for us; He took our pain and weakness to the cross so that, by believing in Him, we could have life. Then, He sent the Holy Spirit to lead us and give us strength to overcome our weaknesses. And we become the people at church who welcome, with open arms, everyone and anyone.

Pastor Jason Anderson
Living Word Bible Church
Scottsdale | Mesa | Ahwatukee