BE Excellent in Faith - Jesus' Kingdom is Not of This World

John writes,
"Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked,
"or did others talk to you about me?"
"Am I a Jew?"  Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me.  What is it you have done?"
Jesus said, 
"My kingdom is not of this world.  If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.  
But now my kingdom is from another place."
"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered,
"You are right in saying I am a king.  In fact,
for this reason I was born,
and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.  
Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

[ John 18:33-37 ]

Notes John 18:34
"If Pilate was asking this question in his role as the Roman governor, he would have been inquiring whether Jesus was setting up a rebel govermnment.  But the Jews were using the word king to mean their religious ruler, the Messiah.  Israel was a captive nation, under the authority of the Roman empire.  A rival king might have threatened Rome; a Messiah could have been a purely religious leader."

Notes John 18:36,37
"Pilate asked Jesus a straighforward question, and Jesus answered clearly.  Jesus is a king, but one whose kingdom is not of this world.  There seems to have been no question in Pilate's mind that Jesus spoke the truth and was innocent of any crime.  It also seems apparent that while recognizing the truth, Pilate chose to reject it.  It is a tragedy when we fail to recognize the truth.  It is a greater tragedy when we recognize the truth but fail to heed it."

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"Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.  The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head.  They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying
"Hail, king of the Jews!"  
And they struck him in the face."
[ John 19:1-3 ]

The rest of Chapter 19 is brutal but true.  I recommend you read it.

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Q:  Up to this point in your walk with Jesus over the past weeks, are you convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, the king of kings?
Q: Do you find it hard to stand up for Jesus even today?
Q:  What do you think it was like for Pilate the Roman governor, who was faced with this predicament and decision?
Q:  As a leader of your household, or at work, or at school, are you faced with difficult decisions that involve truth over tradition, or a popular way of group thinking?

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"40-Days of Excellence" Journal
CHALLENGE
We invite you on a quest to dig deeper and learn about the meaning of the death and resurrection of Friend Jesus.  Over the next 40 days (of this Lenten season), join us in this Journal Challenge.  You may want to "give something up" (we recommend noise in your life:  social media, limited news time, etc.).  Instead of focusing on what you can't have, let's focus on what we CAN HAVE walking with Jesus through the prophets and disciples through the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Here is What To Do
1) Start by scheduling quiet time into your schedule every day for 40 days.
2)  Get a Journal and entitle it:  "40 Days of Excellence"
3) Get your Bible out (or use the YouVersion Bible app) and write out the questions and scripture mentioned in the our blogs, (you can go back and review the blog posts)
4)  Around Day 30, journal what the characteristics of BEcoming an EXCELLENT Christian can look like in your life.

We promise you, this will be one of the most enriching studies you can do.
BE dedicated, set boundaries, and you will discover
EXCELLENCE in ​Jesus, Others and Yourself. = JOY!!

Please Note:  If you are joining us well into the 40 Day Challenge, like God, we will meet you where you are at!  
​No stress.  No worries.  We're just happy you are coming along for the journey. 
xo Christie and Sandi
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References
1) Life Applications Study Bible - page 2276
2)  Assembled by Christie Lynch