Knowing God Is God

Psalm 46:10

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.                                                                               

                                                                                     (John 6:35-40 KJV)

Doubt can creep in when one is least expecting it. Trouble may came and you wonder where God is. Does he really exist and if he does why would he allow this to happen. We cannot see him face to face now and sometimes it might be hard to grasp this Father in heaven. I have heard him described as a bearded old man living in the clouds or other such absurd analogies and those descriptions coming from adults! SMH!! It is absurd to make fun of something or someone that one does not know. 

But, those who worship him, do know him. As Job declared that he would one day see God face to face so do those who know and love him declare it. 

"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. 

                                                                                             (Job 19:25-27)

Our God is not some far away god who sits on a cloud. He is here with us, in us, above us, all around us. He is not an old man either. He is eternal and he is God Almighty. We do not have to see him face to face in order to know him. We read and hear the testimony of his many children. We witness his acts of love and kindness everyday in the Christians around us. We behold his creation and we are in awe of his handiwork.

Thomas knew Jesus. He was a follower of Jesus. They were friends. Yet, when Jesus rose from the dead Thomas doubted that this could possible be true. He had see him with his own eyes to believe it.  

"Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29)

We don't have to see him to believe. We are witnesses to his grace and his mercy and his love. Blessed are you who believe for you have received everlasting life in the presence of God Almighty!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Will You Share The Good News?

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

                                                                                (Rom 10:8-13 KJV)

I have heard it said too many times that "my faith is personal." Indeed it is! 

"I do not have to go to church to worship because God is near to me in creation." Indeed He is. But, we are also members of one body in Christ. That does not mean isolate from one another. But, to gather together often to hear his word and to proclaim it ourselves. We are called to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. That does not come about without knowing who he is and actually knowing him. We come to do this by not just reading the Bible, but by hearing the word proclaimed.

"I don't talk about my faith because everyone has their own faith and I shouldn't force anyone to believe what I believe." Indeed they do! But, is their faith life saving faith? Do we not have so little faith that we are ashamed of sharing the Good News of salvation through Jesus the Christ? Do we not love others enough to desire to see them receive the precious gift of salvation?

The Good News is for everyone. It does not matter who they; where they are from; or what they have done. All who believe that Jesus was raised from the dead for them; for us, shall be saved.

Share the Good News that others might call upon the name of the Lord and be saved!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Eternal Life Is A Gift

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 6:23 KJV)

No, not a one of us is without sin. We have sinned against God and one another over and over again. Each and everyone of us have earned the penalty of death. But, thanks be to God for the sacrifice made on our behalf by our Lord, Jesus the Christ! "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

That everlasting or eternal life is not just life after physical death. All who have been raised up by faith into the family of God live in that everlasting kingdom even now. That kingdom is a life of joy and peace no matter what obstacles we might face. 

St. Paul wrote to the Romans: "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Rom 14:17)

We live in this world; yet, the kingdom of God is here, as well. When Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God would come, he replied: "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21)

Live life and live it abundantly in the presence of God; in His Kingdom even now!

God's Peace - Pr. J

God So Loved The World

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)

The good news for today and every day is found in John 3:16. This news is so good that we should be shouting it from the rooftops. We should at the least be sharing it with those around us. There is no need to fear death. There is no need to fear life in this world, either. In Christ we have eternal life!

In Christ we have a love beyond comparison. Live life in the one who loves you so much that he was willing to die that you might live. Live life in Christ! 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

God So Loved The World

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)

The good news for today and every day is found in John 3:16. This news is so good that we should be shouting it from the rooftops. We should at the least be sharing it with those around us. There is no need to fear death. There is no need to fear life in this world, either. In Christ we have eternal life!

In Christ we have a love beyond comparison. Live life in the one who loves you so much that he was willing to die that you might live. Live life in Christ! 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

What Does Baptism Give?

What does Baptism give or profit?

Answer.

It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

Which are such words and promises of God? 

Answer.

Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

                                                 Book of Concord, Small Catechism, Baptism 



I have run a across a very sad thing: there are those within the church on earth who have not been baptized! How does this happen? How is it that a believer has not received the Sacrament of Baptism?

I've heard a few reasons. Mostly, it has come down to being embarrassed over not having been baptized earlier, as a younger person. Those who have not been baptized; yet, are within the church receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion, will rarely just tell you that they are not. You will have to ask them. 

I first ran across this years ago when I was working on membership rosters and official congregation records. We were missing information that should have been in the books: things like birth and baptismal dates that would have been registered decades earlier. I thought that this might be a good reason to do some extra home visits and get to know some of the members a little better. An elderly woman whom I regularly visited in a nursing home was on the list for missing baptismal dates. When I asked her where and when she'd been baptized, she was relieved that I had asked her about it. No one else ever had. She confessed that she had never been baptized. When she was a child, they had a circuit pastor, who normally did baptisms during hay making season. As a child, she and her family had been in the fields working when the pastor came around. After she got older and got more active in the congregation no one asked her about her baptism and she was a bit embarrassed to admit that she hadn't previously been baptized. That's the short version of a very long story. Ultimately, she received the Sacrament of Baptism in the nursing home with her children and grandchildren around her about a week before she died.

This was not a lone incident. Most of the people I encountered that attended worship regularly and had not baptized were then baptized. 

We are to go and teach and baptize so that others might come to faith and be assured that they have received forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The mission field is huge. It begins within our own congregations. Do not assume that someone is saved just because they attend worship once or twice a year or even every Sunday. Do not assume that they know Jesus. Do not assume that they have received the Sacrament of Baptism. Proclaim the Good News to all people and encourage them to receive this life saving gift from God. And... don't forget to tell them about the benefit of Baptism, a gift from God for them.

God's Peace - Pr. J