Command: Performance.

"Go, and do thou likewise." (Luke 10:37)

As we continue our thoughts on Pastor Benji's sermon, let's take a minute today to consider the out-working of love.

When we think of examples of how the love of God is expressed, one that comes to mind is Jesus's story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus speaks of a situation in which a man had been attacked by thieves and left for dead, and is lying on the road in need of immediate assistance. (I'd recommend you read the whole story, found in Luke 10:25-37.)

Love acts. In this story the Samaritan was preceded by a priest and a Levite, both of whom chose not to stop and help. And, whether we debate about whether they could have helped, or whether their status as ministers prevented them from helping, the end result is the same: they didn't help.

Love heals. The Samaritan used oil and wine to bandage the wounds and bring the man to a point where he could be transported, on the Samaritan's own donkey, to an inn where he could receive continuing care.

Love gives. The Samaritan made a financial contribution towards the full healing and restoration of a man he didn't even know, with no guarantee of receiving reimbursement or even a 'thank you'. And, the Samaritan make a promise to come back to the innkeeper and pay whatever additional costs were necessary for the care of this stranger.

Would you do that for a stranger? Would you do that for someone who is from a different culture than your own?

At the beginning of this story, in Luke 10:25, a lawyer asks a question: "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Yes, lawyer, you are right. It's not just what we believe, it's what we do.

Fail-safe.

The phrase "Love never fails" is dangerous. In the face of crisis, betrayal, misunderstanding, disappointment, or neglect, how can we love in a way that shows constancy and consistency? How can we keep from falling down on the job?

Well, without the help of God, that would indeed be a dangerous venture. We can't love without Him.

Pastor Benji mentioned First John chapter 4, and that chapter contains many wonderful and encouraging words. In it, we are reminded that it is God who equips us with His love, and His life in us enables us to express love to others. Let's take some time today to think about some verses from this chapter, and to find encouragement for our souls.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God." (First John 4:7)
"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (First John 4:10)
"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." (First John 4:12)
"We love because he first loved us." (First John 4:19)

In the safety of God's amazing love, we too can love... with a love that never fails.

Love, In You!

Friends,

Welcome to a new week of Glossa Water! This week we'll be taking time to think about Pastor Benji's sermon from this past Sunday, which was based on First Corinthians 13.

Although the sermon was preached on Valentine's Day, we're not really thinking of First Corinthians 13 in light of current notions of romantic or erotic love. Instead, we are considering how the love of God is expressed in our day-to-day interactions with everyone we meet.

The title of the sermon was "Love Never Fails", those three words that appear at the end of verse 8. Pastor Benji shared with us that the phrase is not just the concept of "not failing", but also the concept of "not falling": that is, we can count on love to get the job done. True love, God's love, won't let us down.

And that is the kind of love we want to show to others; a love that is constant and consistent. For the next few blogs, we'll reflect on this idea, and challenge, of loving others with an unfailing love.

Bright!

Today we wrap up our reflections on Pastor Sam's sermon.

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." (Matthew 5:14, King James Version)

How do you hide light? You don't. Light is either present or absent. If even the smallest light source is present, it is visible.

Perhaps one of the more sobering realizations for we Christians is that Jesus described us in the same way He described Himself: "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.'" (John 8:12); "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:5)

The Holy Spirit has equipped us to be the representation of Christ in the world. We are the body of Christ. We embrace His Light, we reflect His Light, and everyone knows we belong to Him.

To paraphrase Matthew 5:15, no one lights a candle and then sticks it under a bushel. The weight of the bushel would not just obstruct the light of the candle, it would snuff out the candle completely. The whole point of having a lit candle is to shine the light, not hide it. What does that mean for us? Well, it means we shouldn't hide the Light that is in us. Just like the example of salt, our purpose as Christians is to have a tangible, unmistakable effect on everyone we come into contact with. And we don't have to stand on a crate and scream: we can simply live for Jesus every day. And people will notice us. They will notice the decisions we make, they'll notice the compassion, the forgiveness, the integrity. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

Yes, Lord, we are happy to obey You, and to let our light shine... because our light is the Light of the world!

Saltshaker Ghetto.

One of the descriptors used by Jesus to describe us Christians is "salt": as in, "You are the salt of the earth" (see Matthew 5:13). This past Sunday, Pastor Sam warned us of the danger of living our lives as if we were grains of salt which never leave the salt-shaker.

Oh, friends, the problem still exists as it has for decades, if not centuries. What problem? The problem of people coming into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, then living the rest of their lives as if no one else should be won into the kingdom. It's like they say, 'I've got mine: I don't care if you get saved or not, at least I know where I stand'.

How is something salted? Well, the salt has to leave the salt-shaker and be deposited onto, or into, the thing that needs to be salted. That's you, who have gotten so comfortable going from your house to your car to that same church pew, then back to your car and back home, never touching the world; never showing the love of Christ to a co-worker or to the guy that's always hanging out on your block; never using your Spirit-given influence in order to change the world.

Let's recap a few things that Pastor Sam shared:

-Salt is always in the minority.
-When salt is present, everyone knows it.

Those of you who are cooks know that, in virtually every recipe that includes salt, you don't use much salt. But, that tiny bit of salt is critically important in creating a successfully executed dish.

-Salt, in ancient Palestine, was the means of preservation.
-Not every crystallized substance is NaCl.

Pastor Sam reminded us of the Dead Sea as a body of water with no outlet, a place where salts routinely could be found on the shore. The true salt, sodium chloride (NaCl), was used as a preservative in a time when there was no such thing as refrigeration. But contaminated salt was not a viable substitute for NaCl.

And the warning, from God through Pastor Sam to us, is that we need to check ourselves and make sure that we are authentically Christian: not based on how we look or even our presence in church, but based on God's assessment of us.

So, are you out of the saltshaker? And are you really NaCl?

Perhaps that's a good place to pause for today, and a good thing for us to pray about. Tomorrow we'll consider the second metaphor that Jesus referred to in this passage.

Will The Middle Passage Kill You?

Pastor Sam, this past Sunday, brought together an amazing juxtaposition of two themes. On the surface they may have seemed unrelated, but in fact they hold hands. So, all you doctors out there, put on your masks: we're headed for some surgery here.

Before the sermon began, he spoke about Black History Month and the physical and mental strength that was necessary for enslaved Africans to survive the Middle Passage as they traveled in ships, bound in chains below deck, from Africa to the Caribbean and America.

Then, during the sermon, Pastor Sam reminded us of the challenge of the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes have a literary 'middle passage', those hard words that appear between the "blessed are"s and the "for they will"s. And we cannot survive those 'middle passages' unless we have spiritual strength, given to us by the Holy Spirit, to live a lifestyle that the world ridicules and abhors.

It's a funny thing. We all want to be blessed, and we all want to enter the kingdom of heaven and be called sons of God and inherit the earth and all that other good stuff. But who wants to embrace the words in the middle?

Can you say these things, with the help of the Holy Spirit?

Yes, I will be poor in spirit. I will acknowledge that I have nothing to offer outside of the grace given me by God.

Yes, I will mourn, because I recognize my own sinfulness.

Yes, I will be meek, and accept the truth from the throne of God and from the mouths of people who God has sent to speak to me.

Yes, I will hunger and thirst for righteousness. There is nothing I want more than to know the presence of God and live for Him.

Yes, I will be merciful. God has been merciful to me: how can I withhold mercy from others?

Yes, I will demonstrate purity of heart. My personal agenda has been abandoned in favor of God's agenda.

Yes, I will be a peacemaker, pursuing peace, that fruit of the Spirit found in the children of the kingdom of God.

Yes, I will endure persecution and be cool with it: it's an indicator of my alignment with Jesus, who suffered greatly on my behalf, as well as prophets who suffered for the sake of the kingdom long before I was ever born.

Yes, Lord, we will do these things! Not on our own, but with Your help. Thank You for saving us, helping us, keeping us, loving us. In Jesus's name, Amen.

The Return Of The Apostate Apostle.

"He called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness." Matthew 10:1

As we continue our reflection on the introduction to Pastor Sam's sermon, let's stay parked at this crisis of "the many" who, in spite of their spiritual power, will not spend eternity with Christ.

Some Christians try to write off Judas as if he were not a true apostle. But the Scripture indicates that he was indeed one of the twelve, chosen by Christ, and empowered by Christ to work miracles and engage in deliverance ministry. This is underlined at the beginning of the book of Acts, when Peter shares the criteria for replacing Judas.

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus- he was one of our number and shared in this ministry." -Acts 1:15-17

Peter, what's that you said? Judas was one of us.

Seems that our Judas could get up with everyone else and preach, cast out demons, heal the sick, and all that... while at the same time being a self-serving thief.

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray Him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. -John 12:4-6

The sad thing is that Judas is just one of "the many". Generations have come and gone, and the warning still stands: apostolic powerhouses, prayer warriors, great teachers, eloquent preachers, et cetera, are not guaranteed a place in the kingdom of God based on their skill sets.

What is the criteria?

"He who does the will of My Father who is in heaven". (see Matthew 7:21)

How do we know what the will of the Father is? Well, one way we can tell is by seeing what things the Lord identifies as commendable. As we move through the rest of this week, we'll look at some of the "commendable things" espoused in the Beatitudes. If you'd like a head-start, please take time to again read Matthew 5:1-16. See you online tomorrow my friends.

The Doctor Is In.

Friends,

Our senior pastor is back! Pastor Sam spoke this past Sunday, and this week we'll do some reflecting on his sermon which was based in Matthew 5.

For starters, though, let's consider another passage he referred to during the introduction to his sermon: Matthew 7:21-23. I've heard it described as one of the scariest passages in Scripture, and I concur with that.

It's scary because the defense offered by the condemned seems perfectly plausible on the surface. They say, in essence, "Lord, we've done great and mighty things in Your name! People were delivered and healed! The gospel was preached! Look at all this fruit brought forth for Your kingdom!"

Apparently, our labors, and the fruit of our labors, are not enough.

What is the verdict? "Depart from Me: I never knew you."

Knowing Christ is the key! Oh, the danger of doing works in the name of Jesus without ever getting to know Him. God help us all.

Tomorrow we'll take a look at this in light of Judas, the classic example of what it means to be an apostate apostle. (To paraphrase Pastor Sam: even though it's something we've looked at before, we need to be reminded.)

So, to close out today, here's the text of Matthew 7:21-23. I pray that we all will check ourselves and take heed. See you online tomorrow.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

'Noch-'Noch...

Today, let's consider one of the men Pastor Richie spoke of during his sermon.

In Hebrews 11:5, the writer tells us that Enoch was translated: that is, he did not die a physical death. He walked so closely with God, and was so pleasing to God, that God opted to skip natural law and allow Enoch to enter His glorious presence without having died.

How closely do you walk with God?

Earlier this week, I was reminded of the reality each Christian experiences: Christ, in us. The Lord of the universe chooses to make His dwelling place among us. (That is, if we let Him: He won't force Himself upon us.)

So, if the power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in me (see Romans 8:5-11), then what sort of life do I live? How do I approach the crises and challenges that come my way? What is my response when God speaks?

Friends, we have nothing to be afraid of. God loves us, and when He asks us to receive His word by faith we can trust Him. It really is that simple. Have faith in God.

Give in a spirit of trusting faith.
Love in a spirit of trusting faith.
Yes, God, I can take You at Your word. It's not just a line from a song, it's the way I live my life in You.

See you online next week, my friends.

Get "IF" Out Of Me!

Today, let's step back and take a "big-picture" look at the chapter Pastor Richie preached from this past Sunday.

Hebrews 11, which we sometimes refer to as 'the faith chapter', is filled with examples of men and women who demonstrated their faith. That is, they heard what God said and they believed Him. If I can take this a little further, they believed Him in the face of no tangible evidence available to corroborate what God had said. And, if I might even step out a bit farther with this, some lived and died believing Him, even though they never saw the answer with their own eyes. How does the writer say it? "These all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise..." (Hebrews 11:39).

One of the dangers we face is that we sometimes equate faith with rescue, or conquest, or deliverance; something like "If I have faith I will get what I want, I won't get hurt, I will experience ease and peace." But the Hebrews passage is built on the promise of God, not our personal gain. God speaks and we agree with what He has said. So, for example, Noah and his household went into the ark. My guess is that it was not easy to build, and that it was not easy to endure the months of waiting for the waters to recede. But Noah didn't give God a clause or a rider. Noah just said yes to the command of God.

How many times have we said "if" to God?

'God, if you would just fill my husband with Your Spirit.' 'God, if you could just wait until my daughter finishes high school, then I'll do what You asked.' 'God, if You could preserve my reputation: I don't want to be ridiculed.'

And then we come into service and sing "Yes, Lord, completely yes...". Do we really mean yes? Is it a complete yes, or a conditional yes?

Friends, let's not play games. Time is too short. If you are one of those who's only embraced Christianity for what you can get out of it, may I implore you to consider instead what God can get out of you? Your love? Your loyalty? Your obedience? Your willingness to suffer for the sake of His name?

Lord, forgive us for those times our lips have sung 'yes', but our hearts did not speak 'yes'. We repent, and from now on we promise to speak the truth with our lips and in our hearts. Please help us, by Your Spirit, to agree with You by faith. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Able Abel.

Let's continue our reflections on this past Sunday's sermon.

Pastor Richie's phrase, "Abel was able...", is something we can think about for ourselves.

Abel was able to offer the best, the first, the most excellent. Of course some of you might be recalling that Pastor Sam mentioned a similar thing back in January. So, if the Spirit of God is speaking to you about your offerings to Him, take note: He is speaking again, and the core of His message has not changed.

God wants your firstfruits, not your leftovers.
God wants an offering that requires sacrifice.
God wants you to consider His mandates as more important than your personal preferences.
God wants you to obey Him.

Friends, what shall we do? Shall we say yes to God at the cost of our own reputation and agenda and comfort, or shall we continue to do our own thing and ask God to bless our weak imitation of His program?

Give Him everything. When you do, He will surprise you with His generosity. We're not talking about money, and we're not talking about "if-I-give-Him-offerings-He'll-give-me-material-stuff". We are speaking of the fulness of the Spirit, the very presence of God, being in You and equipping you to do great works for Him. That is the generosity of God, to pour Himself into us and use us for His glory. That is the great, undeserved, amazing gift we have been given by Him. But, in order to accept that gift, we have to give ourselves fully to Him. Will you do that?

Lord, I know that in myself I have nothing to offer. But, with Your Spirit working in me, You can give me the capacity to do amazing things for You and for the glory of Your name. Please help me to be willing to let go of the things that cannot save me and cannot help me. Please help me to embrace You, Christ, to take up my cross and follow You. You have spoken; I am listening; I will obey You no matter what. I love You. In Jesus's name I pray, Amen.

Mea Culpa.

This past Sunday, Pastor Richie spoke from the "faith hall of fame" text, Hebrews 11. In our reflections this week we'll consider the examples of Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham. For today, though, let's park at a statement shared by Pastor Richie during his introduction (and I paraphrase here): "The world has relegated faith to anticipation of only personal blessings."

Wow. We are guilty as charged. An evening of "Christian" television programming would certainly imply that it's all about what God can give us. Faith for a house, faith for a husband, faith for a healing. But that's not what the Hebrews 11 passage is pointing at: we instead should demonstrate a faith that indicates our belief in what God has said.

So, what has God said? What is God's agenda? What has God asked you to do?

"Abel, bring your best offering."
"Enoch, walk with Me."
"Noah, build an ark."
"Abraham, leave your homeland."

These men demonstrated their faith in God by obeying His commands.
What about you?

Ever Present, Never Prescient.

"Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed Jesus." (Matthew 4:25)

Well, let's talk about this wonderful verse that appears before the account of the teaching of the Beatitudes.

There were large crowds following Jesus around... I'm trying to imagine what it would be like if 1500 people were to show up at our church- every service, every prayer meeting, every class offered. At this point, there's no way we could handle that many people at Bronx Bethany. We'd have to just all go outside and do the teaching outside.

Jesus went up the side of a mountain, sat down, and taught the people... but what people? Was it the big crowd, or the smaller group of disciples? Jesus was the popular teacher, the radical rabbi, the guy with the healing ministry. When He was around, things happened... and therefore the crowd wanted to be around Him: not for His words, but for the prospect of witnessing the sensational. And then, here and there in the big crowd, one might find a few true disciples who longed to hear and obey the word of life being brought by this One who was like no other.

I can guarantee you that if the news agencies reported that profound physical healings are taking place at Bronx Bethany, then lots of people will show up in church: not because they want to be healed, not because they want to hear the word of God, but because they want to see what else might happen. I believe the correct word to describe them is "spectators". Oh, the great danger is to be a spectator when God has called us to be full participants in His kingdom agenda.

As we come to the end of another week, let's take time to pray that we will be true disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You Look Like Someone I Know.

As we continue our thoughts on this past Sunday's sermon, let's consider the two main passages Pastor Joy spoke on (Matthew 5 and Galatians 5). In them are contained two famous New Testament scriptures: The Beatitudes and the listing of the "fruit of the Spirit". (If you're not familiar with them, please take a few minutes to read Matthew 5:1-11 and Galatians 5:22-23.)

Those of us who have been attending Sunday School and church for a long time probably memorized these verses somewhere along the way. But, memorizing it and living it out are two different things! How do we make these verses a reality in our daily lives?

Maybe we should "un-memorize" this stuff and read it as if we'd never seen it before. One of the dangers of rote memorization is that the words are nothing more than words, nothing more than a laundry list filed in our brains with all the other laundry lists. So, let's just look at two examples with new eyes.

What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Can you embrace the notion that, outside of the presence and power of God working in us, we have nothing to offer?

What does the fruit of joy look like? Can you demonstrate a joyful demeanor even as you experience the deepest grief and sorrow? In other words, do you have the joy of the Lord in you, or is your joy solely contingent on your current circumstances?

I'd encourage you, as you read and re-read these two passages, to slow down and ask yourself hard questions: "Does my life reflect this? Is my life giving people a glimpse of how things work in the kingdom of God? If 'Christian' means Christ-like, does my life fit the bill?"

Lord, help us to be Your agents in the world.

Welcome To The Club.

"Those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24)

As we continue our reflections on this past Sunday's sermon, let's think about Pastor Joy's comment (paraphrased here): "It's not that the customer sees you as the best choice; the customer sees you as the only choice."

Oh, for us Jesus is the only choice! And because we belong to Him, that means there are other things that we don't want to be a part of. Galatians 5:24 sums it up: we don't want to be controlled by the sinful nature. In fact, we have put the sinful nature to death.

But how do we put the sinful nature to death? By cultivating the fruit of the Spirit, those character traits that define and "brand" the Christian. What are they?

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control.

What a list. No disclaimers, no "I love everybody except for those people who keep bothering me", no "but you don't understand my situation". Just beautiful fruit, the love of our Father God reflected in and through His children.

Yes, Lord, we want to look like You! We want to present You in such a way that people will see You as their only option. Please let Your transforming work be done in us. In Jesus's name we pray, Amen.

Internationally Recognized Logo.

This past Sunday, Pastor Joy shared with us the concept of "brand" and its relevance to our lives as Christians. During the sermon she brought out one verse in the John 3 passage that we can take time to reflect on today.

He (Nicodemus) came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." (John 3:2)

Nicodemus, in those short sentences, said something profound: Jesus, we know who You are.

Nicodemus made a confession: he, and others in his circle of influence, were fully aware that Jesus was not walking around performing counterfeit acts. The Pharisees would have known of the history of ancient Israel during the captivity in Egypt, in which the magicians of Egypt were able to counterfeit the first three signs sent by God through Moses (see Exodus 7:8 through 8:7). And they knew of the moment when the Egyptians warned Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19): that is, this is something that cannot be counterfeited. This is an authentic act of God being worked in your presence. This is something you need to be paying attention to. So, it was significant that Nicodemus would tell Jesus, in effect, "Yes, we know you are not a fraud. We know God has sent you, and we know this because of the accompanying signs and wonders that mark your ministry."

Okay, so we say we belong to God. We say we have been placed by Him into this world to do some things for His kingdom's sake. Well, that's nice. But is anyone recognizing you as a representative of God? What is there that you do that shows other people, without a doubt, your authentic faith?

Maybe we can start by being a living demonstration of acts that indicate we belong to God. His unending love, His compassion, and yes, even the miracles that speak of the present reality of the kingdom of God.

Don't tell me that no one performs miracles anymore.
And don't tell me that no one loves the world anymore.
It's really not about other people right now... I'm asking you about you.
And I'm asking myself too.
Let's pray that we, like Jesus, will be internationally recognized as men and women sent from God.

LORD, help us to love the world in the way You love: provision of needs, healing of illnesses, deliverance from bondages, justice, compassion, mercy. Yes, we can do these things through Christ Jesus, the One who upholds and equips us. Thank You, Father, for making this accessible to us. We ask for Your help in the name of Jesus. Amen.

No. And No.

Today we wrap up our reflections on the sermon preached by Pastor Benji, based on Luke 13:1-5.

"I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." -Luke 13:3

"I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." -Luke 13:5

When Jesus says something once, we should pay attention. How much more so when Jesus says something twice?

Some people told Jesus the bad news about the actions of Pilate. In turn, Jesus reminded those people of a disastrous accident in which a building collapsed. And Jesus asked a question about both incidents: when bad things happen to people, is that an indication of their level of sinfulness? And Jesus answered the question Himself, which we see recorded in verses 3 and 5 of Luke 13: No.

We really need to get this point. We live in a world where people tell us that there is a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the things we do and what sort of tangible, physical response we receive from God while we're on earth. In other words, do some nice things and God will give you some nice stuff right now, you'll be happy and nothing bad will happen because you are the blessed of God.

"The Father sends rain on the just and the unjust" (see Matthew 5:45). So, if there is potential for everyone to get caught in a torrential downpour, or a mudslide, or a tsunami, or an earthquake, then what shall we do? What is it that will distinguish us as people of God?

The sermon left us with a few answers, which I'll repeat here as we close this week:

-We are distinguished by our repentant heart. We have apologized to God for our sinfulness, and we have made a decision to turn away from our sin.
-We are distinguished by knowing what our God-given purpose is. As we have spent time in the presence of God, He has shown us what He wants us to do for Him.
-We are distinguished by fulfilling our God-given purpose. We are not like Jonah, who walked away from his assignment, but we are enthusiastically obedient to do as our Lord has instructed us.

Take a look inside your own heart.

Lord willing, we'll meet again in cyberspace next Tuesday. Take care my friends.

Living In The Light.

During this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Benji noted two questions that we must consider in light of the Luke 13:1-5 passage:

-Have we repented?
-Are we living life with a consciousness of our God-given purpose?

A modern temptation is to exert much time and energy on things that, in the light of eternity, don't matter. It's easy to, for example, sit on our couches and watch reports of the continuing rescue effort in Haiti, alternately praising the rescue workers and lamenting the collapsed infrastructure and lost lives. It's not as easy to shut off the TV and have an honest conversation with God about whether we're doing what He wants us to do.

In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus seems to ignore the commentary He received concerning the political actions of Pilate and the accident involving the tower in Siloam. Does that mean He didn't care about the people who died? Why, of course He cared! Scripture shows us that Jesus was the One who had compassion on people: He is the Healer. But this passage also shows us that He placed a priority on the state of each individual's soul. What is the danger? Jesus tells us: the danger is that, if we do not repent, we will perish. That is the great danger, the issue we must attend to. In other words, spiritual death is far more serious than physical death.

The next danger, which closely follows the issue of repentance, is the issue of living out our God-given purpose. Luke 13:6-9, the parable of the fig tree, is a very sobering commentary on how God responds to those who, when placed in His world with a purpose, fail to do what He expects them to do. I encourage all of us to take a minute to read Luke 13:6-9, and to take another minute to reflect on whether we are in the place God wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do.

LORD, You are the one who grants gifts to Your people by Your Spirit. Please give us the grace to accept and embrace the particular gifts You've given us. Please help us to not just take up space in the world, but to bear fruit that brings honor to You. Please give us a heart of joy, so that people will see You in us as we accomplish great things for the sake of Your kingdom. In Jesus's name, Amen.

It Is What It Is.

"Jesus answered: 'Watch out that no one deceives you'." -Matthew 24:4

As we continue our reflection on this past Sunday's sermon, let's take a look at Matthew 24. I hope you'll make the time to read the entire chapter. Like the Luke 13:1-5 passage, it's another instance of Jesus making commentary on the tragedies that we experience in life.

In a nutshell, what does He say? If I may paraphrase both passages: "These things have happened; these things must happen. But watch yourselves. Make sure you repent. Make sure you live your lives as faithful servants of God. Why? Because, when you least expect it, your Lord and Master will return to judge the earth."

Friends, this is it. We are not exempt from pain. Jesus says, "There will be famines and earthquakes in various places" (see Matthew 24:7). And He says, "but he who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:13). Let's not get lost in the anguish of the recent events in Haiti, but let us be reminded that in the midst of the sorrow Jesus is warning us to stay anchored in Him.

Lord, please help us to trust You and rest in You.

The Luke Road.

This past Sunday, Pastor Benji spoke on Luke 13:1-5. In light of the tragic aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, he offered a perspective that was enlightening and sobering.

We who are in safer climes might be tempted to make certain assumptions and judgements about our brothers and sisters in Haiti. But when we read the Luke passage, we see Jesus making a very salient point: tragedy, frequently, has nothing to do with the belief system or social status of the affected party.

This week we'll take a look at these verses in closer detail. For today, though, I encourage you to open your Bibles and read the five verses again.

"Unless you repent..." Yes, we have been given a choice. I pray you will choose to obey God, always.