Not sure how I got there but this weeks page turning in search of a topic led me to Mark 13:9-13

9 “As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. 10 And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 13 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

I suppose it might have been that word in verse 13, we have written how important it is to endure in the faith. Jesus had warned that his ministry and those loyal to him, could find themselves having to choose between their family and their faith, their circle of friends and their faith. It is not that big a stretch to believe that betrayal could strike very close to the hearts of believers just as it did to the Savior. In Luke we find the story of Peter and the act of denying Jesus, just as the savior had said he would. (Luke 22: 54-62)  There is of course the account of  Judas Iscariot a disciple and one of the original Twelve Disciples of Jesus Christ. According to the gospels, Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane by kissing him and addressing him as “Rabbi” revealing his identity to those who had come to arrest him. 

Now about that chameleon…. Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized lizards. Their main claim to fame would be their ability to change color allowing them to blend in with their surroundings.That’s the one I’m interested in, this changing of colors to avoid detection when threatened, to blend in. I will pull a Pogo on you. We have been searching for that chameleon in the room and we found it. The chameleon is us! I certainly am not suggesting a fellow human is a lizard among us. I am using this particular species to point out that we too have a tendency to change our colors, blend in when threaten and the chameleon is a perfect example. Let’s all admit that we tend to attempt to blend in when we find ourselves in an uncomfortable situation.  Paul wrote: 

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12 New Revised Standard Version NRSV)

There is a little of the chameleon in all of us and we would do well to remember our Lord’s warning. Jesus had warned those loyal to him that they could find themselves having to choose between their family and their faith, their circle of friends and their faith. How often have you found yourself in a situation that was totally alien to your faith, demeaning to our God and put you at odds with God, family, friends and yes, even our workplace associates? How often have we allowed our faith to be marginalized so as not to be at odds with what has become socially acceptable? Our Christian faith should not be a PR campaign but rather a mission to save souls and increase the faith. I could drag this out by putting together a list of things we should do and not do. A list of what to avoid at all costs but all we need is to remember this. Micah 6:8,

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Don’t be a chameleon, do not change your colors or try to blend in. Stand out in the faith, be an example of God’s mercy, and grace and the gift of our salvation through Jesus Christ.  ENDURE in his name.

Come back next week, there is always room in the pew.

Life is Good

jk

Last weeks blog was about endurance, I had indicated that prayer was a big part of that and maintaining a relationship with God was of up-most importance. One of the devotionals I use on a regular basis is “Our Daily Bread” and I will draw from a recent devotion written by Arthur Jackson. The bible reading for that day was from Psalms 119. That Psalm and Adam Clark’s commentary are the seeds of todays blog.

Today we will be looking at verses 9-16 and 97-105. I recommend you read the entire Psalm, all 176 verses. Also you may find Mr Clarks commentary about these verses, especially the introduction interesting. How do we in  the world we have today continue to endure, keep the faith and be true to our God?  The Psalm we are studying today is remarkable in that it is in many ways a diagram of Holy Living. Adam Clark writes that all of the following are present in this Psalm throughout its entirety.

• Testimonies;
• Commandments,
• Precepts;
• Word;
• Law;
• Ways;
• Truth;
• Judgments;
• Righteousness;
• Statutes.

I never said that living a Christian life was easy and it might be that we at times in our passing reverence overlook the details. I believe that Endurance is nurtured by these things listed above. I realize that I am on a short limb with a crack in it but here is  another of my dirty little secrets of Christianity. Christians all over the world get up, clean up, put on their church face and go to their place of worship on the Sabbath. This is a time we celebrate our God and renew our faith and rejoice in our salvation. Simply put, we recharge our batteries and prepare to go out again praising God and sharing the message. You may not agree with some of the things I share with you today but that is alright. Being right with God, a favorite saying of the older generation is about living as Holy a life as you possibly can. Let’s take a closer look at Psalm 119: 9-16.

-consider the path we are now on and realize that sin separates us from God. We must study the word and through prayer discern what God has said and instructed us to do. We must make straight our path and preserve His way. Sin destroys mind, body and soul therefore we must do all we can to put it out of our life. We must not stray from a path of prayer and supplication, always seeking the good way, never allowing sin to separate us from God so that our prayers will not be in vain. 

-God’s word should dwell in our hearts and minds and actions at all times. The word of Christ should dwell richly in us. If God’s word is only in our  Bibles, and not also in our heart, we may well give in to the sins of this world. We should openly declare the consequences of sin so that others may realize the judgements that await them.

-As we gain strength in his word, living a Holy Life, we should rejoice at the happiness to be found in the path of obedience, giving our whole heart and strength to God.

-We must never forget what God has done for us, done in us, and the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Like wise we must be true to the covenant we made to live a Holy Life and the vows we made to our God.

The above could be a path forward if you wish, the good way which includes some of the things that will help us endure.

Continuing with verses 97-105.  Some had thought that this Psalm was written by Daniel but whether that is correct or not there is an  important lesson contained in these verses.

-Obedience and love for the precepts of Christ, in his commandments in which we should delight; so much so that they become frequent points of our meditation.

-The wisdom of God exceeds all others. The breath of the spiritual nature of God’s law can lead us to avoid all sin as the spirit of this wisdom continues to grow within us.

-How much better is life when we are in communion with our God. This spiritual closeness with God leads us into a path of obedience and thus his grace.

-We are reminded that Proverbs 6:23; : “The commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” 

God’s word is a candle which may be held in the hand to give us light in every dark place and chamber; and it is a general light shining upon all his works, and upon all our ways. (Adan Clark)

Psalm 119 shows us a path to “The Christian Endurance” , standing firm in our faith, our God and the promises of Jesus Christ.

Thanks for stopping by the pew……Come back next week.

Life is Good 

jk

I could not help but let my mind wander to another question that I am sure many of you have asked and struggled with. Why does God let bad things happen to good people? One example is of course Job. Those of us who have read and studied that book know that God did intervene and why, and Job was tested severely. I have a rather peculiar line of thought that involves a very simple theory………life happens. It is what happens after the intrusion of a bad thing in our life that I believe brings about a  God powered blessing that we often over look. That blessing is Endurance. With Endurance, add hope and perseverance. I am not of the belief that God is in the business of hurt and hard times. Our actions or lack of can sometimes lead to bad decisions which have consequences. So that explains in some way my belief, life  just happens. It is not unreasonable to believe that our God is in control, what is sometimes hard is the realization that no mortal man  knows the mind of God. There is the endurance of athletic competitors, the seriously ill, those struggling to feed their families and many more examples to numerous to mention. Christian commitment, is easily understood in the example of determination to endure in the face of life’s difficulties along with the hostility, persecution, and the death of Jesus and his disciples, this endurance of Christians in the face of persecution and temptation underlies most the New Testament.

It is not all that complicated when you understand the fact that the early Christians were not all that good in withstanding the times of persecution and temptations that were so common and overwhelming in their day.  We are reminded of the repeated failures of Israel to maintain faithfulness to God.  The New Testament writers  used these examples to provide Paul and others strong warnings of how not to behave. As is my habit here is the dictionary meaning of Endurance.

1: the ability to withstand hardship or adversity especially : the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity

 2: the act or an instance of enduring or suffering

 There seems to be for many of us a willingness to quietly accept what life throws at us accepting these bad times as just karma, a popular buzz word these days. For those of the way there is this thing I call Christian Endurance. Endurance of this type is characterized by a commitment of looking to Christ in the bad times of our lives. Endurance, should be an important part of our Christian faith. We can and will get through the bad times if we will just remember:

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.

We serve a God whose love, grace and forgiveness is an inherent part of the endurance and faith expected of every Christian. We should all ask ourselves in every life situation this question.

John 6:68  “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  

True commitment endures by looking to Christ for the resources and the way that secures our faith and salvation as well as peace of mind, body and soul. To endure, to persevere, to hope we must have a strong prayer life. We cannot do it alone. Prayer is an important part of our Christian armour. Endure in Christ’s Name, AMEN

Life is Good

jk

The book of Luke, I don’t often go there and I cannot give an adequate reason as to why. First a look at Luke, the doctor and traveling companion of Paul. There are several references to Luke in NT writings. There is mention of Luke in 2 Timothy 4: 11 it is written that “only Luke is with me” alluding to Paul’s final time in prison. In Col 4:14 he is identified as the “beloved physician”. Irenaeus, the Bishop of Lyon, claims that Luke was inseparable from Paul. Luke actually was a fellow-laborer of the Apostles. Luke learned from the Apostles. 

Luke 1:1-4 

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. 

In these opening verses we also encounter the intriguing question..who is Theophilus. As usual there are many theories and thoughts about the who. The name “Theophilus” literally means “loved by God,” but carries the idea of “friend of God.” After some study I am led to believe that Luke was indeed writing to a specific person but the message applies to all Christians and is timeless. Every gospel has its own identity or characteristics and Luke gives us a Jesus that is compassionate and a friend to outcasts. Jesus is the savior sent to find and save the lost. I find chapter 4 interesting because it is an introduction to Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. Reading from 4: 14-15: 

14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

There is the account of Jesus reading Chapter 61 of  Isaiah in the synagogue. I would like to take a closer look at these verses, Luke 4:16-21.   

16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,  because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 

The return to Nazareth and to the synagogue is but a few verses but what we find here is precious to the eyes and ears of the believers. Now there is an order of service, if you will, in the synagogue as to reading and teaching. There is first the Shema, recitation of the Decalogue, the eighteen benedictions, the reading of the Scripture, the Psalms, the exposition, and the blessing. There would be people who were asked to led a prayer or a reading but here Luke gives us only part of that service. The Hazzan, or assistant would have handed Jesus the Scroll. It is possible that even in that day there were certain scriptures to be read, but Luke understood that Jesus himself chose this passage.

As we read this passage it is very clear that all Jesus does in the coming chapters occurs by the power of the spirit. The problem for some of these folks was that they found it hard to believe that God’s promises were for all people. We know that some of what Jesus said angered the people there that day. The Jews considered God to be theirs alone, they were jealous of the thought that others might be promised these things other than the Jews. They were so sure that they were god’s people that they tended to look down on all others. The wonder of it all does not stop here. Here was this Jesus, whom they all knew, preaching that all others, that meaning Gentiles also, which literally meant everyone, were favored in his message of grace and mercy. They were beginning to understand that this new message was unlike any they had dreamed possible. There is also a message here for us today. Jesus was always in synagogue on the Sabbath. There had to be many things that he found disagreement with and were a burden to him, but he went anyway. It was Jesus’ habit to join with those worshiping God on God’s day. How petty are the things that turn us from being among God’s people on God’s day.

Jesus brought the gospel good news. There are some other good things here. The grace of God has no boundaries, or limits. No one nation, church, group or race has any exclusivity in the promises of God. When we turn others away, we by our behavior turn away from God. There is a radical inclusiveness in the gospel that is all-powerful. At the same time, because of who we are, it sometimes produces in us barriers that keep us from loving all people. As long as we allow these barriers to exist, as long as we resist the teachings of Jesus as the gospel records, we can not be open to Jesus or the Holy Spirit. As long as we allow boundaries to separate us and limit our love for all God’s people, we can never truly be His. We will be blind, deaf and lost, just as those in that synagogue on that day so long ago were.

Thank you for coming by the Pew.

Life is Good

jk