Tony Merida Quotes

Prayer is a very hard thing to do because it seems like we aren’t doing anything. But it’s also hard because it’s a humble act. We must humble ourselves before God’s mighty hand regularly and cast our cares on Him.

We must have God! Perhaps the greatest problem with the church today is the attempt to do the work of God apart from the presence and power of God. We can get so good at “doing church” that the ministry becomes mechanical and mundane. We must say, “Lord, we do not want to go another step without You!

We must kill this idea, “My home is my refuge.” I often hear people say that. It’s idolatry. Jesus is our refuge. We need to open our homes to people.

We need the Spirit’s help to grasp the greatness of God, the supremacy of Christ, and the rich benefits of the gospel.

The first step to becoming a student of the Bible is having a heart of humility—a heart that says, “Please, give me understanding.

Injustice exists because men either abuse the weak or fail to defend the weak

If you have experienced God’s sovereign grace, it should absolutely humble you and cause you to worship. When you display arrogance as a Christian, you have not worked God’s amazing grace down deep into your soul.

Who’s our audience? The nations. We have a global God. We have a global gospel. We have a global audience. What do people need to hear in New York? They need to hear the gospel of Christ. What do they need in China? The gospel of Christ.

Morality can keep my kids out of jail, but only Jesus can keep them out of hell.

Knowledge asks the question, “What is right?” Discernment asks the question, “What is best?

Perhaps you have heard the phrase in corporate worship, “The blood of Christ, shed for you.” What a powerful statement and reminder of the work of the Lord Jesus. Do you dwell on this truth? Do you cherish the fact that Christ poured out His blood for you? He ushered in a new covenant, sealed with His own blood. This gives us reason to celebrate with joy inexpressible, for our King has paid our ransom.

Spiritual maturity isn’t merely something you do with your mind. It’s not about the books you read. It’s not about the conferences you attend or speak at. It’s about the life you live. It’s possible to listen to ten podcasts weekly, and to sing with the hottest bands, and be in four Beth Moore Bible studies, but miss the call to care for the least of these—and all the while live in a deceived state of thinking you’re mature.

I love how Paul says to the Thessalonians, “We were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves.”135 For some, evangelism is gospel with no life—megaphone preaching, handing out tracts, or street evangelism. For others, evangelism is life with no gospel. They equate doing lunch with doing mission. But Paul gives us a nice pattern here: Live life among others, as we speak the gospel to them.

Augustine hung a sign on his dining room wall: “Whoever speaks evil of an absent man or woman is not welcome at this table

Remember: There’s an empty tomb in the Middle East, and an occupied throne in heaven. Remember,

When you replace stewardship for ownership you won’t practice hospitality.

If we really love people, we will tell them the gospel while we care for their physical needs.

Kings speaks to everyone, every church, and every nation that might be going through turmoil. In the midst of turmoil, chaos, and confusion Jesus said the people were “weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt 9:36). He came to save a rebellious people. And eventually the God over history will “bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph 1:10).

All who have repented of sin and placed faith in Christ for salvation now work from righteousness, not for righteousness.

When you have a headstrong agenda for some thing or cause, and if your desires are unmet, it can lead to conflict. So the battle is in the heart.

In short, troubled people trouble people. Their internal unrest comes out on others, and creates unrest in their relationships. In the end, your relationships are usually in turmoil because you are in turmoil.

Some get the wrong idea about election. It should not cast doubt on whether or not all are welcome to come to Jesus. All may come. That is the invitation. Russell Moore says, God is not some metaphysical airport security screener, waving through the secretly pre-approved and sending the rest into a holding tank for questioning. God is not treating us like puppets made of meat, forcing us along by his capricious whim. Instead the doctrine of election tells us that all of us who have come to know Christ are here on purpose. (Adopted for Life, 34)

It is not a mere intellectual appreciation of the love of Christ that Paul is after. Carson says, Paul is not asking that his readers might become more able to articulate the greatness of God’s love in Christ Jesus or to grasp with the intellect alone how significant God’s love is in the plan of redemption. He is asking God that they might have the power to grasp the dimensions of that love in their experience. (Spiritual Reformation, 191, emphasis added)

Let me point out two ditches to avoid regarding experience. First, watch out for experiential abuse. Some base too much on experience. They do not filter experience through God’s Word. This can lead to mysticism. This is dangerous, as it can lead to heresy and all kinds of problems. God’s revelation must be primary. We must understand our experience through the lens of Scripture, which alone is perfect.

heard of a little girl who was getting a swine flu shot, and the nurse asked, “Which arm do you want it in, Sweetie?” The little girl said, “In Momma’s arm.” Well, Momma cannot take your shot, and she cannot believe for you. Do you know Christ personally?

After saying that our works cannot save us, Paul notes the importance of works. He does not want us to think that works are unimportant. He states that works simply are not the root of our salvation. They are the fruit of salvation (cf. John 15:8; Titus 2:14). The Reformers used to say, “It is faith alone that justifies, but faith that justifies can never be alone.” We are not saved by faith plus works but by a faith that does work. We have a living faith, a functioning faith!

What is interesting about the church in Ephesus is that even though it had an amazing history, the final mention in Revelation 2:1-7 about this great church is that they “abandoned the love [they] had at first.” Think about it: Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, Paul, Timothy, and later John ministered to this church. What a heritage! Yet about 40 years after the first generation of believers, they had lost their love.

To talk about the skills of conflict resolution but not focus on the heart will ultimately be a disappointing endeavor—especially in the long

Ephesus was also home to the Roman emperor cult. The worship of the emperor was a prominent feature of life at all levels in Asia at this time. Caesar Augustus was spoken of as the “Savior.” His birth was hailed as “the beginning of good tidings to the world,” and the calendar was adjusted in light of his birth (Thielman, Ephesians, 21). So there was a “gospel conflict.” Coins, statues, temples, and other items proclaimed the gospel of Augustus, but the church was proclaiming the gospel of Jesus. Today you can see the statue of the Roman emperor Trajan among the ruins in Ephesus. He ruled after Paul’s lifetime, but you can catch the spirit of Roman rulers at his time. The statue shows Trajan’s foot on top of the world, giving the idea that he was a god. Now compare this picture with 1:21-22. Only One has all things under His feet: the Lord Jesus. When Christians said, “Jesus is Lord,” they were saying that Caesar is not.

While Paul often refers to “Jesus Christ” or “Christ Jesus” or “Lord Jesus” or “the Messiah, Jesus,” in 4:21 we find the only mention of just the name “Jesus” in Ephesians. It seems deliberate. Paul is talking about the historical person, Jesus. He lived, died, and rose from the dead in human history. Find Him and you find truth. Find Him and you find life.

The Christian life involves the constant encouragement of others. If your disposition is cynical and critical and there is no warmth and encouragement, you will not be a good leader—in your job, in your family, or in a church (small group or large). Sam Crabtree says, “We can sin in two ways: by idolatrous commendation (the praise of men), or by failing to commend the commendable.” He goes on to say, “Generally, it is easier to practice affirmation early in a relationship and it can get harder later” (Practicing Affirmation, 13). This is probably true in a marriage or in a church.

Some argue that election here is primarily corporate rather than individual. While I do want to emphasize the corporate purpose of our salvation, as Ephesians makes clear, I do not accept this argument. God did choose a corporate body, but that corporate body is comprised of individuals. In fact, the passage speaks about how individuals experience salvation. “Redemption,” “forgiveness,” “sealing,” and “belief” are all individual experiences, so it is not an “either/or” but a “both-and.” God chose a people for Himself, and that people is made up of believing, redeemed, forgiven members.

We aren’t what we ought to be or what we will be one day, but by God’s grace, we are not what we used to be! Let us now press on to obey “more and more” with great joy.

His [Paul] skin is chafed from being chained to a Roman guard, but his heart is filled with thanksgiving .

Know God, know people; love God, love people. Let’s stop and pray for these things: Father, please increase our love for one another. Help us to love one another based on our knowledge of Christ and His Word. Grant us discernment to know how best to express Christ-centered love to one another, as well as how to express love to the outside world. Fill our hearts with the love of Christ. May our love for Him, who took hold of us, cause us to love others more sacrificially and genuinely. Through Christ we pray. Amen.

Paul, in leading change in the Corinthian church, utilizes this very tactic. After careful teaching on the proper use (and laying down of) freedoms in Christ, Paul offers himself as the model: “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Our friend Tony Merida says it this way, “Let them see themselves in light of your struggle and show them the same grace that you have discovered. . . . You are not on display; the Living God is. And your goal is for others to love Him and be satisfied in Him.”10 The leader has more tools than just modeling to help solidify new cultural narratives. One of the most powerful tools for illustration is the use of heroes and villains. In the local church we do it through testimony and appreciation of faithful volunteers. We acknowledge when someone is embracing truth and obeying Christ, and we put them on display for others to imitate. There is a danger in any hero other than Jesus. We want to spend the sweeping majority of our time and energy making much of Jesus and pointing others to Him as the ultimate Hero for all righteous living. But a church can benefit from lesser heroes who show people what repentance looks like, how developing others can happen in the midst of a regular workweek, and how one can approach work with a holy sense of mission. If the local church is to become a force for developing new leaders, then our congregations will need to see the stories of these new leaders. If a church sees regular examples of people they know used by God as leaders, the Spirit will surely begin to stir many more to action. So many lies that lead to apathy can be struck down through the right use of story in the local church. God’s people are encouraged, strengthened, and stretched when the tide of God’s movement seems to be swelling around them. Far too many churches fail to tell the story of God’s great power, and in doing so, fail to use testimony for its intended purpose.

The Christ who sustains the cosmos is able to sustain you in your relational chaos. We don’t have a puny little Christ. No, our Christ is supreme and sufficient!

I’m grateful for the honesty of the Bible, as it tells me the real reason behind my misbehavior—my flesh. And this truth leads me to the Savior, and drives me to dependence upon the Spirit to be a faithful friend, husband, dad, pastor, and neighbor

What are your trials causing you to do: pray or pout? Praise or protest?

You will not pursue Christ-centered conflict resolution if your heart is not captivated by Christ. If Christ doesn’t reign supreme in your life, then your peacemaking efforts will fall short.

When you have a headstrong agenda for some thing or cause, and if your desires are unmet, it can lead to conflict. So the battle is in the heart. But we too often think our problems are caused by external factors. To be sure, a change in circumstances may definitely help with relational spats, but the primary problem, as mentioned previously, is that our passions are at war within us.

Christian maturity isn’t merely about knowing Christian doctrine or being up on the latest movement in the Christian subculture. Maturity is about how we live; it’s about how we love; it’s about how we treat people—including the people that we may be at odds with.

Some think the cross is overemphasized. They think evangelicals are too “atonement centered.” Stephen Finlan says, “It is a mistake to identify the atonement as the Central doctrine, although it is central in Pauline tradition, to First Peter, Hebrews, First John, and Revelation. But these books in their entirety compose only 39 percent of the NT” (Problems, 120). I do not agree with his assessment, but even so, if it is central in 39 percent of the New Testament, then you cannot pretend it is not important!

While Paul was writing this letter, there was a literal wall standing in the temple that excluded the Gentiles. Josephus tells us that attached to this barrier at intervals were messages in Greek and Latin, warning that the Gentiles must not proceed further lest they die. The temple was destroyed physically in AD 70, but it was destroyed spiritually around AD 33 or so, when Jesus Christ died on the cross for sinners. “In His flesh” Jesus tore down the wall that separated these groups.

The deepest and strongest foundation for adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. And this act is not part of his ordinary providence in the world; it is at the heart of the Gospel. John Piper, “Adoption: The Heart of the Gospel

When you replace stewardship for ownership, you won't practice hospitality.

We must kill pride and replace it with a heart of humility. We do this by working the gospel deeply into our hearts. When you realize that you were the poor, bringing nothing to the table when Jesus invited you, then it changes your view of the poor. When you were crippled, unable to come to God when He brought you in, then it changes your view of the weak. Pharisees don't understand grace

Jesus is not teaching "salvation by roadside assistance." He wants to crush this man's self-righteousness, to expose him of his need for a Savior

Entertaining is often impressive g others, hospitality is about serving others. Entertaining is often about the host, hospitality is about the guest. Entertaining is often shallow and superficial, hospitality is about depth and authenticity

Hospitality doesn’t mean entertaining people. “Entertaining” is often about impressing others; hospitality is about serving others. Entertaining is often about the host; hospitality is about the guests. Entertaining is often shallow and superficial; hospitality is about depth and authenticity.

Obedience without incentive is likely genuine.

You must keep a sober assessment of yourself

Maturity is about how you live your life.

You are only young once, but immaturity can last a lifetime

We live out of the overflow of the heart.