Only One God Above All

Job 38:4-18 KJV; 11th Sunday after Pentecost. There is only one God who is knows all things and is powerful enough to do everything and anything. We are not that God.

Nothing Could Stop Them

Acts 5:12-20 KJV

Do Not Fear: But, Rejoice!

  

 "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." 

                                                                                  (John 20:19-23 KJV)

There seems to be a lot of people living in fear these days. It seems also to be a  very natural and common reaction and truly about the only thing we can do  about the fear that creeps into our lives is to have faith that God is with us in Christ Jesus and he will see us through.

The disciples had every reason to be afraid by human standards. The Jews hierarchy had just conspired to get Jesus crucified. They were afraid that since they were such close friends and followers of Jesus that they would be next.

But, then something wonderful happened. As he had promised, this Jesus who had just been put to death showed up. Although the doors were locked, Jesus appeared in the same room with them and said to them, "Peace be with you."  Their fear slipped away and was replaced by joy in the presence of Jesus.

No matter what is going on in the world around you, remember what Jesus' promised the disciples as he sent them out to follow in his footsteps: 

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." 

                                                                                   (Matt 28:18-20)

Do not fear; but, believe! Trust that the Lord is with you now and always and rejoice!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Let Us Go To The House Of The Lord

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. (Psalm 122 KJV)

It was a troubling time in my life. It was the early 70's. We were home on vacation and I had decided to go to the house of worship that I had been baptized and confirmed in to pray. To my dismay the doors of this little country church were locked!  They hadn't been locked on previous visits. But, were now locked for fear of intruders and possible damage to the church when no one in authority was there to oversee the building.

I have served at a couple of congregations that locked the doors during hours even when someone was in the building; again, to my dismay. They insisted that the door stay locked even when I was in the building. The councils were afraid that whoever might be working in the church might be attacked. There were doorbells on these church doors so that whoever might be in the building might answer the door. I have not been able to surmise why these congregations thought that I or the secretary would not open the door to anyone ringing the bell. How can one tell through a closed door if the person on the other side is a terrorist or someone who is in serious need. I do not believe that any of the secretaries that I have served with would ever turn away someone in need.

Today, churches around the country have been closed because of an invisible enemy. Many will not even be able to go into the house of the Lord to celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday. 

Fear of what might happen is a dangerous thing. It is good to be cautious. But, caution and fear are not the same thing. For the time being the church on earth is restructuring what the house of the Lord is by turning to social media and live-streaming or taping and posting worship services. I cannot say that this is a bad thing. We will hear the Word of the Lord which is essential to living life in Christ. But, there will be something missing. That something will be the fellowship within the Body of Christ. That something will be communing with other believers. 

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Heb 10:24-25) 

For the sake of others; it is prudent for many congregations to go to social media even while we have to accept that many of our seniors as well as others may not have social media. They may not even have the internet. But, pastors cannot neglect the needs of others no matter who they are or where they are. During the Bubonic Plague, Martin Luther continued to serve the people in spite of risk to his own health and life. He would not leave Wittenburg in order to keep himself safe. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and those who served lepers with her put their own health and safety at risk. But, they did it because they were called to serve those in need. That need may require social distancing for a time to keep others safe. It may also require that we meet them face to face; hand to hand.

It saddens me to know that fear has closed church doors. Each decade manages to close the doors a little more than the decade before. Where will it all end?

An evangelical pastor was arrested in Florida this past week for unlawful assembly and a violation of health emergency rules as he led worship for his large congregation in spite of government guidelines against it. Yes, some of our constitutional rights have been curtailed for fear that the COVID19 outbreak might become worse than it is. 

There are people all around the world where it is illegal to even be a Christian. But, the Church grows even, maybe especially, in these places. Families and small groups gather together to worship in homes; albeit, illegally. They are arrested when found out. They are sometimes tried. They are sometimes imprisoned. They are sometimes put to death.

In times like this, let us thank God for social media and for the opportunity that pastors have of staying in contact with their parishioners. Let us thank God that we can tape or live stream the word of God so that others might hear and believe; so that others might step out of the darkness into the glorious light of Jesus the Christ.

Let us pray for the day to come soon when we can all say: "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord." (Psalm 122 KJV)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Will Help

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

(Psalm 121:1-2 KJV)

Since retiring this spring, I have had a lot more opportunity to pray. In fact, I find that I've had a tremendous amount of need to go before the Lord and ask for help.  This retirement stuff seems pretty fruitless. I feel restless and at times pretty useless. I spend a lot of time asking the Lord to help me to know what it is that He would have me do. It has only been a few months so I continue to wait patiently for the Lord to open the doors and show me the way in which He would have me go to serve Him. 

This is definitely not the first time I've waited for Him to let me know what He would have me do; how He would have me serve. If you've been wondering, lift up your eyes and pray and with patience wait for it. Your help, our help, comes from the Lord. Sometimes, we have to wait awhile for answers. But, no matter what is causing you frustrations and confusion, He will answer all who earnestly ask for help; for direction.

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

Prayer and Proclamation; Don't Forget Praise!

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
                          Col 4:2-6 NRSV

Prayer, praise, and proclamation; that is my evangelism strategy. As Paul closes his letter to the Colossians he reminds us to be diligent in prayer and proclamation. Devote yourself to prayer. Pray that God will open doors for the message so that mystery of Christ may be proclaimed. We don't need a program. We just need the grace of God in order to do His will.

Years ago, my congregation was involved in a multi-congregation effort to do more evangelism. We met quite a few times to talk about evangelism among ourselves. As I drove home with two of the congregation's "delegates" to this consortium, we discussed the fact that we were driving quite a distance and spending an awful lot of time talking about evangelism and not actually doing any evangelism.

The truth be told we had these many meetings and had come to the conclusion that we were not of like minds. Leaders from various congregations did not trust one another; everyone seemed to have different and personal agendas, and we were not working well together. We talked a lot at every meeting; but, we never actually got to the point of proclaiming the mystery of Christ. We never got around to doing any evangelism. We had been too busy trying to figure what kinds of evangelism programs would work best. On that drive home we agreed that we already knew in our hearts what we needed to do.  That we would quit wasting time, energy and financial resources talking about evangelism. We were determined to get back on track and put our time and energy into doing the ministry we had received from the Lord. Rather than just talk about it, we would get on with the business of evangelists: praying, praising God, and proclaiming the Good News through both word and deed. We presented this to the council. The motion was approved. By the grace of God, we continued to grow both in Christ and in numbers.

The growth that happened though, did not happen because of one or two or even three people. In this closing section of Paul's letter; he reminds us that he had many co-workers in the gospel. They proclaimed the Good News with one heart and mind. Those who heard the Gospel were encouraged to share it with others. There were no special programs. They did not discuss strategies. By God's grace, they prayed that God would open doors and proclaimed the mystery of Christ clearly to the glory of God. And... the church continued to grow both in Christ and in numbers.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Patience

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eph 4:1-3


Here is Paul, in prison, begging the Ephesians to lead lives with humility, gentleness, and patience bearing with one another in love. Paul met his imprisonment not just with patience; but with joy that the Lord had opened many doors in that prison so that he could proclaim the Good News to those who would not otherwise hear.


Some of the things that we lose patience with are pretty trivial compared to the troubles others suffer in the world. It would be best to ignore these minor obstacles and just move on past or over them. Don't let them interfere with what God has called you to do. Some of these minor inconveniences can make big breaks in our relationship with God and with one another when we allow them to. Rather, we ought to take advantage of what might seem to be a hindrance; because, it just might be a door opening for you. Those hindrance just might be a blessing rather than a curse. Live life!


May God help us to wait patiently, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.


God's Peace - Pr. J

Thy Kingdom Come

The Lord's Prayer

The Second Petition.

Thy kingdom come.

What does this mean?--Answer.

The kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayer, of itself; but we pray in this petition that it may come unto us also.

How is this done?--Answer.
When our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead a godly life here in time and yonder in eternity.

(http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)

By faith alone!

The kingdom of God has come and we, by faith, in our Lord, Jesus the Christ, are residents of that kingdom, even now.

Yes, we live in this world; but, all who believe also live in the kingdom and under the gracious rule of God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is such a grievous thing when God's own beloved children focus so much on the world and the support of the world that they cannot recognize that God is with them, even now. It is such a sad state that His own children refuse to recognize that we might live in the Kingdom of God, even now.

We pray that His Kingdom would come quite often. But, is the Kingdom or the world our heart's true desire? By many a Christian's words and actions the true state of our hearts is often seen by the world. Do we truly desire to have the Kingdom come into our lives or are we clinging ever so tightly to the world and it's ways?

The heavenly kingdom is not just for a time after physical death. When that temple curtain was ripped in half at the time of Jesus' death; the doors to the kingdom were flung wide open. The kingdom comes by the work of our Lord. May God help us to live in His kingdom; to live in His presence; beginning today and for all time.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Thieves Cannot Sneak Into The Kingdom Of God; There Is Only One Way In

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:9-10

There is a reason for walls. It is to keep one safe from many things that would harm us. Walls protect us from most storms; from beasts of prey; and from those who would steal from us or do us other injuries. We need walls; but, we also need gates or doors to enter in and depart when the time is appropriate. It would be very nice if we did not need them. If we could all live in peace with one another. But, that is not the reality. Thieves will find a way to go over the walls and through locked doors.

But, there is a door that is always open for anyone who desires to enter. For anyone who would knock the door will be opened. Jesus is that door. He is the gate to eternal life where there is peace and safety for all.

Even the thief can enter through this gate; if only he would. The problem is that the thief would prefer to enter in a way other than the way that he or she has been invited. However, those who would attempt to find another entry into the Kingdom, they will not be successful. There is only one way into the Kingdom of God. Jesus is the way. He is the gate through which we must enter the Kingdom of God. He is the way, and the truth, and the life. No one enters except through him. Anyone who desires is welcome to enter into the Kingdom where there will be safety and peace for all.

Thank you Lord, for opening the gate to eternal life. Help us to enter and live life in your Kingdom.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Knock And The Door Will Be Opened To You

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Matt 7:7

Castles and forts were once used to protect the people of a community. There were usually very large doors that were meant to keep danger out. One had to knock, introduce themselves, and possibly know a password in order to gain entrance during times of trouble.

After Adam and Eve's fall the doors to Paradise, the Kingdom of God, were closed. They were guarded by fierce looking angels so that no one could enter.  But, you and I don't have to sneak past them. We don't have to know any passwords to get into the Kingdom of God. Jesus revealed to us, by his death, that he wants all people to enter into his kingdom. God, our Father, wants you in His Kingdom. He will not force anyone to enter against their will. But, through Christ, God, has made it available to all people. He has opened the doors to the Kingdom for all who would be believe in him. You don't have to earn the right to enter. Jesus did that for you as he took upon himself the sins of the world.

Knock and you will find that the door is not locked. It will swing wide open for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Good News Is The Kingdom

"As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near." Matthew 10:7

The kingdom of heaven; that's it in a nutshell. That is the Good News that Jesus came to proclaim. That is the message that he sent those first disciples out to proclaim. That remains the Good News today. "The Message is the Kingdom" is the message that will shared tomorrow morning at Christ Lutheran Church in Bunnell, tomorrow morning.

Through the sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus the Christ, the kingdom of God has indeed come for us, even today. We do not have 'till death parts us from this earth to live in that kingdom. We do not have to wait until death parts us to live in God's presence now. We are children of our heavenly Father; of His kingdom now.

I often wonder why if "going to heaven" after bodily death is so important to some, why living the kingdom life isn't so important today. Why would one want to live in God's presence later on and not today? Is it the love of God or the fear of death and hell that so many express the hope of eternal life; yet, do not live as though they truly believe that Jesus gave his life and opened the doors to the Kingdom for them?

Jesus, John the Baptist, his early followers all proclaimed the good news, "The kingdom of heaven has come near." In fact, Jesus told those who asked that the kingdom of God was already in their midst. (Luke 17:20-21)

May God help us to proclaim the Good News as we live in His Kingdom; in His presence, even today.

God's Peace - Pr. J