2010: Restless In The Second Row.

"...I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?' And white robes were given to every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season..." (from Revelation 6:9-11)

The heavenly word came from the Lord to the slain saints of old: "You wait. Relax. There are others who must meet their destiny of being killed for their faith, just as you were."

In our zeal to see God do something, we sometimes forget that we are not the only piece in the puzzle. God's plan and program involve the whole world. Saying yes to God may mean that we have to enter a period of waiting; a period in which we see bad people prospering, good people suffering, and it might even seem that our prayers are going unanswered.

What is the prophetic word that comes in the face of restlessness? Wait. Wait for the Lord, wait on the Lord, wait in His presence, experience His peace. Perhaps we are a bit contradictory, we Christians who have half of the Psalms memorized and who know how King David would sit before the ark of the Covenant. Perhaps we have one set of rules for what we say to encourage others, yet we don't use the same strategy to encourage ourselves.

Unless you're a rank novice, you know what to say: "Trust in the Lord, He will see you through"... in the face of your restlessness, saint of God, please say the same thing to yourself. Your 2010 will be less turbulent if you learn to rest in the love and peace of Jesus, our King.

Yes Jesus, I see You, sound asleep in the back of the boat while the storm rages and the disciples awaken you in agitation and fear. Yes, I see You as they accuse You of neglect: "Don't You care that we perish?" Please forgive us! How can we say such a thing to You, the One who breathed life into us and gave us a future and a hope? You, who even allow us to see glimpses of the future? Lord, we look forward to demonstrating Your peace, passion, and power in a restless and agitated world. Help us to do so faithfully, to Your honor and glory. We pray this in Your name. Amen.

2010: Attacking Panic.

"When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." (Matthew 2:3)

None of us who are reading this were alive two thousand years ago. But we have historical record of the tyranny of Rome; we perhaps have seen documentaries or fictionalized accounts of the madness of political leaders of that era; and we understand that insecure leaders can do rash things that sometimes cost lives.

The account in Matthew 2 shows us that residents of Jerusalem were concerned upon learning of Herod's angst. An uncomfortable Herod had the power to make life uncomfortable for the entire community. Matthew 2:16 shows us the consequence of Herod's state: the intentional killing of all males who were up to two years old.

Can we say that Herod panicked?

At minimum, he seems to have felt threatened at the prospect of another king being present in his territory. Not just any king, but "the King of the Jews". A royal representative for the disenfranchised and oppressed. And this Herod, who history says had killed his own son in the quest to avoid losing the kingdom, had no problem killing the sons of strangers.

But this was so long ago. How do we reflect on this as we approach 2010?

-When political leaders are in a panic, our Christian faith should keep us in a state of peace. Even if our leaders make panic-driven decisions that result in the hurt and destruction of people or programs, we can still rest in the assurance that God promises are faithful and God's program will move forward unhindered. Just as the slaughter of infants and toddlers had no effect on the ultimate plan of God, we must know and believe that the death of our hearts' desires does not signal the death of God's agenda.

Lord, You have given us spiritual weapons of defense, and a weapon for offense: the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Thank You: when crisis comes You give us the strength to not only endure in a panicked world, but also to overcome. Thank You that we can attack fear and panic with Your word: "Fear not". You are with us, Emmanuel, and we will not be afraid. We stand firm in the faith in spite of the decisions of Herod. Thank You, Lord, for showing us Yourself as the true and only King. In Jesus's name. Amen.

2010: Expression In The Chaos.

"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:2)

Disorder, unpredictability, turbulence, utter confusion. Chaos.

We approach the new year in the same way we approach each new morning: we have no idea what the day will bring, but we trust God to bring us through each day.

The account of Creation in Genesis 1 is a powerful expression of the work of the Holy Spirit. He manifests His presence and His power even in the face of an earth "without form".

There's an old chorus that goes something like "Move Holy Spirit, move in my life, move Holy Spirit, make me like Christ". And it begs the question, do you really want Him to move in your life?

The earth was disorganized, and the Spirit of God was on standby, ready to act when the opportune time came. And when God said "Let there be light", light was. And light has never stopped being. A word spoken once; a word acted upon in the world; a world changed forever.

When the Lord speaks a word, and when the Spirit does a work, and when you respond in humble obedience, you are changed forever.

One warning: when we dare to say "I am the servant of the Lord; let it be unto me according to what you have said", it may mean that we will be thrust into hardship, misunderstanding, suffering, and perhaps even chaos. But the Spirit of the Lord is there: hovering, brooding, moving, fully prepared to do that thing which will change our lives forever.

Yes, Lord, it is worth the hardship, disgrace, and misunderstanding! It is worth experiencing turbulence and uncertainty! Your Word shows us that at the right time, You will step in and do amazing, profound things that will effect permanent change in us. Help us, Lord, to look at a chaotic world through the eyes of faith, knowing that Your Spirit is standing by. In Jesus's name we pray. Amen.

Watching and Waiting.

Friends,

As we did last year, we'll spend the final week of the year considering what the Lord Christ would have us to focus on as we enter 2010. You may recall that the prophetic word I blogged on to start 2009 was "The Year of the Open Show", a season in which hearts and motives would be revealed for all to see: some for good, and some for ill.

Please pray with me that whatever I share for 2010 will be honest, authentic, reflective of the heart of God and the Word of God, and that it will not be for shock value or chastising, but that we will simply hear the Lord and respond to Him appropriately.

Spirit of God,
Speak to our hearts,
Show us Your way,
Give us the mind to obey You.

Where There's Not A Place For Everyone.

"And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spoke of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." (Luke 2:38)

This verse, the final sentence we have in Scripture in relation to the prophetess Anna, holds a sobering reminder of the story of Christ's arrival: in spite of the oppression of imperial Rome, in spite of regular attendance in the synagogue, in spite of accessing the privilege of worshipping at the temple in Jerusalem, not everyone was interested in being part of the redemption story.

Anna had a mandate as a prophetess: she "spoke of Him to all them that looked for redemption". Apparently, some folks were looking for redemption and some folks weren't. And Anna didn't bother wasting her time with those who weren't interested in being redeemed.

Let's bring this into our time, even as we face the end of 2009 and the advent of 2010. Let's even make it a personal question for you. Why are you at Bronx Bethany? Why do you come to worship?

-Some people only show up to sing. They sing beautifully, and then when it's over they are out of the door. If it's not their turn to sing, they're not in the building.

-Some people show up out of ceremony. They wander around for the entire service, they never give an offering. They complain about how long the service is, then they stand in the hallway for another forty minutes after service to talk with their friends. Their church attendance is just empty tradition, because their behavior clearly underlines their disinterest in actually hearing from God.

-Some people show up because they are hungry and thirsty for the word of God. They long for Christian community. They long to worship the Lord with other members of the body of Christ. They long to hear the word of the Lord preached by men and women who have given their lives for God's service. And guess what? Those people are the people who will receive the prophetic word. Those are the ones who will experience God's salvation, redemption, and deliverance.

In seven days we start a new year. Perhaps this is a good time to reflect on who we really are, who we really serve, what we really long for. For some of us, perhaps this is the time to do as Anna did, and serve the Lord through the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting. My prayer is that we each will be authentic before God, and that He will find in us hearts that long to see Him. Lord, may it be so!

Domine, Nunc! Dimittis!

"Lord, Now!"

Simeon and Anna were simply senior citizens who faithfully made their way to the temple everyday. They were worshippers of God, and they waited patiently for God's promised Messiah.

Joseph and Mary were simply another Jewish couple, coming to the temple to fulfill the requirements of the Law... but wait.

Joseph and Mary were not just any couple. Simeon and Anna were not just any senior citizens. God ordained the steps of these four people, and a "kairos" moment, an opportune time that had to be acted upon,occurred.

"Domine, nunc! Dimittis!" "Lord, now! Dismiss me!" Simeon knew what God had said: the advent of the Christ signalled the end of days for Simeon. "And it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ" (Luke 2:26).

What a thing to consider: Simeon had seen the Lord Jesus, and upon encountering Him Simeon was ready to die. In other words, Simeon was not changing the deal. We are often guilty of trying to pull a "shell game" with God: "God, if you just let me see my child finish high school then that's enough for me"... "God, let me see them finish college"... "God, let me see them get married... establish independence... get their first house..." or, in other words, "God, I am not relinquishing my right to myself. You just keep doing nice things for me and my family, keep letting me live in prosperity, let me keep switching my story. God, I'm not really interested in giving my life to You."

Lord, what can we say? You call us to die to self, to lay our lives before You. Help us to say with Simeon, Yes! Take me out of the temple, take my life, take my agenda- You have promised I'd see this day, this day has come, and I have seen You up close and personal. That's enough for me! Do what You please! Thank You for allowing me to experience Your salvation, Your Light, Your Glory. Thank You for allowing me to share a prophetic word with the purpose of giving light and understanding to others who are serving You from a heart of obedience. We relinquish our lives to You. Keep us, send us, destroy us, promote us... Do what You see fit. Whatever it is You want, that is what we want. Search our hearts and reveal Your truth in us. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Where's My S.C.U.B.A. Gear?

One of the joys and hazards of hearing Pastor Sam preach is that he has this habit of saying something profound; something you've heard or read before, but somehow you never realized the implications- that is, until you've heard him say it from the pulpit. Somehow the Spirit of God enlightens our understanding and we are astounded.

This past Sunday's sermon contained a few of those "aha" moments. One of those moments revolved around Leviticus 12:1-3. In his reflection on the process of birth and baby dedications in the culture of ancient Israel, Pastor Sam mentioned in passing a couple of numbers inherent in the birth of a male child: 7 days of being ceremonially unclean, and an additional 33 days for purification.

Let's see... yes, that would be forty days. And it was at this point in the sermon that I had to reach for my virtual oxygen tank, because our senior pastor had gone to the bottom of the ocean. I mean, deep.

Who knew? I mean, we all know about the 40 days and nights of rain in Noah's time... the 40 years of ancient Israel's wandering in the desert... the 40 days that Elijah fasted (apparently on two occasions, but we'll deal with that theory some other time)... and all along, right in front of us but somehow unseen, we have Jesus. Not the adult Jesus fasting for 40 days in the wilderness, but the infant Jesus in a 40-day waiting period, because his mother could not enter the temple courts until she had observed the 40 day waiting period required under Jewish law.

And as some of us know, interesting things happen when we have been waiting on something for 40 days. Mary and Joseph got a taste of the incredible when, after the forty days were finished, they went to the temple and met two senior citizens- one man and one woman who waxed prophetic and who said some amazing things about the son who was their Lord. We'll take a look at them tomorrow.

Obstacle Course!

On Sunday, Pastor Sam reminded us that the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem was full of risks for Joseph and Mary.

It was a pathway full of obstacles:

The financial challenge of having to come up with the money to pay taxes to Rome. This was a newly instituted manadte, and I would imagine that most families in ancient Israel were not prepared to pay tribute to Caesar.

The physical challenge of having to travel. There was no airplane, no bus system. Does the Bible tell us whether this couple even had a donkey for Mary to ride on? (That's for you to research.)

The physiological challenge of giving birth to a child. Scripture does not inform us of whether there was a midwife, or any other assistant. But we do know that Mary and Joseph had lodging in a stable, apparently the only available space since "there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7). In the worst of sanitary conditions, there they were.

Was there a racial obstacle? Was there ethnic bias? We don't know, but I do wonder about that phrase "there was no room for them". Would there have been room if they had a lot of money, making a grand entrance with camels and horses and famous relatives?

Ah, but the good news is that in spite of these obstacles, God's work was still accomplished. As Pastor Sam shared, "Obstacles do not present a credible barrier to the purpose of God." And perhaps that is a good note to end on for today: when faced with the pressures of life, we can know without a doubt that God's work will nonetheless move forward. Amen!

Rights And Privileges Thereunto Appertaining.

What a wonderful Christmas Sunday! A foot of snow on the ground, the joy of seeing families brave the weather to come to corporate worship, and the unmistakable clue of Pastor Sam in "full regalia", donning his clergy robe and stole in keeping with the tradition of Christmas Sunday.

We heard the Christmas Story, but not in the usual sense. Pastor Sam took us on a trip that incorporated geography, imperial Rome, the requirements of worship in ancient Israel, and the question of our own role in knowing, hearing, and obeying God.

This week we will take time to revisit these themes, and I hope all of us will keep asking the hard questions that, when answered honestly, will help us to grow in our Christian faith.

For today, though, I'll ask that we all take time to read some of the passages that were mentioned during the sermon: Luke chapter 2, Leviticus chapter 12, and Exodus 13:2. (Of course there are others, but I'll just mention three for now- perhaps the others will be addressed in later blogs.)

Take care my friends!

Warrick And Peace.

As this week comes to a close, I find myself thinking of some of the things that occurred this past Sunday simply because "J.K." was visiting. People who are normally chronically late to church showed up early. Ushers for the first service roped off rows for "the children" who never showed up. (Perhaps someone should have told them that Children's Church only overlaps the second service...) Congregational singing was trimmed to a neat ten minutes in order to make room for a video, a testimony in Spanish (with simultaneous translation into English), and an additional testimony from one of the persons who was featured in the video.

But perhaps the most interesting thing was to see that some people were agitated and nervous because they wanted to present Bronx Bethany in a manner that would have a positive impression on J.K. Warrick. I suppose there's nothing wrong with that. We all want to pull out the stops when we're hosting special guests.

Oh, but what a difference between the welcome of J.K. this past Sunday and the arrival of the Christ into the world over two thousand years ago. Jesus had an earthly "welcoming" committee of a King who wanted to kill Him and a religious system that showed no urge to embrace Him (Matthew 2:1-6) and a city that had no room to hold Him (Luke 2:7). God graciously revealed the wondrous birth to foreigners (Matthew 2:1-2 and 2:9-12), and shepherds who worked the night shift (Luke 2:8-20), and senior citizens whose hearts were open to hearing from the Spirit of God (Luke 2:25-39).

Prince of Peace, how is it that we approach Your throne with our hearts in chaos? We hear Your rebuke as You rebuked Martha: "You are encumbered. Your sister has chosen the better part. She sits at My feet and hears My word." Lord, forgive us for our focus on the things that keep us from hearing You. Prince of Peace, grant us Your peace during this season of anticipation and wonder. Amen.

"Who Invited You To The Leadership Meeting?"

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

During this past Sunday's sermon Reverend J.K. Warrick said that Jesus sets us free so that we can advance His kingdom. It's an interesting statement to hear from a General Superintendent, because it's a statement devoid of denominationalism and self-preservation. Nazarene or no Nazarene, the point and the goal is to see Christians participating in the sorts of activities that will serve to advance the kingdom of God.

What can we do?

-Avoid giving in to fear;
-Aspire to obey God by doing what He asks;
-Allow the Holy Spirit full reign in us so that He can accomplish the extraordinary in our ordinary lives.

These points are made salient in Jesus's parable of the talents (see Luke 19:11-27). Today might be a good day to take some time and read (or re-read) that parable, particularly the often-passed-over sub-plot of the story which is found in verses 14 and 27.

LORD, forgive us for our refusal to do the simple things. Help us to be fearless. Help us to do what You say. Help us to make room for You to do great works through our feeble frames. We love You and long to look like You. Thank You for helping us by Your grace. Amen.

That Prophetess Tag.

"And there was one Anna, a prophetess..." (Luke 2:36)

Reverend J.K. Warrick spoke briefly about Simeon and Anna during his sermon this past Sunday. These two older adults gave prophetic words to Mary and Joseph while they were in the temple.

I wonder what sort of response Simeon and Anna would receive from us if the scene in Luke 2:25-39 were to occur in today's context. Would we hear them, or would we dismiss them as old people who are at best daydreaming, or at worst demented?

The Scripture tells us one response of Joseph and Mary: "And Joseph and Jesus's mother marvelled at those things which were spoken" (see Luke 2:33). The word "marvelled" could be interpreted to mean amazed, astonished, or full of wonder.

But "marvelled" carries no hint of unbelief or scoffing, and we would do well to take note of that point. When we receive a prophetic word from someone who is speaking through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can be confident that the word, even if it's astonishing or amazing, is in fact accurate.

LORD, thank You that we can count on Your word. Thank You for the men and women You have granted the spirit of prophecy. Give us grace to see what You see and say what You say, so that Your community can be built up and strengthened. In Jesus's name, Amen.

H.I., J.K.

Greetings Friends!

This past Sunday, Bronx Bethany received a visit from J.K. Warrick, one of the General Superintendents in the Church of the Nazarene. Reverend Warrick's scripture reading was Luke 2:1-20, the familiar passage which gives an account of the birth of Jesus.

One of the points made in the sermon was that the ordinary things of life can become extraordinary when they are touched and inhabited by God. As we reflect on this thought today, let's take a look at our own lives: can we say the same thing? Can our lives, our ordinary everyday routines, point others to the incomparable love of God?

Perhaps it's shown in the way we love our neighbors and pray for others.
Maybe it's demonstrated in our care for the hurting and the disenfranchised.

Or maybe you're thinking, and you can't say that there's something you do everyday that is driven by your love for God.

Do you love Him? Do you want to be like Him? "For God so loved the world that He gave..." (see John 3:16).

LORD, help us to show Your extraordinary love as we engage in our ordinary routines!

Needed: Knee Drill.

Back when I was in The Salvation Army, the old-timers would refer to prayer meetings as "knee drills". There was an understanding that success in the kingdom of God was not due to high attendance or big budgets, but the simple act of humbling ourselves in prayer.

As we look back on this past Sunday's sermon, and as we reflect on the things Pastor Benji shared, it seems that the knee drill is the key for being able to live out the exhortations given by the apostle Paul in Second Corinthians 5 and 6.

To end this week, here are a few paraphrases from Pastor Benji's sermon:

-From now on, we should not regard anyone from a worldly point of view;
-If we are to be God's people, we must see people through Jesus's eyes;
-There is a difference between "sketching the portrait of Jesus" and experiencing His power;
-God has made the first move in our road to reconciliation;
-There has to be a relationship in place for us to call God "Abba".

LORD, help us to diligently seek You in prayer, so that You might empower us to do the things that please You. Please give us Your love and compassion, so that people who see us will see You. Amen.

Peace Meal.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

God loved, God gave,
We believe, we live.

In this past Sunday's sermon Pastor Benji noted that Jesus became the peace offering for us, and part of the nature of an offering is that it must be consumed. To quote Pastor Benji, "God has made the first move in our road to reconciliation". It is He who made provision for us, long before we realized our need of it.

Perhaps the most amazing thing is that He made provision for us, then gave us the option to accept or refuse the offer. In love He does not force us to accept Him, but He desires that we make the choice to come to Him.

If you have not made the decision to say "yes" to God's great offer, why not do it now?

LORD God, I thank You for loving me and for demonstrating Your love by offering me eternal life through Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I admit that I have sinned. I am sorry for the wrongs I have done, and I repent. With Your help I renounce all the evil I used to do, and now I cling to You. I believe that You are the only One who can save me. I thank You for coming to the world to save me, and I ask You to come into my heart now. Please live inside me. Please help me to do the things that please You. Please help me to show Your love to everyone I meet. I thank You Lord, and I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Missing The Son.

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Benji made a reference to the time when Jesus was not accepted by the men and women of His community. These were those who had watched Him grow up, who knew His earthly family, and who could not reconcile their image of Him with the reality of His true status as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Anointed One.

How often do we do the same thing? How many of us identify the members of the pastoral staff as "Pastor" except for Pastor Richard Griffiths, who grew up at Bronx Bethany and who most people refer to as "Richie" with virtually no mention of his title? Or worse, how many of us identify Jesus as merely a good teacher and miracle worker, without granting Him His proper title? Is He our King? Is He our Ruler? Or is He just our spiritual convenience store, at our service 24 hours a day in case we get the urge to access His storehouse?

"Coming to His hometown, Jesus began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. 'Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?' they asked. 'Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?' And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, 'Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.' And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." (Matthew 13:54-58)

It's an interesting thing to consider: when we miss the Son, we miss His benefits, even if we acknowledge His power. The question asked by Jesus's community was "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?": so they knew He was wise, and they knew He worked miracles, but they did not put their faith in Him- for them, seeing was not the same as believing, and they lost a wonderful opportunity to experience God in a profound and life-changing way.

LORD, help us to not just see Your works, but to believe!

Kissing The Son.

Hello Friends,

For the next few days we'll reflect on this past Sunday's sermon. Pastor Benji spoke on Second Corinthians 5:11 through 6:2. During the sermon he asked a question: How do we become intimate with Jesus?

Paul's letter to the Philippians gives us some clues as to how we can grow ever closer to the Lord Jesus: "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death" (Philippians 3:10).

Are we interested in reading the word of God, praying, and worshipping Him?
Are we open to the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
Are we ready and willing to suffer just as Christ has suffered for us?

You know, this is sort of like a marathon. The first component, knowing Christ, seems painless enough. The second, experiencing the power of His resurrection, might cause some people to shy away from getting to know Him better. And the third component, sharing in His sufferings, is the thing that many people will refuse to do.

What about you?

Prostitute, Puppet, Preacher.

There is nothing in Scripture that condones the purchase or sale of spiritual gifts. In fact, we have evidence in both the Old and New Testaments that God despised the use of financial means for the securing of ministry gifts and graces: we have the example of Balaam in Numbers 22 through 25,and we have the example of Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8. By these examples we are warned not to peddle spiritual gifts for personal profit, nor to sell impartations of spiritual gifts.

But what above the reverse? How do we respond in situations where a church leader, or church board, asks a person to cease and desist from exercising their spiritual gifts? Well, we do see in Acts 11 that the apostle Peter had such a situation with the religious leaders concerning the conversion and baptism of Cornelius's household. In a nutshell, they were upset that Peter had preached to Gentiles. And what was the final decision? "When they heard this (Peter's testimony), they had no further objections" (Acts 11:18). The manifestation of the presence and power of the Spirit was enough to convince the leaders that God's stamp of approval was on Peter.

Let's bring this closer to home. What sort of a preacher are you looking for: a prostitute who will lick your earlobes and tell you everything you want to hear? Or a puppet who will let you turn his head from side to side, and who will tell the people everything you want to be said?

Well, that's not what you need. Let me tell you what you need:

-Men and women of God who are more interested in obeying Him than placating you.

It's really that simple. If you are not in a place where obedience is more important than your personal satisfaction, then I urge you to repent and turn wholeheartedly to the will and the way of our Lord Jesus. His will is to do the will of the Father. His way is the narrow road of suffering and self-sacrifice. He loves, He graces, He gives. Liberally. He forgives. He prays.

Make His way your way!

Your Favor, Your Power, Your Grace.

"Not everyone appreciates the grace of God." (Pastor Benji)

Pastor Benji shared the above statement during Sunday's sermon, and it is so true.

It seems that after a period of time, we forget the grace that God has extended to us and we live as if we have earned the right to be recipients of His gifts. And our forgetfulness is manifested in our response to those men and women who God also has extended grace to, but whom we feel do not deserve to receive His grace.

One of my favorite "grace" moments at Bronx Bethany occurred when I was invited to attend a leadership seminar being run by the church. At the time I wasn't even a member of the church, but someone invited me and I went. That seminar was the beginning of many God-ordained meetings and discussions that resulted in, among other things, this blog site being launched.

Was there opposition? Most certainly. And the opposition was from "Christians" who were also recipients of the grace of God. Well, all I can say is that God has shown me (to again reference Jim Collins) "the right seat on the right bus", and now that I know I will not relinquish what He has graced me to receive. And I hope that I will never forget that just as He extended grace to me, I must always extend His grace to others.

Oh, the deep deep love of Jesus! "He descended" (Ephesians 4:9-10) in order to save us. And "He gave" (Ephesians 4:11-13); the gift of salvation, the gift of His Spirit, and the gift of becoming participants in His vehicle for saving the world: the body of Christ, which is His church.

LORD, how we love You! You have bestowed Your favor, Your power, and Your grace on us. We could never deserve it, we could never earn it, but You gave. Thank You!!

New York State Senate Update.

Dear Friends,

You may recall that on May 20, June 11, and October 28, I published blogs that referred to Governor David Paterson's campaign to legalize homosexual marriage in New York State, and I asked that all of us fast and pray for the will and desire of God to be accomplished. Yesterday the bill was brought to the Senate floor for a vote, and the Senate voted NO.

As I shared back in October, our role and responsibility as believers is to demonstrate the love of Christ to everyone we meet. Yet in that demonstration of love towards everyone, we are not to deny our Lord and we are not to disobey Him. I thank God for the men and women in our State Senate who, when asked to vote on this bill, voted in alignment with the word of God.

Please continue to pray.

That Is Why Some Of You Are Sick.

"As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." (Ephesians 4:1).

AH, that raises a question: What is the calling you have received? Do you know?

One of the more virulent aspects of the Christian life is this hazard of having to interact with individuals who are unaware of the calling they have received. Whether from good or evil intentions, they have taken positions in the body of Christ that were not ordained for them by God. And the results of being (to re-phrase Jim Collins) "in the wrong seat, on the wrong bus" can be deadly.

As Pastor Benji said so succinctly during the first service, "God gives gifts as He sees fit" (see Ephesians 4:7). And we would do well to accept those gifts, and use them, to His glory.

So, my friend, is your life an expression of your calling? Have you embraced the gifts He has poured into you? Or are you despising your calling and coveting the gifts He has given to others?

I Embrace You, Lord, But Only For Thirty-Five Minutes.

Ah, love.

We use that word so loosely, and our behavior ultimately indicts us.

What are you doing, Bronx Bethany? Is that you singing about how much you love the Lord, then in the next breath spewing a litany of reasons why you cannot do anything for the sake of the kingdom? What are those echoes of the rejection of the invitation to the banquet (see Luke 14)?

-I have just bought a field...
-I have just bought five yoke of oxen and have to go test them...
-I have just gotten married...

-I have a meeting with my real estate partners, could you finish the service by 1:00?
-I have to finish cooking dinner, if I go to the altar for prayer it might throw off my schedule. How about next week?
-I really can't stand those praise and worship songs, so I'll come to church 45 minutes late. You don't really need my worship, do You?

Or, to put it another way, you have decided that God is worthy not of your love, but merely worthy of your leftovers.

Oh, how we have turned up our nose at the grace of God. As Pastor Benji noted in Sunday's sermon, our Lord Jesus put aside His Glory and descended to us in order to set us free from the penalty of sin (See Ephesians 4:8). What sort of gratitude should we express to the One who has released us from captivity?

It will be interesting to see what you do next Sunday.

Prep School.

Friends,

A blessed Advent Season to you!

This past Sunday Pastor Benji continued his Ephesians series. Part Two, which focused on being equipped for ministry, will be reflected upon in our blogs this week. You may want to read Ephesians 4 again as preparation for the next few blog postings.

As you read, please take time to reflect on the following questions:

-Who has God placed in your life to help with equipping you to serve Him?
-Are you willing to serve Him?
-How much of your personal desires are you willing to relinquish in order to ensure that His desires are accomplished?