Empowered To Share The Good News

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

                                                                                        (2 Tim 1:6-10 KJV)

A whole lot of Christians tend to think that they are paying their pastors to be the evangelists. It is true pastors are called to be evangelists sharing the Good News of the Kingdom through Jesus the Christ. But, it is fallacy to think that not all Christians are called to share this Good News.

"But, I'm too shy." "I don't want to push my beliefs on others." "I can't." "I don't know how." "I am afraid of what others will think of me." "I might be bullied for my faith." Those are all really feeble excuses for not doing what we've been called to do. 

I listen to people lifting up, bragging about, and defending the sports teams and the politicians of their choice all of the time. But, who lifts up Jesus in their every day conversations? There are a few. But, not so many as have actually been called. The truth is that Jesus is absent from many of our daily conversations.

Christians have been called to a holy calling. We have been anointed with the Holy Spirit so that we might be empowered to live out our calling. There is no reason to fear sharing the truth of Jesus Christ. God has not given us the spirit of fear. He has given us a spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

This spirit of power and love inspires to share the Good News with others so that they too might live life in the light, who is Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Freedom Of Religion; To Proclaim the Gospel Peaceably

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."  (First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution)

Can you believe it? I am not starting the blog on this Independence Day with scripture. Instead, I want us to think a little bit about the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution today.

Anyone who has heard more than a couple of my sermons has already figured out that I am a proponent of the separation of church and state. Of course, I would like for all people to be followers of Jesus. But, I do not believe that the government should meddle in anyone's religious faith so long as that faith does not bring harm to other's outside of one's faith. When people are harmed; then, it is indeed the government's (law enforcement's) job to step in and stop the abuse. But; history has shown us over and over again that when the state gets involved in the establishment of religion, the church will eventually relinquish its authority over to the state zealots; to kings, to princes, to dictators. Christ will no longer have the last word in the visible church; the state will. Therefore; as Christians, we need to be alert so that we are not freely turning our freedom to worship over to the control of the state. There is a time for peaceful demonstration. We do also have freedom of speech which; unless used will eventually disappear simply by general consensus.

We, in this country, under the constitution, have a right to exercise our faith; no matter who we are. Of course, I am a Christian and I would have that all people come to Jesus. However, as a citizen (and as a Christian) I cannot persecute those of different faiths whether they be Muslin, Jews, Wiccan, or even Satanists. Yes, these and many more groups consider themselves to be religious orders whether I or anyone else likes it or not. The constitution guarantees all religious groups the free exercise of their religions. However, if any religious groups or members thereof actively seek to harm others than the state must step in, not because of anyone's specific religious beliefs; but, because they break the rule of law. The constitution does not give Christians or anyone else the right to trample on the rights of others, whether we agree with them or not.

The first amendment guarantees the rights of all persons to freely exercise their religion. Included in this first amendment is the right of free speech. Christians need to understand that we do have the right to put a voice to our faith. Congress cannot establish any laws that would restrict proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom. Let us not take this freedom lightly and use that freedom to God's glory. So, the question I would like you to consider today is this: 

How many of these freedoms: the freedom to exercise our faith; the freedom to proclaim our faith; the freedom to assemble peaceably have diminished over the years in this country simply because we, as Christians, have not taken advantage of these freedoms? We cannot blame the state for us losing ground when we haven't been willing to stand up, step out, and freely proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God through Jesus the Christ.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:1 NIV)

May your celebration of this Independence Day be a safe one; keep your hearts and minds focused on the one who lived and died and lives for you, Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J