InSight Ministries

—Five Minute Focus—

AT HIS FEET

The redemptive story of Ruth is by far one of my favorites in scripture, because it reveals to us a different aspect of our Savior. The Kinsmen Redeemer is a unique aspect of Christ. He came to not only redeem us but also to redeem the lineage of Adam.

In the story, Boaz is picture of Jesus. He is wealthy, yet caring, and positioned to redeem not just Ruth but Naomi and her deceased husband as well. What is more, Boaz went out of his way to provide for Ruth even though he was not obligated to do so because of the fact that she was a foreigner in Israel.

But as I was recently studying this story again something new stood out to me. Ruth had to position herself at the feet of Boaz. That was a key part of the custom. By placing herself at his feet, Ruth invited Boaz to redeem her. When, through that redemption, she became his wife and part of that lineage, she gained access to everything that was his.

Is this not also true with Jesus? He has paid the price already for our redemption. He is in position for eternity to redeem the family of Adam that fell into sin. All that we must do is accept what He has already provided by positioning ourselves at His feet.

Mary of Bethany had a similar revelation when she anointed Jesus’ feet in John 12. This was an act of worship by Mary. She knew who Jesus was. As she was postured at His feet, she acknowledged in sacrificial worship that she needed a Redeemer and she gained access to the hem of His garment.

Jesus went to the Cross for our sins. When we accept Him as Lord and Savior, we position ourselves at His feet, and invite Him to redeem all that we are not with all that He is. In that moment of surrender, we gain access to all of Him as we become part of the family of God. It is through our worship and humility, that we find ourselves continuously at His feet.

“It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you.” -Timothy Keller

Episode 18 - Favor feat. Brandon available now!

InSight Ministries | Ep. 18 - Favor feat. Brandon Join Jon and guest, Brandon Thomas, as they discuss the difference between favor with God and favor with man. We pray it blesses you!Sermon "Lord, Please Sta...

Reminder: New Podcast Episode today at 5pm!

Brandon and Jon discuss the difference between favor with man and favor with the Lord. You don't want to miss it!

Video will be on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/

—Five Minute Focus—

BURNING BUSH

“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’” (Exodus 3:1-3 ESV)

Here we have the familiar story of Moses and his encounter with the burning bush. We imagine in our mind’s eye what it must have been like to be walking in the desert and then suddenly see a bush full of flames with smoke billowing skyward. This however might not have been all that rare of an occurrence.

Many historians and commentators suggest that bushes bursting into flames due to the scorching, dry heat would have been common place in the land where Moses was shepherding. Notice that when Moses observes the bush is not being consumed, it is only then that he says, “I will turn aside, and see why the bush is not burned.” The difference between this fire, which was from the Lord, and the typical desert fire was that rather than being reduced to ash, the bush persisted and only after Moses gives it his attention does he hear the voice of the Lord calling to him.

To me, this parallels an issue in our Christian lives. Sometimes our attention drifts to bushes that are burning, yet the Lord is not in them. We often get drawn to places, people, or even ministries that appear to be on fire, in a good way. And though we can experience the Lord through them, they are no substitute for hearing and encountering the Lord for yourself. Sadly, should the flame that was once burning hot go out upon the bush we were giving our attention to, it often leaves us distraught, confused, and even lost.

Let us be cautious of the appearance of burning bushes in our lives and give attention to the authentic presence of the Lord, so that we may hear His voice. It is only then that we will truly be moved by a fire that is inextinguishable.

“God comes down to us by His Spirit, and we go up to Him by prayer.” -Thomas Watson

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

—Five Minute Focus—

THE LAMB

“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent so He opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:6-7 NKJV)

We know from scripture that the redemptive plan of God, formed from the foundation of the world, included the crucifixion of Jesus. While Jesus is called the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, over and over He is known as the Lamb.

I find it interesting that in Isaiah 53, as the prophet is laying out the Messianic prophecies, He describes Jesus as a lamb led to the slaughter. On the opposite end of the Bible in the book of Revelation Jesus is seen as the Lamb that has been slain for all eternity.

“And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6a NKJV).

Out of all of the names and descriptions of the Messiah, Jesus has chosen to be identified as the Lamb. Why is that? Philippians 2 tells us that it was the humility of Jesus that allowed Him to be obedient to the death of the Cross; the humility of the Lamb.

“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:8-11 NKJV)

“You need not cry very loud: He is nearer to us than we think.” -Brother Lawrence

“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

—Five Minute Focus—

AT HIS FEET

All throughout Scripture we see different people who are postured at the feet of Jesus. From the unnamed, sinful woman in Luke chapter 7 to Mary of Bethany using her oil in worship to anoint the Lord for burial. It is when we are at His feet that we are both showing our humility and His exaltation.

Eric Gilmour once said, “The woman at Jesus’ feet announces that His feet are higher than any Pharisees’ head in the room.” Worshippers at His feet show us the ultimate position of surrender. Once in prayer, I envisioned the Luke 7 account with the young woman washing the Messiah’s feet with her tears. In the vision I noticed that hanging down in front of her were the tassels of His outer cloak, also known as the “hem of His garment.” And then this thought echoed in my spirit, “What one woman had to fight a crowd for, another had full access to because of her posture of worship at His feet.”

This extravagant worship isn’t just present before the Cross, but after it as well. Matthew 28 tells us of the women who visited the tomb, “So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him” (Matthew 28:8-9 ESV). What excitement must have filled their hearts, yet their reaction was not one of leaping, but of bowing.

What is our response toward a risen Savior? To run to His feet, take hold of Him, and worship; to enthrone Him in the proper place so that the love we have can be lavished upon Him. If we have adoration for our King then, like the women at the tomb, the appropriate reaction for us is to bow as well. Let us be known as a people who go low so that the cares of this life go right over us and our attention can be on pouring our oil upon the only One who is worthy!

“If you knew how quickly people would forget you after you died, you wouldn’t try to please anyone but God.” -St. John Chrysostom

Check out our books on Amazon!

Reclaimed: https://a.co/d/8FjQQ54
The God Of RE: https://a.co/d/6JRkUWe

“The Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him;”

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭9‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

—Five Minute Focus—

IMAGE BEARERS

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

God created Mankind (male and female) in His image. Therefore, we have the capability to carry some of the same characteristics as God. For example, God has three parts: Father, Son, Holy Spirit - and we also have three parts: body, soul, and spirit. God is a Creator, and He made us with the ability to create as well. God creates stars, planets, people, etc. We create art, music, things, and yes, people. From the beginning, it was God’s plan for Man to be like Him and be in relationship with Him.

However, when man fell to sin, even though the plan did not change, the relationship was severed, and man had to deal with the consequences of his sin. All of this was remedied when Jesus came to the earth and died on the cross for our sin. Now through faith in Christ we can have relationship with the Father, and we can allow God to deal with the parts of our lives that come from our fallen world.

“As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” (1 Corinthians 15:48-49)

Brothers and Sisters, let’s not limit ourselves based on the attributes of our flesh. Your fear, anxiety, anger, timidity – these things were not given to you by God. They are not part of His image, and they do not need to be a part of yours. Let us instead only accept what was given to us by our heavenly Father on the day we were created.

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)

“To trust God in the light is nothing, but trust Him in the dark - that is faith.” -Charles Spurgeon

New Episode Available Now!

InSight Ministries | Ep. 17 - Ephesians 1:13-14 Join Meagan and Jon for a discussion about Ephesians 1:13-14 and the parallels with a certain Jewish engagement custom.

“God is never responsible for an inconsistent experience of Him.”

-Eric Gilmour

—Five Minute Focus—

FORGIVENESS

“Then Peter came up and said to Him, ‘Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I still forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.’” (Matthew 18:21-22 NASB)

We find in Matthew chapter 18 Peter, a disciple of Christ, asking how many times he should forgive a brother who wrongs him. He names what sounds like a lot, seven, only to be met with an extraordinary amount in response, seventy-seven or as some translations say seventy times seven. To further illustrate His point, Jesus did what He often was heard doing, He used a parable.

Jesus proceeds to tell the story of a wealthy king who decided to settle the debts owed to him by his servants. He found that one servant in particular owed him ten thousand talents, but upon begging for mercy, the king forgives his debt entirely. However, later the same servant found a fellow servant who only owed him 100 denarii and he did not give the same mercy that he received, but rather threw him into prison. At the end of the story, the king finds out and enacts judgment on the unforgiving servant.

What is not as obvious in the text is the amounts owed. The NASB footnotes state that the first amount owed was estimated to be about 60 million days of wages, whereas the second amount was only 100 days of wages. This stark contrast is there to parallel that we have been forgiven of such an insurmountable debt that could have never been paid back. If we have benefited from such amazing mercy, who are we to hold small offenses from our fellow Christians against them?

What is also implied in the story is that the king would have risked financial ruin to forgive the larger amount. His compassion would have led to the bankrupting of his estate in order to enact such forgiveness. And yet we see that God did that for us in that He sent His son Jesus to die in our place and forgive us of a debt we could never repay, so therefore let our response be to walk in forgiveness toward one another.

“Let gratitude for the past inspire us with trust for the future.” -Fenelon

Fundraiser this Saturday!!

Great raffle prizes like Cincinnati Reds Baseball Tickets, Cincinnati Zoo Tickets, and various gift baskets

Also, Food, Games, Music, and more.

All the money raised goes towards expanding the school in Liberia, Africa to add two new classrooms and provide free education for over 200 children for the first time in over a decade!

Saturday, July 20th @ 5-7pm
812 E Loudon Ave.
Lexington, KY

If you cannot make it to the event, there is also a GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/9d893e3b

—Five Minute Focus—

ONLY ONE

“Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22 NKJV)

Throughout history, many cultures around the world have worshipped their gods. Even in the Bible there are examples of worshipping false gods such as Baal, Artemis, etc. I have seen with my own eyes those who worship rocks and trees and rivers. I have also seen those who exalt idols because they believe that their gods will hear and answer, yet they remain silent. And then there are those who turn to the darkness to try to receive the answers they need.

The Psalms tell us, “Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them” (Psalm 115:4-8 NKJV).

We create our own gods from the works of our hands and expect them to come alive and answer. We worship creation over the Creator and are shocked when there is no response. In more modern terms, we devote our time, energy, and attention to the things we value wishing for validation from our stuff instead of our Heavenly Father. When in truth God is the only one who can pronounce identity and purpose over our lives.

There is only one God who hears, sees, and speaks. He is the Creator, and the Bible tells us He is known as Yahweh. He is the only God who is capable of acting on behalf of those who believe on Him. And we know from the whole of scripture that Yahweh sent His Son, Jesus to pay the price for our sins, to reconcile us to the Father in relationship. In the Old Testament, there was temporary atonement by the blood of bulls and sheep, but now by the Blood of Christ, we are redeemed from our sin forever.

Now God indwells His people by His Spirit. He is still the only true God who sees, hears, answers, and infills those who believe in Him!

We had such a wonderful time ministering at Family Worship Center in Lawrenceburg, KY yesterday. Thank you to Bishop Tony and Sister Carla for inviting us and for the love and fellowship you and your congregation showed us!

The Lord’s presence was so near and He brought healing, freedom, and His identity to the hearts of so many. We are truly grateful for the Lord’s faithfulness!

This Sunday!!

10:30am
Family Worship Center
Lawrenceburg, KY

—Five Minute Focus—

AT HIS WORD

We see a story in Matthew chapter 8 where a Roman centurion approaches Jesus with a need. His servant is very ill, even paralyzed, and this Gentile doesn’t know where else to turn, so he goes to the Healer. Upon his request we see Jesus’ response and then a demonstration of great faith. “And [Jesus] said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:7-8 ESV). Jesus marveled at this man’s faith and his confidence to take Him at His word. We see the end result in verse 13, “And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment” (Mathew 8:13 ESV).

This provokes a question, do we take Jesus at His word like the centurion, or are we waiting around for more seemingly convincing proof? We know that the book of Numbers tells us that God is not a man that He should lie (see Numbers 23:19), yet our confidence often remains tested. As a friend of mine recently pointed out, sometimes we are praying, even begging for something when we already have a Word from the Lord. Instead of questioning or worse yet, worrying about a situation, we need to remind ourselves, “What did the Lord already say?” That’s not to say that we cease to pray about a situation, but sometimes our prayer needs to be reminding ourselves of what the Lord already spoke.

I am sure that the whole way home the centurion had to battle back unbelief, but his faith in Jesus’ words surely carried him all the way to seeing the miracle. If you are facing a need today that requires the Lord’s touch, hand Him your unbelief and doubt and take Him at His Word. Search the scriptures and see what He’s already said and then stand in faith that you can trust He will bring it to pass!

“Come touch My hands.
Come touch My side.
I’ll show you where they laid Me, you’ll see the grave is empty” 🎶

“That one of the greatest privileges and advancements of believers, both in this world and unto eternity, consists in their beholding the glory of Christ.” -John Owen

Will you partner with us?

You might remember that we helped launch a brand new school in Liberia, Africa last year. The school has been so successful that we are already in need of expansion.

We have a fund raising event in Lexington, KY on Saturday, July 20th at 5pm. There will be food, music, and some amazing raffle prizes! Please join us if you can to support this great cause.

If you can’t make it to the event, but would like to partner with us in sowing into these children’s lives, we have set up a GoFundMe, linked below. 100% of the money goes directly toward the school expansion.

Please help us in impacting future generations.

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/9d893e3b