Perseverance of Paul While a student at Liberty University, I always remembered the words of Dr. Jerry Falwell who told us “You do not determine a man’s greatness by his talents or wealth, as the world does, but rather by what it takes to discourage him.” It is safe to say, when the heat is turned up or when obstacles and challenges mount, we feel like it is so much easier to just throw up our hands, quit, and sometimes, just give up completely. It’s not easy to get the wind knocked out of you and face having to start all over again. The same can be said for the Church. When life is challenged, forces bear down on us, and commitments get out of hand, it always seems that the Church and ministry-related events are the first things we get rid of in order to gain more room in our schedule. Let’s be honest that we struggle with making God, our faith, and ministry a priority. I believe when the first response is to skip Church, not attend Church events, or to simply quit, give up and go home, we can learn from Paul when he faced such challenges to “stop trying so hard.” He had plenty of reasons to just throw in the towel and say “this just isn’t worth it!” We find a near-death encounter of Paul in Acts 14. After being beaten unconscious, dragged out of the town of Lystra, and left for dead, Paul regained consciousness and went back into Lystra (Acts 14:19-20). He did what? Yes, he assessed his situation, yet chose to persevere! He didn’t give up, but continued on with his mission to minister to the people who just tried to kill him. Personally, I think I would be inclined to go to the hospital and then find a reputable lawyer to sue for damages! I might even “take a few months off” to recuperate to give myself adequate time to “recover.” No. Not really….that misses the point of what Paul faced. Paul was fearless, unstoppable, and persevering. God, his calling, living and teaching the Gospel meant that much to him. After leaving Lystra, he soon returned to reassure the disciples and encourage “them to persevere in the faith” (Acts 14:22). Paul had earned a lot of credibility when he talked about perseverance. He had cuts, wounds, and bruises, which were the price he paid for holding firm with perseverance. His compassion for the lost was deep and held as a high priority in his life. Paul proclaimed: “I put no value on my life if only I can finish my race and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:24). From prison, Paul wrote: “My entire attention is on the finish line as I run toward the prize to which God calls me — life on high in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). When he spoke of his imminent death, Paul asserted: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Where are you in your faith journey today? We pray you are fully supporting your Church or Parish with passion, heart, and with “sweat equity” such as service, prayer, time and finances. We pray that you are being intentional with staying in tune with what is going on by reading newsletters, bulletins, websites, and social media platforms that provide access and information on the many opportunities you have to fellowship, serve, and be a part of the Church family and Church’s ministry. Many Churches struggle heavily with the burden from many members who just come on Sunday and that is about it. Many who are already serving are slowly burning out due to being overwhelmed with no support. Do you realize that some church classes have to disbanded or consolidated with others due to lack of attendance? Sometimes, the reason events are canceled is because nobody will sign up to go! Sadly, documentation, statistics, and figures show us this is true and that these are just a few of the many struggles within a lot of churches to “persevere like Paul” to keep moving forward. Do you realize that most Churches have seen a 20-30% decrease in attendance and finances over the last two years? We can blame the pandemic, COVID, and all the various restrictions we navigated to be our excuse, but the reality is that we are talking about active members who have literally “vanished” from the Church and haven’t been seen since. They left and just aren’t coming back…at all. It’s time to reconsider what we faced in comparison to what Paul faced. Actually, there is no comparison as Paul blows us out of the water in terms of being totally sold-out to the Gospel and sharing the Good News despite threats, obstacles, and personal injury. Paul persevered because Jesus persevered. Paul loved Jesus with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). Paul was passionate about living and loving like Jesus. Paul lived with zeal to pattern his life after Jesus. After all, Jesus was the “Chief of Perseverance” as He “set His face” toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51) and toward Calvary to face crucifixion. Jesus promised: “Whoever holds out till the end will escape death,” that is, the second death of eternal separation from God in Hell” (Matthew 10:22). Let us evaluate the depth of our faith and where we stand right now and choose Jesus! Make the necessary shift in priorities, commitments and loves so that we are not guilty of idolatry (Exodus 20:3-5). Let’s align ourselves to the Chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-22). Let us persevere like Paul and make, once again, the Kingdom of God, the Gospel and reaching the lost our highest priority. Could you join me in praying the Prayer of St. John Vianney: I love you, O my God, and my only desire is to love you until the last breath of my life. I love you, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving you, than live without loving you. I love you, Lord, and the only grace I ask is to love you eternally. My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love you, I want my heart to repeat it to you as often as I draw breath. Amen.
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We have reached the pinnacle of the Christian faith: Holy Week. For some, it is referred to as “The Triduum” which begins after Palm Sunday and includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Resurrection. Why is this so special….or, maybe be bold enough to ask, “why should I care?”
Well, Holy Week is the most solemn and glorious week in Christianity, the pinnacle of the liturgical year. This is because Holy Week commemorates the final week of Our Lord's life and the establishment of the New Covenant. Here is why we should care: HOLY THURSDAY: Jesus sets the example. He washes the Disciples’ feet (John 13:14-15) and gathers them in the Upper Room. Here Jesus is literally celebrating the Jewish Passover with them….but then, stops at the institution of the Third Cup (Cup of Blessing) …as told in Mark 14:22-26, Jesus introduces the NEW covenant by telling his Disciples to both “eat” and “drink” his body and blood given and shed for them (and for us). I am sure, knowing the steps of the Passover Meal by memory, the Disciples were not expecting Jesus to make such a radical shift in the ceremony. In fact, they didn’t even finish the “regular Passover” meal….they still had a Fourth Cup (Cup of Praise or Restoration), but instead sang the customary “Great Hallel” (Psalm 114-118) and then went out to the Mount of Olives, where, in the middle of the night, Jesus is arrested and the Disciples scatter. GOOD FRIDAY: Good Friday is a solemn remembrance of what took place upon the Cross of Calvary between the hours of 9:00AM to 3:00PM. It is also a time to recount the seven last phrases spoken by Christ from the Cross. Jesus said, "Father forgive them" (Luke 23:34), "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43), "Woman, here is your son” (John 19:26-27), "My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34), "I am thirsty" (John 19:28), "It is finished" (John 19:30), and "Into your hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46). Good Friday is our way of remembering our Jewish heritage of Yom Kippur. This is the great day of atonement when the high priest of the Temple symbolically transferred Israel's sin onto the head of a goat. The goat was then led outside the city walls and into the wilderness to die. This is where we get the phrase "scapegoat!" Now, JESUS becomes our scapegoat! Because he was a scapegoat, he had to be taken outside the city walls to die. That place was Golgotha; the place of the skull. Now that Jesus has carried the sins of the world on his shoulders, he is nailed to the cross, abandoned by the Father, and left to die. Jesus dies upon the cross, his work fully complete and the need for sacrifices are no more. Jesus has become both our lamb and scapegoat. He carried our sins outside the camp and he died for us, once and for all. THAT'S why we can refer to it as GOOD Friday! HOLY SATURDAY: As the body of Christ rests within the tomb, the church continues in prayer and fasting on this day. We wait with the women at the Lord's tomb. We use this time to meditate on the redemptive suffering and death that Jesus has just endured for us as sinners. As Christ has descended into hell and is now in the midst of conquering the grave for us, we are invited to be in a state of fasting and prayer. On this day, as the crucified body of Jesus Christ remains in the tomb, let us anticipate the dawning of the third day when he fulfills his promise by coming back to life, walking out of the tomb and rising again in newness of life. EASTER SUNDAY: Easter morning is an occasion of great joy and renewal. CHRIST HAS RISEN! There's even more good news because Easter is not just one particular Sunday in April! Easter is actually a season which is also know as the "Great Fifty Days." It begins Easter Eve and continues through to Pentecost. During this time we joyously and festively celebrate the resurrection of Christ, the Ascension of Christ, the giving of the Holy Spirit on the very first Easter (John 20:22-23), and the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). We can now celebrate the promise of eternal life and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Not only that, but we can rejoice knowing that after Christ died and rose again, God became accessible to all who will come to Him through Jesus' sacrificial death. We are no longer separated from the presence of God! Because of Easter, we no longer need a priest to intercede between us and our heavenly Father because our Lamb has become our Priest, the veil has been torn, and we can enter the very presence of God. Now, we can see why “Holy Week” is the holiest week in our Church calendar. Now, we can see why we have cause to rejoice, celebrate and share such great news! May we cherish “The Triduum” of Holy Week and proclaim our “Mysterium Fidei” or “The Mystery of our Faith” that states, “Christ has died, Christ has Risen, Christ shall come again.” Hallelujah! There is, hidden within the passage from Mark 7:31-37, a powerful one-word command from Jesus. In fact, it is the one and only word he spoke in this event of healing a deaf man who was also mute.
We see what Jesus accomplished in verses 33-35, “After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.” Jesus spoke in his native language, which was Aramaic, a word that meant “be opened.” Jesus uses this word to heal a man who could not hear nor communicate. Ephphatha (ef-fah-thah). Jesus commands the man’s ears to open and his tongue to loosen. The man can now hear and speak because of Jesus! May we, too, receive the gift of Ephphatha? This gift that we can receive was part of the mission in which Jesus came to accomplish. He came to heal the many forms of deafness that plagues his people and his church. Jesus visits us and helps us to open our ears, minds, and spirit to where we have become deaf to the world, others and our own sins and waywardness in order to say to us “be opened!” Jesus shows us that we cannot stand idly by and remain deaf to the needs, cries and concerns of our brothers and sisters. We cannot turn a deaf-ear to the voice of the Holy Spirit guiding us and confronting us of our own sin. May we never be silent or deaf to the plight of human suffering and not turn away as if we do not see it or have time to engage it with compassion. Jesus challenges our state of denial and any excuse we may come up with to focus more on our own issues of life than those of others. Jesus also says “be opened” to our own deafness to repent, change or rid ourselves of sin that weighs us down and hinders our relationship with God (Hebrews 12:1). Through crafty excuses and well-defended justifications, we can become deaf to our own conscience. Our minds can go numb and our hearts cold. We can become callous to the ways of God and more accepting of societal norms. We can even become deaf to the voices of loved ones and friends around us who try to love, mentor, warn, and guide us back to the narrow way (Matthew 7:13-14). Slipping back into the ways of the world can be spiritually dangerous. Jesus does not want us to become consumed with “self” that leads to isolation and destruction. Jesus speaks and says “Ephphatha…be opened” to hear the concerns of others and to see where we can speak the life-giving words of Jesus to someone around us. “Ephphatha…be opened” to hear the Holy Spirit guiding us closer to God and further from the darkness of the world that bids our demise. Embracing “Ephphatha” helps us to become so aware of those around us that we begin to see the face of God in each person especially the most vulnerable, the outcast, and many who live on the fringes of society. We will even begin to see that those who were once written off and marked as unlovable or unwinnable are still redeemable through the blood of Jesus Christ. We need to trust in the power of Jesus contained in the word “Ephphatha!” Be opened to trusting that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit where our ears are opened and our tongues loosened to love others and minister to them in the way Jesus shows it to us. We can be opened to trusting the Holy Spirit to forsake unrighteousness and “self” to become more like Christ. Be opened!! Ephphatha! While listening to a religious devotional program the other day, I heard two distinct phrases from the New Testament reading out of Hebrews 10:32-39. They are from verses 35 and 39 which state, “so, don’t throw away your confidence,” and “we do not belong to those who shrink back.”
The world is difficult, challenging and obviously bent to evil and selfishness. It is rather easy sometimes to become discouraged with the state of the Church, Believers, and even our own direction of life. The urge to quit, surrender or to just flat out stop trying so hard or refraining from putting forth so much effort has come to mind for consideration. This is where the passage in Hebrews comes to encourage us to keep the faith and stay grounded in Jesus Christ. Nothing that this world could offer us is of any worth or value in comparison to our priceless faith in Jesus Christ and spending eternity with Him. Even hardship, difficulty, disappointments, loss, and any of life’s traumas do not contain any reasonable excuse to justify giving up. The word “confidence” is the same word translated “boldness” back in Hebrews 10:19. We must continue to live boldly for Jesus no matter what the cost and remain steadfast in our faith. It is saying that we should never toss aside our faith in a hasty retreat simply due to persecution, ridicule, mocking, or others resistance or rejections to our beliefs. We must continue to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Just because “life isn’t fair” or misfortunes befall us is no excuse to stop going to church, associating with other believers, reading the Bible and maintaining our relationship with Jesus. We don’t “shrink back” (verse 39). That is, we don't just "walk off" on God or "take a break" from our faith. The phrase "shrink back" implies we are on the road to apostasy. May we never become “spiritual cowards” by “returning to the world” and waving the white-flag of surrender. We never retreat. We must guard against staying quiet or blending into the world so that “nobody notices” or bothers us about being a Christian. There is a saying “If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Or, would there be so little evidence that you are set free?” We must never abandon our faith in times of difficulties, uncertainties or persecution. Let us remember that endurance shows the world that your faith is genuine and sincere. Our enduring faith rests in what Jesus has done not only in the past, but what He is doing now and will be doing well into the future. The Bible, along with our own past experiences, contains more than enough credible evidence that we can live fully confident in God. So, remain confident...and don't "shrink back!" Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” One of the most challenging times in the Church calendar are the days following right after Christmas. There are just a few days until celebrating the New Year, so Christmas can quickly be pushed aside as “over” to prepare for the celebrations of December 31st.
So, what are we supposed to do with Christmas, the decorations, and seasonal music? Well, that is easy! Keep celebrating! Also, leave those decorations alone and keep the Christmas music playing! The reason for that is due to the fact that we still have twelve more days of Christmas following December 25th. The end of the Christmas season isn’t until the first week of the New Year in January. And, yes, we have a name for that! We call it “Epiphany!” This event that the Church refers to as “Epiphany” means “manifestation.” The reference is to God who “reveals Himself “in the flesh” through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is also a time to mark the appearance of the Three Wise Men who were one of the first to worship Christ as King. The “Epiphany” revelation or “manifestation” is that God unveils Himself to the world. Through Jesus His Son, He shows Himself as fully human and fully divine. That He is real. That He is our Triune God. Wrapping up the Christmas message with Epiphany culminates in the gifts of the three Wise Men. Just these gifts, alone, from the Wise Men are a powerful testimony to who Jesus really was to all of humanity. Gold: The most fitting gift for a King. This signifies Jesus is the King of Kings. Frankincense: the most fitting gift for a priest. This testifies that Jesus was truly the Great High Priest. Myrrh: This was for embalming and preparing the dead. This fulfils the mission of Jesus that He is the Savior of all people who came to die an atoning sacrifice on the cross. Epiphany, to our faith, is a powerful testimony of God’s unconditional love. His love for us compelled Him to send His Son into the world to save us from our sinfulness. God took the initiative. God made all the arrangements. God spoke through the Prophets. God sent Jesus. God paid the full price to make all this happen. In other words, it was His idea and decision all along. He did everything to make reconciliation with Him possible. His desire to have a loving and personal relationship with you is that important to Him. God brought His redeeming light into the darkness of this world on purpose. Isaiah 60:3 foretold of God’s loving plan by saying “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” Christians are also an “Epiphany” to the world. The light of Christ. We illumine the light of Jesus to reveal Him to the lost. Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” That is the faith of Epiphany! We must conform our lives to this faith We must live out this faith for others to see. We must tell others and teach them about our faith so they can accept it too. We are to be making Disciples who make other Disciples of Jesus. We passionately live out a “24/7/365” and “all the time” faith. It is our identity that emanates from all that we are and from everything we are involved with daily. In other words, faith doesn’t have an “off” switch. We simply are….always. Illuminating. Reflecting. Shining. Epiphany reminds me of the chorus from the Christmastide Hymn, “We Three Kings,” that declare “Oh, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright. Westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.” Let’s remember to light the world with the love and perfect light of Jesus. Let’s live out the faith of Epiphany. The last Lectionary reading for 2022 is very appropriate for ending the year and anticipating the new months ahead. The two passages are from John 1, and 1 John 2. They are a contrast of thoughts to me.
The main focus comes from John 1:6-9, “A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” May we all make the sacrifice to invest more of ourselves into our faith and relationship with Jesus to ensure we powerfully illumine His Light into the darkness of this world. We need to be like John who testified to the light so that all might believe. The world needs to hear about the redeeming love of God. The world needs to see God through us. As believers, we cannot “just exist” and go about our lives day after day with “self” as our main objective. There are so many people who still need to hear the Gospel….even more need to witness and experience our faith lived out through our lives as a testimony that what we believe is true. Romans 10:13-14, “For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” We pray that we will actively and passionately live out our faith with intentional zeal now, in 2023, and beyond. I pray that we are not “Christian” in name only. That’s where 1 John 2:18-19 speaks. “Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.” There are many in our churches claiming to be Christians. Others have even given up, abandoned what little they did have, and have walked away. They were never really fully surrendered to Jesus. They have been secularly institutionalized, but not spiritually evangelized. These people have joined the Church socially and culturally but have not totally given their lives to Jesus and His Body, the Church. Many of our churches are eroding from the Truth and evolving into a hybrid that looks like a religious-civic organization. Apostate. They are “Revelation 2:4 Churches” that have abandoned their first love. They have become no different than the world around them. In attempts to “reach the world” they have, instead, succumbed to the “agendas” and have become more like it. Strong accusation? Maybe. But, as Matthew 25:16, 20, tells us “You can identify them by their fruit…Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” Proof is in action…not talk. Many churches have dwindled to “Sunday only” or are barely active beyond Sunday. As we look to 2023, may we spiritually awaken, focus on what is most important, and commit to the commands of Christ and all things that are of eternal value. Are you ready for that…if not, are you willing to work and prepare? (Matthew 25:1-13). All else regarding our lives will fall into its proper place from there…so don’t fear or worry (Matthew 6:25-34). Let us journey, together, into 2023 with Jesus and each other. Jesus. Priorities. Eternity. Happy New Year. We must go back into the middle of the first century (AD) to learn of St. Nicholas of Myra (modern-day Turkey). His “claim to fame” was that he was noted for his extreme generosity to the poor. In most cases, he would secretly provide for people in need. Either way, his kindness and passion for the disenfranchised earned his reputation.
Here we are, several centuries later, and with the help of Thomas Nast’s iconic painting of “Santa Claus” in 1881, with some help from the Coca-Cola bottling company, we have our “jolly fat Santa” immortalized in our imaginations today. Given all the historical evidence of the “real” Saint Nicholas and all the stories and legends of the “mythological” Santa Claus, he has to be, without a doubt, one of the most recognizable icons of the Christmas season. Instead of thinking of Santa Claus as some blasphemous or sacrilegious replacement for the Christmas story of the baby Jesus, I honestly feel we can use the known characteristics of Santa to teach us a wonderful lesson about the Divine Majesty of God using the some of the lyrics from the holiday Song, “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. It is God’s Divine Majesty that heralds a convicting message that a Holy God would take on human flesh. As Martin Luther was noted as saying, “The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding.” That is why we turn to jolly old Saint Nicholas. The one true God who gave us Jesus (John 3:16-17) can be discovered and the concept of Him becoming flesh, can be better understood if we used some of the words in the song “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.” FIRST, the song teaches us that Santa “sees us when we’re sleeping.” This “ability” of Santa teaches us that God watches over us and is with us. This “never-ending” presence of God while we are asleep is called omnipresence. Paul preached in Acts 17:28 that God is “…not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move, in Him we exist.” Our everlasting God is present in all things and this concept is repeatedly affirmed in Scripture. Jeremiah 23:24, says “‘Am I a God nearby,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill Heaven and Earth?’ declares the Lord.” Just think, no atomic particle is so small that God is not fully present to it, and no galaxy so vast that God does not surround it. No space is without Divine presence. God is in touch with every part of creation. God cannot be excluded from any location or object in creation. That truly is omnipresence! The song also says, “he knows when you’re awake” and “he knows when you’ve been bad or good” which means that God has knowledge about our active existence. This eternal knowledge God possesses about us is called omniscience (om-nih-shunce). Only God knows all the intricate details about His creation without any limitations. The Psalmist praised God’s limitless wisdom and understanding in Psalm 147:4-5, “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Jesus taught His Disciples in Matthew 6:8, “Your Father knows what your needs are before you ask Him.” We must realize that nothing can hide itself from God’s view. This also includes the intentions held in our heart. Hebrews 4:13, “Nothing in all creation can hide from Him. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done.” Technically, we say that the Divine Omniscience is seen as the infinite consciousness of God in relation to all possible objects of knowledge. God knows past, present and future all at the same time. He is also aware of all possible outcomes of our situation no matter what decision we choose to make. Simply put: God knows all things all the time! Although omniscience may be a hard concept to grasp, it is simply God’s infinite and intimate knowledge of His creation. God does not have to learn anything as He already knows everything. For example, we do not know next year until next year is complete, but God knows next year already as well as every single day of all eternity. We as mortal, human beings, and we only know things in part and in select pieces. Even with all that we do know and comprehend, we now realize that even that understanding is skewed. This is why we must be taught, study, learn and grow. God knows things fully, all at once, regardless if the event is past, present or future (yet to be). This infinite knowledge is omniscience. So, going back to Santa….we sing like he really knows all about us regardless if we are asleep, awake, naughty or nice? This jolly elf that has the power to go around the world in one single night and shower people with gifts (and to take breaks to eat cookies and drink milk) is the same “all powerful” Claus we believe can magically swoosh up and down chimneys and make reindeer fly? How can one single person be so “everything” and do it in ways that are hard to believe, understand, or grasp logically? How can someone use their powers that defy gravity, scientific explanation, space, time, and dimension? Well, sounds more like God our Father to me than Santa Claus! Yes, these wonderful attributes of Santa’s ability to be Santa is what we call, when referring to God, His omnipotence! When we say “omnipotence,” we are saying that God is all-powerful and all-empowering. Omnipotence is God’s perfect ability to do all things that are consistent with His Divine Character. God can do all that God wills to do. No power has any other source other than God. A good example to explain this comes from Genesis 17:15-17 and 18:12, 14, when God came to Abraham (who was 100-years-old) and announced that Sarah, at the age of 90, would have a son and become “the mother of nations.” What was the response? They laughed at God because, humanly speaking, it was not only humanly impossible but logically-ludicrous. But God lovingly replied to their lack of faith by asking a powerful question: “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” Nothing that God wills to do or conceives for us is beyond His ability or power to accomplish. Matthew 19:26 clearly states, “…everything is possible for God.” This is why we refer to God as “Almighty.” His “Almightiness” is also His omnipotence! Santa Claus can be a very helpful tool in assisting someone who does not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Santa Claus can be a very helpful analogy to help someone understand the Divine Majesty of God. Just remember that God’s way of being with the world is omnipresence. God’s way of knowing the world is omniscience. God’s way of influencing the world is omnipotence. So, if all these “omni-words” are hard to remember and you would rather summarize them into a single word, just say that God is transcendent! Yes, another “big word,” but we have to remember that we serve a big God! It is extremely important for us to remember just how great an effort God has gone to in order to reveal himself to us! It was been written by an anonymous author that “if our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; but our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.” Have fun this Christmas season using the imagery of Santa Claus to teach others about God’s Divine Majesty. I pray that through this simple story, others may come to know Jesus Christ personally and place their faith in Him. Merry Christmas! There is an obvious lesson written throughout the Scriptures when referring to God, by name. Reverence. Respect. Honor. We should handle the use of any attribute of God with the utmost sincerity and holiness. Psalm 34:3, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”
Showing the highest degree of respect to God applies to our recognition of who He is in both word and deed. This is why, before I learned this lesson I am sharing with you, I would cringe in disgust when people would “abbreviate” the holiday “Christmas” by taking out the name of “Christ” and replacing it with a big-fat-ugly “X!” It would never fail, at some point, to get a card, letter or email with the inevitable greeting, “Merry X-Mas!” Either way, I always thought it grossly disrespectful to “x-out” the name of “Christ” from the word “Christmas.” However, as I have become a pastor and have studied the Biblical languages, I have come to discover that there is something quite liberating behind the letter “X.” Instead of being upset with others who I accused of being sacrilegious and irreverent, I have now found a new way to view this unsightly penmanship. In fact, what I found is that by saying “Merry X-Mas,” they weren’t really removing the name of “Christ” from Christmas at all. It was still there all along. If we look at the name of Christ as it is spelled in the Greek language, we will see it spelled “χριστός.” Did you notice the first Greek letter of that word? That’s right! It is an “X!” The first letter in the name of Christ is an “X!” One of the abbreviations for “Christ” can be the first letter…which is an “X!” The “X” really doesn’t take “Christ” out of “Christmas” at all. Either way, the name stands and is present in both forms. In fact, even if the intentions were mean-spirited in order to purposely “x-out” the name “Christ,” it is still there right in front of our eyes. No matter how fallible, sinful mortals try to rid their world of Christ, it simply becomes an endless cycle of impossibilities. You just can’t do it. Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Even the letter “X” cries out in exaltation! Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” So…either way….Merry Christmas…or Merry X-Mas, let us, this Christmas, hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace! Anxiety. That word, alone, probably triggers a myriad of past experiences or even thoughts about current events and things we’re facing. The definition of anxiety is, “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.”
I find it interesting that Jesus addresses anxiety in two distinct ways to caution us from letting anxiety paralyze us into ineffectiveness or to spiritually give up. Luke 21:34, Jesus said, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from … the anxieties of daily life….” Jesus is saying to trust in God and to keep our priorities in the right order. Jesus connects two very different things in this passage: drowsiness and anxieties. Generally, anxiety would seem to be associated with insomnia rather than drowsiness. Cares and worries tend to keep us awake rather than lull us to sleep. We need to be very careful not to slip into drowsiness and laziness that says, “God will provide; I don’t need to do anything.” This is why Jesus, in His wisdom, links anxiety with spiritual slumber. He is classifying anxiety as a drug that intoxicates us from seeking after the call for spiritual preparation, persistence, readiness, and holiness. Jesus also emphasized this point when he told the parable of the soil, seeds, and the Word of God. He was speaking of “seed sown among thorns.” Mark 4:18-19, “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” Anxieties over temporary things of this world are a distraction that keeps us away from God. He specifically classified the third type of soil as choked off by the “anxieties over life’s demands” and “it bears no yield.” Anxiety robs us of future possibilities, success, and fruitfulness. Realistically speaking, it leads to panic, doubt, hasty decisions, poor choices and many things that do not lead in a positive direction. Namely, it leads to failure and more issues. In other words, we will just keep digging the hole deeper. Anxiety, like fear, is the opposite of faith. I’ve heard it said “fear is faith turned inside-out!” That is why our first priority and loyalty are to the things of God that are of eternal significance. The things of this world will pass away and will not transition into Heaven (Hallelujah!). We spend too much time in the temporary while neglecting the eternal. If we’ll be truly honest, it is normally the things of God that are the “first to go” and to get erased from our “to do” list when faced with the challenges of life. We stop going to church. We hold back finances and give less. We back out of volunteering, participating, and joining in the life of the church. For most, when anxiety strikes, it is God who “gets the axe” and is abandoned first. God is not the last resort nor should He be “the first to go” to lighten our schedules. Honestly, I will admit that most cases of anxiety are self-inflicted because we are too prideful to share our anxiousness and to ask for and receive help. Asking for help and to seek out fellow believers who can come along with us to carry our burdens is not beneath our dignity nor is it signifying that we are failures and must succumb to defeat. Never exclude any option for assistance. Stop suffering alone as you were never designed to carry all the load yourself (Galatians 6:2). Above all, don’t be so quick to blame God for everything. Let us stop grasping for all the excuses to justify the behaviors or decisions that are causing the anxiety. I have to admit that I really dislike it when people whimsically say “Well, that’s just the way I am.” We have to at least try. In fact, we must make the sacrifices necessary to live holy. Let us not take out our frustrations out on God by withdrawing from the very things that help such as our devotions, prayer, worship, giving, and serving. The very fact that the Lord formed the church—a community of believers—reveals He did not create people for self-sufficiency or isolation. Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Trust God to supply your needs (Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:19). Be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:11). Trust. Faith. God is much bigger than any one thing that is causing our anxiety. You are the Church. I am the Church. We are the Church together. That may sound familiar as many of us have sang these words in the song “We Are the Church” by Richard Avery and Don Marsh. The first verse is very powerful: “The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people.” The Church is not an organization, but an organism. It is living. It is people.
I like what the Free Methodist Church says about the church in its “Book of Discipline” on page one: “It is clear from Scripture that the church is of God and for people. It is His creation. Christ is its head. The church is the people of God chosen for a purposeful partnership in accomplishing the will of God on earth.” This concept of the church makes it more understandable why Paul was so passionate in his letter to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16, we see to powerful statements of Paul: “For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building” and “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” Yes, our church buildings are beautiful with woodwork, stained glass, gold and silver, elaborate Bibles and candles. What is even more beautiful than even the greatest cathedrals in the world are the people who are members of these facilities. They are beautiful when they sacrificially live holy, sanctified lives and allow the Holy Spirit to fill them with power and authority. They are beautiful when they remain unified through salvation in Jesus Christ. We are, indeed, God’s temple and the church of God together. We are walking tabernacles that carry the message of Jesus to the world. 1 Corinthians 12:10 is important for us to digest spiritually as Paul said, “As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.” Let us gain a new appreciation for everyone within our church community. May we pay closer attention to every aspect of ministry that occurs within the body of Christ. No work is greater than another. All that is offered is equal. May this also be a reminder to rise to the level of unconditional love towards one another. May we be patient, understanding, and willing to forgive and cover all things in love. May we strive not to be at odds with one another, but celebrate our unique gifts. Most certainly, may we never hear of long-standing feuds amongst parishioners and churches that “chew up and spit out” pastors every two to three years. Tearing down and destroying the physical church is repugnant in the sight of God. Conquer all with the redeeming and unconditional love of Jesus. Remember: build and uplift. There is no room in the church for destruction and demolition. May each of us likewise be united to God and each other in faith, forming a holy building founded on Christ. Live holy, blameless and sanctified by letting God make you a temple of the Holy Spirit. Don’t do this alone! Do it together with your fellow brothers and sisters in Jesus. As it has been said “If you stick together, you won’t fall apart!” |
AuthorPastor Charles - Archives
April 2024
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