July 11, 2010
Dear Friends,
There is a tale about an Indian who becomes a Christian after a missionary shares the Bible story with him. When the missionary returns to the village months later, he asks the Indian how he's doing.
The Indian replies, "It is like there are two dogs inside me. One is good. The other is bad. They fight all the time." The missionary asks, "Which one wins?" To this, the Indian replies, "Whichever one I feed the most!”
While the twisted propensity exists to feed bitterness, anger, and selfishness, the call of Christ is to something far better. By His Spirit, He sets one free to loving service. Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia, speaks of the struggle within the church, and Christian person......by the way, “which dog are you feeding?”
Yours in the Journey, Mark
Galatians 5
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.
14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
15 If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.
17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions,
21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
Martin Luther’s Commentary on Galatians
“Everybody is to determine his peculiar weakness and guard against it. Watch and wrestle in spirit against your weakness. Even if you cannot completely overcome it, at least you ought to fight against it.
According to this description a saint is not one who is made of wood and never feels any lusts or desires of the flesh. A true saint confesses his righteousness and prays that his sins may be forgiven.”
July 4, 2010
Dear Friends,
In his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela tells of a place he came to during his 27 years in prison: "It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of my own people became a hunger for the freedom of all people, white and black. I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man's freedom is a prisoner of hatred; he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity." (Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1994), 544.
Americans love to celebrate Independence Day, to flaunt their freedom before the whole world. Thomas Jefferson's bold assertion that each individual has an "inalienable right" to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" still sounds sweet to our freedom-loving ears. But what is true freedom? July 4th reminds all of the paradox, “we are most free when we are bound to God in Christ.”
Yours in the Journey, Mark
Galatians 5 (NRSV)
5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
2 Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you.
3 Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law.
4 You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.
7 You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth?
12 I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence but through love become slaves to one another.
14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
15 If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
June 27, 2010
Dear Friends,
An old nursery rhyme states: “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.” The rhyme reveals the importance of balance in life. Too far on one side, a person becomes “ec-centric,” or “off centered.” A good question to be asked, “what is the center of your life?” In this age of stress, who hasn’t found that life, at times, can be a “pain in the neck?” There is disturbance, struggle, as well as hard work to be done. In the midst of this, Jesus offers rest to all who come to Him. And yet this “rest” will include all the tensions and paradoxes of life.
Yours in the journey, Mark
Matthew 11 (NRSV)
June 20, 2010
Dear Friends,
Who hasn’t experienced being stressed out and burnt out? I Kings 19 describes the mountain tops and valleys of Elijah, the famous prophet of old. One minute, victorious on the mountain top, the next minute in desperation under a juniper tree. As you read the passage, see how God dealt with this man who had passions just like us. Fortunately, God did not leave him there, nor will God leave us.
I’ve also included “tongue in cheek advice” from the website of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, on handling, and mishandling stress.
Yours in the journey, Mark
1. Stop Denying. Listen to the wisdom of your body. Begin to freely admit the stresses and pressures, which have manifested physically, mentally, or emotionally.
MIT View: Work until the physical pain forces you into unconsciousness.
2. Avoid Isolation. Don't do everything alone! Develop or renew intimacies with friends and loved ones. Closeness not only brings new insights, but also is anathema to agitation and depression.
MIT View: Shut your office door and lock it from the inside so no one will distract you. They're just trying to hurt your productivity.
3. Change Your Circumstances. If your job, your relationship, a situation, or a person is dragging you under, try to alter your circumstance, or if necessary, leave.
MIT View: If you feel something is dragging you down, suppress these thoughts. This is a weakness. Drink more coffee.
4. Diminish Intensity In Your Life. Pinpoint those areas or aspects that summon up the most concentrated intensity and work toward alleviating that pressure.
MIT View: Increase intensity. Maximum intensity = maximum productivity. If you find yourself relaxed with your mind wandering, you are probably having a detrimental effect on the recovery rate.
5. Stop Over nurturing. If you routinely take on other people's problems and responsibilities, learn to gracefully disengage. Try to get some nurturing for yourself.
MIT View: Always attempt to do everything. You are responsible for it all. Perhaps you haven't thoroughly read your job description.
6. Learn To Say, "No." You'll help diminish intensity by speaking up for yourself. This means refusing additional requests or demands on your time or emotions.
MIT View: Never say no to anything. It shows weakness, and lowers the research volume. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do at midnight.
7. Begin To Back Off And Detach. Learn to delegate, not only at work, but also at home and with friends. In this case, detachment means rescuing yourself for yourself.
MIT View: Delegating is a sign of weakness. If you want it done right, do it yourself (see #5).
8. Reassess Your Values. Try to sort out the meaningful values from the temporary and fleeting, the essential from the nonessential. You'll conserve energy and time, and begin to feel more centered.
MIT View: Stop thinking about your own problems. This is selfish.
9. Learn To Pace Yourself. Try to take life in moderation. You only have so much energy available. Ascertain what is wanted and needed in your life, then begin to balance work with love, pleasure, and relaxation.
MIT View: A balanced life is a myth perpetuated by liberal arts schools. Don't be a fool: the only thing that matters is work and productivity.
10. Take Care of Your Body. Don't skip meals, abuse yourself with rigid diets, disregard your need for sleep, or break the doctor appointments. Take care of yourself nutritionally.
MIT View: Your body serves your mind, your mind serves the Institute. Push the mind and the body will follow. Drink Mountain Dew.
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I Kings 19 (NRSV)
19:1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow."
3 Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors."
5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat."
6 He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.
7 The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you."
8 He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.
9 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."
11 He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."
15 Then the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram.
16 Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.
17 Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill.
18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."
Psalm 42 (NRSV)
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help
6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?"
10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
Blessings and Joy, Mark
June 13, 2010
Dear Friends,
Who hasn’t questioned like the good Rabbi who wrote in his book, “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?” One could rightly ask “Why Do Good Things Happen to Good People” as well. Do we really reap what we sow? What about justice and righteousness? This soul struggle was experienced by the Psalmist. Asaph, the choir director, went through an ordeal and wrote a song about it. As you meditate upon Psalm 73, see how he came to “peace” with his situation at hand, and by God’s grace, so can we!
Yours in the Journey, Mark
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Psalm 73
73:1 Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
73:2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
73:3 For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
73:4 For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek.
73:5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.
73:6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.
73:7 Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
73:8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
73:9 They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
73:10 Therefore the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them.
73:11 And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
73:12 Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
73:13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
73:14 For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning.
73:15 If I had said, "I will talk on in this way," I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
73:16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
73:17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
73:18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
73:19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
73:20 They are like a dream when one awakes; on awaking you despise their phantoms.
73:21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,
73:22 I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you.
73:23 Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
73:24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor.
73:25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
73:27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you put an end to those who are false to you.
73:28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, to tell of all your works.
Blessings and Joy, Mark
May 23, 2010
Dear Friends,
The philosopher and psychologist, William James, wrote a classic book, “Varieties of Religious Experiences.” He would go on to comment: “In some people religion exists as a dull habit, in others as an acute fever.” Christians, especially in the Wesley/ Methodist tradition, are people of the “warm heart.” On May 24, 1738, John Wesley, (the founder of the Methodist Heritage), experienced a deeper work of God’s Spirit at Aldersgate Street. John Wesley, himself, describes what took place that evening in his journal as follows: "In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
What happened to Wesley would not only change his life, but also the entire Methodist movement from that time until today.
It not only marks the experience of Mr. Wesley, but it calls us to worship the God who still "strangely warms the hearts" through trust in Christ alone as Lord and Savior.
This experience illustrates so well the Biblical doctrine of “Assurance;” or the “witness of the Spirit.” We can, by grace through faith, know that our sins forgiven; we can by grace through faith, have an assurance that Christ is saving us from evil and death.
Such “blessed assurance” can only ignite a person to deeds of service and love in His name. The truth of the song, “Jesus loves me, this I know,” will move us to a life of love, for “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world....”
May God transform our religion from “a dull habit” to “an acute fever!”
Yours in the Journey, Mark
Wesley's definition of the witness of the Spirit:
"It is the inward impression on the soul whereby the Spirit of God immediately and directly witnesses to my spirit that I am a child of God, that Jesus Christ has loved me and given himself for me, and that all my sins are blotted out, and that I, even I, am reconciled to God."
Wesley said of this doctrine, "It is one grand part of the testimony which God has given Methodists to bear.”
Romans 8
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!"
16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ--if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
I John 5
5:7 There are three that testify:
5:8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.
5:9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son.
5:10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.
5:11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
5:12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Galatians
4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
4:5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.
4:6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
4:7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
4:8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods.
4:9 Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again?
May 16, 2010
Dear Friends,
From the earliest of times, the Ascension of Christ was considered one of the major events in the church. As we have recited in the Apostle’s creed “On the third day (Jesus) arose from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty."
The Ascension is the “Rodney Dangerfield of Christian festivals;” it doesn’t get much respect! Christmas, yes! Easter; yes! Ascension??? (Not!). The Risen Lord of Glory did not fade away like a leaf being blown down the street. What He does, and Who He is gives His people life, destiny, and power.
We grow and change. We move from one place to another. We endure disease and violence. We live with the sometimes painful rhythm of suffering and death. We make mistakes and we commit sins, knowingly and unknowingly. But through it all, we can carry with us a vision of our humanity being taken up by Christ into God, caught up within an ultimate, redemptive purpose for our lives and world.
Yours in the journey, Mark
Acts 1
1:1 In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning
1:2 until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
1:3 After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
1:4 While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me;
1:5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
1:6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?"
1:7 He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.
1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
1:9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
1:10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.
1:11 They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
Luke 24
24:45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,
24:46 and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,
24:47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
24:48 You are witnesses of these things.
24:49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
24:50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them.
24:51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.
24:52 And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy;
24:53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
Ephesians 1
1:15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason
1:16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.
1:17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,
1:18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,
1:19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.
1:20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
1:21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.
1:22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,
1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Blessings and Joy, Mark
May 9, 2010
Dear Friends,
With Mother’s Day (and the Festival of the Christian Home) upon us, I was reminded of President Andrew Jackson’s description of his mother:
“There never was a woman like her. She was gentle as a dove and brave as a lioness... The memory of my mother and her teachings were, after all, the only capital I had to start life with, and on that capital I have made my way.”
The temptation of Mother’s Day is to reduce a mother’s love to a gushy sentimentality. How about love being tough? Strong? Truthful? Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would indwell the life of his disciples. His Spirit leads and empowers to live the Christian life, which includes many things; especially a “tough love.”
Yours in the Journey, Mark
John 14 “The Upper Room Discourse”
15. "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.
17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.
19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.
20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those whoa love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?"
23 Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
*Note: The term used of the “Holy Spirit” is translated different ways.
“Another Helper; Advocate; Comforter”
May 2, 2010
Dear Friends,
“Who Was I to Stand in God’s way?” questioned the Apostle Peter. God was doing a new work, which went contrary to his expectation, culture, and thought processes. (Strange how God doesn’t always fit into our boxes). One of the longest narratives in holy scripture (after the Passion of Jesus), is the story of God’s good news in Christ spreading beyond the provincial borders of Jerusalem, and Judea. It is so important that it is recorded three times! Peter lived with religious conviction that the Messiah was only for one nation, and to eat with those of another culture was considered “unholy” or “unclean.” This changed when God led him to Cornelius, a Roman centurion. Are we standing in God’s way of reaching others, especially those who differ from us? Like Peter, a continual renewal and transformation of the heart and mind enable us to be effective witnesses of our Risen Lord!
Yours in the journey, Mark
Acts 11- Peter Explains His Actions
1 Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God.2 But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him.3 “You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!” they said.
4 Then Peter told them exactly what had happened.5 “I was in the town of Joppa,” he said, “and while I was praying, I went into a trance and saw a vision. Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky. And it came right down to me.6 When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of small animals, wild animals, reptiles, and birds.7 And I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.’
8 “‘No, Lord,’ I replied. ‘I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean. ’
9 “But the voice from heaven spoke again: ‘Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.’10 This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven.
11 “Just then three men who had been sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying.12 The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. These six brothers here accompanied me, and we soon entered the home of the man who had sent for us.13 He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, ‘Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.14 He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’
15 “As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning.16 Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’17 And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?”
18 When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”
Acts 11:1-18 (NLT)
Acts 10-Cornelius Calls for Peter
1 In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment.2 He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.3 One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.
4 Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.
And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!5 Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.6 He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”
7 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants.8 He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.
9 The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon,10 and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners.12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds.13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”
14 “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean. ”
15 But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.
17 Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate,18 they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there.
19 Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you.20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.”
21 So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”
22 They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.”23 So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
24 They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends.25 As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him.26 But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!”27 So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled.
28 Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.29 So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”
30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me.31 He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God!32 Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’33 So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.”
The Gentiles Hear the Good News
34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.35 In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism.38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
39 “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear,41 not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.42 And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead.43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”
The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit
44 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message.45 The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too.46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Then Peter asked,47 “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?”48 So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.
Acts 10:1-48 (NLT)
April 25, 2010
Dear Friends,
Chuck Colson, the ruthless “hatchet man” for President Richard Nixon, spent some time in jail for his involvement in the Watergate cover up. Moving from the White House to the Prison House, became a step up for him. For during his incarceration, he was converted to Christ. Others in the Nixon administration were tripping over one another to spill the truth, rather than spend time behind bars. Colson reasoned that if truth came out for turning state’s evidence, how much more would truth come out when the first disciples were challenged to deny Christ and live, or confess Christ and be martyred. Indeed, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.
H.R. Haldeman, a co conspirator and the White House Chief of Staff, also spent time behind bars. Later on, while on a TV talk show, the commentator asked him, “What happened to Colson?” Haldeman smirked, “Oh....he got religion!”.....and the audience laughed....
The proof is in the pudding as they say, and some forty years later, Chuck Colson still runs the Prison Fellowship ministries. No, Colson didn’t get “Jailhouse religion.” He met the living Christ who raises the dead to new ways of living.
In the post-Easter lection, Acts 9, Saul the persecutor becomes Paul, Peter, the one-time denier, raises the dead; Tabitha/Dorcas returns to life. Cultures, and prejudices are crossed when God raises the dead heart/soul of the former time denier.
Yours in the Journey, Mark
9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
9:2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
9:3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
9:5 He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
9:6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."
9:7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one.
9:8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9:9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
9:11 The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying,
9:12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."
9:13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem;
9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name."
9:15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel;
9:16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."
9:17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
9:18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,
9:19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus,
9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."
9:21 All who heard him were amazed and said, "Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?"
9:22 Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah.
9:23 After some time had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him,
9:24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night so that they might kill him;
9:25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
9:26 When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.
9:27 But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.
9:28 So he went in and out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
9:29 He spoke and argued with the Hellenists; but they were attempting to kill him.
9:30 When the believers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
9:31 Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
9:32 Now as Peter went here and there among all the believers, he came down also to the saints living in Lydda.
9:33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, for he was paralyzed.
9:34 Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed!" And immediately he got up.
9:35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
9:36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and of charity.
9:37 At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs.
9:38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, "Please come to us without delay."
9:39 So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them.
9:40 Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, "Tabitha, get up." Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.
9:41 He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive.
9:42 This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
9:43 Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.
10:1 In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called.
10:2 He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God.
Yours in the journey, Mark Fieger mfig(at)comcast.net
April 18, 2010
Dear Friends,
There has been a recent ad campaign by a major insurance company that says, "Sometimes life comes at you fast." One of the ads shows a lady, learning that she has won the lottery, running into the back of a truck filled with dirt. Another shows a man who gets in his car to start it, only to have it fall apart. It is true that sometimes life is more than we can deal with. There are those times we would like to step aside from the push of living and just be comfortable.
The disciples rode an emotional roller coaster with the events of Good Friday and Easter, and I'm sure they were at the point of exhaustion when they returned to what they knew best-fishing, on the Sea of Galilee.
In this bizarre scene, Jesus “manifests himself, a third time,” by eating a breakfast meal with his disciples on the shore. Who ever would invent such a story? John began his gospel with “Word was with God, and the Word was God, and became flesh.” And now he concludes it with a Jesus having a breakfast!
During this meal, Jesus reveals, probes, questions and commissions Peter.
An ancient form of prayer meditation is placing ourselves in the scene. Imagine yourself by the same fireside. As He asked Peter, so Jesus asks us: “Do you love me more than these?” Listen to his question. Ponder it; think about it; chew upon it. Prayer is listening, as well as talking. Prayer is “Keeping company with God.”
Jesus also commissioned: “Feed my sheep; tend my lambs.” Love for Christ will lead to a life of following, feeding, caring, tending, dying and living in His name.
Yours in the journey, Mark
John 20:
1. After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way.
2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.
4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5 Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They answered him, "No."
6 He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish.
7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea.
8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.
10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught."
11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.
13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.
14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."
16 A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."
17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go."
19 (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me."
20 Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?"
21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?"
22 Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!"
23 The saying spread abroad among the brethren that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?"
24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true.
25 But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
EASTER APRIL 4, 2010
Dear Friends,
While each gospel writer witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus from the grave, each gives their own, unique slant. For the beloved disciple, John, the emphasis is upon the Garden.
“At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.” (Jn 19:41)
Jesus appeared first to Mary, in the this garden. Some have pointed out that if this story was invented, Jesus would not have appeared first to a woman, for in those days, the role of women was low, and testimony suspect.
Mary mistook the Risen Christ for the Gardener. There is much truth in this mistake. He is the one who removes toxic weeds, and causes flowers of beauty and compassion to grow in ones life.
Near the cross, is the garden, and in the garden a new tomb from which Christ arose!
Have a blessed Easter, and may you accept all of the life blessings of this Risen Christ!
Yours in the Journey, Mark
March 28, 2010
Dear Friends,
In Milton’s classic, “Paradise Lost,” no sooner is satan kicked out of heaven when he boasts,”it is better to reign in hell, than serve in heaven.”
Certainly, there is a “good pride.” One ought to take pride in their work, or appearance; be proud of their church community, and nation. Yet, the church has named “pride”as one of the seven deadly sins. In fact, it probably is the parent of them all. The desire to be preeminent; to be self-reliant; self-contained; accountable to no one, not even God, is inherent in the human breast.
In contrast with proud arrogance, on Palm Sunday, Jesus rides into Jerusalem, “humble” and mounted on a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)
Unlike the ‘reaching up desire’ to be “as gods,” (like Adam and Eve), Jesus did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being obedient to death, even death on a cross; wherefore God highly exalted him and has given him the name above all names.” (Philippians 2)
Palm Sunday is a day of contrast: Arrogance vs. Humility; Humanity reaching up to be as god; and God’s Son “emptying”himself as the Servant of the Lord.
Yours in the Journey, Mark
Questions for Reflection:
Have I refused to admit my own weaknesses?
Have I dwelt on the failings of others?
Have I condemned others, in my thoughts or words?
Have I ranked myself better than others?
Have I borne hated for another?
Have I refused to learn from others?
Have I been stubborn? Refused to admit I was wrong?
Refused to accept that another person had a better idea?
Have I been arrogant?
Have I held others in contempt?
False-humility fails to use our gifts.
Have I neglected to use the talents that God has given me?
(Father Dylan’s Sermon site)
March 21, 2010
Dear Friends,
There are many reasons why Jesus was crucified:
Blasphemy
He died for our sins
God’s Plan
Political Expediency: “Suffered under Pontius Pilate..”
Breaking of Human/Religious Traditions
But Envy??
“For he (Pontius Pilate) knew that for envy they had delivered him up.” No wonder “Envy” was considered one of the seven deadly sins. “Feeling Bitter, when others have it better.” The lust for preeminence kills the person and everything around.
Why were the religious leaders “envious of Jesus?” Why do people envy others?
We may be sure we are suffering from envy when …
We secretly regret that our friends have succeeded where we have not.
We use excuses to explain why someone else did better than us.
We temper our compliments with the word “but.”
We complain that others do not appreciate us as they should.
We walk the other way rather than congratulate a friend on her good fortune.
We question the motives of those who show kindness to us.
We secretly gloat when someone else gets caught because “they had it coming to them.”
We refuse to be friends with someone who excels in our field.
We can’t bear to hear our friends complimented in our presence.
We’re better at criticism than we are at praise.
We cannot be around others without complaining how hard life is.
We have a hard time believing our friends have more talent than we do.
Far better to live in Jesus’ Spirit and Way, “Love one another, as I have loved you!”
Yours in the Journey, Mark
Matthew: 27:
1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death.
2 They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
3 When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders.
4 He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself."
5 Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.
6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money."
7 After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners.
8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price,
10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so."
12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer.
13 Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?"
14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
15 Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted.
16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas.
17 So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?"
18 For he realized that it was out of envy that they had handed him over.
March 14, 2010
Dear Friends,
The old adage goes: “When angry count to ten.” Mark Twain quipped, “Yes, and when really angry, begin to curse!”
Who doesn’t get angry? Scientists (probably with nothing better to do on their hands), conducted a test where they kept rats angry for a period of time. They discovered that the rats developed a film over their eyes, which gave the phrase, “Blind with rage” new meaning.
When one is angry...
--the blood pressure may go up.
--the pulse may quicken.
--the body may become tense
Studies show:
Angry, cynical people are 4x more likely to die prematurely than those who are not
Over the course of history, the church highlighted and even labeled anger as 1 of 7 deadly sins;
Living an angry life of rage, is a “hellish way to live!”
Yet, Jesus was a man of like passions as we are,
became very angry at times!
Anger can be ...A Holy Emotion
while too much becomes a Hellish Passion
Where Jesus’ anger brought:
healing for the lame;
Resurrection of dead
and the cleansing of temple from extortion......
(Mark 3; John 11, John 2)
Most of the time, our anger destroys, maims, and wreaks havoc!
His anger made things better,
too often, our anger makes it worse!
Most of time, our anger is over things done to ourselves
Jesus’ anger wasn’t over personal insults!
Rather it was over evil done to OTHERS....and His Own
Father
The Greek Philosopher, (“lover of wisdom),
ARISTOTLE noted that:
anyone can become angry, that's easy
But to be angry with the right person
& to the right degree
& at the right time
& for the right purpose
& in the right way...is not easy!
No wonder the Apostle Paul waved red flags of danger around it!
Be angry, yet do not sin
(Don’t clam up or blow up!)
Do not let the sun go down on your anger
(And live in resentment)
Put away anger, wrath, and malice, be kind as God in Christ has been kind to you!
(Ephesians 4:25 ff.).
Of course, this will be the struggle of letting God be the ruler of our lives, rather than ourselves.
Yours in the journey, Mark
March 3, 2010
Dear Friends,
The golfing great, Tiger Woods, recently had a rude awakening. He mentioned his failure to live up to his Buddhist faith's teaching of self-restraint:He stated,
"Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught."
Desires are good things, yet out of control and carried to the extreme....can prove to be deadly. Pride can be a good thing; one ought to take “pride in their work and accomplishments.”
But too much pride ends up arrogance, which looks down its nose at others.
One ought to care for self, with healthy eating and exercise.
Even God rested on the seventh day. Work and rest are part and parcel of our creation.
Yet, rest carried to the 100th degree becomes Sloth and Laziness.
Desires and passions are God given. We are not zombies, walking through life like robots. Yet desires, out of control, lead to slavery in a host of addictions.
In the course of church history, the Seven Deadly Sins, were highlighted as Potholes to avoid.
Conversely, their Seven corresponding virtues describe life “in Christ.”
God created us to love people and use things. When we get it wrong, people are used, and things are loved.
This Sunday, our focus will be upon “Greed Vs. Charity; Takers and Givers”
By God’s grace, we don’t have to live in a Pothole!
Yours in the Journey, Mark
Acts 20:32 -35 The Apostle Paul before the Ephesian Elders
“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Exodus 20:2,3, 17 “The 10 Commandments”
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy.
February 4, 2010
Dear Friends, These days our focus has been upon Michael Slaughter’s book themes, “Momentum for Life.”In order to be most effective in our service, these life- long practices need to be put into play.
The acronym: D.R.I.V.E.
Devotion
Readiness for life learning
Invest in Key Relationships
Vision for Future
Eat & Exercise for Longevity
As the movie “Supersize Me” reminds, fast food may be convenient, but it’s not particularly healthy. With the advent of TV, and Computers, a sedentary lifestyle has caused America to be the most out of shape country in the world. A healthy lifestyle, including eating and physical exercise, is not optional for longevity. One can find many informative books, and internet sites in the field of nutrition and exercise. “Self Control” (word picture: “Getting a Grip”), is a good thing. Are there areas in your life, which are “out of control?” By God’s grace and Spirit, we can get a “grip.”
Yours in the Journey, Mark
I Corinthians 9: “Self Control: Getting a Grip”
Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.
Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.
So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
Acts 24: The Apostle Paul before the “Out of Control Governor”
But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the Way, he adjourned the proceedings and said, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will make a decision on your case." So he commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty, and told him not to forbid any of his friends to provide for or visit him. And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."
Acts 24:22-25 (NKJV)
Galatians 5: 16 (Self Control vs. Out of Control)
Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.
Janyary 28, 2010
Dear Friends,
Victor Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist, was imprisoned in Hitler’s Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Frankl, theories about living with hope, meaning and purpose, were sorely tried and put to the test by his experience. Writing a book on theory is one thing; trying to survive is another! Years later, when lecturing to graduate students, he stated that there was only one reason he was there.....”he saw it in his mind.” Vision! The wise sage told us: "Where there is no vision, the people perish."(Proverbs 29:18).
These days, we have been following the themes of Mike Slaughter’s book, “Momentum for Life.” To keep the “ball rolling,” we need God’s vision and dream for our future.
George Barna defines vision this way: “vision for ministry is a clear mental image of a preferable future imparted by God to his chosen servants, and is based upon an accurate understanding of God, self, and circumstances. (George Barna, The Power of Vision, p.28).
*What life-picture is God showing you that you would like to begin putting into action?
*What steps must you take to help design the plan?
As you read these Scriptures;
Look how God gave the Vision, and how the people responded
Yours in the Journey, Mark
Paul’s Missionary Journey- At the Crossroads
As they went from town to town, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily. They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. Acts 16: 4 -10
Hebrews: “The Hall of Faith”
11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
2 Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain's. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks.
5 By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and "he was not found, because God had taken him." For it was attested before he was taken away that "he had pleased God."
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
7 By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old--and Sarah herself was barren--because he considered him faithful who had promised.
12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore."
13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth,
14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.
Numbers 13 God’s Call to the Promised Land
At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the Israelites in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, "We came to the land to which you sent us; it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Yet the people who live in the land are strong, and the towns are fortified and very large; and besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the land of the Negeb; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea, and along the Jordan." But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it." Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against this people, for they are stronger than we." So they brought to the Israelites an unfavorable report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land that we have gone through as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are of great size. There we saw the Nephilim (the Anakites come from the Nephilim); and to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."
January 22, 2010
Life doesn’t happen by chance, accident or osmosis; especially the life of being a follower of Christ.
These days at St. Andrew, we are putting into practice the themes from the book, “Momentum for Life.” (written by the United Methodist Pastor, Mike Slaughter).
To keep Momentum, he uses the acronym: DRIVE, meaning
Devotion (to God)
Readiness for Life Long Learning
Investing in Key Relationships
Vision
Eating & Exercise
The topic this week is “Investing in Key Relationships.” There aren’t too many people who confess on their deathbed, “I wish that I spent more time at work!”
Studies reveal that People with the fewest personal relationships were three times more likely to die than those with strong relational connections. Three times! People with bad health habits such as smoking, poor eating habits, obesity, or alcohol use, but who had strong social ties lived significantly longer than people who had great health habits but were isolated. This caused Pastor John Ortberg to quip, “ it is better to eat twinkies with good friends than to eat broccoli alone!”
Harvard researcher Robert Putnam notes that if you belong to no groups but decide to join one, “you cut your risk of dying over the next year in half.” (3)
We were created for relationships, with God and others.
Think about those who have influenced you the most in life.
What did they do to help you move forward in the grace of God?
1. Think about idea that work plus relationship = Worship. Do you lean more toward work, or relationships.
2. Describe the dinner table ritual in the home where you were raised
3. When was the last crisis that caused you to realize you are not in control
Did you take any positive steps toward the people in your life at that time?
Name one person outside your immediate family whose life you are influencing toward God?
4. Are there any action steps that God is pressing on your heart?
Something you need to:
say to someone
schedule in your day
do a relational investment?
p. 83; Momentum for Life, Mike Slaughter,
Psalm 128: 1 Happy is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways. 2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD. 5 The LORD bless you from Zion. May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 May you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel!
January 6, 2010 OPEN HEARTS OPEN MINDS Being All the God Intended Us to Be
Dear Friends,
As we move forward into this new year, the focus of the church will be upon Momentum for Life (the title taken from Mike Slaughter's book.)
D.R.I.V.E.
Devotion
Readiness for Life Long Learning
Investing in key relationships
Vision
Eat & Exercise
This week's theme is Devotion
Like the ancient Isrealite, we too are on a journey. the Song of Ascents recorded in Psalm 120; 121-135, speaks of the 'upward journey'. Try employing the S.O.N. method as you reflect upon the scriptures. S -scripture; O - observation; N - note a personal application.
Yours in the journey, Mark
December, 2009
Dear Friends in Christ,
To paraphrase the journalist, Hodding Carter, there are two lasting bequests we can give: one is roots, the other is wings.” We literally stand upon the shoulders of those who have gone before us. And now, because of your loyalty to Christ and the ministry of St. Andrew, lives continue to be “ rooted and grounded in God’s power and grace,” which empower people to “mount up with wings as of eagles.”
The Christian’s influence is an eternal one. By our faithfulness and connection through the United Methodist Church, lives are being transformed not only locally in Toms River, but throughout the world. We do far more together than we could ever do by ourselves. For the ministry and mission of St. Andrew, we can say, “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Christ our Lord.”
We are asking all friends and members of St. Andrew, from the youngest child to most elderly of saints, to make their financial vow to the Lord. As you know, discipleship and following Christ are not a casual things. Being a Christian occurs with continual intention, decision and commitment, with our “prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.” It includes every aspect of life.
You may request a financial commitment card at the church office standrew-umc(at)verizon.net We ask that you pray about what God would have you do, and then bring this card as an act of commitment on Consecration Sunday, November 22, or mail it to St. Andrew UMC, 1528 Church Road, Toms River, NJ 08755.
Thank you for your continued faithfulness, and giving others “Roots and Wings” in the goodness of Christ!
Yours together in ministry, Mark S. Fieger, Pastor