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November 9, 2015

The One Thing We All Need…Is The One Thing We Least Beleive In

This Week’s Gospel: Click Here to read – Luke 8:26-39

Who would have believed that a man with multiple demons, a man no one could control, not even keep chained up, could ever be healed? You would think having witnessed the most incredible miracle of their lives, the people of the community where the possessed Gerasene man lived, would believe. How could they dispute the goodness of what was done? The man was released from his demons. He was made whole again. He was healed. Yet, the people asked Jesus to leave.

Before we get too surprised at their unbelief and their audacity of asking Jesus to leave their community, perhaps we should take a look at our own lives. All around us are hurting people who need the healing of Jesus, but do we even offer it to them? It seems the one thing we all need, is the one thing we least believe in.

Where in the Bible does it say that miraculous healing left our world when Jesus ascended into Heaven? Why do we seem to think that it was okay for Jesus to work such miracles because He is God? But, as for us, well we shouldn’t expect ourselves to do what he did. Or should we?

Jesus told his followers they would do even greater works than He: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.…” (John 14:12-13).

St. Peter raised a dead woman to life (Acts 9). St. Paul raised a man from the dead (Acts. 20). I would say those are greater works than Jesus did, just like He said. Why? Because Peter and Paul were men and not God. It is really quite remarkable when you think about it. The early church moved throughout the world with the miraculous power of God. Some have said that such “apostolic” power died out with the twelve apostles. But, did it?

In St. Matthew’s gospel, chapter 10, we read how Jesus commissioned the twelve to heal the sick and raise the dead. Paul was not even one of the original twelve disciples, yet the power was manifest in him. We know the twelve apostles ordained successors to their offices out of concern to pass on the apostolic ministry to the next generation (Acts 1). In fact, the ancient history of the church is filled with accounts of saints who worked great miracles, and even raised the dead.

So, why don’t we believe in such apostolic power filling the church of today? Is it because we have become too smart for such things? Have we become so sophisticated in our thinking and our ability to save lives through modern medicine that we don’t really believe in miracles anymore? Or do we even acknowledge the healing we bring in modern medicine is not from us at all, but from God? I wonder.

I look around our world today and see so many lost and hurting people, people in need of miracles. Yet, it seems the church offers little if any; most churches anyway. Again I ask, why? The very thing our world needs most, seems to be the very thing we believe the least – a church filled with apostolic power!

What miracles do you need? Is your life bound up with demons? Perhaps the common demons of today are not the possessive kind, but rather the kind we allow to plague us through our lack of faith. Jesus is still able to do through His church today, all the miracles He did then, but He won’t do them without the consent of our faith.

This Week:

As you go through this week, read the miracle stories of Jesus and His apostles. Consider your own life. Do you need a miracle? Jesus said, “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matt. 7:8). As a minister who stands in the line of apostolic ministry, I’m asking for faith to believe He wants to do miracles through me. Won’t you ask Him for your miracles too?

Feel free to comment or ask a question. We must build each other up to the fullness of faith as we journey together. Until later in the week…

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Brad

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Matthew 5:6

Image Credit: http://www.princetonalliance.org

November 6, 2015

The Romance of Death

The more I’ve thought about last Sunday’s gospel message this week, the less I’ve thought of death and all that’s unknown about it. That seems remarkable to me considering I had a funeral to officiate yesterday, and two funerals to officiate today. Surrounded by so much death, I keep hearing Jesus words about the poor man, Lazarus, and how hard his life was on earth, and then the words, “Abraham’s Bosom” keep coming back to me as a picture of Heaven.

I know that term doesn’t have the same effect on those who are not Jewish, but think about it with me for a minute. To the Jew (the Rich man was Jewish), Abraham’s Bosom was a picture of complete comfort. Abraham was the spiritual father of all Jewish people; it was in Him that they had their belonging as a covenant people of God. We gentiles are also children of Abraham through the reconciliation of Jesus Christ. God only has one covenant people, and if you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, you’re part of the covenant.

Jesus told the story of the Rich man and Lazarus, not to scare us into the realization that Hell is real and full of torment (Re-read of the Rich Man’s agony), even though it is. He told it also for us who believe to be comforted by the thought of Abraham’s Bosom. Jesus called this place, Paradise when He promised the thief on the cross he would be with Him. Abraham’s Bosom is Paradise. Heaven is Paradise. Why? Because it is with Jesus, and all the blessed saints and loved ones who have died before us in faith.

Let your heart dwell on Paradise. If you’ve had a rough week, think about the fact that we were not meant for this world and all it’s harsh realities. Lazarus had a really bad life as Jesus told it in the story, but the Paradise he inherited at death was worth it all.

There are days when life can be extremely difficult for me. I’m sure it’s the same for you. But even in the worst of those days, they are better than what Hell will be like. And, I always find that tomorrow still comes. Yesterday was a very difficult day for me personally, but God’s promises are true. His mercy is new every morning, I can feel it.

As we move from Friday to Sunday, won’t you let your heart dwell in thoughts of Abraham’s Bosom? Whatever is the greatest image of paradise you can image, Heaven will be even greater, so go ahead, think about it. Death, going to Heaven, is really a quite romantic thought; it’s a love story of reconciliation between a bridegroom and his long lost bride. Let the promise of Heaven be real for you today. I really think that’s the bigger part of the story in Luke 16.

Grace & Peace

Pastor Brad

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Matthew 5:6

November 3, 2015

Sin Is Wrong, Hell Is Real, No Second Chances

This week’s gospel, November 1-7

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31 Click Here to Read the gospel.

We don’t know a lot about what happens to us after we die. What is Heaven really like? How will we experience it without our bodies? Of course, in the end of the book of Revelation we learn that there are streets of Gold and there is no more death, pain, or sorrow. However, the scriptures in Revelation, written in apocalyptic style (meaning there are images that hide the meaning of things from those who are not familiar with the context of the times), are not there for us to take literally. But, we can know that since streets of Gold and a life without pain and death are the greatest things our limited minds can even imagine, God wants us to know that Heaven will be even greater than anything we can imagine.

By that same understanding, Jesus wants us to understand from his story of the Rich man who goes to Hades, that Hell is real, and once there, there is no way out. Jesus makes it clear that one more sign, or another person raised from the dead won’t convince a hard-hearted, unbeliever. The testimony of Moses and the Old Testament, coupled with the witness of John the Baptist and the miracles of Jesus is enough for anyone to believe…if they only will.

Our free will is the one thing God will not go against to make us believe in Christ. He may make winds cease, mountains move, and raise people from the dead, but if we are not open to believing of our own free choice, we are left to the consequences of our choices. Jesus wants us to understand from the story of Lazarus the Beggar and Rich Man, that Hell is very real. There are eternal consequences to our sins, if we do not repent. God is always the God of second chances as long as we are still on this side of death. But, make no mistake about it, death comes to all, and as the Book of Hebrews tells us, it is appointed for us all to die and then comes judgment (Heb. 9:27).

Do you need a second chance today? Is there sin in your life from which you have not repented? 1 John 3:9 tells us those who are born of God do not make a practice of sinning. We cannot say we believe in Jesus and keep treating others like dogs (as did the Rich man Lazarus). I have good news for you, God wants to give you a second chance today, and He will every day if that is what it takes to win you back. Our Father is always ready to forgive those who repent. But, we should not take His grace for granted. We must learn to avoid sin, and live for righteousness. After all, the name Christian means to live “like Christ”. We must repent while there is still time before we die, because just like the Rich man, after death there is no second chance.

This week:

This week try keeping a journal of any sins you become aware of at the end of each day. Before you go to bed, ask the Father to reveal to you anything you did that was not His best for you. Then, think about the things He shows you. Did you do them by choice, even though you knew you should not? Were they things that seemed part of your character you wish you could change? In a closing prayer for the day, repent of whatever the Father shows you. Ask for His grace to strengthen you in the coming days, and to help you change. If you will do this, I promise you will feel God’s love reassuring you that you are His child. He loves you and has a better plan for your life.

Feel free to comment or ask a question along the way this week. After all, we are in this life together, to pray for and help each other. Let’s contemplate this gospel passage together all week. Ask any questions that may arise. I will be back here on Friday with more thoughts from this week’s gospel. Until then…

Grace & Peace for your journey,

Pastor Brad

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Matthew 5:6

October 31, 2015

For What Do You Hunger And Thirst?

First things first, let me apologize if this delectable picture of creamy goodness makes you hungry for some real comfort food. And, if it is tempting you to get up from the computer and fall into the sin of gluttony by going to get some right now – don’t go! I’m sorry. I wanted to shock you into thinking about the things for which you hunger and thirst.

Myself, just seeing this picture of mashed potatoes (aka Ambrosia, food of the gods), causes me to tremble. I think I may have even gained a pound just looking at it. But it also serves to remind me Jesus said we cannot live by bread alone, but on every word the proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Bread, of course is a metaphor for whatever we crave in this world that we think fulfills us.

There is only one thing that I really want to hunger and thirst for, and that is Jesus. The problem is…sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I let the things of this world (which are so good), like gourmet food, nice clothes, and fancy cars get in my way of hungering and thirsting for the only thing that can truly satisfy – Jesus Christ, alive in me.

I’m willing to bet (I really don’t gamble) you have a similar problem; we all do. It is human nature to want more stuff, really nice stuff. And, until we accept that more and more stuff isn’t good for us, like too much mashed potatoes and gravy (or whatever things you crave), we will not learn to fill our appetite with what truly satisfies, Jesus.

Few of us will go a day without food, but many of us go “days” without feeding on, talking to, or being with Jesus. As St. James said, “…this ought not be”. Why do we fail to fill our lives with the one thing that can transform our lives into the joyful and peaceful existence we all crave? Because we don’t make a plan to fill our lives with Jesus.

If you go to church on Sunday or Saturday, and don’t spend any other time with Jesus and His word, I say if because the stats tell us about 1 million people stop going to church every week in America (let that soak in for minute), then you are not eating enough of the bread of life. We would not even think about eating food only once a week, so why do we do it with Jesus?

The truth is, we need a plan to fill our lives with Jesus Christ. We need to be intentional about thinking, praying, reading, and worshiping Jesus Christ in our daily lives. If we do not set up a plan to do these things, we are planning to fail. Thankfully, Jesus understands our failures. He loves us even though we often do not return His love. Instead of treating us like we treat Him, Jesus is always calling us into closer communion with Him.

This is my inaugural post for this blog. I hope you will choose to be hungry with me for more of Jesus. For the last year, I have written a daily devotional called Life IN Christ. I wrote it based on the gospel of the day from the Revised Common Lectionary. I just wrote about whatever God revealed to me about that day’s scripture. Some of those posts can be found at www.followingjesusdaily.com, if you care to go back and read them. I wrote it as a way of drawing me into daily worship of Jesus, and invited others to follow along.

On this blog I plan to post each Monday and Friday, thoughts that will help us through the week to concentrate more on the gospel and filling our lives with Jesus. Each Monday I will reflect on the gospel reading for the Sundays, and consider how to keep the word alive in us and feed on it through the week. Then, on Friday I will recap the week and see how we are doing together on the journey.

Don’t worry, it won’t be a repeat of the sermon you hear in church Sunday, unless perhaps you are an Orthodox Christian. Most of us will not have heard on that day, the particular gospel I will be using. To give us Western Christians a little different rhythm to life I will be using the Lectionary of the Eastern Orthodox Churches. This lectionary has been in continual use since the 4th Century in the Eastern churches; they have been on my heart a lot lately due to the persecution they face in the Middle East.

I hope you will subscribe to this blog and join in the journey by commenting or asking questions. We learn best when we learn together. Remember, discipleship is not a solo experience. Join me as we hunger and thirst for more of what truly matters…Jesus Christ.

Grace & Peace for your journey,

Pastor Brad