Storms Will Come

Luke 8:22-25 KJV; Jesus did not promise no storms. He promised that he would be with you in the storm and you will know calmness even in them.

Take Up Your Cross And Follow

"And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.

And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.

But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

                                                                            (Mark 8:28-36 KJV)

No... no... no... We cannot and should not have to endure death. We should have to endure trials. We should not have to struggle! 

Yet, we do. We do and we will. God's will for Jesus was not to have a life of ease. He was destined for death; to die so that we might live. Life is a struggle and if you think that it should not or will not be one then you probably are following a false god down a very wrong path. 

These false gods would have us strive to gain the worldly things and in the process we may, as Jesus said, lose our souls.

Life is not easy so you may as well take up your cross and follow Jesus and when you do know that the Christ is with you on the journey. That road, although it may feel like death is drawing near leads to life everlasting. That is the will of God for you. 

As St. Paul drew closely to his own earthly death he wrote these words to his fellow missionary and evangelist Timothy:

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"

                                                                                        (2 Tim 1-7)

St. Paul took up his cross and followed Jesus. He endured afflictions even as he continued the work of an evangelist. He finished his course when he was executed for his faith in Christ. 

He was willing to give up a life of luxury in this world and reside as a prisoner of the government so that he could proclaim the Gospel according to the will of God. He was willing to give up his body. But, he was not willing to give up his soul as he entrusted it to the love of God in Christ Jesus.

God help us to endure all afflictions and fight the good fight of truth found in Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Home Based Christian Education

And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 

                         (Luke 18:15-16 KJV)

And, exactly how would we expect them to go to Jesus unless someone teaches them who he is and that they can go to him? For generations now, teaching children about Jesus has been left to the church basically on Sunday mornings for nine months of the year. Now that most of the public schools in the country are closed, parents and other guardians have figured out that they can actually  supervise the education of their own children in their homes. 

So now that you know you can; maybe, it would be wise to expand their at home education to include a Christian education as well. There is no reason that you cannot teach your children the stories from the Bible at home. There is no reason that you cannot teach them the basics of our faith. There is no reason that you cannot tell them who Jesus is and what he has done for them. There is no reason  that you cannot pray with them. 

Since so many of us are from a generation where we also did not get a steady home based Christian education, then adults that teach their children at home might receive a good refresher course at the same time. And, when Sunday School and Worship begin again this summer or fall in your local congregation; please, don't neglect to take your children so that they might worship God with the community of saints; that they might get to know Jesus more intimately.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Storms

One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A windstorm swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”
                                       Luke 8:22-25 NRSV

In the midst of a storm, Jesus calms the disciples and he calms the seas. He commands the winds and the waters. They listen to him. 

Whenever I read this story, I am reminded that the storm did not begin until after they got into the boat with Jesus. Following Jesus is no guarantee that there will not be any storms in your life. In fact, it might guarantee even a few more. 

If you truly follow Jesus you will face obstacles and opposition of all kinds. Jesus never promised that we would not have troubling or stormy times. Only that with him, we would weather them. We would live. We can live in peace knowing that the one who has power over all things is with us always.

There is no need to fear the storms. The one who commands the winds and the waves is with you and for you. Sometimes; though, you will need to experience a few storms on the sea before you can reach the other side.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Do Not Fear The Storms

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
                                        Matt 8:23-26 NIV

Those of you who know me; know that I love the water and I love being on it. Bodies of water are reminders to me of my baptism into the family of God. They are also a reminder that God is with me through the strongest of storms. Following Jesus is not a walk in the park or the garden. Following Jesus will take us to places that we would rightfully fear to go if he was not leading.

When the disciples followed Jesus into the boat a storm arose. Jesus took a nap. Yet, there was no need to fear because he was with them. When we choose to follow Jesus we can be sure that we will encounter rough waters. You will encounter many storms that threaten to sink and drown you. Do not fear! God in Christ Jesus is with you. He is ruler even over the roughest storms.

Do not fear; but, sail in faith wherever God in Christ Jesus will lead you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Correcting a Mocker

"Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.  Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning." 

(Prov 9:7-9 NIV)

Believe me, I have received my share of insults by those who prefer not to walk on the straight path.  I have learned, over time, that there are times when it makes no sense to correct someone. If they are corrected they will only argue or throw a temper tantrum. There are times when it is best just to say nothing more and walk away. It is better to walk away than to end up in a dispute that you will not win and you will end up carrying any ill feelings that you gained during that discussion out into the rest of the world. The rest of the world doesn't deserve that.

There is a whole world out there that needs and desires to hear the Good News. Why allow a mocker or a wicked one, who refuses to hear, to steal the time that could be better used to help those who are wise enough not to refuse help?

I am not saying that there is never a time to correct a mocker or rebuke the wicked. Jesus certainly incurred insults. As Christians, so shall we. There are times when even the mocker should be corrected and the wicked rebuked. If there is danger to others, it definitely needs doing. These things must be done from time to time. Wisdom will help you know when the time is right. But, focusing in on the one who mocks the LORD, trying to drag them onto the path of righteousness should never become the center of your life. Do not allow scoffers to drag you down and off the path the LORD has prepared for you. If they will not hear the truth, then it may be time to shake the dust off your feet (Matt 10:14) and walk away, whether it is family, friend, or foe.  You can help no one, if your whole life is spent trying to help one whose whole goal is to drag you down into the muck and mire with them.

There is a whole world out that there yearning for some Good News, multitudes that need healing and actually desire it, that will listen and be made whole. Go... and proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom through Jesus Christ, our LORD. Go and proclaim the Good News to all people. But, remember it is not us but the Word, who is Jesus the Christ, that saves.  Once the Word has been shared, there is not much you can do for the mocker, but continue to pray for them and trust the Spirit of God to do what the Spirit does. Be careful that you do not become embroiled in thinking that with persistence you can save them. Wisdom will guide you as your remember that it is only Jesus who saves.

God's Peace - Pr. J