buildingbodies4christ

building on the foundation of Jesus Christ

01 Jan 2025

A Story to Tell

Happy New Year! New year, new challenges, new mercies. I don’t know what this year will bring. My prayer is Jesus will be made known throughout my community, my state, the nation and the world. A big prayer ask, but one God can fulfill in His time and in His way. He’s proved it over and over that He can do the impossible.

Recently, I was reminded of the importance of handing down the story to the next generation. God promised Abraham his offspring would one day own the land in which he had walked (Genesis 12:7). At that time, Abraham had no children and the prospects of a child were fading. But Abraham was told he would have children as numerous as the grains of sand or the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5; 22:17).

Children were born to Abraham as was promised. The promised child, Isaac, came by a supernatural gift as both Abraham and Sarah were old. At just the right time, Isaac was born and the promise was handed down to him.

The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abrahm. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 26:2-4)

Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Jacob was the one chosen to continue the line of the promise.

There above it stood the LORD and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:13-15

There is so much that happens to Jacob, but the promise remains. Eventually, Jacob has to go to Egypt because of a famine. But God prepared a place for Jacob and the family through his son Joseph.

“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”  Genesis 46:3-4

Jacob died in Egypt and his sons buried him in the land in which one day his offspring would inherit. However, the family stayed in Egypt and multiplied according to God’s word to them. Jacob went down to Egypt with a family of seventy in all. When Jacob’s son Joseph died, he remembered the promise and gave the instructions to his family about the promise.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And Joseph made the sons of Israel (Jacob) swear on oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” Genesis 50:24-25

Jacob’s family stayed in the land for 430 years. They multiplied and became a threat to the Egyptians who eventually enslaved them. When the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob finally had enough, they cried out to the Lord for deliverance. And God heard their cry and sent Moses to the rescue.

Through miraculous signs and wonders, God delivered them.

Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lords’ divisions left Egypt. Exodus 12:40-41

And Moses remembered the oath to Joseph.

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. Exodus 13:19

The story was passed down for 430 years. Someone was faithful to tell it to each generation. I was reminded again; if not for the Bible, would we know the story too? Or would we even know this Jesus who was ultimately the Promised One through Abraham’s descendants that would eventually come to be our deliverer? What a story! But would those who came before us have been as faithful to tell it?

For 2000 years, we have waited for another promise to come to fulfillment. Scripture tells us many times Jesus will one day return. Are we faithfully telling the story to the next generation?

I look at our society in this time and see a generation who is lost and searching for something to believe in. They are looking for hope. They are searching for truth. And we have this story that changes lives and gives hope, peace, joy and love. There is nothing like it. God is faithful to His promises. He is trustworthy and true.

My prayer for this year, is a pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon this generation to know Jesus and to give them the same hope of a coming Jesus who will give us this gift of salvation and deliverance once and for all. Let’s be faithful to tell the old, old story. May God bless us and have His face shine upon us and to the generations to come as we wait on His second coming.

Posted in Faith and tagged , , , , , , , ,
29 Mar 2024

What’s So Good About It?

Last year, one of my colleagues asked me why this holiday is called “Good Friday?” It does seem to be called by the wrong name. What is so good about it? After all, the One who was thought to be the Messiah – the Anointed One of the Lord – the Savior, was killed on that day. So why is it good that He died?

In those days, Israel was the subject of the Roman empire. They no longer were a free nation and were waiting for the One who would deliver them from their oppression. The One who would come from the line of King David. There were many prophecies pertaining to this One who would come. Many knew the Scriptures foretelling of this One – their Messiah, but few would believe it when it came true.

The story begins in Egypt with the oppression of the Israelites. Moses was chosen to lead the people out of Egypt.  Pharoah was determined to keep the people in Egypt. But God kept saying to Pharoah through Moses “Let my people go.” It took the tenth plague to finally let the people go. It was this tenth plague, the Passover, that actually reveals the nature of the God’s Son coming to earth to become the Passover Lamb for all the world.

In Exodus 12:11 begins the narrative of the Passover. The Israelites were to take an unblemished lamb on the fourteenth day of their first month of the year. That night, they were to kill the lamb and place the blood of the lamb on the top and sides of the doorframes of the house. They were to eat the lamb that night, leaving nothing for the morning.

This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.

“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.  The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.

This Passover festival was to be celebrated from that point on. It was a reminder of what the Lord did for Israel, but it was also a picture of the Messiah to come. He would become the Passover Lamb – the perfect – unblemished, sinless One who would die for the sins of the world.

John 3:16-17 states:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, John the Baptist pointed to Him as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) John the Baptist the one who would identify the Messiah stated: I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God (John 1:34).

For three years, Jesus taught the people and His disciples about the Kingdom of God. He did many miracles and signs to point to His authority from God the Father. After a time, the teaching was too hard for many and they soon departed from Him. Jesus asked His disciples if they were ready to leave as well.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)

In the final week of His life, Jesus rode into Jerusalem riding on a donkey like King David did in his day. It was the last week and Jesus had some house cleaning to do before His departure. Jesus cleared the temple court where merchants were selling goods and trading money for temple coins because God’s House was supposed to be a House of Prayer. He cleared the area for the Gentiles, since this was the only place Gentiles were allowed to pray in the temple.

This upset the religious leaders. How dare He! Who does He think He is?! What right does He have to do this thing? Little did they think of Him and plotted to find a way to kill Him. But there were crowds of people who thought He was at least a prophet of God. The religious leaders looked for a way and found Judas – a disciple of Jesus who was ready to turn Him over, because Judas determined Jesus was not going to deliver Israel from the Romans. It was the wrong deliverance Israel was seeking.

On Passover night, Jesus sat down for His last supper with His disciples. As the betrayer left and sold information about Jesus to the religious ones, Jesus took one more opportunity to teach His disciples.

We pick up the lesson in John 14:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

There is only one way to God the Father – Jesus – the Perfect Lamb who was sacrificed on Passover – who would take on our unrighteousness and take away our sins. This is the deliverance we all need – freedom from our sins. This is the Good News – the reason it’s called Good Friday. Because Jesus made a way for us when there was no way for us to be reconciled to the Father. Jesus. The One and Only Son. The Holy One of God. Who became death for us so that we could have eternal life with the Father. No longer separated by our sins, but delivered from them so that we could have fellowship with God in His Kingdom forever. Amen.

May we remember the sacrifice and be forever changed by it. All praise to God the Father and to His Son, Jesus.

 It’s Friday but Sunday is coming! Spoiler alert: He has risen indeed!

Posted in Faith and tagged , , , , , ,
13 Jan 2024

In the Beginning

Starting out this new year, my Sunday School class is studying Genesis. It’s a bit unfortunate since we had already done that book through another study guide just last summer. But like all Scripture, we can learn something new each time we study God’s Word. God has something new to teach us in this season.

As I started out this morning reading the beginning of God’s creation story, I was reminded of a few things and what we experience in this time we live in. There is a struggle we all have that is rooted in us from the beginning of time.

After God formed man from the ground, He created woman from the man. He formed man from dust but “built” the woman from the man. Different actions taken for each, but in the same likeness of God. God breathed life into man, different from His other created beings. God placed value on us and in us.

There was no one suitable for man after all the creatures were formed. So, God “built” one who would be a helper to man – a valuable aid and support to man. This indicated a completeness to man and woman, showing the union God created in human beings with each other. We are made for community.

I know we don’t want to speak of these things today. Man and woman. It’s such a “hot” topic in our society. But this gets to another feature that happened in the Garden. Sin – or a deception that is used to this day to distort God’s Word.

There was a thought that jumped into my head as I was reading the narrative – from the Garden to the Cross. The sin narrative started in the Garden of Eden by Satan distorting God’s Word to Eve (and Adam who was in the same vicinity when this conversation took place, just pointing this out – they are both at fault for falling for this deception).

The commentator of this lesson pointed out the sin was not what Eve had done, but what Satan said to distort God’s Word thus causing Eve to have doubts about God.  The commentator noted “Satan questioned God’s integrity, goodness, and therefore, His trustworthiness.” God had already given Adam and Eve everything they needed. He just commanded them one thing (Genesis 2:16-17):

“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat of the eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

 But God… God knew what would happen in the Garden. God knew the heart of man. He gave Adam and Eve free will to choose to follow God’s Word. When Eve took the fruit and gave some to Adam, their eyes were opened. Satan always points out the “good” things we will gain by following him, but fails to mention the things we will lose because of our choosing him over God. Yes, the fruit was good. But now there are consequences for those actions that will reverberate throughout history.

But God… in the Garden of Eden was the beginning of sin and death. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them (Genesis 3:21) the foreshadow of shedding blood to cover the sin. But God also stated in the Garden (Genesis 3:15): “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” Death will be defeated by One who will come through Adam’s line – Jesus!

At that moment of the first bite, human kind became separated from God. No longer was there fellowship with Him in the Garden. The Garden was closed to them and God sent angels to guard the Tree of Life. Adam had to struggle for his food and Eve would struggle in childbirth. Life would become a struggle for all of us.

As history continues to prove the sin nature of humanity and the deception of Satan is alive and well, but God made a way in another garden to put an end to this sin problem. This garden would see drops of blood as Jesus struggled in His prayer with the Father to let this cup of wrath that sin created to be taken away, but Jesus said “not my will, but yours be done.” And so it was in that garden, Jesus laid down His will to the Father’s and went to the cross to die for our sins.

The separation ended on that day. No longer was there a curtain between God and man because Jesus died to rip that veil in two – but that wasn’t the end of the story. That’s just the beginning of the end. Jesus was raised to life; defeating death. Jesus said (John 10:10):

The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Remember God’s goodness, His integrity and His trustworthiness. Jesus has given us life. Do not be deceived by the enemy’s tactic still being used to distort God’s Word. If there is any confusion, recognize the deception leading to death and look toward what God has to offer us – Life and to the Full!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Posted in Faith and tagged , , , , , ,
03 Sep 2023

In the Silence

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Have you ever felt the silence from God? That’s where I have been the last of couple years. I moved home again and went to work full time. In that busyness, I haven’t had time to write other than the monthly newsletter. And it is with a struggle to sit down long enough to put down some words I believe God wants me to share. But this blog space has been a different matter. Also, in the busyness of life, I haven’t heard much from God. My time with Him has fallen to the fringes. This might be a confession.

A few years ago, I sat down with a friend who is a published author. She told me as a writer, you have to write every day. I didn’t understand it at the time since I really didn’t consider myself a “writer.” But I get it now… even though I still don’t consider myself a writer – even though I write newsletters and times past, blogs. I think of writers as ones who get paid to write. I quit writing for the blog because of my lack of time, but also because I didn’t think I had enough input from God to share responsibly. I quit writing often enough to stay in God’s flow. Not only did I quit writing for the blog, I didn’t even write in a journal, which I had done for many years before blogging.

Recently, I went through the Experiencing God study. If you haven’t ever done that study, I would highly recommend it. This was the third time I have gone through it. The first time I studied it, it was a life-changing experience. It opened my eyes to God being real and personal. I mean, the God of the universe – who created all things – wants a personal relationship with me and you. It blew me away.

The second time I went through the study, God was preparing me to leave my full-time job. I went through the study six months before I quit. I don’t think I would have had the guts to do so if I hadn’t recognized God working through that situation at work. It’s quite a daunting thought to give up income when you have no idea what the future holds. But since that time, God has really been teaching me how to trust Him.

So now, I just finished round three. What could God possibly teach me in this experience that I should have learned in the other two times? Apparently, I still have much to learn. But it was really a refresher course as well. I remembered a few things as I came to the daily lesson. God has so much to show us, but we have to be ready for it. Sometimes, He has to build us into the one who will be useful for His purpose. Sometimes, He has to slow us down so that we will listen. Sometimes, we just need to hear it again before it truly sinks into our hearts.

One impression I came away with this time is prayer. We need to be a praying people. His people need to hear His voice again. I don’t think I am the only one who has a hearing problem these days. I don’t know if all churches have a problem with gathering people to pray, but I have noticed prayer meetings are a think of the past. Especially the season we are in, we need to be concerned with the life and ministry of the Church Body. And it takes intentional prayer. We have to be able to pray and watch what God does next in response to our prayers. He wants us involved in what He is doing.

We need to be listening to His voice to know how to walk with all the landmines that are being set for His people. We can’t do this life without His input. We don’t know the future. Only God does. And we don’t know His plans for the future. We have to know His plan, doing it His way and let Him receive the glory. He still wants to do amazing things through us so that He is glorified. We are the Body of Christ. Christ is the Head of the Body. God’s word says that we cannot do anything for His Kingdom without Him.  As recorded in John 15:5, Jesus said: “I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”

Henry Blackaby, the author of Experiencing God, had so many stories of how the church he shepherded followed God and experienced His presence in their endeavors to bring glory to God. Their endeavors were done through God’s inspiration. They didn’t devise a plan. God did and the people joined God in His work. It’s the adventure of actually experiencing God all the time. All in God’s timing and in God’s way. I want to participate in God’s plan, don’t you? It’s hard to do so if we can’t hear from Him and His Spirit leading us in those plans.

Another thing I was reminded of was the fact: until we hear from God, we need to keep doing what He last told us to do. Hence, why I need to start writing again. I’m not sure He actually led me to writing the blog or I just thought it would be a good idea. But I need to get back into His flow and this is the only way I know to do it. I’m not sure how often I will post, but I hope to be better about posting. Hopefully, the Spirit will help me out with this writing thing; and it will be useful to you and help you on your faith-filled, spiritual journey.

Lastly, I was reminded that God pursues a love relationship with us. It’s the most important of all our relationships. When our relationship with God is working, all the other relationships in our lives work too. God reveals His plan to those who have a real and personal relationship with Him. His desire is for us to walk with Him each and every day. We are to depend on Him and not of ourselves. It’s the intimacy that we should be seeking every day – in prayer and reading our Bibles. It’s a relationship.

We don’t forsake our relationships with our loved ones. Why would we forsake the relationship with the One who created us and loves us so much that He sent His Son to us so that we could know Him more fully? Jesus said if we’ve seen Him then we have seen the Father. He and the Father are One. I want this relationship to work, don’t you? I want an intimate relationship and that means getting to know Him as He wants to be known. Will you join me in this effort? Let us commit to doing better in this season we’re in and trust Him completely.

Posted in Faith and tagged , , , , , ,
30 Jan 2022

Urgent News

Have you ever had a time when everything you hear has a theme? Me too. My discipleship group is in the Book of Revelation; my Sunday School Class is reading in the Book of Daniel and even my Pastor is teaching about the Kingdom from Luke’s Gospel. It doesn’t help to see the things we’re seeing in the world today driving home an urgency to get the Good News out. We need to be active in spreading the Good News.

The urgency that I am feeling isn’t about the virus or about the economic downturn. Revelation teaches us that one day this world that we know will come to an end. Jesus spoke often about His Kingdom coming – but it wasn’t what the Jews had in mind. They thought He was coming to bring an end to the occupation of the Roman government. But the first coming of Jesus wasn’t about ending occupation, but bringing salvation to those who were lost.

Last year, I sat in a training session to teach us how to share the Gospel message – the Good News of Jesus. I have heard of many ways to share what I know about Jesus – about His life, His death and then His resurrection – the Good News. But this time it was about the three circles. Let me give you a snippet of what I learned, just in case you haven’t heard.

The first circle represents God. In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth.

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Genesis 1:31

God made everything perfectly. But then sin was introduced into His perfect world. “Lostness” is brokenness brought on by our sinful conditional. We are all broken with this sin problem. The problem isn’t really our brokenness in itself, but it has broken the relationship God wants to have with us. God cannot look upon sin. He is holy. When men have gotten a glimpse into heaven, they fall on their faces before Him – terrified because they know they are unworthy to be in God’s presence.

When Jesus was with Peter at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, He performed a miracle in front of Peter by filling his nets with so many fish, the net began to break. Peter recognized he was in the presence of Someone amazing. Luke 5 gives the reaction of Peter:  When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” This should be our reaction in front of our Holy God. This is our lostness, our brokenness. This is the second circle.

Romans 3:23 tells us for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. No one is exempt from sin. If anyone has told a lie, it’s a sin. Any wrong doing in the eyes of God is sin. But brokenness, how is that defined? I read in a devotional this definition: “a growing awareness that no matter how hard we try, our ability to make life work gets worse instead of better. It’s a recognition of our need for God and His intervention in our lives.”

Everything we do to get our lives “right” or to fill that void or hole we are experiencing will just fall flat. There are many ways to fill up the hole: alcohol to numb the emptiness, a life of “sex, drugs and rock n roll” or just buying stuff to make oneself feel better. Nothing will satisfy that brokenness, unless we bring it to Jesus.

Finally, the last circle, as you can guess is Jesus. He is the Good News. We don’t have to live in that state of brokenness. God sent His Son to us. But that’s not the Good News… the Good News is that He came not to live but to die.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). But not only to die, but to be raised to life. In the Gospel of Luke (9:22), we are told this: And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

This is Good News. Death was defeated because of Jesus. Yes, we still die a physical death. But with Jesus we are given a new life – a spiritual birth by believing Jesus is who He says He is – God’s Son; we believe He did what He said He would do – die for our sins; and believe He was raised to life giving us a new life through Him.

With this recognition of Jesus’ Good News, we also, have to repent of our sins, which means we turn away from those things that lead to our brokenness. We agree with God that our brokenness keeps us from a relationship with Him and turn to Him for forgiveness. If we do this simple act of believing and repenting, we are given a new life in Him and we recover our relationship with God through Jesus.

I heard this analogy of what Jesus did for us in His death and resurrection: Jesus took off His clean, brilliantly white coat and put on our filthy, dirty rags and we put on His righteousness (brilliant, white coat) in exchange for our sins (rags). That’s a very uneven exchange, but He gladly did it for everyone ever born and would be born no matter what.

When I was reading through Revelation and the foreshadow that we witness in this season we’re in, I feel the urgency to point people to Jesus. The times will probably not get better. The labor pains have started to grow stronger. This is getting really real. I never believed I would see the things I am seeing today.

Revelation seemed like it was far into the future. I don’t think that anymore. Too much has happened on a global stage and the Pandora box has been opened to never close again. This is not a dooms day message, but a message of hope. God made a way for all people to have a relationship with Him. He sent His Son to earth to bring the Kingdom to us. One day Jesus will return and His followers will be with Him for eternity. Are you counted in that number? Do you know people who will not be with you in heaven? The urgency is real. Let’s enlarge heaven with everyone we know.

Posted in Faith and tagged , , , , , ,
23 Dec 2021
2 Comments

Christmas Message

This Christmas season is going to be different. Things change. I told one of my co-workers this week, I hate to have to grow up. But I have to accept things when they change and act like a grown-up about it. She too was facing a different Christmas and she agreed we all have to grow up and act like adults even if we don’t want to. With that conversation on my mind as I woke up this morning, several thoughts came to my mind about Christmas.

Some thoughts were coming from the Spirit leading me to write. Other thoughts were probably from the enemy who doesn’t like me following through. So hopefully (prayerfully), I will get the message across that the Spirit was inspiring this morning.

This is the Christmas message on my mind was we can’t look at the birth of Jesus without thinking about His death at the same time. The whole reason Jesus was born was so that He would die for us – for our sins. He came to us as a baby, born without sin to live a life without sin so that we could have eternal life through Him – He was the sacrificial Lamb of God foretold in Exodus concerning the last plague in Egypt before the exodus: God’s people had to kill a spotless lamb and cover the door posts with the blood to be saved from death.

It’s interesting we know about the birth of Jesus, which was also foretold in the Old Testament Scripture; we know about one time when Jesus was twelve in the temple, but Scripture is silent about His years between tw.elve and thirty.

However, we know a little of Jewish tradition for boys. It has been said by the age of three, boys have learned the Psalms by their father’s singing psalms to them. By the age of five, they would have learned Leviticus. By thirteen – their age of accountability – they would have known the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament). By eighteen, they are learning the trade handed down by their father.

We know Jesus was at the temple at the age of twelve and He surprised the teachers with His knowledge (Luke 2:47).  Jesus was on the Jewish track of learning so we assume all these things have taken place as was the custom. Jesus then shows up as a thirty (ish) young man at a wedding with His relatives. Mary, the mother of Jesus, turned to Him to report the wine had run out. I imagine the scene…

Mary told Jesus about the wine situation knowing this could be shameful for the host family. Jesus told His mother saying “My hour has not yet come.” {Footnote: young men going into ministry would not have started it until the age of thirty, this was a “respectable” age for ministry. He might have been saying I am not yet thirty, it’s not time.} Now Mary hearing Jesus’ words would have given Him “the look” – you know “the look” only Moms can give with the raised eyebrow – the look that says do the right thing. Mary turns to the servants and says “Do whatever he tells you.” She leaves it at that, knowing Jesus will do the right thing to take away the shame of this family.

From that point on, Jesus is on His mission as stated in Luke 4:18-19:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

He announced His intention in the synagogue in Nazareth, His hometown. But they rejected the message because they knew Him as a child and couldn’t believe God sent Him to be the Messiah. It took His disciples who lived with Him for three years to realized finally who Jesus was (is) – God’s Son who came to save the lost and give eternal life through His death and resurrection.

We might not understand we are the “lost” He came to save; however, we are sinners from birth. We aren’t taught to do what’s wrong; it comes natural to us. We have to be taught to do what’s right. But by God’s mercy, He sent Jesus to save every one of us.

I was reminded this morning as I read in 1 John 5:11-12: And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

We are given eternal life only through God’s Son, Jesus. There are not many ways to heaven as stated by the world. If there were many ways, then Jesus didn’t have to leave His glory in heaven and come in such a lowly state to save us from our sins. If we could be “good enough” then that should have been enough for us to enter heaven. Instead, as stated in John 3:16:  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This was the only way. Jesus laid down His righteousness and picked up our filthy, sin-filled lives and died our death so we wouldn’t have to. Those who have received this testimony in faith have received the Big Gift of eternal life – no earning it with our efforts, but Jesus alone. From the cross, Jesus proclaimed “It is finished” (paid in full). He paid dearly so that all would have this free gift – believe and receive. This is the reason for the season. Remember and be grateful for the manager and the cross.

Merry Christmas!

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29 Aug 2021

For This Reason

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:10-12

As noted in my last blog posting, we are reading through Paul’s letters to the Churches. These letters were said to have been written while Paul was in prison. To set up the context of these letters, the study book we use gave us the background in the Book of Acts. We find a turning point in Paul’s ministry in Acts 20:22-24: “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

Paul said goodbye to his people; first in Ephesus then others along the way until he reached Jerusalem. He was arrested soon after arriving in Jerusalem and taken before officials. Every time he was given the opportunity, Paul told his testimony about how Jesus changed his life and how Jesus is the Messiah -foretold by the Prophets of Old -the One who was to come to bring salvation and redeem and restore the world to God. He never changed his message, just the way he presented it to his audience.

So then we come to the letters he wrote from his prison cell or in house arrest. His time was not wasted. He was on mission and never let an opportunity go by. Some of the letters were to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ whom he never met. He wrote to them to encourage their faith and give them examples to live by. He encouraged them to live differently than the world. It was the difference that would draw others to Jesus.

In Colossians 1:4, Paul wrote he had heard of the faith and love found in the believers in Colossi. For this reason, he prayed for them the prayer I listed above. It’s a powerful prayer; praying for knowledge and wisdom so that they could live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way. Prayer is essential to living a life worthy of the calling. We also need to be watchful and thankful as we pray. Watchful so that we see God’s answer and give Him the glory. Thankful because we know what we ask for will be done, if we ask in His will – it’s just a matter of time – God’s time. I am reminded to thank Him before I see the answer.

In Ephesians, Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus he never stopped giving thanks for them and remembering them in his prayers (1:15). Paul prayed that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.Paul prayed for those who were to hear his letters would know Jesus better, to know the hope to which Jesus called each of the believers; to know the power that raised Jesus from the dead – power that lives in each believer by the Spirit of God who dwells in believers. Paul asked all this for all believers – not just to the ones who initially read or heard his letter, but to all those who read it today.

Think about the power of prayer – there is no end date. Paul has given us words to pray for one another, but also knowing God still honors Paul’s prayers 2000 years later. I asked the Lord: please answer this prayer in this present age so that we would know, by the Spirit, wisdom and revelation for God’s glory to be evident in all believers to draw others to Himself.

Wouldn’t it be a better world if the Church would have the power, which is available to us, used for God’s glory to be revealed? To know the power – to give us strength, to know the depth of His love, to know the work He is doing in us and through us? If we were all mature believers, unified in one body, wouldn’t that be a wonderful picture? It calls for a different approach than what the world puts forth. It calls us to live a life set apart and different – it calls for humility, gentleness, bearing with one another in love and living with one focus. It means being something we’re currently not.

For this reason, we start with Paul’s prayers for believers to encourage one another. Paul was warned repeatedly about the suffering he would experience as his end drew near. I think the Church as well has been warned repeatedly. It’s time we heed the warning and stay focused on the main thing. From Ephesians 4:4-6: There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called -one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Let God’s glory be evident in each of us to draw more to the love of Jesus. It’s our only hope in times of trouble. It’s the only way to change the world we live in today. God help us!

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14 Aug 2021

Keep the Focus

Have you ever driven down the road and noticed the orange signs warning of a lane closure? The road crews put up the signs well in advance of the closure. The signs are nice warning of what’s ahead so drivers can get over in time before they encounter the cones. On occasion though, I have seen the signs but never encountered lane closure. I guess that’s why when I see the signs; I choose to stay in the lane even though I know eventually I might have to get over into another lane. Others will get into the next lane when they first see the signs. I wait and I watch.

Reading through the New Testament in our discipleship group, we came to a section in Acts that has caused me to think of those road signs. Toward the end of the Book of Acts, Paul has his sight on Jerusalem. He was compelled by the Spirit to go (Acts 20:22). In the next verse, the author Luke wrote Paul didn’t know what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem but in every city the Holy Spirit had warned Paul prison and hardships were facing him (Acts 20:23).

As Paul was making his way to Jerusalem and visiting the churches he established along the way, through the Spirit the disciples urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. A prophet Agabus took Paul’s belt and tied his own hands and feet with it and said “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles’” (Acts 21:11).

First off, didn’t the Spirit urge Paul to go to Jerusalem? Second, then why did the Spirit urge the disciples to stop Paul from going? A little bit perplexing to say the least. If I had been Paul, would I have stayed the course and gone to Jerusalem? I think I would have doubted I heard the Spirit correctly.

But Paul had a different relationship with the Spirit – he actually trusted the Spirit to guide him in his daily walk. Paul knew God would provide even if he was bound and in prison. Paul’s whole focus was summed up in this one verse in Acts 20:24: However, I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

Paul kept his focus even to the very end, even in prison – when he wrote his letters to the churches; even when he was in front of officials, rulers and kings – where he testified about the transformation from chasing Jesus followers to becoming one through his Damascus road experience with Jesus.

At one point, Paul was in front of King Agrippa speaking to him about his work for Jesus. In Acts 26:28-29 Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul replied, “Short time or long – I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

I noted in my study guide for this chapter – we all have a testimony to share – our elevator speech – how we were before Jesus, when and how we met Jesus, and how we are after Jesus has saved us from our sins. Paul’s mission was to share what he knew. That’s our mission too. Paul prayed for all to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus and have a relationship with Him just like he had.

He prayed for the short term – people who were listening at that moment; and he prayed for the long term – those who would come to a saving knowledge after his departure. But you know what’s really cool? Through Paul’s writings, we are his long term prayer request. His prayer is still being answered as each one of us who reads and understands what Paul knew and we find our salvation in Jesus alone. Prayer is a powerful tool that can open hearts to the amazing grace of God.

Even as we pray for others, we may not see the answer in our lifetime, but I do know prayers are never forgotten by God. I do believe I had ancestors praying for my salvation even though they didn’t know me or knew I would exist. But God did. He heard and He answered. I don’t know what future generations will come, but I pray for their salvation and that they too will have a relationship with Jesus so closely that they will never doubt His love or fail to trust Him in all circumstances.

I may need to see the “cones in the road” to heed warnings in the physical world, but I hope to never fail to see the spiritual warnings the Spirit uses to keep me focused on the task at hand. Let me be like Paul and finish the race before me, submitted to the Spirit’s instruction regardless of what’s ahead of me knowing God is in control and I can trust Him no matter what. As Jesus instructed Paul (see below), He instructs us. Let us go and do likewise.

“I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 26:16-18

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29 Jul 2021
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God is Still in Control

So much is going through my head and heart right now. You might have wondered where I’ve been since it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted anything. I just can’t seem to focus on anything of value to bring to you.

There are things I want to say, but maybe a little afraid to say them. Or things I shouldn’t say and afraid I’ll say them.

But this thing I know and you might need to hear, God is still in control. No matter how crazy things seem right now, God still is in control. No matter if this virus running through our streets looks like it’s going to shut everything down again, God is still in control. Nation against nation; neighbor against neighbor; right against left – God is still in control.

When I moved to my hometown a little over nine months ago, I moved because I didn’t know what the future was going to hold. I wanted to be close to family. Maybe I was a bit afraid that something would happen and I couldn’t get home. Maybe I forgot God is bigger than all this and knows what I need when I need it.

However, God has been in this move with me. I found a job after only two weeks time and it’s a job where I needed to be. I didn’t know it at the time, but God prepared a place for me at just the right time. I found a place to lease quickly right after selling my house. It was just the right place I needed for this season. My church home has already been established long ago and I have felt at home here from day one; already in the right place, for this season. Studying the Word with a discipleship group who keep me focused on the things that matter. God knew what I needed when I would need it. God is in control.

At this time we are studying the book of Romans. I am reminded the depth of God’s Word and how much I never really understood all Paul wrote in his letter to the Roman Christians. I normally just read through a passage and really don’t comprehend what God is speaking through it. But through this study time now, we are challenged to write down what is popping out in that chapter. One thing continues to pop out to me, God did it all. God made a way even though we didn’t deserve His love, His grace or His mercy. Thankfully, He did it anyway. God started this plan and He will finish it completely.

From beginning to end, it’s about faith. He made a way for us when we were His enemy. At just the right time, Jesus died for the ungodly – for me, for you and for all who came before us and for all who will come after us. Jesus brings us righteousness and life – two things we cannot have apart from Him. We didn’t pursue righteousness, but obtained it through faith in Jesus.

Faith is at the heart of the believer, but love is the motivation to be like Jesus, to act like Jesus. Jesus loved people well. So should we. However, I am not very good at it like I want to be. Without the love of Jesus we cannot affect others with the Good News. If we don’t love first, then whatever we do or say will be fruitless.

Physically I may be in a good place, but spiritually and emotionally speaking I’m still not where I should be. But I believe God has me where I can learn a lesson or two, so bear with me while I work out what’s going on in this place. No matter what, God is still in control and I can trust Him to move and to make me more like Jesus – you can trust Him too. Until next time, continue to keep the faith!

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

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31 May 2021

Plaque on the Wall

Every year for the last thirty years, my family has gathered at the beach for a week. It’s a time to rest, relax and renew relationships. It’s a time of fun for the kids and time of laughter and enjoyment for the adults (with a little golf thrown in). When the tradition first started, my nephews were young. Now, they have kids of their own. And we all gather. It’s a great time.

But looking back when it all began, no one knew we would continue this tradition for thirty years. Each year, we would decide if we were going again and the answer was always yes. It was hard on my parents in the beginning because the nephew’s didn’t always “toe the line.” They had a bit of rebellion against making beds and cleaning their room to the satisfaction of my Mom. My Mom had girls not boys so she was used to the way girls handled themselves. But over the years, Mom adjusted and we had some of the most blessed times as a family while we were at the beach; precious memories that will (hopefully) never be forgotten.

As I wrote my newsletter this month about Joshua’s commitment to serving the Lord, it was a reminder how my family has been blessed by God because of my parent’s commitment to serve the Lord. The passage found in Joshua 24:15 was engraved on a plaque that hung in the living area of my childhood home. The plaque read “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” It wasn’t much of a plaque but the statement has spoken volumes to the last three generations because of my parent’s commitment.

My parents chose a path for us which has endured many hardships but has brought significant blessings. My parents did well to instill values in the daughters which has passed to the sons and now into the sons and daughters. This generation didn’t know their great-grandparents. They didn’t know about the plaque on the wall. But they have the blessing of the commitment taken years before them. My parents did everything they could to help us as their children to love the Lord.

We were at church whenever the doors were open. It was the thing we did, but it was also a product of the time. However, it has lasted for us as a family. We haven’t always gotten it perfectly. Lord knows, I have had my own difficulties. But God has been faithful even when we have not. God still allowed the hardships to draw us back to Him or draw Him more closely during those times.

Recently, I was reminded that faith, hope and love were the greatest blessings of the Holy Spirit. However, love is the only thing that remains in heaven. First Corinthians 13:13 states: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Faith becomes sight when we see Jesus face to face. Hope becomes reality when we dwell in our heavenly place. But love is everlasting and has been and ever will be the theme of heaven. And it’s the one God commanded us to practice each and every day here on earth – to love God and to love others.

My parents are reaping the rewards of a job well done. I miss them every day. We remember their sacrifices to bring us to where we are today. We wouldn’t be in this place without them. And I thank God for them today and for all the blessings of this week – good weather, good fun and good food. But the real blessing is to know Jesus is loved and taught to the next generation in this place. We gather because of Him. We gather as a family because of Him.

God instills a sense of family in us all because of Jesus dying on a cross so that we would be adopted into His family on our belief in Him. Family is important to God the Father. It’s His way of teaching us about Himself. He is a good, good Father. God loves us like my Dad loved his daughters, although my Dad did it imperfectly, he was a good representation of my Father in heaven.

It’s no wonder our enemy is trying to destroy families. And he seems to be doing a really good job at it right now. Satan hates everything God has put into place to glorify Himself. Family has been in place since the beginning of time. It was the way God created relationships through family. It was the way we were to love one another from the beginning. It’s the atmosphere of the Church Body. Family.

It’s no wonder that Joshua spoke to the Israelites on the verge of conquering the Promised Land to proclaim his allegiance to serve God and not idols. It’s no wonder why my parents chose to hang the plaque on the wall as a reminder – that’s the commitment for our family to do the same. And now, the next generation is being taught this commitment as well. May the blessing continue…

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

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