☕️ Happy Wednesday morning!

To help you love like Jesus, here are 3 ideas from me, 2 quotations from others, and 1 question for you to live into.

3 Ideas From Me 🤓

1)

Jesus warns people to avoid paths where the prize that is offered is never worth the price of admission.

2)

Jesus' preoccupation with His Father in Matthew 6 reminds us that the Great Reward is the joy we experience now-and-forever with the One who delightedly created us in love.

3)

In churches that emphasize forensic justification and imputed righteousness, care must be given to not unintentionally wash away Jesus' insistence on a life of love and justice that is reflected in Jesus' use of "righteousness' in Matthew 5 and here in Matthew 6. Discipleship helps people do all that Jesus would do, if Jesus was living our story here and now.

​Source.

2 Quotations From Others 🤯

1)

Bible Project on why Jesus warns us about doing good in order to be seen:

Jesus understands the temptation we often feel to give generously for the purpose of honor and recognition. But he challenges this impulse by urging his followers to give out of love for one another. When love drives our generosity, we can experience the true reward of right relationship with God and our neighbor.

2)

Biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine on discipleship as learning-in-action:

The opening of Matthew 6 concerns how disciples are to practice their piety, and suddenly it occurs to us: the Beatitudes and the extensions (Matthew 5:21-47) are all about the practice of piety. To be a disciple means less about believing in a set of propositions and more about acting upon God’s Word as interpreted by Jesus. As we hear those echoes, we realize that the Sermon on the Mount is designed to encourage us to recognize the potential we have, as created in the image and likeness of God, to act as if divine will occurs on earth as it does in heaven.

1 Question For You 🤔

In Matthew 6:1, Jesus warns us to "be careful about your doing-what-is-right. Don't do it in front of people for the purpose of being seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in the skies." (Bible Project Version)

Think about this text and your everyday life in the world around you. Where have you recently wanted the approval of others for something you did on behalf of Jesus?

Take that memory and your feelings about it to Jesus. Ask him what he sees and feels about you and your desire.

As always, if I can help you do the next right thing, shoot me a text (706.424.1130) or an email (matt@transformdiscipleship.org).

This week, there are three ways that you can join us as we help each other become like Jesus:

• Listen to this week's Bible Project PODCAST and PLAYLIST​
• ​Read the Transformational Discipleship MEMO. It's a Tuesday email that goes deeper into themes we cover in this newsletter.
• ​Read Transformational Leadership. It's a Saturday email that helps church leaders turn obstacles into opportunities.

📬 Thanks for reading! Please invite your friends to join our journey.

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Until next week,

Matt Adair - Creator of Transformational Discipleship​

E - matt@transformdiscipleship.org

C - 706.424.1130