“We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.”

1 Timothy 1:8-11

“A society of laws is a high vision for a nation or secular society, but too low a goal for a Christian community.”  This quote came from the “Talking Points” that were provided to Daily Bible Blast writers in support of the current sermon series (Sermon on the Mount).  Our experience tells us that we need laws to maintain an orderly society.  We need boundaries to live well together.  But the second half of the quote is what really got my attention.  Jesus addressed the issue of “too low a goal for a Christian community” in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 – 7).  He talked about things like anger, and language, and lust.  He makes it clear to his followers that the obedience He wants is from the heart!

If only it were easy to live in obedience to God’s law and in relationship with one another!  We struggle, but we have some good company.  Look at what Paul says in Romans 7: 21-25: 

^“21 So I find this law at work:  Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature^[a] a slave to the law of sin.”

Thanks be to God for the gift of the law that ultimately points us to our Savior.  Even though we will inevitably fall short of the obedience that God desires, we can join with Paul in thanking Him for the gift of His Son, Jesus, who fulfilled the law for us and the Holy Spirit who helps us in our walk of faith!

Guess What He Got You?!

Ephesians 2:4-10

Who doesn’t love getting a gift??  The fact that someone cares enough to pick out something and give it to you is a big deal.  Getting gifts is great, but giving them can be even more impactful.  I love seeing the joy in someone’s eyes when I give them a special gift.

Imagine the joy God feels when we accept the gifts He presents to us, most especially his gift of grace.  One of my absolute favorite lines in the Bible is Ephesians 2:8, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Whenever I hear this I always seem to breathe a little easier.  It’s not up to me to do enough, or read enough, or pray enough or BE enough.  I AM enough.
 
Thank God, it’s not up to us.  God does the heavy lifting.  All we have to do is trust and receive.

Reading today’s passage again, I noticed a few things.  In verse 4 it talks about “his great love.”  Verse 7 says, “his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”  The passage is all about HIS mercy and HIS gift of grace.  See, it’s about HIM, not us.  He’s the one giving and we’re the ones receiving.

So, breathe a sigh of relief and accept the gift God is giving you, because it’s the greatest gift you’ll ever get!

Acts 19:1-7

In the name of the Father 
and of the Son 
and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

We have a vision of who the Father and Son are, but the Holy Spirit seems more mysterious. 

It’s difficult to picture what a Holy Spirit looks like and because of our human limitations

 we seem to need things somewhat concrete to understand.

In Acts 2, the Pentecost took place. Luke writes of a violent blowing wind that came from 
             heaven. What appeared to be tongues of fire rested upon each of their heads and they began              to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them. As a crowd gathered these disciples’ words 

were clearly understood by each one in their own native language.

Acts 19 tells of another incident of disciples receiving the Holy Spirit. Perhaps we are those 

disciples. Before Jesus was taken up into heaven he promised the power of the Holy Spirit 

would come. That promise was not just for the twelve chosen Apostles, but for all men.

The Holy Spirit is the power of God here on earth. We are all free to receive it, but we must 

be still and open our hearts to feel and accept it. It need not happen in a great and glorious 

manner with wind and fire. It is a personal experience meant to help us feel and 

understand God’s purpose and our mission.

Might speaking in tongues to us be simply meeting people where they are, identifying

 with their pain, and walking them through it toward the Lord?

We have been given this gift of the Holy Spirit, but it does us no good to simply look 

at the beautifully wrapped package. We must open it, acknowledge its contents,

 thank our God, and use it for His purpose.
"Bringing Faith To Life"

Read/Listen to Acts 19:1-7

Are You Using Your Gifts?

Just about everybody likes a gift.

 

On Christmas Day, kids wake up and bolt to the tree to see what Santa Clause has brought. When mom and dad wake up, the kids can’t wait to open the remaining presents.

 

Birthday gifts are always appreciated, but perhaps best gifts are those that somebody gives for no apparent reason at all.

 

Today’s reading is 1 Timothy 4. Paul is writing to Timothy, the leader of the Ephesus church, filling in for Paul who is on a missionary journey. Let’s focus on verse 14, “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.”

 

The church has several Christ given tasks. The Holy Spirit gives each church member a spiritual gift so that the church can complete its tasks.

 

As interim Pastor, Timothy was given the gift of proclaiming the Gospel.  While this is critical, it takes the use of many more gifts for a congregation to be successful. Paul lists some of the spiritual gifts in Corinthians and Romans. Among them are wisdom, knowledge, healing, prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership and showing mercy.

 

Unlike Christmas gifts, I sometimes do not want to know what my spiritual gifts are. Perhaps a better way of looking at it is that I would rather do what I want to do, not what the Holy Spirit has gifted me to do. If I ignore my gifts, then I can rationalize to myself that there are good reasons for not doing more in Christ’s church.

 

And of course, understanding my gifts and utilizing them can put me outside my comfort zone. Changing jobs also puts me outside my comfort zone at first, yet I gladly accept those challenges. The feeling of discomfort does not last long.

 

Today’s reading is something I needed to hear, “Do not neglect your gift.”

 

Perhaps there are others like me in this regard. The church can only be effective if its members utilize their gifts. The Holy Spirit did not give us gifts for no apparent reason at all.

 

Do you know what your gifts are? Are you using them?

 

 

Shhhhhh,.... Listen.

Acts 16: 6-15

As Paul continued on his journey, he followed the guiding of the Holy Spirit. As I read this, I couldn’t help but think, “Why is it that the messages from the Lord were so clear to Paul, and many of us continue daily, asking God what direction He wants us to take without so much as a nudge?” How awesome would it be to have a crystal clear understanding of what God wants of us!

Acts 16 tells of Paul and his companions being kept by the Holy Spirit from going to the Province of Asia. It also says that the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to enter Bithynia, and that during the night Paul had a vision of a man in Macedonia begging him to come and help them. He was specifically guided as to what he should do, and what he should not do. It was very clear for Paul according to this scripture. If only our purpose and expectations were this obvious.

Perhaps Paul was more still and quiet, waiting for the Lord to speak to him than we are in our busy world. Maybe if we stopped to “Be still and know that He is God,” we would hear his whispers.

 I challenge you to quiet yourself, ruthlessly eliminate hurry, and listen. What harm could come of it? A task might go unfinished for a time, but just think of the eternal gift that could result. Our Lord waits for us to hear Him, but we cannot hear if we do not listen.

Read/Listen to Acts 16: 6-15

Matthew 28:19

     

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Like last Sunday, and the Sunday after this one, we will remain in Matthew 28. The message is so significant, one day is not nearly enough to communicate its power and intensity. So again, we are reminded of....................................... "The Great Commission." 

                                

Matthew 27 tells of the torment Jesus endured before and during His crucifixion. According to “The Journey” bible: The instant Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was miraculously torn. This curtain had separated the innermost part of the temple from all people except the high priest, and he could enter only once a year. In tearing the curtain, God signified that Jesus’ sacrificial death removed the barrier and opened the way to give people direct access to Him. Anyone can come into the presence of God.

We are all His children, yet many on this earth are not aware of His mercy and grace. Multitudes are still oblivious of what baptism means, and the promise that is ours when we turn our lives over to God. This relationship with The Father may be ours, and it may be wonderful, yet offering this opportunity to others is what makes this gift complete.

Jesus was drawn to the corrupt. He would seek out the lost and abandon. The son of God was in search of sinners who often were oblivious to their sin until they met Him. The love and peace of our Lord that lies within a relationship with Him awaits every person on this earth, but how will they know if we don’t tell them?

Read/Listen to Matthew 28:19

Matthew 5:14-30 The Parable of the Talents

The gifts we have been blessed with are immeasurable! Splendid mountains and oceans, indescribable sunsets and starlit nights, sunshine, birds, butterflies, and fireflies, waterfalls, and fishing. Closer to our hearts and to varying degrees, we are all offered health, love, peace, family, and the ability to express our beliefs and faith. Still deeper within each one of us, God has strategically placed unique gifts-talents he urges us to use for good.

Matthew writes "The Parable of the Talents" as a lesson for us. A reminder of what God expects. No matter how large or small the gift we feel we've been given is, there is a purpose for it and an expectation.

In this gospel reading, the master went away (as God did) and entrusted his property to his servants(as God did). He gave the three of them "talents" according to their ability (as God has). He returned with expectations (as God will) that his servants had done something with the talents they'd been given, that would increase his wealth (God's heavenly kingdom perhaps)? How are we using our talents? Are we burying them for safe keeping as the third servant did, or investing what we have in His name, with the greater picture in mind?

Acts 15:1-21

A few years ago I was offered a job that was just too good to believe.  I remember feeling inadequate and not up to the par of the others I would be working with. It wasn't that I did not want the job, I was feeling like I wasn't good enough.  It wasn't humility so much as backward pride -- if that makes any sense.

If felt I needed to fulfill some unknown qualifications, that I needed a different pedigree.  God chose to bless me with the job of my dreams, and it ended up giving me everything I needed to face the future.  One moment in time can do this for us.  One moment in time can change us, our outlook and even our personality, for ever.


"No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” (Acts 15:11)


We find the disciples trying to iron out the beliefs of the people, to clear up some old customs, ways of thinking, that were keeping the people from hearing the message of Good News.  Paul and Barnabas and the others were teaching about Jesus.  The message they shared was that Jesus came to save everyone, not just the Jews but everyone. 

Just as I didn’t feel position I was worthy of the position offered me, neither are any of us (Jew or Gentile) deserving of God’s grace nor the love of our Savior, Jesus. It is a gift.

Read today's text, Acts 15:1-21, here.