One of the things I try to do with this blog is to every now and then remind you of the great source of information that is available on the internet. You will find a link in this week’s blog that I believe would be a blessing to your prayer life. Prayer, a personal conversation with our God is a privilege granted to anyone who seeks his presence in their life. It has been a long and difficult week….for our nation. Two confrontations with law enforcement officers, Charlotte NC, and Tulsa OK, ended with the death of two men. The protests that followed eventually became full blown riots. Three people killed in Athens TN in workplace violence and now five dead in Washington State in a random shooting that took place in a shopping mall; add the fact this is an election year with all the hoopla that goes with it and I’m led to share this with you.

We are a nation wandering in a wilderness we have created. What was once a nation that looked to God is now running from him. We have turned our back on God. We can blame any number of things or people for the state of our nation. It has been a bad week. Join me in the week to come in prayer for our nation. Prayer was a big part of the early church. What did the people who lived in Bible times pray about? Everything! Prayer runs through every book, and nearly every chapter. I found a great website about prayer this week. The URL of the site is http://hannascupboard.com . This is a great site and I encourage you to visit it when you can. We find many times in the new testament our Lord going to the Father in prayer even causing the disciples to ask “Lord teach us to pray.” There is a power in prayer and that power is available to all who seek God’s will and direction in their lives. Here are some inspirational prayer quotes from Hannah’s Cupboard.

“God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it.”   John Wesley

 “No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it.”    Guy H. King

 “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”  Alfred Lord Tennyson

“Prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven, but getting God’s will done on earth. It is not overcoming God’s reluctance but laying hold of God’s willingness.”

Richard C. Trench

“Only those who see the invisible can attempt the impossible.”    Dick Eastman

 James 5   The Power of Prayer 13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

1st Peter 5: 6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 

Please join me in the week to come as we pray for our nation and it people.

See you in the pew……..jk

In Exodus 14: 9-31 we read about the Israelites, their lack of faith in God and Moses, the parting of the Red Sea and their escape from the armies of the Egyptian King. Picture this .The Angel of the Lord is out front of the Israelites in a great cloud. The people look back and see on the horizon a huge cloud of dust. They know the King’s armies are coming to get them. Soon the ground is shaking beneath their feet as the chariots come closer and they fuss at Moses for bringing them out of Egypt and into this mess. He tells them, “Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the LORD will do to save you today….” Like those Israelites we in times of stress cry out to God, more often in desperation and not in faith. You know the story. The Angel of the Lord and the great cloud move to the rear of the mass of people fleeing the Kings armies; blocking their way and delaying their charging in among the people.The wind begins to blow, it blows all night and the waters part exposing the sea bed. The Israelites cross over to the other side, the cloud lifts and the Kings army in its anger charges forward into the seabed…… and die.

I use the Upper Room for my morning devotional time and an article in the February issue, some years back led me to this topic. The article was submitted by Bob G. Wood from Tennessee.  An old joke tells about two Israelites who were following Moses across the Red Sea just after God parted the waters. One comments to the other, “Can you imagine what this mud is doing to our sandals? They’re probably ruined.” We are a lot like those two in the story; we are so focused on the negatives and worries of our lives that we completely miss the miracles and blessings all around us.

These two guys took their eyes off the horizon of hope and salvation God was providing and began to despair over the problems of this life.  The Angel of the Lord went out before them; on the horizon before them was hope and salvation from the despair and fears of their lives and they took their eyes off the path God had prepared for them, distracted by the mud of this life. In Luke Chapter 8 we read the Parable of the seeds being sowed. I believe that we are like the seeds thrown in the thorn bushes in verse 14:  The seeds that fell among thorn bushes stand for those who hear; but the worries and riches and pleasures of this life crowd in and choke them, and their fruit never ripens.

I find my greatest time of peace occurs while I’m praying or reading scripture. We can’t do that all the time, can we? Those two Israelites were worried about the mud on their sandals and couldn’t  see the Glory of God’s salvation waiting for them. What about the mud on our shoes, how much and from where does it come? This is an election year and there is enough mud to go around. Like the Greeks of Paul’s day we to love to debate but unlike the Greeks our debates soon lose reason and purpose; the voices are many and the words become self serving and meaningless. We are mired in the problems of the day. They may be in our home, workplace and even in the Church.  The Church, the place many of us go seeking refuge from the problems of everyday life and the mud that clings to our shoes, making our steps heavier, only to discover that the Church is under attack and even within its walls we sometimes hear the rumble of the Kings chariots coming closer.

Maybe you are walking through the mud of:

Discouragement? Hear the words of the Lord.

(John 14:27)  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 (Psa 31:24)  Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

We spend a great deal of our time seeking hope and comfort in the things of this world. We will find no salvation in the things of this world. If you watch the news or listen to the radio you might agree with me. I believe the broadcaster’s rule of thumb so to speak is that “good news bleeds.”

Depression?

It not only destroys your life but impacts the lives of all who love and care for you and more importantly widens the gap between you and God.

(Rom 8:38,39) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Isa 40:31)  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Troubles…. there are many burdens in this life. These being only a couple we all will face at one time or another. Scripture tells us…..

(Rom 8:28)  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Have you ever been around a whiner? You know, complaining all the time. Well these folks would receive the all time “Best Whiner Award” if there was one. I think it tops the guys with the sandals. The people complained to Moses:

Exodus 14:11 They said to Moses, “Weren’t there any graves in Egypt? Did you have to bring us out here in the desert to die? Look what you have done by bringing us out of Egypt!

Exodus 14:12 Didn’t we tell you before we left that this would happen? We told you to leave us alone and let us go on being slaves of the Egyptians. It would be better to be slaves there than to die here in the desert.”

 Sometimes the problems and burdens of this life are so great; the effort to overcome them becomes an unbearable burden. Do you feel like you’re in a desert of despair, uncertainty, sin and a world that is increasingly attacking your Christian values? We would do well to remember Moses’ words.

 “Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the LORD will do to save you today….”

Jesus once sent the disciples out to preach that the Kingdom of Heaven was near. The distractions and evils of this world can sometimes overwhelm us as they come between us and God’s will in our lives. What do we do if people won’t listen to us or respect our faith? How do we overcome this world?

Mat 10:14 And if some home or town will not welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feet.

 I am struck by the politics of our time. The lack of civility, the language and total disregard for the truth; “Pogo once said we have found the enemy and they is us.” I am not bashing politicians; they are after all just a reflection of the people they represent. Some of you might believe I’ve got off message. Well I haven’t. A Christian has to find the dry ground, rise above the mud of this world. We must walk a different path. I know it is a stretch but in keeping with the message I’d like to change dust to mud. Shake the mud off your shoes and keep your eyes on the horizon that you might see the love, grace, and salvation that is yours through Jesus Christ our Lord.

  “Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the LORD will do to save you today….”

Thanks for joining me in the pew today, God Bless

jk

I had prepared and uploaded my blog for today but I set it aside late last night. I can’t get past tomorrow, September 11 or as it has become simply 9-11. There will be many words today, few will be able to capture the impact in loss of life and the realization that our enemies now had the ability to bring the horror of war to our soil. Here are a couple of things I take away from that day.   Death is never an easy thing to cope with and I don’t hold much with the advice that “things will be better in time; every day it will get a little better.” Don’t believe that, I believe we just learn how to live with it or for lack of a better term tolerate the loss. Like everyone else I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. Been fifteen years now and I still can close my eyes and see those people jumping from the towers. Now after all these years’ history is slowly being rewritten in that many films have been edited to remove those pictures. Why is that important? To me it is important because while I can’t say what was in their mind at that time, I prefer to believe in that moment of extreme despair they chose how they would die. First take away, how much easier is it for us who only have to choose how to live.

One of the first things that happened after it was determined that this was not a terrible mishap but was indeed a deliberate attack, was a no fly order issued for the whole country. All flights except those of military origin were grounded throughout the USA. I remember standing outside at work that afternoon and the next few days and looking up at the sky above. My second take away was that those contrails left by planes were absence from the sky. How odd it seemed. Just as a room becomes quite, no one speaking, their absence marked the silence of the skies. It was as if I was waiting to see something there that would tell me everything was going to be alright. My third take away is perhaps the one that is most imprinted on my mind and heart. As the towers fell the dust and debris of this awful destruction blotted the sun from the sky and blinded all those trapped by it. Everyone was covered to the point that there was no way to distinguish skin color or ethnicity, all were caught in a world of gray horror, dependent on the help and mercies of those closest to them. Somehow the need to take or offer a hand, to cover and shield another from the debris, to offer self in defense of another was the most striking thing I saw. We came together as a people, there was no time to shout USA, USA as would be heard much over the next few days. This may not make sense and I stand to be corrected. I believe on that day we were Americans all and in that moment we all became God’s children. (Matthew 22:39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

There is no way I could ever put to words the sacrifice of NYFD or Police, EMS or the hundreds of medical and civilian responders, there are no words that could do honor to their sacrifice. So how or where do we go from here? As a nation and a people we need to return to the good way, we need God and there is only one way…..

John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

 Next week “Muddy Shoes”. See you in the pew…..jk

 

 

A few years ago I shared this message and for some reason in preparation for this weeks blog I was looking at all that is going on in the Christian world today and it came to mind. It has not been posted as a blog to the best of my memory. So…..back in the day it went this way.

Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true. Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. In faith we know that the Lord sustains our lives and watches over us in every moment. Faith is not a matter of accepting certain doctrinal teachings, but rather a trust that God can bring transformation. In the Wesleyan tradition, the journey of faith includes an expectation of transformation, change and holy living. “are you going on to perfection?” We come together as a community of faith, believers who share the joy, hope, love and peace of the faith. For many of us when we leave our church, walk outside these walls and drive off, we then come face to face with the stark realities of life. The world we live in today is one of many uncertainties. The church,  and our christian faith is under constant attack. The things that provide some sense of sanity in this uncertain world, home, family, faith and church are at risk. Homes are lost; families torn apart and churches are being closed as others face a decline in membership and support.  A nation that once called out to God …..now whispers his name so as not to offend anyone; one nation under God has now become a nation which must first debate when and where or even if his name may be evoked. This is indeed a world of many uncertainties in which we see each day a loss of faith, a people who should be on their knees, but instead are running from the faith seeking to grab something to hold onto in these uncertain times. 

I was a young man voting in his first national election when Barry Goldwater was the nominee of the Republican party.I remember him saying… “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Boy did that get him in trouble. He was from that day on labeled a war monger, a man of uncertain temperament. Those words cost him the election. Well, I am no Berry Goldwater, but we can no longer continue doing as we do. We must defend the faith. Extremism is a harsh word and in its simplest form means to go beyond the norm. Faith has often been answered by those who disagree with our faith with extremism.

Our lord was beaten in such a manner that the flesh was torn from his body. He was spit on, ridiculed, and made to carry his cross through the streets to the place of his crucifixion. Six inch nails were driven through his hands and feet. Nailed to a cross while solders cast lots for his clothes and challenged him; “come down off that cross, are you not the king of the jews? With agonizing breath He said “father forgive them.” While he was still known as Saul, Paul held the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen. He obtained letters authorizing him to go to Damascus and bring those known as “people of the way” back to be imprisoned. Then there are those who took up the cross. The Apostle Paul was stoned and left for dead. He got up and went back into the town and continued to preach the good news.  At the council in Jerusalem Peter spoke in defense of the faith on behalf of Paul and Barnabas. James the brother of jesus defended the need to take the faith to the gentiles.

We have lost our faith to religion. The jews lived and died by the law. Peter reminded them that day that no man could possibly keep all the law. It is the faith that believes Jesus Christ is the son of the living God and through him only can we come to the Father……this and this alone….grace freely given… that is our salvation. In the OT the word faith in the sense of belief occurs only five times. OT faith was never mere assent to a set of doctrines or outward acceptance of the law, but absolute confidence in the faithfulness of God and a loving obedience to his will. We find that in the NT the words faith or believe occur almost 500 times. Jesus offered himself as the object of faith and made plain that faith in him was necessary for eternal life.

Going back to what Barry said, I believe another word would better communicate a christian like attitude. Boldness……“the trait of being willing to undertake things that involve risk or danger” Yes, I like that word better…..Boldness in the defense of the faith is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of the faith is no virtue. We must return a sense of boldness to the faith, we only need to look to the boldness of our missionaries who daily take the faith of our fathers to others in all kinds of circumstances.

 So what is this faith we are called to defend? Faith has both an active and passive sense in the bible. The first relating to one’s loyalty to a person or commitment to a promise; the other being confidence in the word or assurance of another.  Faith is not merely what a person believes, as example, an accurate doctrine or creed, but also and more importantly, that the object of our faith is valid. The empty  tomb validates our faith. I believe it to be a reasonable statement that we are governed by our thoughts; we ultimately become what we dwell most upon in our minds. The Apostle Paul gave these instruction to the romans:

Romans 12:2 “do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what god’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

One of my favorite passages, one I have shared many times:

Philippians 4:8 finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

 What is the value of faith?  2 Chronicles: 20-20……… As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the lord your god and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”

We are established as a people through our faith. Isaiah 7-9 …………“if you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”

Our faith is a gift of god

Luke 17: 5  The apostles said to the lord, “increase our faith!” Romans 12: 3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

Here is a passage we all know well……8 “to one there is given through the spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same spirit, 9 to another faith by the same spirit?” The purpose of our faith is to gain understanding and truth.

John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Faith helps us to grow in God’s grace

Hebrews 4:16 “let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

We are able to rejoice through our faith.

Philippians 2: 17-18 “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 so you too should be glad and rejoice with me.”

We can use our faith to strengthen ourselves

Romans 6:13-14 “do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 for sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

Through faith we become transformed into the image of Christ, a people strong in the faith.

Ephesians 3: 12 “in him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

Boldness in the defense of the faith is no vice. The distractions are many and many mean well; but I would say to you that the removal of a nativity scene, the objection to a cross in the desert, the obsessions and honors given to people of questionable Christian behavior are regrettable distractions to people of faith.

We need………

-the bold faith of our lord that would allow him to do no less than the father’s will, even if it meant his death.

-the bold faith of Paul having been stoned and left for dead, he got up, went back and continued to preach the good news.

-the bold faith of Peter rising to speak on behalf of Paul and Barnabas’ ministry to the gentiles.

-the bold faith of James who challenged the church at Jerusalem, knowing that there were those who opposed the gentile.

We need a boldness in our faith that says ….come as you are. The faith belongs to all who seek Jesus Christ.

The church has lost its boldness. We must put aside the distractions of this world and come together in defense of the faith. To defend the faith is to defend Jesus Christ.  “I am the way”

Don’t leave your faith here in the pew. Take it with you and share with all……jk