We are warned, through scripture, that in the last days people will not endure sound doctrine, but seek teachers who tell them what they want to hear… a ‘feel good’ or ‘prosperity’ gospel without true repentance or the power of His words to sanctify and guide us to life eternal by transforming our hearts, minds and lives to do the will of God. We are living in a time that defies sound doctrine, we, the church, have set aside sound doctrine in our rush to be remain relevant in the changes taking place in our culture and society.  I have heard people give many different reasons for this mess the church finds itself in. One phrase that sticks in my mind is one I hear often, those people. I have found an interesting anomaly in this term. I have found that those people without question think that it is those people who’re the problem. Confused, read the next sentence. I have found that those people, all those people, believe in God and believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God. If those people are truly believers we have a whole other problem to deal with. You see if they were non-believers it would be so much easier to push them aside with the old southern phrase “bless your heart” but in this case they are as good as family, well they are family. After last weeks blog I got to thinking that maybe this mess is not about those people, yes including all those people. It just might be about us. We, after all have always been told, we are the church. We might be known for “Open Minds, Hearts and Doors” but is it possible somehow our minds are shut to meaningful study and discussion. We need to put aside this blame game, word play and the disgraceful lack of leadership in the defense of the written word and get back to what we are called to be doing.  Please read the following statement from the Methodist Church.

Wesleyan Quadrilateral

The phrase which has relatively recently come into use to describe the principal factors that John Wesley believed illuminate the core of the Christian faith for the believer. Wesley did not formulate the succinct statement now commonly referred to as the Wesley Quadrilateral. Building on the Anglican theological tradition, Wesley added a fourth emphasis, experience. The resulting four components or “sides” of the quadrilateral are (1) Scripture, (2) tradition, (3) reason, and (4) experience. For United Methodists, Scripture is considered the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine. Tradition is experience and the witness of development and growth of the faith through the past centuries and in many nations and cultures. Experience is the individual’s understanding and appropriating of the faith in the light of his or her own life. Through reason the individual Christian brings to bear on the Christian faith discerning and cogent thought. These four elements taken together bring the individual Christian to a mature and fulfilling understanding of the Christian faith and the required response of worship and service.

http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/wesleyan-quadrilateral

Consider…There are  611 commandments which Moses passed down to the Jewish people. Those along with the first two of the Ten Commandments, which were the only ones heard directly from God, adds up to 613. Now understand that I am not a theologian, just a layman trying to write a blog. These 613 laws, can be found in Old Testament books and the Jewish Torah.

Torah refers to the five books of Moses which are known in Hebrew as Chameesha Choomshey Torah. These are: Bresheit (Genesis), Shemot (Exodus), Vayicra (Leviticus), Bamidbar (Numbers), and Devarim (Deuteronomy). Jesus was a Jew and scripture shows us he went to the synagogue as all good Jews of that day did for worship and instruction. We must note that each and every teaching of Jesus is found within the Torah, Psalms and Prophets. We would do well to remember this and put aside the notion He did away with what He was taught and what He taught. He clearly said it is His word that will judge us on that day and that His word could by no means pass away. What about today? There are 1,050 commands in the New Testament for Christians to obey. It might be too many of us are living under the false impression that because that we go to church, accept Jesus Christ as our Lord, and have been baptized we are good to go. None of us will ever  be without sin, a common condition of our mortal status. The link listed here will list all of these sins and bible verses associated with them. It is long but an interesting read.

https://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201407/r1308729_17984331.pdf

So to all my Methodist friends, do not flee the church as I did. Stay and demand that those of leadership within explain why the very first of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral ….. “For United Methodists, Scripture is considered the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine”, is not being considered in this mess.  The covenant within the resurrection, the promise of life eternal requires acceptance of Christ and doing our very best to live a Holy Life and that requires repentance of our sins.  We are  all guilty of sin in God’s eyes and sin, all sin, is just that in God’s eyes. There is no wiggle room in God’s word, so what do you believe? How did you arrive at that belief? Was prayer and a sincere desire to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit what led you  to it? Even as laypeople we are called to go on to perfection which leads me to this question. The big part of this mess concerns a life-style the church finds objectionable based on scriptural content and God’s word and yes they are different. As Christians we are called, set apart to live a life that allows others to see Christ in us. How is that working for you? I left the Methodist Church because I truly believe that the content of the scripture should be the basis for living a Christian life-style and the establishing of church doctrine. We are to love not to condemn or judge but we should take seriously before we condone a life-style that is contrary to scriptural content and intent. We miss our calling when by doing this we encourage people to commit to that which is viewed unfavorably in God’s eye. There are 613 + 1050 sins we know of and none are seen favorably in God’s eye.

Be in prayer for me for I have fallen short of my calling. I stood up when I should have been on my knees and I ran when I should have stood. You have always been good friends and I do miss each of you. Stay the course, stand your ground, defend the faith and always serve and seek his will.

Life is Good

jk

For many years I sat in the pew, comfortably surrounded by those of faith and safely ensconced in the word, the good way as inscribed in scripture. The scripture, the fundamental teachings and written record of God’s will and relationship with those of his creation or as I prefer to say, the inspired word of  God. We know it as the bible, to theologians a treasure trove of information for those who are experts in the field of theology. Theology is the study of the nature of God and religious beliefs. That brings us to ‘laymen’ a non-ordained member of a church, a person without professional or specialized knowledge in a particular subject…. That would be me. It seems that the turmoil within the United Methodist Church is not in any way ready to go away. To me the greater concern is the marginalizing of God’s word in order to meet a social and cultural agenda. The attack on this denominations scriptural integrity is not a new thing. This is a decades long endeavor by people who are driven by their social or cultural belief to obtain what they believe is necessary to bolster the many causes of social justice. Forgive me if I sound harsh but at times this movement seems to take on an all about me attitude. As to the matter of hurt, we all have been hurt by this decades old process that has been forced upon the Methodist Church. The greatest victim in all this is the word, the scripture that has been ignored or marginalized by these events.

It is important that I make you aware that after well over thirty years in the Methodist Church, three years ago I left. People change churches all the time for a number of reasons and worst case being they just quit church altogether. My reason was not the church as much as it was my inability to control an obsession I had with the direction the church was moving. My decision to leave was not an overnight thing but a three year process of prayer, talking with other members and following closely the directional signs one can see in decisions made by governing bodies of the church. If you have read this far I hope you will stay with me, as I have been wanting to write this one for a while now. I have written other blogs in the past about this subject, then would put it aside awhile but it always seems to pop up at a later date. I consider this to be a distraction and an embarrassing weakness in my ability to stay focused on that which is important to my serving God and growing in the faith. The number of articles, blogs, comments and denominational news letters about this cancer that has been attacking the faith always draws me back. I strongly feel that the issue now on the table is destroying the Methodist Church and is part of a social justice agenda that has grown into a motivating factor in redefining our culture identity and practices. I have come to favor the term same-sex issues. The discomfort they cause on both sides of the aisle truly hinder any attempt to approach the issue from any point other than that of a debate as to the understanding of our differences. When you engage in a debate someone has to lose. To that point, I don’t believe that this is an issue that belongs in the church, any church. This is a social issue that needs to be addressed within the social and cultural expectations of society at large. On the human rights side to this, any discrimination that lessens a person’s rights or self esteem is of course everyone’s concern anywhere it occurs. 

The real issue within the faith is the disturbing lack of scriptural support that lends itself to their (same-sex advocates) position that this is acceptable behavior in living a Holy Life as we have been called to do. On my side of the aisle is the astounding lack of knowledge as to the Methodist Church and its position governing whom is acceptable and who is not. Let’s start here. The Methodist Church is open to all persons and no one is to be turned away from the Communion Table. Let’s be honest about this. Not all Methodists or Methodist Churches practice this. There is always an element within that just can’t accept people as they are, even though Christ did and even preached the need to love all people. Now to be fair we must go a step farther. The entire Christian Community is guilty of this. The issue is that this debate is about a social and cultural change that has been taking place for some time now and it has become a part of redefining the church as we know it. There was a time when the church changed society and culture but today it has flipped. The church is now being changed by society and culture and to its detriment, in order to make this change the very foundation of its soul, the scripture, the written word of God is being re-defined in order to meet the demands of this changing world we live in. In my research to prepare for this blog I discovered The Free Methodist Church and their position on the issue of same-sex and the place of  scriptural authority in decisions which affect church positions on this matter. The following is from one of their positional papers…

The biblical understanding and evaluation of homosexuality stand at the center of the Church’s response. This centrality of the Bible in the current discussion stems from two considerations. First, the Christian Church in general and the Free Methodist Church in particular hold the Bible to be the ultimate authority in all matters pertaining to faith and conduct. Indeed, the refusal to accept homosexuality in the Christian tradition throughout history derives from the biblical witness. Second, the Bible’s consistent negative appraisal of homosexuality is the primary obstacle to the acceptance of homosexuality by the majority of contemporary Christians and Christian bodies.

There has always been a broad consensus throughout history as to the interpretation of biblical passages dealing with homosexuality. This consensus is now being challenged by a few revisionist voices. From these few a vast amount of writings have emerged that challenge past interpretations.  It is my thought that the real issue is how do we as a church view scriptural integrity? If we believe it to be the inspired word of God are we to also believe it is subject to revisions crafted to meet the pressures of societal and cultural changes of the current day? Without going into great detail, we will just deal with intent. What was God’s intent in the creation of this world? Genesis from the very beginning sets forth the fundamental framework for human sexuality.

The whole of Gen. 1-3 functions as a “foundational narrative,” whose purpose is to set forth not only the origins of the cosmos and more specifically of the human race, but also the divine purpose and design for humanity. (David R. Bauer)   

I do not believe consensus of any kind can be reached amid the level of animosity that prevails concerning this issue. Read carefully this insert: “Paul would object most strongly to heterosexual Christians assuming an attitude of moral superiority and condemnation towards homosexuals. Homosexuality is a sin; but it is one sin among many. And all persons, “Both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin” ( Romans 3:9). It is thus imperative for Christians to embrace a proper perspective regarding homosexuality in relation to the sinfulness of all humanity, and to adopt an attitude that acknowledges and indeed emphasizes their own sinfulness outside of the grace of God rather than delighting in excoriating the sins of others.”(David R. Bauer) 

There are so many sides to this issue that many of us struggle to understand but to me the real motivator is God’s intent and his superiority over his creation. The fact that God created humankind “male and female” means that human beings are meant to be heterosexual. The bible, both Old and New Testaments suggests that  legitimacy of the heterosexual intent and in both books of the Bible the total denunciation of same-sex practices is consistent. This consistency is not subject to specific times or places but applies to all people, in all places and at all times, up to and including now. Until the Methodist Church deals with the issue of sin as determined by biblical definition and ignores the pressure of those who consider social and cultural change the dominant factor, there will be no peace in the church. The real issue is scriptural integrity.

Thanks for being in the pew this week, come back and join us next week.

Life is Good

jk

Picking up from where we were last week, let’s go through these verses from Hebrews 10:19-25

Jesus is the living way to the presence of God.  In front of the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle hung the veil to screen off the presence of God. Jesus on the cross, the blood and torn flesh of our savior tore that veil apart. We are able to see the love of God for us by his giving his son so that the sins of this world might be forgiven. We also can see the full greatness and love of Christ for the Father and for us, all God’s people, lost in sin.

It was when the flesh of Christ was torn upon the cross that people really saw God. All his life showed God; but it was on the cross that God’s love really was revealed. As the tearing of the tabernacle veil opened the way to the presence of God, so the tearing of that flesh of Christ revealed the full greatness of his love and opened up the way to him.

Jesus is the high priest over God’s house in the heavens. Just as it was the function of the High Priests of old to be a bridge between the people and God, we now have a High Priest who not only guides us but takes us into the very presence of God. 

Jesus is the one person who can really cleanse. The Priests had their way of blood sacrifice and then washing their hands in a brass basin of clear water, but only Jesus can clean us completely. He cleans our innermost thoughts and desires and makes us a much better person, new in his grace and forgiveness of our sins.

And What About Us……After the Cross?

For us there is an after the cross also. What are our responsibilities to this new covenant? How do we move beyond the words to living as one who is committed to the precepts of this new salvation?

Let us approach the presence of God. There are those things of the eternal world and then those things of this world. We must learn to put aside the things of this world and make time to enter into God’s presence, in worship, prayer and living our faith so others might see what we have and want it also.

Let us hold fast to our creed. There will be those who will tempt us with the material things of this life, those who will attack our faith in an attempt to cause doubt or uncertainty, there will be events in this life that will shake our faith. We must never allow these things to marginalize what we believe.

Let us put our minds to having a genuine concern for others. While our personal salvation is of course important we must not forget our calling to bring people to repentance and salvation through the good news of Jesus Christ.

We must encourage each other to set a good example by living a Holy Life. We can do that by keeping to our traditions and responsibilities, never putting them aside for an easier way. We must encourage others to do good they must see Christ in us. We must Do all the good we can, whenever we can, wherever we can.

We must work to remove the barriers that encourage others to seek a kind of Christian Isolation. This habit of no longer worshiping with God’s people, in God’s house on God’s day. Moffatt gives us three reasons why this might be happening.

–They may not go to church because of fear. Simply put there may be friends or family or people they work with that don’t go to church and tend to laugh at those who do. They may be trying to avoid their criticism and contempt and in doing so they become silent or secret disciples. They may be trying to hide where their loyalty lies. Truth is it won’t work. True Disciples can’t hide. God’s love will always shine through by the way we live and treat others.

-For some people it is a matter of being uncomfortable around others that are not like them. I might add as a personal observation that some churches can seem like a club and as Moffatt wrote “There may be congregations where a form of social snobbery is practiced.” Christ died for all and there is no such thing as a socially acceptable class of people. In the eyes of God there are no common people. Christ died for all people.

-They may not go because of conceit. There are many people who feel they do not need the church and even worse is the idea that they are intellectually beyond the standard of preaching there. You can not live a christian life and neglect the fellowship of the church. We must remember that while it is true we go to church to receive, it is also important to give of ourselves in worship and praise. Being in God’s house with his people is not a matter of intellect but one of obedience and respect.

-We must encourage one another. The early church lived in the expectation that Christ would soon return. One thing we must realize is that we are in the position of not knowing when the call will come, for us each day is one of expectation.We must never cease to encourage others with a smile, a kind word, prayers of support and as was written earlier it is our duty to do all the good we can to all the people we can in all the ways we can.

Thanks for coming by the Pew this week.

jk

Life is Good

Here is Friday, Good Friday to be exact. There has been much written about this day, “Good Friday” and the heartrending events of it. The brutality, the pain, the single-minded purpose of the Jewish leaders and even the Roman government’s representatives who tried to avoid this crucifixion of Jesus.  The endless speculations, brought forth in commentaries as to who and how many were present at the cross. The intriguing debate about  if  there were three women or four there and of course John, the beloved disciple and Jesus’ calling out to him. Another aspect that is sometimes overlooked is the fact that the soldiers Jesus was turned over to at the cross were more that just ordinary soldiers, they were hired killers and given the abuse to Jesus prior to the crucifixion and what we know of  Jesus being put on the cross, they had to be men of little remorse and no empathy for others. Good Friday, followed by a day of silence and then the glory of the risen Christ. Hope renewed, victory over death and the salvation of the resurrection.  He is Risen!!

I would like to look at Hebrews 10: 11-18. In these verses the writer to Hebrews points out some things we should be mindful of this resurrection day. He points to the achievement of Jesus. The priest’s sacrifices are made over and over again and yet they seem to not be effective.

–Every day, as long as the Temple stood, the following sacrifices had to be carried out (Numbers 28:3–8). There was a burnt offering, along with it a food offering and there was also a drink offering. Also added to these was an incense offering. Added to all that was the daily food offering of the high priest. It was a treadmill of required practices that had to be kept up day in and day out. There was no end to this process.

–Jesus made a sacrifice that never could or would be needed to be repeated. Jesus’s life was a perfect example of obedience, even to the cross. We miss the point if we do not realize that the only sacrifice God desires is obedience. Jesus was not a martyr, his life and death exalts him above all others. While the priests stood and presented offerings, and act of servitude, Christ sits on the right hand of God, a position of a monarch and awaits the finial triumph over his enemies. Of course there is the power of God, but the writer of Hebrews leaves us to see that it is the love of God that will conquer in the end. We are left with a quote from Jeremiah 31:34

“…..For I will forgive their wickedness

    and will remember their sins no more.”

“Because of Jesus, the barrier of sin is taken away forever.” (Quoted from DBS, William Barclay)

Easter Sunday, a day of celebration and hope, He is alive, the Risen Christ. No more needs to be said……..

jk

Next week join me here in the pew as we return to Hebrews 10:19-25.

The Apostle Paul might take issue with that statement. His extraordinary ability to adapt without marginalizing his faith or mission can be found in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. As if sewing a design in a motif of life, to win people to Christ becomes a recurring pattern at least five times in these verses and is the growing focus of his life in response to his call. He writes to have freely chosen to enslave himself to all people and that means to accommodate all people just as they are and where he finds them. In Paul’s day there were those who lived under the law and Paul became one of them but did not consider himself as living under the law. To those outside the law he became one of them, not free of God’s law but under Christ’s law. Paul continues on to write I became to the weak as a weak person, so that I might win the weak. Some commentaries say the meaning here refers to Paul’s calling to win them to Christ. Paul strove to find common ground with the believers in Corinth and did not conform to their beliefs to gain acceptance. He preached a gospel of transforming power. He recognized that there were those in all these diverse groups that do not have the knowledge that idols have no real permanence and there is only one true God. Because of his claim to Apostleship he believes people will recognize that it makes him even more determined and strengthens his call to bring all people to Christ. They must hear the good news! If no one shares the good news, how will they ever know? There is much the church this day can learn from this man humbled by God, raised up by Christ to serve and his indomitable spirit fortified by the Holy Spirit. Paul was a free man. Paul (Saul) was both a Jew and a citizen of Rome. We, the church today, are struggling to remain true to the good news and find ways to reach those “under the law, living outside the law as well as those weak and burdened by life’s demands to the point they have forgotten or never heard of Christ and the forgiveness that is theirs. There are also those who miss-construe  the scripture so as to fall prey to the sins of this day.”

We have embraced words such as tolerance, inclusiveness and need to reach out, to open our doors, our minds and our hearts, to cite just a few. All have value and worth and are introduced with the best of intentions. Paul in these verses introduces us to a new word and a new way…….Accommodation…. Paul’s ministry can teach us the value of accommodating other people. Being kind, helpful, obliging, or just being considerate of all people and their place in life at the moment you meet them or in Paul’s case, go among them. All of this hangs on understanding Paul’s conception of being accommodating to people. As Christians we have free will but we are also slaves to God, he who has renewed our minds body and souls. What does this mean? We have the freedom to chose not to do those things that are a hindrance  to the gospel, or harm anyone whom Christ died for. At this point you might want to ask who did Christ die for? If you answered for everyone, for all sinners, you are halfway there. If you are wondering what the other half is, well you have to live and treat others like you believe that. So, let’s wrap this up. Paul was able to adapt and accommodate because he believed that the gospel, the power of God always encounters and engages people where they are, where they live and within their social and cultural environments. The gospel has the power to move them and change them wherever they are and at whatever point they are in their lives. Preach the gospel without condemnation and let God do the rest.

Life is Good

jk

Reference Material NIB

 

Big word but a harsh reality.

( sub·ju·ga·tion the action of bringing someone or something under domination or control.) We are seeing  more and more the subjugation of God’s word and the, to be nice, the re-thinking of God’s word to fit the needs of societies various agendas. I am one who considers the issues of same-sex and other gender related issues to be more of a social issue and best kept in that arena. I know of no other issue that in my life time has held so the many different denominations hostage than that of same-sex and other related gender issues. There is no compromise, well there is if you accept their premise that scripture has been interpreted incorrectly or the meaning not clearly understood. There is the doctrine of inclusiveness which choses to ignore behavior or agendas that are contrary to current practices in order to remain relevant to a changing world. It is not as if we were kept in the dark or unable to think about these issues when seeking to follow God’s will in our lives. There is the bible, bible studies, denominational doctrines and much more that speak to living a christian life. Should you wish to go even farther there are always a large number of commentaries to read.  Commentaries are a systematic series of explanations or interpretations (as of a writing) and are quite common and have been present for, well for ever. With the rise of the Internet, many Public Domain or otherwise free-use Bible commentaries have become available online. With that in mind, I go to the very beginning.

Genesis 1  KJV

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

There is the The Simple Truth, that starts here and is strengthened by all Scripture to follow. You will not find in God’s word any positive comments or approval of any number of same-sex occurrences in the Bible. We live in a world where people have for as long as I can remember pulled part of a scripture verse to boost their perspective and we can often find that when taken in full context it will not fly. This by the way, goes both ways. The truth can be controversial and sometimes it can hurt but at anytime it is necessary. I have always believed that the breath of life and this gift as given is to me the very soul of our being. Our bodies being only a vessel in which God has placed this wonderful creation of life. Our soul, our very being belongs to God and nothing or no one can take us from him. (from a recent post this past March) The simple truth is that what God has created cannot be taken from his hand (your soul) nor can it be changed. Sex in humans is usually determined by four factors and not all of these factors can be changed. Chromosomes cannot be changed. It was God’s intent, to put it in a secular tone, that there be male and female and all of scripture confirms that. Man cannot change what God has created. So to wrap this up…….another simple truth that is hard for most christians to accept. 

God’s love, mercy and grace is for all people. No one should be turned away from the table, even those who would be guilty of sin in God’s eye. Jesus Christ died that we might all be forgiven of our sins. The hard part is forgiveness requires repentance of our sins and judgement belongs to God. 

The other simple truth is that, Subjugation Of God’s Word to fit an agenda or changing social norms is not acceptable. It is not my intention to hurt anyone but the simple truth is found through prayer and in the word of God. Amen

Life is Good

jk

(As I continue to recover from recent heart surgery I have time to watch the news a bit more. Just a short blog on a topic that is in the news now. jk)

 

 

 

Definition of collusion:secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose / acting in collusion with the enemy.

How in the world did I tie Christianity in with such a negative action? Christianity, the belief in God and the ministry and purpose of Jesus Christ, is viewed by many throughout the world as having no place in their social order and is considered to be disruptive because of its beliefs and practices. It is the enemy and even banned in some places in the world. We of the Christian faith are destined to have many enemies, scripture confirms that. Over the past decades we have seen the Bible removed from our schools, prayer discouraged and in some instances forbidden. We have seen our faith attacked, suffered ridicule because of our beliefs and family and friends turn from us because of our Christian values. I could list any number of instances that prove my point but all you have to do is read, listen or watch the news to confirm what I have written here so far. To some people, governments, organizations and the progressive movements with agendas to push, we are the enemy. Take a moment to consider this. Do you have a deep abiding faith in Jesus Christ that governs your life and sets the values you live by? Does your behavior exemplify  that belief? Do you seek ways to share the good news with others? Do you attend church regularly, refuse to accept cultural and social norms that  are in opposition to your Christian values? If you have answered yes to these few, then most likely you are guilty of collusion. 

  Definition of Christian Collusion: acceptance of Jesus Christ as our savior and Lord.  A commitment to live a Holy Life and colluded with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to share the “good news” preaching the gospel to the world.

Are you Guilty?

Life is Good

jk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; ………..Jeremiah 30: 17

The first seven verses of this chapter deal with a promise God has made to Israel. In verse 17 God promises Jeremiah despite all the troubles that Israel must go through, he will restore his children. In the first few words of this verse I find great comfort and share with you this week the power of this promise. Home now recovering from heart surgery has awaken within me a time of reflection and a greater appreciation of that which God has created and leaves me wondering at the awesome healing power of my creator. Also I have come to believe that healing to a christian is quite different from what we imagine in the secular world.The Bible speaks often of miraculous healing through the work of Jesus Christ and faith in God. It is these examples of the healing miracles recorded in scripture that we often go to in times of illness and emotional stress that give comfort and hope to the believer. There is within this life that God has created a depth and purpose far greater than the mortal mind can imagine, a depth that passeth all understanding. God is about life. Paul said that to die was to live, I find in these few words his remarkable sense of the promise of eternal life. The promise of eternal life through the blood of Jesus Christ as ordained by God the Father is the very ground on which the cross stands. We must ask ourselves how when the pain and hurt is overwhelming, how do we keep our focus on Jesus Christ and the promise? How do we remain faithful and somehow see the blessings of this life that surround us each day? I would suggest that we seek the Holy Spirit and look to strengthen our mind, body and heart as we seek the comfort of the promise.

Healing as we know it is the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again. Healing can also be therapeutic. For most of us healing is a process of doctors, hospitals, drugs and time but there is another factor, that which is found at the foot of the cross. It is the Promise. It is a God thing.

Genesis 2 King James Version (KJV) 2  7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

I have always believed that the breath of life and this gift as given is to me the very soul of our being. Our bodies being only a vessel in which God has placed this wonderful creation of life. Our soul, our very being belongs to God and nothing or no one can take us from him. With this thought in mind I find comfort in the final dispensation of my earthly life. No mater the circumstances of my passing from this world, my soul belongs to God and he alone will have dominion over it. This takes me to one of my favorite chapters in the bible. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Please take the time to read and rejoice in the revelation of the resurrection.

I could write much more but believe it best to let the power of the Promise speak for me. The true healing for the Christian is the finality of the Promise, life everlasting as promised by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As I spend the days ahead re-gaining my strength I look forward to this life but rejoice even more in what is to come. Life is a God thing and I will cling to it as long as I can with the realization that it will be my spiritual health and the Promise that will carry me home.   

Life is Good

jk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes we confuse issues with causes and that tends to lead us in the wrong direction. We end up championing the cause and not dealing with the issue. This past week we have seen a good example of that very thing. You might say it was three days of agony and soul searching in an effort to bring to a conclusion an issue that had become a cause. The United Methodist Church finally put the issue on the table and the response was as expected. There are so many adjectives that can apply here. Bitterness is a word that is not strong enough here. The better word would would be rancor and adding to that disappointment, hurt, confusion, fear, uncertainty, a full range of emotions all held in check by prayer and Christian tolerance. There have been post Conference comments on FaceBook and other social media that indicate the issue is still on the table for many United Methodists after the recent special called gathering this past February.

The issue that became a cause? The current deep conflict within The United Methodist Church around issues of human sexuality. A conflict that is decades old is still not settled in the hearts of the people, still weighs heavy on their minds, and we find the door still not open but just slightly ajar. Every possible argument, for or against, has been run up the flag pole and the rope is quite frayed my now. I believe that the wrong issue which has grown into a cause has damaged this denomination. Having been a member of the Methodist Church for many years I am sadden by all of this. There was a song many years ago that had a lyric “the answer my friend is blowing in the wind”, Peter Paul and Mary. When I let the wind in my mind die down, the answer I hear is the real issue, Holy Living. What exactly is holy living? How do I live a holy life? We must separate ourselves from sin and any evils that keep us from having a relationship with God. We must seek an infilling of the holy spirit because we can only live a holy life through the presence of the Spirit in our lives. We are reminded that our God is holy and he calls us to be holy. 1 Peter 1:16 Leviticus 19:2),

There are scriptures that address human sexuality. I am not going to list those but will say, that they are not supportive of certain lifestyles and do not meet the intent of living a holy life and we must understand that apart from God this is impossible. We are commanded to love all people just as Jesus did. No one should be turned away from God’s table. There is a requirement we all must meet. It is not a rule, it is not a church thing, denominational thing. It will not be found in agendas, causes or any other place. It is a God Thing, a relationship with God based on repentance and Holy Living. 

I will be away from the pew for awhile due to needed medical procedures. I do not at this time know at what date the Pew will return.

God Bless

Life is Good

jk