The Way Matt Sees It

Most of us have heard about the magi, right?  The “ wise-men ” who came from miles away to see the newborn King Jesus.  A few things to cover right off the bat here: “We three kings of orient are…” couldn’t be farther from the truth.  The magi were not kings, although they were definitely distinguished men.  They came from “the east,” not “from orient.”  East could mean Babylonia, Persia, Mesopotamia, etc.; lands that were east of Israel.  There were probably much more than three of them, possibly even up to 100!  We often think of three because of the three gifts they gave (gold, frankincense and myrrh). Now this trip could have taken them up to a year!  Jesus was a Child by the time they arrived.  Imagine a caravan of up to 100 people traveling up to a year across the desert in Ancient Near Eastern times! Now the word used for “magi” can mean a few different things.  These guys were astrologers, meaning they studied the stars and planets and believed what ha

To my Christian friends: I would urge you to vote in this election.  While neither candidate really reflects what I want in a president, one of them will come out on top.  People have fought and died for us to have this right as Americans to vote; not voting simply because you don't like your options is ignorant and irresponsible.  Know that you still have the choice not to vote, but I will not take you seriously when you complain about who wins the presidency. Most importantly, remember to pray for whoever does win this election, regardless of how you feel and who you voted for.  If you don't like that advice, check out 1 Timothy 2:2 and 1 Peter 2:17.  All of this in love!!

This is just a thought I had recently.  In Colossians (currently my favorite book of the Bible, tied with Hebrews), Paul writes: “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments,” (Colossians 2:2-4). This passage is LOADED with information, but I just had a simple thought to myself.  Paul states that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ .  He says this so that the Colossians won’t be deceived by “fine-sounding” or “persuasive” arguments. There is a simple truth Paul is getting at:  Knowing CHRIST is the answer to persuasive arguments. I am a huge proponent of knowing what you believe, and I think a large part of that has to do with knowing

So I gotta say, God’s been doing a number on me.  Since starting my internship at Searchlight Church, He’s been growing me in so many ways!  It’s been great , it’s been challenging , and it’s been hard . The great part : I’ve been getting to know God so much more.  I’ve been sensing His presence more in my life, and I’ve been coming to a place where I trust Him so much more.  I’ve always heard this and known it, to trust in God.  But lately, God has really been building that trust in me. My internship at Searchlight has been bringing me to me knees and asking God to move through me and in Searchlight.  It’s seriously been incredible.  I don’t really know how else to describe it.  God has been making it clearer and clearer that He is moving at Searchlight, and His heart is for the youth of Long Branch, NJ.  I’m so stoked just to be a part of it! The challenging part : I’ve been fasting a ton lately.  In my last blog post, I stated that I’ve “unofficially” wanted to

I’m not really a New Year’s Resolution person. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them, but that’s not really me. But since this New Year, I’ve gotta say, God has been doing quite a lot in such a short time. I’ve kind of made an unofficial goal for myself through it. At the start of every year, my church has a corporate fast for a few days. This year it was Sunday through Wednesday; it can be anything you want, for however long you want. But as a church, we seek God and ask Him for direction. To make a long story short, God has really been coming through since I started fasting this year. That same week I got a phone call about starting an internship at a church, and it is an amazing opportunity (more than your average internship). I fasted the next week about it and asked God to make it clear for me; and He did! Through the people I met, conversations we had, and events that took place, God made it clear that this was something that He wanted. I fasted the next we