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.

Indignant And Arrogant

And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.

And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?

For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.

For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.

She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.

Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. 

                                                                               (Mark 14:3-10 KJV)

Indignant and I'd say a bit arrogant were some of the disciples. Why should this woman waste money on such an extravagant gift for Jesus?

Was Judas, the disciple in charge of their money, upset to see such waste? Or, was he upset because he thought Jesus was making excuses for this mere woman who was being so forward? Maybe, he felt offended because Jesus reminded them that they could help the poor whenever they wished. Maybe Judas felt that Jesus was hinting that they themselves, including Judas, could do much more to help the poor.

Apparently Judas' feelings were hurt. He was one of the indignant. So indignant that he wanted to get even with Jesus so he betrayed him and handed him over to be tried.

Judas isn't the only one. Humankind has a habit of striking back when things don't go exactly their way. Humankind also has a habit of pointing fingers at others and blaming these others for the poor in the world. They could help so much more if they were only willing! But, here Jesus reminds us "For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good."

Do good to one another. Help those in need. It is not just the government's job to do that. It is ours. It is up to each of us as individuals and as members of the Body of Christ to help those in need. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Joseph: The Man Who Raised Jesus

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matt 1:20-21 KJV)

Today we consider and give thanks for Joseph, the man who raised Jesus even though he was not his father.

In todays world it is not uncommon for one or both parents to have higher priorities than to raise their own children. Too many are more concerned about their own happiness than their children's well-being. There are better things to do with their income than to use it to help support their offspring. There are parents who do actually live in the same home with the children; but, make very few attempts to actually raise them. The children are pretty much on their own and sometimes even end up being the caretakers for their parents. 

Children are precious gifts from God. According to the Psalmist:

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 

                                                                                          (Psalm 127:3-4)

Joseph had every legal reason to leave Mary and her unborn son. But, he did not. He stayed so that she would not be put to shame. He stayed and gave her Son an earthly father.

God grant that parents all around the world would not neglect their responsibilities but do the best that they can to raise the children in the way that they should go.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Adorn Yourself With A Gentle Spirit

 Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3:2-4 NRSV

Although, it keeps commerce going, I have never quite understood why someone would need to have so many piercings or wear so much make-up that it distracts from the person that they are within. I am not saying that I think women shouldn't wear any make-up. But, I would think that the purpose for make-up would be to enhance one's features and not an attempt to mask who you are. 

God has made everyone and every one is precious in God's sight. Let the world see the person God created you to be. It does not matter what you look like on the outside. Appearances can be very deceiving. There is nothing more beautiful than a child of God who exudes the loving and gentle spirit that comes from knowing that they are a child of God. 

May God help each of us to cherish the lasting beauty of the gentle and quiet spirit of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Babylon The Great

  Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

    babylon the great
    the mother of prostitutes
    and of the abominations of the earth.

  I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.

                                                           Rev 17:3-5

Who is Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth? I have heard many theories. Some say that it is Iraq; others have said Rome; and others I've heard say that it is either New York or Washington D.C.. There are many theories. The angel; though, does make it clear that kings and indeed people from all over the world will follow Babylon, the great harlot. They will not worship the Lord. The followers of this harlot will join her in persecuting those who worship the one true God.

All the surmising over who or what Babylon the Great is will not bring anyone closer to God. It will only detract us from what we are called to do. We are called; not to debate the days or the times. We are not called to debate where or when the Lord will return; but, to proclaim the Kingdom of God through the shedding of his blood for all who would believe in him. We are called to give testimony to Jesus and to his Kingdom.

Worship the Lord your God and do not bow your knee to any false god, no matter what kind of riches or pleasures they might promise you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

More Precious

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matt 6:26

As awesome as it is to be among the birds of the air or the animals of the forests; yes, our brothers and sisters in Christ are even more awesome. We often take one another's uniqueness for granted. We just don't listen. We just don't see. Behold the child of God sitting next to you. Behold the children of God wherever you may be. Many are hungry. Many are cold. Many are homeless. God will take care of them and He wants to help them through you.

More precious than silver is God's whole creation. More precious than gold are God's children.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Masks

Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3:2-4 NRSV

Although, it keeps commerce going, I have never quite understood the need for anyone to have major amounts of piercings or to change the color of one's hair every few weeks or the wearing of someone else's name on your clothing. It makes me think that the person is not comfortable with who they are. I can't quite get why someone would need to wear make-up that would disguise the person that God made them to be. I'm not saying that I think women shouldn't wear any. But, I would think the purpose for make-up would be to enhance one's features and not to mask them.

God has made every one and every one is precious in God's sight. Let the world see the person God created you to be. There is nothing more beautiful than a child of God who exudes the loving and gentle spirit that comes from knowing that you are a child of God.  

May God help each of us to cherish the lasting beauty of the gentle and quiet spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J