Paul’s Charge to Timothy … 2 Timothy 2:8-10…Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. 9 And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. 10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.

Paul’s charge to Timothy is still relevant to us today, in fact it might be even more needed now for us in this period of Anti-Christian rhetoric. Paul’s second letter to Timothy focuses on solemn charges to the younger pastor and is meant to inspire him to continue to serve. Timothy, Paul’s protégé, his son in the Lord, needed to carry on Paul’s standard of sound teaching. He also reminds him of his Godly parentage from which he has come.  Paul has presented him with many examples in order to impress him of the importance of his task but none greater than the challenge to Remember Jesus Christ. A writer has written in the past that these words are ‘the heart of the Pauline gospel.’ There is no need to use a bunch of words to state the very obvious…Without the cross and the resurrection our faith is without merit. This is a simple post and I will keep it short and to the point. Paul has made a point to Timothy that we all would do well to remember… As christians we can find comfort, strength and direction in memories… Our comfort and strength and faith rests in a fact, a certainty. Three things we should always remember. Paul reminded Timothy of these.

1. RememberJesus Christ risen from the dead. When fears overwhelm, when doubt weakens our faith, when we feel inadequate, remember the presence of the risen Lord. We are never alone.

2)   RememberJesus Christ born of the seed of David. We remember someone who walked this road, just as we do. We have the memory of the Christ who knew the desperate struggle of being human and followed the will of God to the bitter end.

3)   Remember The Gospel. The gospel will demand much, it will test us beyond what we might consider to be greater than our human abilities…it can even at times paint a picture of a future darkened by every kind of threat. Remember the “Good News.” The world is in need of it and that same gospel is the message of liberation from sin and victory over circumstances for us and for all people.

The message here is clear…we need God’s word in our lives every day… we must realize that Jesus Christ has risen…He is a very real presence among us… there is the glory of the gospel, the humanity of our Master, forgiving grace and presence…we must never forget …

Matthew 28:20

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Life is Good

jk   

Welcome back to “The Porch”. Lot been going on out front but here on the porch its quite and provides a time of much needed reflection. I remember when my grandmother’s sister…everyone knew her as Aunt Mattie, family or not it was Aunt Mattie. She would always show up if one of us kids got a cold or really came down with anything. Back in the day my grandmother, who we called…Nonie…would call Dr. Long and he would show up at the house. Thats right, a house call, little black bag and a shot of penicillin followed by a glass of buttermilk. What I could never figure out was how Aunt Mattie beat him there every time with her personal “the kid is sick” medicine. It consisted of a teaspoon of Jack Daniels, equal amount of sugar, then to bed and every blanket in the house piled on top of you. Come morning you were soaking wet…but no fever. You would celebrate that with a bowl of steaming hot cream of wheat toped off with a table spoon of butter on top…real butter. I do believe that nothing says I love You more than cream of wheat and butter on top…real butter. There was something else I began to ponder and it went back to a better time and a warm and safe feeling that our kids are missing out on these days.

Those old church hymns… There were still some of those Tent Revivals going on and while I only remember going to one I can still smell that musty sawdust smell and canvas on a muggy summers eve. But it was the hymns I remember most. There was what I came to know as I got older the usual Hell and Damnation preaching and in some cases it didn’t stop until the Preacher’s voice gave out from all that hollering. But then the lady that played the piano, the hymn leader, usually of a rather stout build started to play all those wonderful hymns and there was not a hand in that tent that wasn’t raised nor a voice not raised in praise to the Lord. So as I leave the porch this evening see if you recall any of these wonderful hymns from back in a time life was simple. This one is for all you old Methodists that weren’t aware that we were at one time a pretty lively group.

“O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” Charles Wesley

Amazing Grace // John Newton, England (1779)

How Great Thou Art // Carl Gustav Boberg, Sweden (1885)

It is Well // Horacio  Spafford

Blessed Assurance // Fanny Crosby, New York City, USA (1873)

What a Friend We Have in Jesus // Joseph M. Scriven and Charles Converse, Ireland (1868)

“The Old Rugged Cross” – George Bennard

 “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” – Thomas Chisholm

“Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me” – Augustus Toplady

God Bless…Come back to “The Porch” next week.

This is classic evangelism. Jesus was arguing with the legal experts and Jewish leaders about the effect of the aspects of traditional law. I feel the use of the word arguing is a bit misleading. They, the Sadducees and the Sanhedrin Were jealous of the attention Jesus was getting and his growing influence among the people. It threatened their authority over the people and they were afraid of losing power and influence within the Roman system of government. Jesus recognized that the Scribes inclusion of the traditional law could actually mean disobedience to the law of God. There are some factors here we must take notice of. Jesus’ declaration that what goes into the person cannot possibly cause defilement, because the body itself gets rid of it in the normal physical way. These were astounding words as no Jew ever believed that and even today no orthodox Jew believes that. Just a quick reference to some interesting scripture fact found in Leviticus 11. There is a long list of clean and unclean foods. A Syrian king had determined to root out the Jewish faith. He decreed that the Jews were to eat pork and pig flesh, they refused and so strong was that covenant among the Jews that they chose to die by the hundreds rather than than betray it. With this one statement Jesus wiped out the laws which the Jewish people had suffered for and died, his disciples were amazed. Jesus had decreed that it was not what went into the body that made them unclean, it was what comes from their hearts that mattered most. Jesus made it clear that to knowingly sin was a choice we make on our own.

Here is a list that of things coming from the heart that make people unclean.

*evil designs-every outward sign is a result of an inward choice.

• Next The first word is fornications- we could say simply adultery but the first word and wider term is more appropriate as it includes every type of sexual vice.
• Next to keep it simple- thefts…a thief.
• Murders (phonoi) and adulteries come next in the list and their meaning is clear.
• covetous deeds- the love of having more.
• Evil deeds- That which a person has in their heart, the desire to harm others.
• Guile or trickery and deceit- an act of crafty, cunning, deceitful, clever treachery.
• Wanton wickedness- resenting all discipline, ignores all restraints, pure and wanton insolence. People of this nature have no shame or decency.
• Next is envy… resents others success and blessings…actively insulting other people or God.
• Pride… best describes the attitude of people ‘who have a certain contempt for everyone except themselves’.
• Last in the list is Folly…it is about people who are not fools or are brainless, but about those who chose act as such to seek an excuse for their behavior.

This list is about things that come from the human heart. It is not meant as a means to put humans down but to encourage an honest self- examination of our own hearts. You will find these listed in Mark 7:20-23. Examine your heart, what is in your heart?

Life is Good

jk

If you remember when I first started “The Back Porch” I referred  to it as a place to come to to clear your mind…a light exercise in thinking about something other than the day’s problems. The word I used to set the mood was to ponder about most anything you wanted to. A good ponder doesn’t require a great deal of knowledge about the subject, there are no rules and it does not require a solution. The following sorta breaks the rule but there are always going to be exceptions. This evening let’s ponder Compassion :

“Compassion involves “feeling for another” and is a precursor to empathy, the “feeling as another” capacity (as opposed to sympathy, the “feeling towards another”). In common parlance, active compassion is the desire to alleviate another’s suffering.”

Remember the old Laurel and Hardy movies, they were the Dean Martian and Jerry Lewis comedy team of the mid-twenties. They meant well but just couldn’t get it right… “another fine mess we are in Ollie” That is in a sense where we are as a country today…July 9, 2024, we are in a fine mess.There was a saying back in the day that the problem was “you couldn’t see the forest for the trees.” That may well be the problem today. Every pundit, talking head and media elite think they know it all… but they don’t know. I will not waste time making lists of what is wrong or how to fix it. Joe Biden is not physically or mentally able to serve another four years leading anything…most especially the USA. So…here is the ponder for this day. Do I want the good of this nation to be in the hands of those who have demonstrated such careless regard and disrespect for another person as have they for one Joe Biden. They have put their own selfish quest for power ahead of any reasonable care for a person who it is painfully apparent…struggles each day to meet the ordinary challenges of life itself.

My Goldwater Pin will most likely melt…and if he could, Ronald Reagan would choke on this one. I’m an American, Joe Biden is our President……God bless you Mr. President… May the goodness and grace of our Lord and savior be upon you.

“As Christians we know from Genesis, to Peter, Hebrews to Revelation the Bible is full of God’s promises and His Word reminds us that He is faithful.”

(https://www.compassionuk.org)

Are you standing on the promises? When life seems to be running over you, you can take comfort in the word…   2 Corinthians 1:20

20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

Jesus said and did many things as he walked among us here on this earth. This is just a short reminder that we are never alone… We can Stand On The Promises Of our Lord.

Please Read…

 Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

 John 14:6 Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’

John 8:12 I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

John 14:15-16 “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.”

 John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 11:25 Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.’

John 15:5 Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Matthew 28:20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:1-3 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? 3 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.

If you indeed did read the verses you will have the comfort of knowing that you are never alone. As a Christian you have because of the cross and Jesus dying for your sins, we all have been adopted into the family of God.

Life is Good

jk

It is always important that we understand the manner in which a word is used. Let’s start with Mark 7:9-13.

9 Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ 11 But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban’ (that is, an offering to God ) 12 then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, 13 thus nullifying the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.” (NRSVUE)

The word corban has two meanings in Jewish language. I will share the first one with you as it address the situation as written about here. The word meant a gift. It was used to describe some- thing which was specially dedicated to God. You might say, but like all things that are of man’s creation there was an evil intent here. It worked this way… If a mans mother of father had a dire need they could be denied by that person simply saying ‘I cannot give you any help because nothing that I have is available for you because it is dedicated to God.’ The Jews had over time become immersed in legalism and there were 613 Laws that the scribal legalists had added to God’s law…the Ten Commandments. This strict application of scribal law made it impossible to carry out the Ten Commandments. William Barclay wrote that was nothing less than a contradiction of the law of God. There are many things that impact the church today that are nothing more than a challenge to God’s Law. I prefer to view it as a perversion of Scripture as to God’s will and instructions to His people. Any thing that prevents us from helping others or doing good, can ever be of God. Next week we will again return to Mark 7:14-23. Jesus and Defilement. “The Reality of Defilement”

Life is Good

jk

I am still in rehab but here at the house. I am hoping that I might be able to walk again, well not like before, but with some sort of aid. I have some equipment coming next week that should enable me to once again get back to the porch. Had a thought the other day that of course led me to thinking so I put that aside for a ponder…so pull up a crate, box or if you are early you get the chair.If you get here late there is always the stoop. Consider this…bring an old folding chair and leave it here for the next time. This weeks ponder I have named “What’s that about?” Overheard a conversation awhile back at Starbucks. Two young folks were lamenting the cost of higher education and the fear they had about their student loans, all this while enjoying a $7.00 Mocha Frappuccino® Blended Beverage, a Venti to boot… This is skin weather, you know, so hot the less you have on the better. Last temp check I made It was 94 degrees. Lots of shorts and sandals and hoodies! Now what is that about? I had to do some research on this next one. Food prices are through the roof…one area that most everyone can agree has been hard hit by inflation. A lady was complaining to the cashier at a local big brand food store about how hard it was trying to feed a family of four. Couldn’t help notice that her basket also contained Blue Buffalo Delectables Chicken & Beef Dinner Variety Pack Grain-Free Wet Dog Food Topper, 3-oz pouches, case of 24. She had three Dinner Variety Packs, thats at least $90 plus tax. Now what is that about? Spotted a shirt I really like but it was priced at $40. The wife felt like in these times that was a bit too much… we weren’t at WallMart. Three weeks later she comes home from one of her touch and feel bargains hunt with that very shirt for me! When I questioned her about it she said it had been marked down. The store where she bought the shirt is on the high end, well known in most of your southern cities. Remember that just a short while ago that shirt was $40…but this outfit is known for its coupons and customer bucks rewards…She got the shirt for $15… Now what is that about? There is talk about the possibility of replacing the president on the ballot this November. He just isn’t in control of things…high inflation, cost of living, lack of border security…the list goes on. There was some talk by the Democrats of replacing him on the ballot with Gavin Newsom Governor of California. That’s just what we need…The califanation of the country. Now what is that about? Think I will ride this transport chair, that is a poor man’s wheel chair into the kitchen and get a cup of coffee.

In His earthly ministry Jesus did and said may things and here in Mark we see people in their hour of need witness the healing power of Jesus through the eyes and writings of Mark. All of us in this day will or has had an hour of need in our lives and from this story we see the power of faith come to fruition. I love sharing the scripture with others and going beyond the words. These were real people living in a time of great despair and and now in Jesus they have found hope. Join us in the Pew  as we share the wonder of the “word”. 

The scene, the crowd, and the main characters are introduced in verses 21-34. There is of course the crowd that had gathered around Jesus and in the crowd was the leader of the local synagogue, Jairus. Consider if you will that his daughter is only twelve years of age and according to Jewish custom, a girl became a woman at twelve years and one day. This young girl is on the threshold of womanhood which makes this untimely illness even more tragic. We are introduced to Jarius, the leader of the local synagogue. We know from history that such a man was of some considerable importance. This man was responsible for the  conduct of the services and seeing that the needs of the synagogue were carried out. Simply put the ruler of the synagogue was one of the most important and most respected men in the community. We must consider the fact that the activities of Jesus were not approved by the Jewish leadership as a whole. There were prejudices and we can be certain that they would have regarded Jesus as an outsider and yet this leader put those aside in his hour of need. Prejudice really means a judging beforehand. The customs of the Jews would have demanded that this leader or any jew avoid this man…Jesus.It was a dangerous move on his part but he loved his daughter. We must note that this man in his hour of need forgets his position and dignity and when he saw Jesus he threw himself at his feet. He is not the first man who forgot position or dignity to save life or soul. We also note he put aside his pride to ask for help from Jesus of Nazareth. No one likes to be indebted to anyone else…We would like to run our lives on our own. One of the first steps of Christian life is that we will always be indebted to God. Consider this…William Barclay sets forth the possibility that the man came to Jesus himself, a man of his position would have had someone he could send…so it would not be unreasonable to think that his friends and household did not agree with his calling in Jesus, he had no one he could send. Here we have an excellent example of defying public opinion. Another example of our worldly-wise friends thinking we are acting like fools. This type of action occurs when we are at our wisest. It is because he chose to forget position and privilege and seek the help of Jesus and when we chose Jesus we have a Savior for eternity.  

We must not forget the woman that was suffering from a hemorrhage which had lasted for twelve years. This type of issue carried with it a particular problem of heavy personal cost. it also rendered her continuously unclean and shut her off from the worship of God and the fellowship of her friends (Leviticus 15:25–7). She had tried everything that was available for her in that day to no avail. In her desperation she was forced to come to Jesus… No one should need to be driven to Christ by the force of circumstances, and yet many come that way but even so none are turned away.

Every story has an ending and this one in Mark is no different. Jesus goes to the home of Jarius and raises the young girl to life and health. The woman manages to work her way through the crowd and get close enough to reach out to Jesus. The crowd surrounds Jesus but she somehow is able to touch the hem of his garment and is healed of her affliction. So…what might we learn of this biblical record of Jesus’ ministry? The answer is that faith is a strong motivation and in “Our Hour Of Need” Jesus responds to that need put forth in FAITH.

Life is Good

jk

Well I’m home now and that much closer to the “porch”. There are a lot of things that you miss being away from home and one of them is the food, your favorite and such.  When you come back home there is always a flood of memories that overwhelms your mind. My wife is a great cook and one thing she makes is well are different soups. I had asked her to fix me a big pot of homemade beef vegetable soup. Of all the things I could think of that top my list for this day. So…it is only natural that I not let a great “ponder” like this go by. 

Why does moms cooking taste the best? My mom was not always the best cook but we ate a lot like many military families did, out of a can or box from the base grocery. Our family was always moving, that’s where I guess my mom picked up the habit that quick and convenient was a good thing. But there was always  grandmother and an assortment of aunts that kept the old stove going. Ponder this…why did the food taste better? In some cases I think it was a generational thing, for example. it carries with itself reinforcements of positive childhood memories. In most cases it was a simpler time and they weren’t worried about bills and jobs and where your next paycheck is coming from. Remember how that wonderful aroma, that appealing smell…seemed to travel on clouds of anticipation from the kitchen through out the house and on a really hot day with the windows up out into the yard. For example, how about the “aroma of fresh-baked bread”? Another thing…a lot of love went into every meal. It was family crafted! Every one of those ladies knew what their family liked and they would sometimes even take a little time to adjust a recipe to fit the families taste. One other thing they could do. They could put together a last minute meal that would amaze everyone…Recall this…. “Don’t worry, I’ll throw something together.” Well Time to go to supper… I can smell that soup!