The late Cardinal George of Chicago saw it coming, as does, apparently, Pope Francis. He sees where the world is headed. He talked about it a couple of weeks ago in a homily that did not get much media attention. But then, the news media today reports only gossip, not news, anymore. http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-get-ready-to-be-martyrs-even-in-the-little-things-67893/
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Get Ready for Social Martyrdom
With American ethics and morals descending into cultural Marxism and the family unit -- the building block of democracy -- being destroyed, as the Supreme Court prepares to redefine marriage, Christians may as well prepare spiritually for a kind of social martyrdom; social shunning, the Christian ethics and organizations, the Church, attacked in courts, maybe job loss. We're already seeing businesses like bakeries and florists forced out of business because they won't compromise their ethics and morals.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Yes, For Such As This
Men and women join the Marine Corps for many reasons. Not being female I will not speak for the ladies, but young men often join either hoping the Marine Corps will make a man of them, or because they believe it is the manly thing to do. And of course, there is a bit of patriotism mixed in there, too. Along the way the desire to be the man they eventually realize they are becomes less important, and patriotism begins to play a much bigger role in our lives.
As we grow older, speaking just for myself now, the ideals we fought for, and the high price of the lives who paid for protecting those ideals comes back to me more and more. I, like you probably, know by name many of those who paid the price to ensure you and I are still here today. And it becomes more and more important to us to support and protect those original ideals of what freedom, individual liberty, and this nation are all about.
After all, we fought for those ideals, those freedoms, and we know the names of those who not here to enjoy the freedoms they paid dearly for. So when we see corruption, on a local or national scale, when we see the law being twisted to favor this one and impinge on the freedoms of that one, we are not pleased. Let’s face it, we are a very diverse people, coming from many different backgrounds, seeking many different things. Even when we wore the Marine Corps uniform, we didn’t get along with everyone. We had their back, and they had ours, but that didn’t mean we liked all of them. We were brothers.
So now later we must admit to ourselves and others, we don’t like everything we see going on around us. There is sadness, anger, frustration to be worked out among us. But if we dwell on those things, we find only more sadness, anger, frustration. That is not where the answers lie.
But as we might expect, our God knows where those answers lie. We find a strong hint about that in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, chapter four, verse eight: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
In a week when many of the things I see going wrong all about us seemed to climb on a tall pedestal and shout at me, suddenly out of the stinking fog that surrounded me came a reminder of Philippians 4:8. It came in the form of a YouTube video, a fantastic combination of what using computers should be about, with the highest talents of individual strangers, and music.
It’s actually been around for a while, so perhaps you’ve already seen it. It is Eric Whitacre: A Virtual Choir 2,000 Voices Strong.
As I watched this presentation of how it all came about, how it came together, and the final product, and then a preview of the next version to come, it occurred to me that of such is the human race intended, glorifying God with who and what they are, as individuals and in consonance. Listen to what he has to say when he talks about "human beings will go to any lengths to connect...."
Throughout the video, God was never mentioned, and yet it was the culmination of all the technical, creative, imaginative abilities with which He gifted us.
It is for such beauty that we exist, not to glorify ourselves, not to get over on one another, not to merely exist, not to do violence to one another to impose our beliefs on others, not even to be the best or the brightest.
Watch this when you have a chance, listen, notice what is happening. Even as an experienced writer I find it difficult to pull together the right words to adequately describe how good and fulfilled I feel when I watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NENlXsW4pM
May God richly bless them, even as their shared efforts have blessed us.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Critical 2016 Presidential Election Needs New Approach - The American National Party of the American People
A Critical Election Year in 2016 Needs a New Election Year Attitude,
New Election Year Approach,
an American National Party of the American People
We approach a time of history -- the election of 2016 -- an event which could make all the difference in the future of this nation. America is beset by enemies growing in force and in courage to take us on, weaken us, undermine us. Within our own nation we have a religious entity which decries freedom and American law, while living comfortably beneath the umbrella of freedom bought with the blood of American patriots. Our national, state, and local governments are so beset with fraud, abuse and waste by greedy politicians that it is any wonder we might survive, in the end.
Those who espouse the mind of Christ, and other peaceful religions, are only just beginning to realize the future survival of this nation lies not in political factions, gerrymandered options, or even warfare, but in the solidarity of what formed this nation in the first place -- a thirst and hunger for religious freedom for which men and women were willing to die...are willing to die.
Now we must set aside our petty quarrels, our dreams of wealth, relaxation, enjoyment and yes, even peace. For a national survival is at stake. Now the mindset must change and focus on what is right, what is necessary, and what is possible. Political expediencies, the "cost of doing business", turning a blind eye to what we know is wrong in order to gain a "right", must all go by the board now. For now it is becoming very much like hunting tigers or bears. You must be aware of every possibility at every moment, for in some ways they are smarter than you are. But unlike those who would be political tigers, we have the advantage of a God who is already in tomorrow, and the power of prayer can make all the difference. To hijack an old leadership phrase, we must "be the prayer!"
Samuel Adams once said, "If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our Country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin."
I submit we have reached that point in time. This nation is replete with experienced patriots who have the ability for critical thinking, who know how to make decisions based on fact and outcome without undue pressure from other forces, who know how to lead a people and a nation. But here is a historic fact, the last nation in this situation who turned to such a leader put Adolph Hitler in power.
America does not need a dictator, for our government system is the best of all known systems for an independent nation, for the defense and betterment of a free people. America's second President, John Adams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, spoke a great truth when he said, 'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion," adding, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
There are those American politicians who would scuttle the Constitution, amend, twist and remove the power of the Bill of Rights. Why? Because of "passions unbridled by morality and religion." Such laudable materials in the fabric of freedom will not fit the twisted form of greed, debauchery, bullyism and dictatorship. All the more reason they must be protected and preserved for the Americans of tomorrow, for sharing with those still struggling to find their own national freedoms, to squirm out from under the heel of slavery, starvation and oppression. If there were no America, the world would have to invent one.
Which brings us back to the importance of the 2016 Presidential election.
The candidate chosen for that office by the people of America must be more than of this party or that. Must be more than decisive and dictatorial, more than friendly and persuasive, more than a pretty face and a facility for the quick and witty answer. He or she must be "presidential." Must be the national representative of all the people, ready to be still while justice is done by others at the national, state and local levels; ready to be strong of voice and precise where America's security is concerned; determined to work a coalition of squabbling political officials to best serve the needs of all of America's people. A person of Constitutional morality and religion prepared to preserve the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans, to engage in legislation that preserves and promotes the well-being not only of Americans but all of our shop-keeper and customer allies and neighbors, as well. Ready to be fair. Ready to be presidential.
President John F. Kennedy, Jr., said it very well on that snowy morning of January 20, 1961, when he announced to America and to the world, "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
"This much we pledge -- and more."
A great deal of work lies ahead of us, however. Such moments in history do not simply happen. All of us, even you and I, must decide for ourselves what is truly important to stand upon, and what to set aside for now. We must link arms and say to those who would use our work, our money, and our vote, what we oppose as Americans shall not pass this way. Not on our watch.
America began on a moral and religious basis. We have forgotten that. We have paid it lip service and served ourselves along the way. Our children have not been taught what is important, but what is entertaining, what is publicly acceptable, what is expedient. That kind of life, accepting what is wrong as just okay, going along to get along, that kind of life has no future. We have placed ourselves in jeopardy before the eyes and powers of hungry and unscrupulous dictators in the world.
This must change.
Politicians will not change that. We may as well call upon them to lower their salaries, do without their perks of office, take away their gym and cafeteria access, their limousines, their decorated offices and their bloated salaries and pensions.
No, it begins with you and I. The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, our very vote gives us the power to effect change. We the people can effect change, come to an agreement on what is best for America, refuse to support what is not, and effect change. But it must be change that will bring America back to a nation that has a reason and a right to exist; a nation worth fighting and dying for, something our best-trained and equipped military young men and women have been doing for some time, with the promise that things would get better. We wronged them and their families even as they made terrible sacrifices. Things have not gotten better, for them or for others.
This must change.
Start now, with neighborhood groups, with town and city groups, with state and national groups of same-minded people focused on bringing the hallmarks of morality and religious freedom back to America. In our homes, as individuals, in our businesses, as employees and owners, in our State House, in our House of Representatives, in our Senate, in the White House -- morality and a respect, nay, a guarantee of religious freedom for all. Some will believe this gives violent religions an edge over others, but it will not. For the God of peace does not require violence to serve Him.
Let us stop being a good Republican, a good Democrat, a good liberal, a good conservative. Let's determine to be a good American and demand what is good for America; to begin with a grassroots American National Party with only one purpose: to put a "Presidential" candidate before the American people with the promise to take back our nation. Political partisanship has nothing to do with it, color, creed, national origin, sexual preference, religious orientation, a man or woman who meets the criteria stated above as being "Presidential." And with that leadership will come a cleaning of House and Senate to give the new President a supportive House and Senate working for the American people, not for the President, for political parties, or for outside interests.
We can do this. Start now. Telephone or email someone you know who feels like you do, that America must change. We have just 23 months to organize a return to America. We can do this. Samuel Adams thought so. John Adams thought so. You and I think so. Let's do it.
Questions and Answers
Q. Won't a third political party simply split the electoral votes, producing a weak winner?
A. It could. If the American people want to continue with more of what they have had, want to continue funding the making of little kings and queens out of political careerists, then yes, that could split the votes so that America elects a President even worse than what we have now. But that's why we need a new National Party.
Q. Running for President is a financially daunting adventure these days. Why would those backing the National Party candidates be any the less expecting of political favors than the ones who have been running?
A. Because the National Party is not funding anyone's campaign. The National Party relies upon the American people to fund the campaign of the candidate they prefer.
Q. However, getting national media coverage and time is expensive. How can a candidate pay for that by themselves, unless they are independently wealthy?
A. The National Party advises its candidates not to rely on the mainstream media, but go to the American people to get their message across. A Nov. 16, 2014 article in the Washington Times quoted a study showing that "Sixty percent of the 226,838 comments from September 2012 to early last month posted to the Obamacare Facebook site administered by Organizing for Action can be attributed to fewer than 100 unique profiles." Political candidates today are quite capable of unpacking their message and getting it to the voting electorate, un-interpreted and unedited, without spending millions of dollars.
Q. Who will "vet" the National Party candidates for qualifications, background, and suitable experience?
A. The American people are quite capable of that. If candidates don't meet the electorate's criteria, they can always vote for their career politician opponents.
Questions?
Ed Evans
Sunday, August 10, 2014
GUEST BLOG: Reb Rev's Blog - Musings of a Country Preacher, by Bob Garbett
“Things Aren’t Always As They Seem”
“For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is
faithful in all he does.”–Psalm 33:4
This is supposedly a true story.
A flight from Melbourne to Brisbane, was unexpectedly diverted to
Sydney.
The flight attendant explained there would be a delay of almost an
hour, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft the plane, they
could re-board at the appointed time.
Everybody got off the plane except one lady who was blind. She sat
quietly while her Seeing Eye Dog continued to lay quietly underneath the seats
in front of her- as he had throughout the entire flight.
The pilot approached her, and said, ‘Ma’am, we are in Sydney for
almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?’
The blind lady replied, ‘No thanks, but maybe my dog Max would
like to stretch his legs.’ And the pilot obliged.
The people in the gate area came to a complete standstill when
they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a Seeing Eye dog!
The pilot was even wearing sunglasses.
People scattered.
They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!
People scattered.
They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!
This is a good reminder that things aren’t always as they seem.
Our efforts may have appeared to fail. Our worth may seem small. Some people
may seem to be winning when, in fact, they are losing.
We judge by what we see on the outside. Too often, we use the
world’s standard of measure for success or failure. God judges by the
eternal, He sees what we cannot.
So, don’t lose heart and don’t grow weary.
My prayer for us this week is for a greater ability to trust God
in those things we cannot see.
Worship Services for Sunday, August 10, 2014
Invocation
Almighty God, who always moves with clarity of will and singleness of purpose, help me to live and work with certainty in an uncertain world. Light a lamp before me so that my feet do not stumble. Make my path clear so I may never wander from Your chosen way. I pray in the name of Jesus who comes to make Your way clear before our eyes. Amenj.
Prayers for the church of Christ, for others, for yourself.
Scripture:
23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
2 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
Sermon: Wrong is Hard, Love is Harder
by Pastor Ed Evans
A man who has a Facebook page on the Internet uses that page to comment on local and world events from a Christian point of view. Many people pose questions to him about those events in the news, and he answers from a Biblical, scriptural point of view. Recently a reader of his page complained that all this man put on his Facebook page was “hate, hate, hate.”
In fact, his Facebook page carried news items about murder, mayhem, terrorism, and evil at all levels, with scriptural encouragement regarding God’s requirement for individual responsibility and the idea of treating others as you would have them treat you. But all this person saw was the negative.
It’s like the story about the man visiting a psychiatrist who was showing him random ink blot images, called a Rorschach Test. This is a psychological test in which the subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation to gain a picture of that person’s psychological make-up.
Well, every inkblot the doctor showed his patient, the man said it had sexual connotations. At the end of the test the doctor observed to the man that he had a rather strong fixation on sex.
The man replied, “Hey, Doc, they were your dirty pictures!”
In today’s scriptural lesson, Paul is apparently responding to a letter from the church at Corinth, and Paul is explaining why he has not been back to see them recently.
It’s evident there was something going on at the church in Corinth to which Paul has already called their attention, a subject which hurt people when the bright light of righteousness was shone upon it. Paul has not returned to the Corinth church right away perhaps because unrighteousness is incompatible with the worship of God, and people’s feelings get hurt when you point that out..
But hurt feelings or not, we must choose whether we will serve our own pleasures, or walk the path of love and righteousness with Jesus Christ.
Paul knew if he returned and that situation remained, he would have to speak hurtfully once again, and causing hurt and pain was not why Jesus Christ had set Paul on the path he was on.
We know what that feels like, don’t we?
How often have we found ourselves facing a situation among friends that we know to be wrong? And yet we love our friends. It pains us to see the wrong that they are in. And it pains us even more to say to them, this is wrong. If you love Christ you must give this up, get out of this, repent of your actions and walk away from this.
In fact, most people don’t want to hurt the feelings of others they care about. They feel it is better to say nothing than cause an emotional upset. And here we have the weed of political correctness taking root in an otherwise healthy environment.
There is a movie many of us may remember from childhood, the movie “Bambi.” It was the very first movie I remember seeing as a small child. In that movie there is a scene where the deer fawn Bambi mistakes a cute little skunk for a flower, looking at the friendly skunk and asking “Flower?”
The baby rabbit, Thumper, collapses in laughter and little Bambi is embarrassed without knowing why. Thumper’s mother then says something that has followed so many of us into adulthood. She says, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
Good advice, perhaps, for a baby rabbit, but not the best advice for adults living a sinful, permissive world such as many of us experience every day where pleasure and entertainment and excess are the mark of the day. A day where there is no right and there is no wrong, there is only whatever we choose to do for our own pleasure.
In the days before Israel had a king, holy scripture tells us everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” we are told in Judges 21:25. Matthew 24 and Luke 17 both speak of the lawlessness in “the days of Noah”, just before the flood. Gen. 6:11-12 says “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.”
In such times it might be even more than impolite to point out another person’s transgressions. It might even be dangerous. In Hempstead, Texas, this week a Middle School principal was fired to telling Hispanic students they should speak more English to prepare themselves for jobs after graduation.
It has been said that in an empire of lies, truth is treason. Much of the trouble that befell Paul on his missionary journeys came about because the truth was all he could tell.
Paul knew that God knew his heart and would bear witness to the truth he spoke; “It was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.”
J. W. McGarvey paraphrased Paul’s words to say, “I delayed to come to Corinth in order that you might have time to repent, and show your repentance by obedience; for had I come at the time which I first mentioned it to you, I would have been compelled to discipline you, and therefore make you sorry.”
Instead, Paul wanted to work with them for their joy. He did not see his role as lording it over them, even though his words had apostolic authority.
It wasn’t nearly as much about pointing out sin, assigning responsibility for that sin, as it was seeking repentance and offering forgiveness. All throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth, love and forgiveness were paramount, drawing people back to the Living God, sharing His love for them, took precedence.
There are in this world today tyrants seeking power, terrorists seeking to impose their will, and willing to kill to attain dominance for their cause, people who will not listen to the message of Jesus Christ, people who claim to have a better plan, a better god, a new way, a way of sacrificial blood-letting, of violence, of worship superior to the ways of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. There are even people who, in claiming to worship the Living God, worship an angel; the Peacock Angel. These people are the Yazidis of Iraq. They were once part of the Zoaroaster movement in Iran and their rites and beliefs are very close to that of Judaism.
These people have come into the news this past week because the Muslim terrorists known as ISIS -- The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham – in attempting to create a Muslim caliphate from Syria and Iraq have either driven out and murdered all of the Christians in northern Iraq, and have driven the Yazidis up onto Mount Sinjar near the city of Mosul. The ISIS forces threaten them with death and annihilation. The news that these people worship the only angel who ever rebelled against the Living God has brought out the very worst in some people.
On the one hand it is suggested killing them is a good thing; men, women and children. On the other hand, those of a liberal frame of mind (1) question whether or not they really “worship the devil”, (2) castigate those who say out loud that they do, and (3) those who claim the Yazidis worship was, though a kinship with Zoaroasterism, here first and must be superior to both the Christians and Jews, so they must be saved and preserved.
The reaction of the American government has been to drop food and water supplies to the Yazidis atop Mount Sinijar, even as those intent on killing them approach their positions atop the mountain. President Obama has said America will not send ground troops back into Iraq, although most people know that American forces have been and are still remaining in Baghdad to protect Americans there and in the U.S. Embassy.
As events have progressed this week in the news reports, people have asked me how I could be in favor of saving these “devil worshipers”, and why can’t we just “nuke” the entire force of terrorists and be done with them.
Well, first I'm a firm believer this current body in which you and I live and breathe is just an apartment in the mansion of our soul. And related to that I also believe it is a gift of the Living God, so I appreciate His gift and take good care of it. Furthermore, if I believe Jesus meant what He said about treating others as I would treat myself, then there's the upkeep and safety of others to be considered. He never said it would be easy ... or uncomplicated.
But like Paul I have no qualms about saying, “What you are doing is a mistake,” even as I plead to the world and our own government to save their lives. They each have an eternity to think about, and they are each created in the image of God.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul assured the people, “What I have forgiven . . . I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake.” He was their example for conduct just as Jesus was his. Paul would not hold a grudge. As an emissary of Christ, he offered others the same forgiveness granted to him by the Lord.
So should we all! Forgiveness, the refusal to hold a grudge, this helps thwart Satan’s schemes. The devil seeks to overreach, taking advantage of Christians whenever possible. All who follow Christ are required to forgive because we have been forgiven (Matthew 6:12).
Granted, dealing with people mired down in wrong places, wrong habits, a wrong world is difficult, tiring and often frustrating. And it is also true that loving those people can be even harder, but that is what Jesus asks of us…..because we have been forgiven. Amen.
Hymn: “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” by Isaac Watts (19 ); copyright: Public Domain; provided here for educational purposes only
1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
2. Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
4. Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men”:
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.
5. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
6. The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in foll’wing years.
7. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.
8. Like flow’ry fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flow’rs beneath the mower’s hand
Lie with’ring ere ’tis night.
9. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
Communion
On the night Jesus was betrayed, He took bread and He broke it, saying this is My body, given for you. After supper He took the cup, saying this cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you do it, in remembrance of Me.
Benediction
Send me, Lord, as an evangel of hope and security to those whose paths will cross with mine this day. Amen.
As we close the worship services today, always remember that while some have called you servants, He has called you friends.
Closing Hymn
God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again
By Jeremiah E. Rankin
Public Domain
God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain:
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
<>< ~ <>< ~ <>< ~ : ~ ><> ~ ><> ~ ><>
Daily Scripture Readings for August 11 – August 17, 2014
Monday – Isaiah 54:9-17
Tuesday – Hebrews 10:1-10
Wednesday – 2nd Peter 1:1-11
Thursday – 1st Peter 3:13-22
Friday – 1st Peter 4:12-19
Saturday – John 17:1-19
Sunday – Exodus 14:19-31; Romans 9:1-5; Psalm 106:4-12; Matthew 14:22-33
Almighty God, who always moves with clarity of will and singleness of purpose, help me to live and work with certainty in an uncertain world. Light a lamp before me so that my feet do not stumble. Make my path clear so I may never wander from Your chosen way. I pray in the name of Jesus who comes to make Your way clear before our eyes. Amenj.
Prayers for the church of Christ, for others, for yourself.
Scripture:
23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
2 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
Sermon: Wrong is Hard, Love is Harder
by Pastor Ed Evans
A man who has a Facebook page on the Internet uses that page to comment on local and world events from a Christian point of view. Many people pose questions to him about those events in the news, and he answers from a Biblical, scriptural point of view. Recently a reader of his page complained that all this man put on his Facebook page was “hate, hate, hate.”
In fact, his Facebook page carried news items about murder, mayhem, terrorism, and evil at all levels, with scriptural encouragement regarding God’s requirement for individual responsibility and the idea of treating others as you would have them treat you. But all this person saw was the negative.
It’s like the story about the man visiting a psychiatrist who was showing him random ink blot images, called a Rorschach Test. This is a psychological test in which the subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation to gain a picture of that person’s psychological make-up.
Well, every inkblot the doctor showed his patient, the man said it had sexual connotations. At the end of the test the doctor observed to the man that he had a rather strong fixation on sex.
The man replied, “Hey, Doc, they were your dirty pictures!”
In today’s scriptural lesson, Paul is apparently responding to a letter from the church at Corinth, and Paul is explaining why he has not been back to see them recently.
It’s evident there was something going on at the church in Corinth to which Paul has already called their attention, a subject which hurt people when the bright light of righteousness was shone upon it. Paul has not returned to the Corinth church right away perhaps because unrighteousness is incompatible with the worship of God, and people’s feelings get hurt when you point that out..
But hurt feelings or not, we must choose whether we will serve our own pleasures, or walk the path of love and righteousness with Jesus Christ.
Paul knew if he returned and that situation remained, he would have to speak hurtfully once again, and causing hurt and pain was not why Jesus Christ had set Paul on the path he was on.
We know what that feels like, don’t we?
How often have we found ourselves facing a situation among friends that we know to be wrong? And yet we love our friends. It pains us to see the wrong that they are in. And it pains us even more to say to them, this is wrong. If you love Christ you must give this up, get out of this, repent of your actions and walk away from this.
In fact, most people don’t want to hurt the feelings of others they care about. They feel it is better to say nothing than cause an emotional upset. And here we have the weed of political correctness taking root in an otherwise healthy environment.
There is a movie many of us may remember from childhood, the movie “Bambi.” It was the very first movie I remember seeing as a small child. In that movie there is a scene where the deer fawn Bambi mistakes a cute little skunk for a flower, looking at the friendly skunk and asking “Flower?”
The baby rabbit, Thumper, collapses in laughter and little Bambi is embarrassed without knowing why. Thumper’s mother then says something that has followed so many of us into adulthood. She says, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
Good advice, perhaps, for a baby rabbit, but not the best advice for adults living a sinful, permissive world such as many of us experience every day where pleasure and entertainment and excess are the mark of the day. A day where there is no right and there is no wrong, there is only whatever we choose to do for our own pleasure.
In the days before Israel had a king, holy scripture tells us everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” we are told in Judges 21:25. Matthew 24 and Luke 17 both speak of the lawlessness in “the days of Noah”, just before the flood. Gen. 6:11-12 says “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.”
In such times it might be even more than impolite to point out another person’s transgressions. It might even be dangerous. In Hempstead, Texas, this week a Middle School principal was fired to telling Hispanic students they should speak more English to prepare themselves for jobs after graduation.
It has been said that in an empire of lies, truth is treason. Much of the trouble that befell Paul on his missionary journeys came about because the truth was all he could tell.
Paul knew that God knew his heart and would bear witness to the truth he spoke; “It was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.”
J. W. McGarvey paraphrased Paul’s words to say, “I delayed to come to Corinth in order that you might have time to repent, and show your repentance by obedience; for had I come at the time which I first mentioned it to you, I would have been compelled to discipline you, and therefore make you sorry.”
Instead, Paul wanted to work with them for their joy. He did not see his role as lording it over them, even though his words had apostolic authority.
It wasn’t nearly as much about pointing out sin, assigning responsibility for that sin, as it was seeking repentance and offering forgiveness. All throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth, love and forgiveness were paramount, drawing people back to the Living God, sharing His love for them, took precedence.
There are in this world today tyrants seeking power, terrorists seeking to impose their will, and willing to kill to attain dominance for their cause, people who will not listen to the message of Jesus Christ, people who claim to have a better plan, a better god, a new way, a way of sacrificial blood-letting, of violence, of worship superior to the ways of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. There are even people who, in claiming to worship the Living God, worship an angel; the Peacock Angel. These people are the Yazidis of Iraq. They were once part of the Zoaroaster movement in Iran and their rites and beliefs are very close to that of Judaism.
These people have come into the news this past week because the Muslim terrorists known as ISIS -- The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham – in attempting to create a Muslim caliphate from Syria and Iraq have either driven out and murdered all of the Christians in northern Iraq, and have driven the Yazidis up onto Mount Sinjar near the city of Mosul. The ISIS forces threaten them with death and annihilation. The news that these people worship the only angel who ever rebelled against the Living God has brought out the very worst in some people.
On the one hand it is suggested killing them is a good thing; men, women and children. On the other hand, those of a liberal frame of mind (1) question whether or not they really “worship the devil”, (2) castigate those who say out loud that they do, and (3) those who claim the Yazidis worship was, though a kinship with Zoaroasterism, here first and must be superior to both the Christians and Jews, so they must be saved and preserved.
The reaction of the American government has been to drop food and water supplies to the Yazidis atop Mount Sinijar, even as those intent on killing them approach their positions atop the mountain. President Obama has said America will not send ground troops back into Iraq, although most people know that American forces have been and are still remaining in Baghdad to protect Americans there and in the U.S. Embassy.
As events have progressed this week in the news reports, people have asked me how I could be in favor of saving these “devil worshipers”, and why can’t we just “nuke” the entire force of terrorists and be done with them.
Well, first I'm a firm believer this current body in which you and I live and breathe is just an apartment in the mansion of our soul. And related to that I also believe it is a gift of the Living God, so I appreciate His gift and take good care of it. Furthermore, if I believe Jesus meant what He said about treating others as I would treat myself, then there's the upkeep and safety of others to be considered. He never said it would be easy ... or uncomplicated.
But like Paul I have no qualms about saying, “What you are doing is a mistake,” even as I plead to the world and our own government to save their lives. They each have an eternity to think about, and they are each created in the image of God.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul assured the people, “What I have forgiven . . . I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake.” He was their example for conduct just as Jesus was his. Paul would not hold a grudge. As an emissary of Christ, he offered others the same forgiveness granted to him by the Lord.
So should we all! Forgiveness, the refusal to hold a grudge, this helps thwart Satan’s schemes. The devil seeks to overreach, taking advantage of Christians whenever possible. All who follow Christ are required to forgive because we have been forgiven (Matthew 6:12).
Granted, dealing with people mired down in wrong places, wrong habits, a wrong world is difficult, tiring and often frustrating. And it is also true that loving those people can be even harder, but that is what Jesus asks of us…..because we have been forgiven. Amen.
Hymn: “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” by Isaac Watts (19 ); copyright: Public Domain; provided here for educational purposes only
1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
2. Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
4. Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men”:
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.
5. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
6. The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in foll’wing years.
7. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.
8. Like flow’ry fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flow’rs beneath the mower’s hand
Lie with’ring ere ’tis night.
9. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
Communion
On the night Jesus was betrayed, He took bread and He broke it, saying this is My body, given for you. After supper He took the cup, saying this cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you do it, in remembrance of Me.
Benediction
Send me, Lord, as an evangel of hope and security to those whose paths will cross with mine this day. Amen.
As we close the worship services today, always remember that while some have called you servants, He has called you friends.
Closing Hymn
God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again
By Jeremiah E. Rankin
Public Domain
God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain:
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
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Daily Scripture Readings for August 11 – August 17, 2014
Monday – Isaiah 54:9-17
Tuesday – Hebrews 10:1-10
Wednesday – 2nd Peter 1:1-11
Thursday – 1st Peter 3:13-22
Friday – 1st Peter 4:12-19
Saturday – John 17:1-19
Sunday – Exodus 14:19-31; Romans 9:1-5; Psalm 106:4-12; Matthew 14:22-33
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Worship Services for Sunday, August 3, 2014
Invocation
Almighty God, create in us a clean heart, and renew a
right spirit within us, that amid the din and confusion of this noisy world we
may always choose the more excellent way.
Through Christ. Amen
Prayers
for the church of Christ, for others, for yourself.
Scripture:
2nd Corinthians 1:3-11
Sermon
for Sunday, August 3, 2014
It’s In The Blood
2nd
Cor. 1:3-11
3 Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all
comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction,
so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the
comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For
as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share
abundantly in comfort, too. 6 If we are
afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is
for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same
sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is
unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also
share in our comfort.
8 For we do not want
you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in
Asia. For we were so utterly burdened
beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed,
we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely
not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He
delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we
have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You
also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for
the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
Last
year 2,123 Christians died because they worshiped Jesus Christ, and they would
not abandon Him.
The
year before that, 1,201 Christians were slaughtered, many right in their own
homes.
Of
last year’s 2,123 dead, more than half of those reported killings (1,213) occurred
in Syria, followed by Nigeria (612) and Pakistan (88).
In
North Korea — a country of more than 24 million souls – there are an estimated
300,000 Christians surviving under one of the most oppressive regimes in our
time. In that very poor nation
Christians must deal with corrupt officials, bad policies, natural disasters,
diseases and hunger, while hiding their decision to follow Christ. For if they are caught with a Bible they are
either executed or must live out a life-long political prison sentence. It is estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians
survive in concentration camps, prisons and prison-like circumstances under the
regime of leader Kim Jong-Un. More than
80 percent of people worldwide identify with a religious group, according to
2011 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Of those, 2.2 billion, or 32 percent,
identified themselves as Christians, followed by 1.6 billion Muslims (23
percent) and 1 billion Hindus (15 percent).
The
survey also found that roughly 1.1 billion people, or 16 percent worldwide, have
no religious affiliation, making that segment the third-largest religious group
globally and roughly equal in size to the world’s Catholic population.
In
2011 the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life performed a survey that
indicated more than 80 percent of people worldwide identify with a religious
group; 2.2 billion, or 32 percent, identified themselves as Christians,
followed by 1.6 billion Muslims (23 percent) and 1 billion Hindus (15 percent).
Their
survey also revealed that 1.1 billion people, or 16 percent worldwide, claim no
religious affiliation at all. That makes
them roughly equal in size to the world’s Catholic population among Christians.
In
2011, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity revealed that more than
100,000 Christians were being martyred every year. That figure means a Christian is being
murdered somewhere in the world every five minutes.
This past May, Vatican spokesman Archbishop Silvano
Maria Tomasi announced in a radio address to the United Nations Human Rights
Council, "Credible research has reached the shocking conclusion that
every year an estimate of more than 100,000 Christians are killed because of
some relation to their faith."
How
safe do you feel? If you feel safe, know
that you are in the minority in the world today.
Perhaps
you are familiar with the John Donne poem “No Man is an Island,” which ends
with the words:
“Any
man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.”
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.”
His
words become more meaningful if you know that the “for whom the bell tolls” line
did not originate with that poem, but part of John Donne’s
“Meditation 17”, which reads in part, “'No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a Manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee....”
“Meditation 17”, which reads in part, “'No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a Manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee....”
We
might individually have problems, you and I, health problems, financial
problems, family problems, but in the end they are problems with which we can
deal. Although, if we have someone to
share those problems with us, we do a lot better.
Paul
pointed out that God is our great comforter, and as we endure our troubles, we
receive comfort through Christ so that we know how to comfort others. He wrote that he offered the same comfort as
he had received from God. “For as we
share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share
abundantly in comfort, too,” Paul wrote.
“If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we
are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently
endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our
hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings,
you will also share in our comfort.”
Paul
went on to say that he had hope for the Corinthians, for if they were partners
in suffering, they would also be partners in comfort.
Lori
Broschat, an elder in the United Methodist Church, tells the story of a
four-year-old boy’s neighbor, an elderly man, who had recently lost his
wife. The boy saw his elderly neighbor
sitting outside, weeping. The little boy
went into his neighbor’s yard, crawled up into the old man’s lap, and just sat
there. At last, the weeping stopped, and
the little boy climbed down and went back into his house. The boy’s mother had watched the scene and
asked her son what he had said to the old man.
“Nothing,”
said the little boy, “I just helped him cry.”
Perhaps
children, in their simplicity, writes Lori Broschat, understand best the
dynamics of suffering and sympathy.
Sometimes the best consolation is just being there. And God is always there, with His concern and
comfort going beyond His extension of compassionate forgiveness. Sometimes that comfort does not take the form
of taking away the pain and suffering, but instead consists of His
encouragement and strength so we can endure, and learn. One thing we should learn is that no matter
how great the problem, God’s comfort is greater.
We
who have benefited from His grace to us, His comfort and concern for us, we who
believe in Jesus Christ, we become the agents of His comfort to others.
And
Paul tells us the best way that happens in verse 11: “You also must help us by
prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing
granted us through the prayers of many.”
Scripture teaches us that God often responds to His people only when
they pray and ask. Here we see Paul
urging the Corinthian church to join with him in praying for the future deliverance
of Paul and those who work with him.
For
like Christ we who follow Him live under a sentence of death. Whether we are martyred now or a live a long
life, we all live under the sentence of death.
And yet like Christ, we have God’s resurrection power on our side. We have the power of God working within and
through us. But that power does not keep
us away from suffering. Instead it
empowers us to overcome, to use the power of prayer to be one with a loving
God, even as we seek to be His consolation to those who are suffering. It is for them we should be in prayer. In our relative safety and abundance, let us
be in prayer, for the safety of others, the endurance of others even as they
are in danger. As He has consoled us,
so we have His example to encourage and console others, and to seek for the
well-being others, in prayer, in His name.
Amen.
Hymn: “Dear Jesus, in Whose Life I See”, by John
Hunter, 1889, Public Domain; provided here for educational purposes only
1. Dear Jesus, in whose life I see
All that I would, but fail to be,
Let Thy clear light forever shine,
To shame and guide this life of mine.
2.
Though what I dream and what I do
In my weak days are always two,
Help me, oppressed by things undone,
O Thou whose deeds and dreams were one!
In my weak days are always two,
Help me, oppressed by things undone,
O Thou whose deeds and dreams were one!
Communion
On the night Jesus was betrayed, He took bread and He
broke it, saying this is My body, given for you. After supper He took the cup, saying this cup
is the new covenant in My blood. This
do, as often as you do it, in remembrance of Me.
Benediction
My Lord, today I will make a thousand choices, big and
small, consequential and trivial. In the
midst of all these decisions, help me to choose the one thing needed for a
richer, more vital life in You. Amen.
As we close the worship services today, always remember
that while some have called you servants, He has called you friends.
Closing Hymn
God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again
By Jeremiah E. Rankin
Public Domain
God be with you
till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain:
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
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Daily Scripture Readings for August 3 - 10, 2014
Monday – Luke 10:38-42
Tuesday – Romans 8:18-25
Wednesday – 2nd Corinthians 6:1-13
Thursday – Revelation 19:1-8
Friday – Hebrews 10:19-39
Saturday – Colossians 3:5-17
Sunday – Exodus 12:1-14; Romans 8:31-39; Psalm 143:1-10; Matthew 14:13-21
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Sermon: They Want to Know
Worship Services for July 27, 2014
Invocation
O God, creator of all humankind, I bring to You the cares and concerns of all Your creatures. Look now to those who cry for help from every corner of the earth, for You alone are able to satisfy our deepest desires. Amen.
Prayers for the church of Christ, for others, for yourself.
Scripture: Matthew 9:35-38
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to his disciples,“ The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Sermon: They Want to Know
By Pastor Ed Evans
There are so many things we don’t know about. We learn first from our parents, from people who teach us, from circumstances, and we learn from seeking to learn. Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford, once confused a lot of people at a NATO Press conference in Brussels, Belgium, when he said, “There are no "knowns." There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don't know.”
There are things we do not know we don't know. But Jesus told us that if we seek, we shall find.
There is a lot of discussion right now throughout the Christian world, and among others, about the “End Times.” We know about the Biblical End Times, and yet, we don’t know. Many of us are afraid it is one of those things we do not know we don’t know, so we collect every bit of information we can about it, and we obsess over it.
For example, do you know about the four blood moons?
Had you heard about the rivers turning to tomato-soup red?
According to ABC News, the Wenzhou River in Xinmeizhou village in eastern China’s Zhejiang province turned completely red over about an hour’s time. Residents say that the river was normal around 5 a.m., but an hour later, the water had changed color.
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1374633/china-river-turns-red-locals-baffled-after-river-turns-blood-red-pollution-blamed/#QQ2FX9UZ2GlO4HlX.99
It happened before, on Sept. 6, 2012, in the city of Chongqing, where the Yangtze River runs through thi city in southwestern China. You can read more about it at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2199800/The-river-DID-run-red-Residents-Chinese-city-left-baffled-Yangtze-turns-scarlet.html#ixzz38csRfyBz
And it happened in Exodus 7:17, “17 Thus says the LORD, ‘By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.’”
In the Book of Revelation there comes a time when the angels pour out six bowls of wrath on the world, and in chapter 16, verse 4 we read, “Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood.”
The matter of four blood moons refers to the verse in Joel 3:21, “The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes”, and the verse in Rev. 6:12, “When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood”.
The sequence of four consecutive blood moons (known as a tetrad) has occurred several times before, in 1909-10, 1927-28, 1949-50, 1967-68, 1985-86, and 2003-04.
This cycle, the four blood moons will all take place on religiously significant dates for the Jewish people.
The first comes April 15, 2014, the second day of Passover. The second will come on October 8, 2014, during the Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles. The third will come on April 5, 2015, during next year's Passover celebration, and the fourth will arrive on September 28, 2015, another Feast of the Tabernacles, also known as Sukkot.
History shows that blood moon cycles in the past have occurred at momentous events in Jewish history. For example, in 1493, just as Jews were being expelled from Spain; then in 1949 when the state of Israel was founded; and again in 1967 during the Six Day War between Israel and its Arab attackers.
And yet, as much as these occurrences are factual, we must wonder. Upon what day of time is something momentous not happening in this world? Something is always happening, blood moon, blood river or not.
Jesus reminded us, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
Even the Apostle Paul wrote about signs of the End Times, but scholars believe his intent was not to establish a calendar, but rather to comfort those Christians who thought death would deprive them of seeing Jesus’ Second Coming.
As war and terror, greed and hunger, disorder and natural calamities sweep through mankind, widespread insecurity and uncertainty lead people to fear what they don’t know and what they do know. At the same time, there are those who will exploit the circumstances, claiming secret knowledge amidst the disorder.
You might remember the hysteria about Y2K at the turn of the century in 2000, and about the “Mayan Apocalypse on Dec. 21 just two years ago. Now we are surrounded by war, terrorists, and social mayhem. In such times people are looking for answers, they are looking for hope and a promise of tomorrow. All those things are found in Jesus Christ.
Why so much hate, social disruption, calamitous weather occurrences in America, in Europe, China, terror and revolution in the Middle East and around the world? Is it the End Times? What’s going on? The world wants to know. You can tell them; be the laborer of His harvest.
Give them Jesus. Give them heaven. Give them the peace of God.
And instead of looking to mystical stars and moons, signs and wonders to predict the future, focus on the promise of the gospel message. We need to reflect Christ in our words and actions as we avoid the shadows of mysticism, rumor and innuendo. For our God doesn’t operate on the basis of those, and just as no one keeps promises like He does, we can be assured that He is going to do what He has said He will do. In His own good time.
What is left for we who follow the Living God is to continue sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. People want to know. They want answers. Everything He has promised will come to pass, in His own good time. And finally, for each of us to keep enjoying the fullness of our relationship with the God who created the sun, the stars, and yes, even the blood moons.
Amen.
Hymn: “By Gracious Powers”, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1944), translated by Fred Pratt Green; copyright Words @ 1991 Stainer & Bell Ltd.; provided here for educational purposes only
1 By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,
And confidently waiting, come what may,
We know that God is with us night and morning
And never fails to greet us each new day.
2 Yet is this heart by its old foe tormented,
Still evil days bring burdens hard to bear;
O give our frightened souls the sure salvation
For which, O Lord, You taught us to prepare.
3 And when this cup You give is filled to brimming
With bitter suffering, hard to understand,
We take it thankfully and without trembling,
Out of so good and so beloved a hand.
4 Yet when again in this same world You give us
The joy we had, the brightness of Your sun,
We shall remember all the days we lived through,
And our whole life shall then be Yours alone.
Communion
On the night Jesus was betrayed, He took bread and He broke it, saying this is My body, given for you. After supper He took the cup, saying this cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you do it, in remembrance of Me.
Benediction
And now, our God, as we go to our places in the world, go with us. May the peace of sin forgiven and the power of Your Holy Spirit work in us and through us to Your glory Amen.
As we close the worship services today, always remember that while some have called you servants, He has called you friends.
Closing Hymn
God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again
By Jeremiah E. Rankin
Public Domain
God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain:
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
<>< ~ <>< ~ <>< ~ : ~ ><> ~ ><> ~ ><>
Daily Scripture Readings for July 28 – August 3, 2014
Monday – Genesis 22:1-14
Tuesday – 1st Timothy 6:11-19
Wednesday – Psalm 68:1-10
Thursday – John 10:1-18
Friday – Matthew 7:1-12
Saturday – 1st Peter 5:1-11
Sunday – Exodus 3:13-20; Romans 8:26-30; Psalm 105:1-11; Matthew 14:44-52
Invocation
O God, creator of all humankind, I bring to You the cares and concerns of all Your creatures. Look now to those who cry for help from every corner of the earth, for You alone are able to satisfy our deepest desires. Amen.
Prayers for the church of Christ, for others, for yourself.
Scripture: Matthew 9:35-38
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to his disciples,“ The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Sermon: They Want to Know
By Pastor Ed Evans
There are so many things we don’t know about. We learn first from our parents, from people who teach us, from circumstances, and we learn from seeking to learn. Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford, once confused a lot of people at a NATO Press conference in Brussels, Belgium, when he said, “There are no "knowns." There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don't know.”
There are things we do not know we don't know. But Jesus told us that if we seek, we shall find.
There is a lot of discussion right now throughout the Christian world, and among others, about the “End Times.” We know about the Biblical End Times, and yet, we don’t know. Many of us are afraid it is one of those things we do not know we don’t know, so we collect every bit of information we can about it, and we obsess over it.
For example, do you know about the four blood moons?
Had you heard about the rivers turning to tomato-soup red?
According to ABC News, the Wenzhou River in Xinmeizhou village in eastern China’s Zhejiang province turned completely red over about an hour’s time. Residents say that the river was normal around 5 a.m., but an hour later, the water had changed color.
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1374633/china-river-turns-red-locals-baffled-after-river-turns-blood-red-pollution-blamed/#QQ2FX9UZ2GlO4HlX.99
It happened before, on Sept. 6, 2012, in the city of Chongqing, where the Yangtze River runs through thi city in southwestern China. You can read more about it at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2199800/The-river-DID-run-red-Residents-Chinese-city-left-baffled-Yangtze-turns-scarlet.html#ixzz38csRfyBz
And it happened in Exodus 7:17, “17 Thus says the LORD, ‘By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.’”
In the Book of Revelation there comes a time when the angels pour out six bowls of wrath on the world, and in chapter 16, verse 4 we read, “Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood.”
The matter of four blood moons refers to the verse in Joel 3:21, “The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes”, and the verse in Rev. 6:12, “When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood”.
The sequence of four consecutive blood moons (known as a tetrad) has occurred several times before, in 1909-10, 1927-28, 1949-50, 1967-68, 1985-86, and 2003-04.
This cycle, the four blood moons will all take place on religiously significant dates for the Jewish people.
The first comes April 15, 2014, the second day of Passover. The second will come on October 8, 2014, during the Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles. The third will come on April 5, 2015, during next year's Passover celebration, and the fourth will arrive on September 28, 2015, another Feast of the Tabernacles, also known as Sukkot.
History shows that blood moon cycles in the past have occurred at momentous events in Jewish history. For example, in 1493, just as Jews were being expelled from Spain; then in 1949 when the state of Israel was founded; and again in 1967 during the Six Day War between Israel and its Arab attackers.
And yet, as much as these occurrences are factual, we must wonder. Upon what day of time is something momentous not happening in this world? Something is always happening, blood moon, blood river or not.
Jesus reminded us, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
Even the Apostle Paul wrote about signs of the End Times, but scholars believe his intent was not to establish a calendar, but rather to comfort those Christians who thought death would deprive them of seeing Jesus’ Second Coming.
As war and terror, greed and hunger, disorder and natural calamities sweep through mankind, widespread insecurity and uncertainty lead people to fear what they don’t know and what they do know. At the same time, there are those who will exploit the circumstances, claiming secret knowledge amidst the disorder.
You might remember the hysteria about Y2K at the turn of the century in 2000, and about the “Mayan Apocalypse on Dec. 21 just two years ago. Now we are surrounded by war, terrorists, and social mayhem. In such times people are looking for answers, they are looking for hope and a promise of tomorrow. All those things are found in Jesus Christ.
Why so much hate, social disruption, calamitous weather occurrences in America, in Europe, China, terror and revolution in the Middle East and around the world? Is it the End Times? What’s going on? The world wants to know. You can tell them; be the laborer of His harvest.
Give them Jesus. Give them heaven. Give them the peace of God.
And instead of looking to mystical stars and moons, signs and wonders to predict the future, focus on the promise of the gospel message. We need to reflect Christ in our words and actions as we avoid the shadows of mysticism, rumor and innuendo. For our God doesn’t operate on the basis of those, and just as no one keeps promises like He does, we can be assured that He is going to do what He has said He will do. In His own good time.
What is left for we who follow the Living God is to continue sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. People want to know. They want answers. Everything He has promised will come to pass, in His own good time. And finally, for each of us to keep enjoying the fullness of our relationship with the God who created the sun, the stars, and yes, even the blood moons.
Amen.
Hymn: “By Gracious Powers”, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1944), translated by Fred Pratt Green; copyright Words @ 1991 Stainer & Bell Ltd.; provided here for educational purposes only
1 By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,
And confidently waiting, come what may,
We know that God is with us night and morning
And never fails to greet us each new day.
2 Yet is this heart by its old foe tormented,
Still evil days bring burdens hard to bear;
O give our frightened souls the sure salvation
For which, O Lord, You taught us to prepare.
3 And when this cup You give is filled to brimming
With bitter suffering, hard to understand,
We take it thankfully and without trembling,
Out of so good and so beloved a hand.
4 Yet when again in this same world You give us
The joy we had, the brightness of Your sun,
We shall remember all the days we lived through,
And our whole life shall then be Yours alone.
Communion
On the night Jesus was betrayed, He took bread and He broke it, saying this is My body, given for you. After supper He took the cup, saying this cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you do it, in remembrance of Me.
Benediction
And now, our God, as we go to our places in the world, go with us. May the peace of sin forgiven and the power of Your Holy Spirit work in us and through us to Your glory Amen.
As we close the worship services today, always remember that while some have called you servants, He has called you friends.
Closing Hymn
God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again
By Jeremiah E. Rankin
Public Domain
God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain:
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
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Daily Scripture Readings for July 28 – August 3, 2014
Monday – Genesis 22:1-14
Tuesday – 1st Timothy 6:11-19
Wednesday – Psalm 68:1-10
Thursday – John 10:1-18
Friday – Matthew 7:1-12
Saturday – 1st Peter 5:1-11
Sunday – Exodus 3:13-20; Romans 8:26-30; Psalm 105:1-11; Matthew 14:44-52
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