We start the new year off with Chapter 6 of Hebrews and a reminder that we have a responsibility as people of the Faith to grow and learn that which we are charged by our Lord and Savior to do. There must be progress in the Christian life. Just as a builder lays a good foundation, he moves on to other aspects of the build to ensure its completion. The word used by the writer of Hebrews translates from the Greek to perfection.

‘Philo. … 50 CE), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. Philo used philosophical allegory to harmonize Jewish scripture, mainly the Torah, with Greek philosophy.’  (*1)

Philo divided his students into three groups. There were those just beginning, those who were making progress and those beginning to reach maturity. This is often referred to as going on to perfection. We must not allow ourselves to be mislead by this use of the word perfection. We know or should be aware of the fact that we will never reach perfection in this life. Most commentaries agree that what the writer is more concerned with here is the aspect of maturity, giving us two things to consider.

-He equates it to something to do with the mind. As we grow older we should have by this time thought out some things in life and be better able to articulate our faith in Jesus and why we believe he is the Son of God. We should have a deeper understanding of the importance and significance of the Christian faith and living as a disciple of Christ.

-He means it has something to do with life. Our lives should reflect Christ more and more as we seek to remove the spiritual faults and striving for a more virtuous life. There should be in our lives a spiritual peace that can be seen by those around us. We must continue to build upon the foundation of faith and share that faith with a maturity gained in reflective study of God’s word.

We are only into the first three verses of this chapter and the intensity of the writer can be experienced in the words he puts to the paper. There are some basic teachings of the early Church revealed in these verses. The repentance of sins is a major event in the early christian life. Putting aside those things that separate us from Christ, a literal change to how we live life. There is a faith that looks to God. Our actions are determined not by the actions of others but by the will of God as  given by the discernment of the Holy Spirit. Then there is the teachings about washings. Simply put, Christians must know what baptism really means. I am going to stop here and pick up next week with some things about baptism that are extremely interesting concerning the many different methods employed in the Christian church today. We will look at the biblical explanation of this very important step on our journey to perfection. Please join us in the Pew next week.

Life is Good

jk

Sources .   (*1) Wikipedia      DBS/Barclay  

It has been full evening, Christmas Eve services and dinner and gifts with Pat, Amy and Steve. It is hard to believe that I have been around for seventy-six of them. I can remember back in the day, way back, standing in the backyard at my grandmother’s house, looking up at the sky and wondering if Santa would be able to see the house with all these trees around it. I don’t remember when I first figured out about Santa and the connection between him and my parents, you just knew, nobody told you, it just suddenly happened. Just like girls and the fact that boys never got the connection with them, they just suddenly happened to be there and you never gave it a thought as to why you had always avoided them. Continuing in that vein of thinking I wonder why some of us suddenly become aware of Jesus Christ, after all he has always been there and unlike other things, he will always be there. I always believed Santa would come and my dad being a career military man, we weren’t always in the same place every Christmas. I never doubted for a minute that Santa would not find us wherever we were. I guess you might say that was my first exposure to faith. As young as I was I don’t know if I even understood what that meant. Even though we moved often it never kept my mother from keeping us in church. As the years went on I would gain a little more faith and that word began to insert itself into my life at a greater frequency . I don’t know why but as hard as it might be to believe I really did not hear it that much in church. My first real experience with faith left me with the knowledge that I was missing something and perhaps I needed to look that word up. My revelation came as I took my position at right tackle in the ninth grade, on a practice field in Texas. I believe a country band once had a song about “having a fiddle in the band if you want to play in Texas”. Well, if you’re not from Texas and you weigh 150 pounds, you have to have faith that the 185 pound tackle across from you, who has been playing football from the day he could walk will not get off the count before you make a pathetic attempt to block him. I had my faith tested many times but it was a while before I realized that it was my faith that made me stand in that gap, I always believed I could do it.Time after time my faith said I could do it but the result was not always to my liking. What brought me to think about this thing called faith on this Christmas Eve?  It is the perfect time to ponder the question of faith. Think about it. Mary is a virgin and yet she has conceived a child, her husband Joseph is confronted by an Angel and puts aside conventional customs, honoring the betrothal and they journey to Bethlehem which just happens to fill the prophecy of the scriptures. There in a manger, with a star to mark the place of birth the Son of God is born and the heavens are alive with the praises in song and word, honoring the birth of Christ. So begins God’s reconciliation to his people.

Faith can often be an elusive thing in the secular world. It is difficult when you realize that  having faith means understanding that you have no control, what will be, will be. Add to that the mistaken belief of some of your peers that there is a greater power, whether it be a God, the universe, or just karma that controls your destiny and you might start think you will need a bigger boat. Hebrews Chapter 11, what I call the faith and hero’s chapter states very plainly ….Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. You can’t get much plainer than that. Faith is also complete trust or confidence in someone or something, for the Christian that person is Jesus Christ. Christians are encouraged through scripture …Corinthians 16:13 ‘Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.’ To have a relationship with God and Jesus you must have faith. You have to transcend the things of this world and value the things promised, believe the Word even those things unseen and have the conviction that what we believe in faith will come to pass, then faith becomes something real and a part of our lives that we now possess in its entirety. It is the assurance that a God given faith will overcome the things of this world, an overcoming faith that only a believer can possess. 1 John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. It is taking God at His Word.

So as we celebrate the birth we might ask ourselves, does faith abide within our hearts or in the lights and presents and the seasonal celebrations we value so much. I hope you have had a wonderful time with family and the New Year brings you the Good News and may the FAITH of our fathers abide with you always.

Life is Good

jk

We have become so causal in our reception of this story of the birth of Christ that that the words have become just a marker or part of the seasons events as we make our way to the tree and the presents. The wonder of what happened that night so long ago is celebrated in song, candle light services for some of us and for some a Christmas Eve Mass and then the rush to gather round the tree and open presents. I wanted to move beyond the traditions and rote of the season to look a bit closer at the events leading up to the birth and the Angels in heaven as they celebrated “to you this day is born” and the humility of the Shepherds  as they stood watching over their sheep. I will turn to Luke’s account of this night of nights, Luke 2: 1-20.

First thing, over the years there has been some question as to the validity of the edict concerning the census. I use a reference from the DBS page 25 which is an actual government edict from that time and reads as follows:

Gaius Vibius Maximus, Prefect of Egypt orders: ‘Seeing that the time has come for the house-to-house census, it is necessary to compel all those who for any cause what- soever are residing outside their districts to return to their own homes, that they may both carry out the regular order of the census, and may also diligently attend to the cultivation of their allotments.’

This is important to the story because it another instance where increased knowledge shows the accuracy of the New Testament. It is understood that even in this time the old tribal ancestries still required men to go the headquarters of their tribe for all such things as well as religious duties. This important detail adds creditability to why Joseph and Mary undertook such an arduous journey at this time in her pregnancy. The journey would not be an easy one and the path of their route would expose them to temperatures as low as thirty degrees at night. The distance they traveled was about eighty miles and accommodations for travelers was primitive at best. I don’t want to burden this blog down with too much information but it is necessary to paint a picture in our minds other than Joseph, the donkey and Mary on a dirt road. The accommodations would be an ordinary eastern Khan which was a series of stalls opening off a common courtyard. So here in this common courtyard Mary’s child was born amid the chaos and usual sights and sounds of a manger. Manger translated means a place where animals feed.  Travelers provided their own food and there would be fodder for the animals and a communal  cooking fire, we need not burden ourselves with the numerous details that over the years have become associated with this moment. Again from the DBS is this little gem. That there was no room at the inn is perhaps symbolic of the fact that even now in this world today there is no room for his entry into the hearts of people around him. It is sad to admit that his rejection goes on even today. The child would have been placed on a square piece of cloth and then a long bandage like strip running diagonally off one corner would be wound around him. There were no special arrangements made and the Son of God, he who would reconcile the people to the Father, the bringer of salvation for all came among the people in a most ordinary way, subject to the elements of the day, fulfilling the prophecies as written and the world would never be the same.

As we read on the sounds of familiar hymns play out their stories in our minds and visions of Angels are seen before us as the heavens rejoice. The shepherds in the field have a story to tell also. They were despised by the good orthodox people because they were not able to keep the details of the ceremonial law. There job required their complete attention to the care and safe guarding of the sheep. They could not always observe all the rules like the hand washings, prayer before bed or when first rising in the morning, they had no regular schedules as the flocks made constant demands on them. To these simple men the message came first as they labored in the fields. There is a possibility or in all likelihood, that these were very special shepherds, most likely these were the flocks which were pastured close to Bethlehem. Because it was required to offer an unblemished lamb in the morning and evening it would be necessary to have the flocks close by and they were the private property of the Temple authorities. It was also a custom that when a boy was born musicians would gather at the home to greet the birth with simple music. Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem, there was no way for this custom to take place…but the angels sang the songs, all of the heavens rejoiced as the Son of God came among us. We today have the privilege of raising our voices in praise of he who came among us seeking no special privileges, to live as we live and to offer the gift of salvation, forgiveness of our sins and a fuller life for all God’s people.

May you raise your voice in praise, fall on your knees and know the wonder of this night, beyond the tree, lights and presents.

God Bless, Life is Good

jk

There is the fact that society’s values are in an ever-changing mode. Because of the many means of communication available to us today that change happens much quicker. The haste to comply, accept, or find ways around these changing values is proving to be a difficult task for the church. We, society and our changing culture tend to bring this issue of values down to one or two, focus on them, not seeing an overall vision for society, in short we focus on those issues we hold personally acceptable. We tend to believe that values are a personal thing and are restricted to a specific group, which in turn leads us to the acceptance that there is a natural gap between community life and life within the community of faith, the church. We lose sight of the fact that it is our responsibility as Christians to bridge that gap and take to society what the church has to offer. When we speak of values exactly what does that word mean. The dictionary gives this answer to the meaning of personal values as a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life.

The gap we are looking at is the one between the church community and society. Like all things in this era of digital enlightenment nothing is ever simple. Just a side thought to this is that perhaps we have become so dependent on this world of digital enlightenment we forgot how to think things through, just put it in and press enter. I did just that to get a definition of the word values. Wasn’t all that bad and I settled on this one.

‘Basic human values refer to those values which are at the core of being human. The values which are considered basic inherent values in humans include truth, honesty, loyalty, love, peace, etc. because they bring out the fundamental goodness of human beings and society at large.’There is that word toward the end of the paragraph that is what I refer to as an influencer. The word society makes the task of the church difficult because the concept of society is so viable as to content it is hard to access it as anything other than confusingly inclusive.

Here is a definition of society: ‘A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.*

 Let me add to the paragraph above this little caveat. Social values are a set of moral principles defined by society dynamics, institutions, traditions and can be influenced often by cultural beliefs. Consider this…  ‘Social values form an important part of the culture of the society. … They provide the general guidelines for social conduct. Values such as fundamental rights, patriotism, respect for human dignity, rationality, sacrifice, individuality, equality, democracy etc. guide our behavior in many ways’**

 At this point it is clear that the gap is more than just a small divide or reasonable disagreement as to how we bridge this gap. Faith and good intentions requires works and that requires going outside the walls and being among people. Matthew, Mark and Luke gave us some direction. The charge has been given, the command has been received and it has been written…. We are to go out into all the world, share and teach what Jesus has taught us. Luke writes that we also must  preach repentance and remission of sins to the world in Jesus’ name, the same beginning at Jerusalem, in other words it starts at home. The values that create the gap are a reflection of what we teach at home to our families, within our church community and are the foundation of our faith. We have the power to influence the cultural influences that shape society by showing people a better way to live. If I were to list the first thing we must do to bridge the gap, it would be to restore the family. The destruction of family values and moral teachings has weaken the impact of faith based values in our country and allowed the impact and acceptance of cultural changes to set societies values and norms. Last week I focused on those Advent candles, Peace, Hope, Joy and Love, which were part of a paper written by Brian Edgar about the ‘Eight Core Christian Values’. The other four are grace, faith, service and justice. I am going to bring this weeks blog to a close looking at two of these last four, service and justice. A Christian perspective of justice puts many of us in a state of uncomfortableness. We all accept the fact that slavery in any form is wrong and justice would demand we not enable it in any way or accept it as having ever being right. The fact that so many people are hungry and without shelter in a nation of such wealth is an injustice. Christian justice demands that the weak and disadvantaged are cared for wether they deserve it or not. Simply put, we cannot apply the concepts or agreed values of society to do justice for those less fortunate among us. The grace, mercy and love of all people is God’s way and he calls on us to do the same. I encourage you to go to the scriptures and seek justice as defined by God. Closing out with service, and the thought that we should be able to do what suits me, my family or my group best is really opposite a biblical perspective. We as Christians are called to lay that notion aside and embrace the fact that service is giving of ones self that others might be saved. The laying aside of our needs to meet the needs of others. The putting aside a self-centered attitude and serving all humanity as Christ did when he died on that cross for all God’s people.

We can bridge that gap by showing the community what we have to offer in the way of improving our social and cultural community by sharing the values of our Christian community and going beyond the word and doing those things that matter to those in need. Knowing and doing God’s will is a wonderful thing but love without a hug is just a word. Thanks for being in the pew this week, come back, there is always room.

Life is Good

jk. 

* https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society‘ 

**http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sociology/the-meaning-and-functions-of-social-values-sociology/8522

It is that time of year, “Tis The Season” a time of the year that family, friends and oddly enough people we don’t have a close relationship with can and do affect our lives. It is a time more than any other that cruelly empathizes the haves from the have nots. For many it is a time of great joy and families coming together but for others it is a time of stress brought about by family discord, financial worries and the memories of those who will not be around the table this year, just to name a few. This is also a time that the cultural pressures of the season overwhelm the “reason for the season”. This brings me to those candles, the ones that speak to Peace, Hope, Joy and Love. I am always looking for those little gems that can enrich our lives and I am not bashful to share them and the remarkable people who give them to us. Such is the case of  an article I found in the publication Evangelical Alliance Faith and Politics, Eight Core Christian Values, written by Brian Edgar, Director of Theology and Public policy for the Evangelical Alliance. I share with you some points he makes in the article, always remembering the Christian celebration of Advent prepares us for the birth of Jesus Christ and the beginning of the reconciliation of the creator to his people. It brings to us four core values of the season which are presented in the four candles that are part of the advent wreath.

Here then are some remarkable observations and expanded thoughts behind those candles from Brian Edgar.

PEACE

For many of us peace means an absence of war but taken in a biblical sense, there is a much broader concept to the word. Peace is the state of being at peace with our God, having positive interactions with other people, both secular and spiritual. There is for lack of a better word a material security and the understanding that also includes the realizations that this is a peace given of God through the gift of Jesus Christ to the world. There was at one time a Roman Peace known as paxromana which was established and maintained by force. We can mistake stability as peace but the truth is that no Christian should be complacent as long as injustice, greed and dissension are present.

HOPE

Contrary to popular thinking there is no guarantee that bad things won’t happen and sometimes positive thinking or looking on the bright side of life will not always work. Hope is knowing that Jesus Christ has gone on into the future for us and will always be there for us. Hope encourages us to not overlook the good of this life and it gives us the strength to take risks with an attitude of humility and a prayer of thanksgiving, knowing that God is still at work. There are so many situations that we will encounter in this life that will test our hope but we must always remember this. ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.’ (Rom. 15:13)

JOY

Here are some thoughts about joy.

-Joy is a quality of being and much more than just an emotion.

-It comes from being a part of God’s ministry in the world and from seeing lives being positively changed and relationships enhanced.

-Relationships are an important part of our experience in church society. We should celebrate with great joy the successes of our church family effort. 

-Joyfulness should mark the life of the Christian community and all relationships between Christians as they live and work together for the Lord. (‘Evangelical Alliance Faith and Politics, Eight Core Christian Values’ )

LOVE

The meaning of love is found in Jesus Christ. Our Lord’s unconditional love is the most powerful of all things and is extended to all of creation. There are many things in this life that bring fear and uncertainty to all people. They are fueled by destructive relationships and damaging situations that in turn make us defensive, distrusting and fearful thus keeping us from experiencing a God who is loving, giving and a source of strength. Love conquers all fears and enables us to extend God’s invitation to all to be transformed and saved.

I alluded to it a bit in the opening paragraph but just as a reminder it is also the season for compassion, a state of being that makes us conscious of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it. Join us again next week here in the pew.

Life is Good

jk

…Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts on the day of his fierce anger’ (Isaiah 13:10–13).

In 2 Peter 3:10 we see Peter tie the OT picture of the day of the Lord with the NT picture of the second coming of Jesus Christ. Painting a picture with words was a staple of Old and New Testament writing. The concept of the second coming is in many ways difficult for many to understand or accept because there is the accountability factor to be considered. Many spend a life time avoiding or refusing to accept religion, faith or Jesus Christ into their lives but the truth is we cannot escape from the certainty of the entry of God into our own life experience. This week in the pew we will look at the moral dynamics, the certainty of that day, the avoidance of scripture pointing to it and the need for all Christians to have a firm foundation in the faith and to grow continually unto that day.

We will be looking at 2 Peter 3:11-18. Peter is interested in the moral condition of the people he is dealing with. When these things come to pass those who have sought to live a holy life will be judged righteous and fit to live in this new world. Those who have sought with all their minds and hearts to be righteous in his sight will be rewarded. As Christians we have the goal of preparing for the day of the Lord and our salvation. If there is nothing after death, life is taking us nowhere. The Gentiles of the day had no goal for this world or for individual life, you were born, lived and died … that was it. If we live a life with no goal other than death, then we develop an attitude that mirrors this ancient Greek or Roman epitaph. ‘I was nothing: I am nothing. So thou who art still alive, eat, drink, and be merry.’ Nothing matters much if the end of everything is just that … the end. Here we can appreciate Petter’s concern for the way people are living. When you have nothing to live for but just today there is a feeling of emptiness, of being lost and no self worth, the second coming is important, it is hope, it demands a certain amount of preparing with the goal being ready for the Lords Day. These people were living as if they were coming from nowhere on the way to nowhere. When we ignore the teaching about the second coming and the truth it preserves, that life is going somewhere is gone, then without that conviction there is nothing to live for. There is more in these first three verses. Peter allows that there are ways we can hasten the coming of Christ.

-The earnest prayers of Christians ‘your kingdom come’ (Matthew 6:10). Prayer opens our hearts to the coming of the King.

-Proclaiming the word throughout the world, everyone must know. Active evangelism can help hasten the coming of the King.

-Lastly we should remember penitence and obedience. The old Rabbis used to say , “it is the sins of the people that prevent the coming of the Messiah.” True penitence and obedience and the opening of our hearts to Christ will hasten the day we all look for.

In the next set of verses Peter warns of those who would distort the Scripture for their desires and he then closes this last set of verses with  reference to a firm foundation and continual growth. (2 Peter 3:15-18) A couple of thoughts here, Peter cites Paul as having the same thought as himself, that a pious and holy life is necessary in preparing for the coming of the Lord. Both Peter and Paul agreed that the fact that God withholds his final action is never to be used as an excuse for sinning but always as a means of repentance and the goal of reaching everyone with the word. Peter says, there are things in Paul’s writings that are hard to understand; there are things which people will use to benefit their way of living. Three things come immediately to mind.

-Paul’s doctrine of grace was being used as an excuse and even a reason for sin (Romans 6).

-Paul’s doctrine of Christian freedom was twisted into an excuse for unChristian behaviors. (Galatians 5:13).

-Paul’s doctrine of faith was twisted into an argument that Christian action was unimportant, as we see in James that way of thinking is wrong (James 2:14–26). 

Taking Christian truth and Holy Scripture and turning it into an excuse and even a reason for doing what they want to do instead of taking them as guides for doing what God wants them to do had become the norm of the day and unfortunately that is also the situation we in the Christian community are facing today. Peter closes in verses 3:17-18 with a warning and some instructions. Christians are people who are forewarned, they cannot plead ignorance.When you know what is right and do wrong you are under a double condemnation. Christians have a reason for life, which is rooted and founded in the faith.We should never cease to be aware that it is our duty of making our lives fit that belief. The Christian life is both a life with a firm foundation and at the same time a life which continues to grow outward and upward. Glory to Christ, Now and Forever ….

Life is Good

jk

It is an ongoing saga that if past events hold true it will have no end. I am referring to the same-sex debates that have and are raging in the Methodist Church this very day and decades past. In conferences, annual and general, districts, small groups and regional, the number of meetings, resources and time devoted to this issue is staggering. The damage done and still being inflicted on the Church is taking a toll in our ability to “answer the call”. The saddest result of this ongoing train wreck is the amount of time and resources that could be better used sharing the word of God with all people, every where, every day. As I write this today I do so from a laymen’s view from the pew. I say to you up front that there is a certain amount of personal opinion in this weeks blog and like most opinion not to be taken as fact; opinion is not fact. I am using for reference material a two letters written in 1859 and 1860 by James Smith and also referencing The New Interpreter’s Bible. Let’s start with the NIB. Last week I shared with you some facts about Psalm 119. One of the interesting comments at the end of the Reflections section has remained with me all week. Psalm 119 does not encourage us to retreat to a narrow view of Scripture, such an action would make the Bible an idol. The writer of 119 recognized written forms as one source of God’s word but does not encourage us to limit our relationship with Him to just written sources. Being open to God’s word in other sources leads us to a greater understanding of the Scripture as the word of God. What follows that statement is what got my attention. While Scripture should be honored as a source of God’s revelation to us, pay close attention here, “it is always to be heard… in conversation with the theological tradition of the church and within the context of the contemporary place and time. Without such action God’s ability to speak to His people is anchored entirely in the past and there is no possibility of God’s continuing to reveal God’s self.” Many times the Bible is referred to as The Living Word, that which inspires, teaches and is the foundation of our faith. It is to be read, heard,  and proclaimed with an openness to the direction of the Holy Spirit. It is at this point we encounter unmediated divine teaching. That leads us to the question of who leads this Methodist Church to discern the word of God for our time and place?

Let’s start with the word unmediated, the simple meaning of which is, without anyone or anything intervening or acting as an intermediate. Next let’s look at the word divine. Simple definition would be, like God or of God. We could say that life’s distractions can keep us from discerning God’s divine will in our lives and the life of the church. The distractions and pressures from within and without the church concerning this issue are numerous and at times confusing. Now here is some of that opinion I wrote of earlier. One fact is that influence and time do change people over time and time is one of the most valuable assets of those who favor the changes to the Book of Discipline and the more progressive wing of the church. The pressure from outside groups has been unrelenting. Social justice warriors and the cultural changes that naturally occur overtime have increased the attention to the issue and if that is not enough, it seems the people in the pews lost their voices somewhere along the way some time ago. One other disturbing point has been the lack of leadership in regard to enforcing the laws of the church and speaking to the doctrine and church law as expressed in the Book of Discipline. One of the bigger things of this debate to emerge is the concern in regard to monies and properties. It’s kinda like a who gets what if we divorce thing. Like many of the others in the pew I just want to worship, praise and serve my God and my Church. That brings me back to the question of who leads this Methodist Church to discern the word of God for our time and place? One thing is for certain, if God is not in it then it will fail and that brings me to the only solution I believe will serve God and the Methodist Church. We are in dire need of Divine Teaching.

The Holy Spirit is the great teacher of the church and no one can teach like him. Our subject should be Christ, and to know Christ is life everlasting. What we have now matters, but then the little we do know will not meet our needs unless we know Christ. No one can learn to know Christ by himself — a teacher is necessary. It is our hearts, not our heads which need to be taught, and no man can get at the heart — thus a Divine teacher is necessary. That teacher, the Spirit is provided as promised by Jesus. “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things.” John 14:26. The Apostle John, speaking of the Holy Spirit, as the anointing, says, “The same anointing teaches you.”

“As a teacher, the Holy Spirit . . . enlightens the darkened mind, shines on the truth to be taught, and so informs and corrects the judgment. The Holy Spirit, leads us directly to Christ; and the more we experience of his teaching, the more precious Christ becomes, and the more simple and entire is our dependence upon him.” (James Smith)

It does matter how we as the people in the pews, the leadership both organizational and in the Pulpit arrive at our decision. A Spirit anointed people have no need of painted signs, disrupting meetings, creating disturbances to hinder open discussions or any of the numerous distractions designed to confuse. Through the Spirit we will get to know ourselves by knowing the Savior better. We will be rewarded with practical results because the Spirit leads us to Christ. In the Spirit we will find great wisdom and we will be humbled by His grace as He teaches and informs us. We must assume an attitude of humility and bowing in prayer acknowledge that if we are not taught by the Spirit we are in a dreadful state, having no real understanding of ourselves. We need a saving acquaintance with the Lord Jesus. There should be a day when all the church comes together and on bended knee prays for the Spirit to give us the discernment needed to understand the Scripture as it applies in this day and is God will for his people and the Methodist Church.

“Teach me what I do not know.” Job 34:32

“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me!” Psalm 25:4-5

“All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children’s peace.” Isaiah 54:13.

May we come together and end this nightmare.

Life is Good       

jk

Psalms has been described by some as God speaking to his people and the people speaking to God. Psalms are one of the most read books of the Bible. They are quoted often in the New Testament writings and are a prominent part of church liturgy often quoted in many prayers and doctrinal statements. There are 150 psalms and they are divided into five books. We are going to go to Book 5 which includes Psalms 107 through 150. As the title above indicates we are going right to the center of the Bible. It has been said that Psalm 119 is at the very center of the Bible. There are those who dispute this, believing Psalm 118 to be that point. There is one fact about Psalm 119 that is undeniable, it is the longest psalm, 176 verses, nearly double the length of the longest psalm in the whole book and also we have to mention its curious composition. I wanted to be sure I got this right so here is an excerpt from John Gill’s commentary.

“It consists of twenty two parts, according to the number of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet; the names of which letters stand between each part; and every part consists of eight verses, all of which begin with the same letter: thus, for instance, the first eight verses begin with the letter א, “aleph”, and the second eight verses begin with the letter ב, “beth”, and so on throughout; hence the *Masorah calls this psalm the Great Alphabet. (*the collection of information and comment on the text of the traditional Hebrew Bible by the Masoretes. • the Masoretic text of the Bible.) There are many reasons for this, a couple being to gain attention and the other being to help the memorizing of this psalm. Most all of the verses has something concerning the word of God as to precepts and ordinances and there are the use of words that convey that point; laws, statutes, judgements and testimonies to name a few. There is no mention of tabernacle worship or rites and ceremonies, leaving the impression that the whole design is to show the passion the psalmist had for the word of God, and to stir up the same in others. For this week we will look at the First Part verses 1-8.Psalm 119

Psalm 119    The Glories of God’s Law

1 Happy are those whose way is blameless,

who walk in the law of the Lord.

These are those who seek the straight and narrow way to salvation and eternal life. They walk in faith while others stumble, become prisoners of sin and turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the word of God. They value the commandants and ordinances of their God. They will be influenced by the love of God and strive to live to their God given ability to persevere enabled by His presence in their lives.

2 Happy are those who keep his decrees,

who seek him with their whole heart,

We should hold fast the faithful word of the Gospel, let no circumstances take it from us. We should be desirous of observing the law of God, obeying the ordinances of the Gospel, with love and faithfulness; doing so by prayer and supplication, with a true heart, and in sincerity seeking to know more of him. We must seek earnestly  our God and Christ, his kingdom and righteousness and the mercy and grace of his love for us. We must do so with our whole heart and mind.

3 who also do no wrong,

but walk in his ways.

None of us are free of sin or from the acts of sin that surround us each day. We will make mistakes from but that is not our desire or goal. We are not corrupt by nature and seek to walk in the ways of God and Christ. It is here we find good and happy people.

4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.

We sometimes overlook the fact that God did not ask this of us, he commanded that it be done. We should hold in high regard the precepts, commandments, statutes, and judgments of God because they were commanded by him. Repeat, there is no option or other choice.(Deuteronomy 6: 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.)

5 O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

The steps of those of the faith are directed by the Lord. Man’s mind, affections, and direction are the results of the guidance of the Spirit and grace of God. A good man knows that he alone cannot keep the statutes and remains steadfast in the way with God and Christ in his life. (Jeremiah 10:23I know, O Lord, that the way of human beings is not in their control, that mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps.)

6 Then I shall not be put to shame,

having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

I shall no longer be afraid of God, instead there shall be a wondrous awe and need to speak of Him in the presence of others. I shall not fear His coming or the judgement, for I have salvation through Him. This promise is mine and I shall guard it by steadfastly continuing in the commandments not merely in the theory, but in the practice and experience of them, always seeking God’s will in my life.

7 I will praise you with an upright heart,

when I learn your righteous ordinances.

Psalm 9: 1-2

1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

We can add very little to these verses from Psalm 9. We should note Verse 7 mirrors verse 6 to some degree. Here in verse 7 there is notice of the need to learn the precepts, to become proficient in them and to continue to utter forth the most sincere praise and thankfulness.

We finish this first section in verse 8.

 8 I will keep thy statutes,

O forsake me not utterly

The Psalmist admits here that he alone cannot possibly keep the statutes but was desirous of observing them in the best manner he could, as assisted by the grace of God.

I encourage you to read the entire Psalm 119 and you might consider making a visit to the Psalms a regular part of you personal worship plan. Here in Psalms you will find “the biblical vision of faithful folk from all times and places, gathered, as the psalmists of old, to acknowledge God’s reign by singing a new song.” (New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 4, PG 675)

Glad to have you in the pew this week, come back, we are blessed and thankful for your presence.

Life is Good

jk

Crude way of saying that within the Christian fellowship and The Family of God there are privileges, referred to as blessings within the faith. To lead a christian life is difficult and requires a great deal of faith and perseverance. You will at times fail and sometimes the way back is not that easy. Today’s world has many hills to climb and every now and then a mountain to climb and the pressures of this life will bring about a certain amount of anxiety, depression and can overwhelm your faith. There are many ways to comfort those who we know to be facing these things in their life, the most common being a kind word, offer of help and one that I hear often, the quoting of scripture. One of the most quoted is from Philippians.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

You might say it is a family tradition, this comfort found within the word, of which there are according to my research at least 53 relevant verses. Something about this family thing you should know. When Christ died on the cross, was resurrected and ascended to heaven to sit on the right hand of the Father, you were, on the blood of our savior adopted into the Family of God. What does that mean? To us, all of us there is the gift of salvation and all the rights and privileges of the Family of God, it is our inheritance.

Psalm 69: 29

29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain— may your salvation, God, protect me.

The Bible refers to anxiety, but the word itself may not be found all that often. In the English Standard Version, it is used 8 times. In the New International Version, it is found 7 times. The King James Version does not use the word at all. Words often used in its place are trouble, heaviness, distress, and cares. There are many causes for anxiety and the severity of which will vary from person to person. Broken relationships, guilty conscience, unfilled desires and the list goes on. One primary reason is the weight of sin. All sin separates us from God and many times we forget the way back due to the weight that anxiety puts on us. We must learn to look to our God for restoration and forgiveness, remember it is a family thing. 

Psalm 68:20  Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

As Christians we must recognize that there are times that more than words are needed.

Acts 3 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. 4 Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 

Note here in this story from Acts that Petter reached out and physically took the man’s hand, assisting him to rise up. There will be times when more than just words will be needed to assist those for whom the anxieties of life have overwhelm their faith.

Matthew 6: 25-26                      NRS                            

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 

Let’s take a moment and go beyond the words. Why would you not worry about your life in general? It would seem that food and clothing would be a natural. God gave us life and it should follow that he would provide us with the lesser things in life. We should also have the faith to believe that He who gave us life would also give us food to sustain that life and garments to clothe those bodies which He created for us. Verse 26 does not imply that the birds do not work hard for what they have but rather they do so not worrying about tomorrow. They do not waste precious time worrying about accumulating stuff for the future, God will provide.

Matthew 6: 32-34

32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Anxiety destroys faith and in verse 33 we have a very specific command for living a Christian life. I will close with these verses from Philippians 4: 8,

8 Finally, beloved,  whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Life is Good  God is Great

jk