Little Church in the Pines
The Journey after the Cross
(Now What?)
April 11, 2021
by; Connie Funkhouser
Easter is the beginning, not the conclusion. Just as our faith does not end with Good Friday crucifixion, neither does it end with Easter resurrection. The New Testament, God’s New Covenant, Our Journey after Calvary continues.
Resurrection is certainly a pivotal moment, but there is another act to follow . . . things are just now getting interesting . . . If you quit reading the Greatest Story Ever Told and was inspired by the most famous Author of all time, you will miss what unfolds when Jesus is rescued from the jaws of death.
Jesus’ future, His resurrection prophesied/planned by God Himself is absolutely 100% linked to our future. You may say, “but Connie, the Bible is a story that is two -thousand years old, an entirely different culture, there is no way we could apply that ancient story to our life’s today.” I am here to tell you, it can, and it does. During Bible Study, reading, and studying @ home I cannot tell you how many times I have looked up and said, only the names of changed. (And in my case even the names have not changed. Seems I hire Saras, Jacobs, Martha, Matthews, Josephs, Micahs, Katrinas ☺ oh kidding, and the list continues)
There is more to the story, our purpose during this exact moment in time, is more than simply making our way to heaven. Here are you few slang theologies or putting one’s beliefs into a nice box. See if any of these sounds familiar to you?
Resurrection, as Clarence Jordon says, “is God’s refusal to stay on the other side of the grave. God raised Jesus, not as an invitation to us to come to heaven when we die, but as a declaration that He Himself has not established permanent residence on earth. The resurrection places Jesus on this side of the grave, here and now, amid this life – our life today! The Good News of the resurrection is not that we shall die and go home with Him, but that He is risen and comes home with us, bringing all His hungry, thirsty, sick, distraught, lonely, messed up, broken, outcast, marginalized, way-ward brothers and sisters with Him.”
Clarence Jordan, a farmer, and New Testament Greek scholar was the founder of Koinonia Farm, a small and influential religious community in southwest Georgia. He was also instrumental in the founding of Habitat for Humanity.) Which is a big non-profit in southeast Idaho.
Easter does not exhaust the biblical narrative of God’s saving work. There is more. What began with Adam and Eve, what began again with Noah and the ark, and again with Israel’s escape from Egyptian bondage, and again with Jonah emerging from the whale’s belly, and again with Israel’s repeated returns from exile, and again with Mary’s pregnancy . . . all these beginnings and new beginnings, now uniquely confirmed and summarized and restated in the resurrection, are the prelude to the final act in the story, one step short of the dramatic conclusion of the Salvation Story.
Jesus did not say “I am finished.”
He said, “It is finished.” He was just getting started. . . .
With most men their work stops @ their death, but with Christ it had only begun.
The crucifixion of Jesus is our gateway to salvation. Salvation: does not mean merely deliverance from sin or personal holiness. The Salvation which comes from God means being completely delivered from ourselves, and being placed in perfect union with Him.
God is not the author of evil. To those who believe in Jesus, He is the Savior of abounding love and forgiveness. God created this world, and He created man to have a relationship with Him. On the cross when Jesus said, “it is finished,” the debt of this sinful world was paid in full. The gift of a personal relationship with God was offered. When we believe in Jesus, we have no sin for God to judge. God is not a celestial prison warden jangling the keys on a bunch of lifers—He is a shepherd seeking His flock, a Father waiting for his son. Our sin was crucified on Calvary, and we now can have an intimate and deeply personal relationship with God . . . No longer our judge.
No one can make themselves pure by obeying laws. Jesus Christ does not give us rules and regulations - - - He gives us His teachings which are truths that can only be interpreted by His nature that is placed in us. The great wonder of Jesus Christ salvation is that it changes our heredity. He does not change human nature - - - He changes its source, and thereby its motives as well.
The heart of salvation is the Cross of Christ. The reason why salvation is so easy to obtain is that it cost God so much. There is nothing easier than getting saved because it is solely God’s sovereign work. – “Look to Me and be saved” we are told in (Isaiah 45:22). The cross was the place where God and sinful man merged with a tremendous collision and the way to life was opened. But all the cost and pain was absorbed by the Heart of God. Salvation is our Gift, a Gift from God.
On Easter Sunday we do focus on the sacrifice of Jesus @ Calvary and His resurrection. From His atonement springs our blessed assurance of eternal life. Many people who trust Christ as their Savior know they are saved but are not certain about their eternal security – the work of God that assures us that our redemption is permanent. They believe their deliverance can somehow be forfeited through wrong actions.
If our salvation is based on anything other than the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross, then we will find ourselves on shaky ground. Therefore, some believers attempt to involve themselves in the redemption process by their good works or right behavior. Sadly, they are always prone to wavering faith because they feel they must continuously earn the Lord’s goodwill to get to heaven.
If we add a single work requirement to it, then it is no longer given to us freely; it is payment for services rendered. That is not how God works in our life. Absolutely nothing can revoke what He has given us. We can accept that He has made us secure. God’s grace in redemption is a gift . . .
Salvation begins with God – not with us. He chooses us and then we believe. In putting the matter that way, I simply mean to declare that salvation is all His grace, all of God, all the time. So, when Paul says, “God chose us for salvation,” I am happy and content believing it is just as written. That does not mean I can fully explain (far from it) every nuance of how our choices – our free will fit into God’s sovereign plan for the universe. I believe that God arranges circumstances of life (and movements of the heart) to bring us to the place where we have no other choice but to freely choose to trust in Christ for our salvation.
God will seek us -- how long? Until he finds us. And when He has found the last rebellious soul and has depopulated hell, then death will be swallowed up in victory, and Christ will turn over all things to the Father that he may be all and in all.
To some that will seem like a contradiction, to others it will seem like a simple statement of biblical truth. Is there a mystery here? Yes of course, and I would much prefer a theology with some mystery in it than a theology that claimed to fully explain the mind of God. When it comes to salvation, we bring the sin that makes salvation necessary, and God brings everything else. Naturally, we are not robots or puppets on a string, and when we come to Christ, we do not come mindful of any compulsion. We come by faith because we want to come. And in our coming we discover later that God was drawing us to Himself all along by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When we trust and live by faith, the Holy Spirit will reveal to us what “paid in full” really means in our lives. If you are troubled by this, or wonder how it could be, just remember that you are on the right track when your view of salvation gives all the Glory to God. Magnify the Lord as Savior, give Him the credit, and you will be moving in the right direction, your journey is of hope and promise.
Salvation springs from the Heart of God who loved and gave His Son for us. We have been chosen, we were called by the work of the Holy Spirit to come to Christ for our salvation, we believe in God’s Word, and one day we will share in Christ’s glory.
God, the Author of History has a purpose. He is not making all this up as He goes along. Everything in the universe plays a role in the outworking of God’s plan. This ought to give us enormous confidence as we face the uncertainties of life. If we believe that everything in our life is a hit and miss affair, if we think that the events of each day just happen by chance, then we will be a prisoner to our circumstances. We will be up when things are good, and we will be down when things are bad. How wonderful it is to rest in the knowledge that our God is working out His plan for us in everything that happens to us . . . the good, the bad, the positive, and the negative, the happy and the sad. / There is no one who wants to be saved who cannot be saved! Rest assured on this truth. No one will be in hell who truly ought to be in Heaven. No one will be in hell who says, “I wanted to be saved but God would not save me.” Such a thing simply cannot happen. If you have the desire to know God, you can be confident that He gave that longing to you. (There maybe resistance, but truly save your energy, you will not win when playing tug-o-war with God.) God is always the initiator in salvation. God calls, we respond. God calls, we believe. God calls, we come to Christ. When God wanted to populate Heaven, He sent His Son to die for us. Then He sent His Spirit to draw us. And He gave us His word so we would know the truth. And He even gives us faith to believe the Gospel.
Everything is different because we now live in a world where death did not have the final word, where truth and goodness and love are the final realities, and where a resurrection has happened. We must never forget salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has a profound depth.
The perfecting of salvation will be realized in the glorification of true believers @ Christ’s second advent, His second coming. In this consummation of the entire movement of salvation, Christians will be perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
The following is from the book “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers. Specifically, 10/07.
“The revealed truth of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took on Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took on Himself the heredity of sin that no man can even touch. God made His own Son “to be sin” that He might make the sinner into a saint. It is revealed throughout the Bible that our Lord took on the sin of the world through identification with us, not sympathy for us ( I Love that). He deliberately took on His own shoulders, and endured in His own body, the complete, cumulative sin of humanity. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” and by so doing He placed salvation for the entire human race solely based on redemption. Jesus Christ reconciled humanity, putting it back to where God designed it to be. And now anyone can experience that restoration, being brought into oneness with God, on the basis of what our Lord has done on the cross.
The Doctrine of Salvation or Soteriology is a lot more complex and in-depth. Composing my morning message, reading, and re-reading, I kept thinking that my summary of salvation is elementary in so many ways. But I was “compelled” to following my initial train of thought, and I sincerely hoped that the Holy Spirit had someone(s) in attendance or viewing that needed to hear this.
My focus and concern was I wanted to invite you on the journey after Calvary and collect what is yours. It is up to us to invite God into our life and to Live in the Presence of God every day, all the time.
I used to tell our Juvenile Correction Students this scenario: and I may have shared before, but it illustrates the many gifts and blessings that our Creator has for us. . . . . .
Amen!
The Journey after the Cross
(Now What?)
April 11, 2021
by; Connie Funkhouser
Easter is the beginning, not the conclusion. Just as our faith does not end with Good Friday crucifixion, neither does it end with Easter resurrection. The New Testament, God’s New Covenant, Our Journey after Calvary continues.
Resurrection is certainly a pivotal moment, but there is another act to follow . . . things are just now getting interesting . . . If you quit reading the Greatest Story Ever Told and was inspired by the most famous Author of all time, you will miss what unfolds when Jesus is rescued from the jaws of death.
Jesus’ future, His resurrection prophesied/planned by God Himself is absolutely 100% linked to our future. You may say, “but Connie, the Bible is a story that is two -thousand years old, an entirely different culture, there is no way we could apply that ancient story to our life’s today.” I am here to tell you, it can, and it does. During Bible Study, reading, and studying @ home I cannot tell you how many times I have looked up and said, only the names of changed. (And in my case even the names have not changed. Seems I hire Saras, Jacobs, Martha, Matthews, Josephs, Micahs, Katrinas ☺ oh kidding, and the list continues)
There is more to the story, our purpose during this exact moment in time, is more than simply making our way to heaven. Here are you few slang theologies or putting one’s beliefs into a nice box. See if any of these sounds familiar to you?
- Lay-a-way Theology: Give your heart to Jesus now so you can go to heaven later. Easy installments of weekly church attendance.
- Transport Theology: Buy your ticket now in case the glory train comes early. Then just hang out till the whistle blows. Nothing else much matters once you have your ticket in hand.
- Life Insurance Theology: Once you read the policy and make arrangements for the payments, you file it away and hope you do not have to cash it in any time soon.
Resurrection, as Clarence Jordon says, “is God’s refusal to stay on the other side of the grave. God raised Jesus, not as an invitation to us to come to heaven when we die, but as a declaration that He Himself has not established permanent residence on earth. The resurrection places Jesus on this side of the grave, here and now, amid this life – our life today! The Good News of the resurrection is not that we shall die and go home with Him, but that He is risen and comes home with us, bringing all His hungry, thirsty, sick, distraught, lonely, messed up, broken, outcast, marginalized, way-ward brothers and sisters with Him.”
Clarence Jordan, a farmer, and New Testament Greek scholar was the founder of Koinonia Farm, a small and influential religious community in southwest Georgia. He was also instrumental in the founding of Habitat for Humanity.) Which is a big non-profit in southeast Idaho.
Easter does not exhaust the biblical narrative of God’s saving work. There is more. What began with Adam and Eve, what began again with Noah and the ark, and again with Israel’s escape from Egyptian bondage, and again with Jonah emerging from the whale’s belly, and again with Israel’s repeated returns from exile, and again with Mary’s pregnancy . . . all these beginnings and new beginnings, now uniquely confirmed and summarized and restated in the resurrection, are the prelude to the final act in the story, one step short of the dramatic conclusion of the Salvation Story.
Jesus did not say “I am finished.”
He said, “It is finished.” He was just getting started. . . .
With most men their work stops @ their death, but with Christ it had only begun.
The crucifixion of Jesus is our gateway to salvation. Salvation: does not mean merely deliverance from sin or personal holiness. The Salvation which comes from God means being completely delivered from ourselves, and being placed in perfect union with Him.
God is not the author of evil. To those who believe in Jesus, He is the Savior of abounding love and forgiveness. God created this world, and He created man to have a relationship with Him. On the cross when Jesus said, “it is finished,” the debt of this sinful world was paid in full. The gift of a personal relationship with God was offered. When we believe in Jesus, we have no sin for God to judge. God is not a celestial prison warden jangling the keys on a bunch of lifers—He is a shepherd seeking His flock, a Father waiting for his son. Our sin was crucified on Calvary, and we now can have an intimate and deeply personal relationship with God . . . No longer our judge.
No one can make themselves pure by obeying laws. Jesus Christ does not give us rules and regulations - - - He gives us His teachings which are truths that can only be interpreted by His nature that is placed in us. The great wonder of Jesus Christ salvation is that it changes our heredity. He does not change human nature - - - He changes its source, and thereby its motives as well.
The heart of salvation is the Cross of Christ. The reason why salvation is so easy to obtain is that it cost God so much. There is nothing easier than getting saved because it is solely God’s sovereign work. – “Look to Me and be saved” we are told in (Isaiah 45:22). The cross was the place where God and sinful man merged with a tremendous collision and the way to life was opened. But all the cost and pain was absorbed by the Heart of God. Salvation is our Gift, a Gift from God.
On Easter Sunday we do focus on the sacrifice of Jesus @ Calvary and His resurrection. From His atonement springs our blessed assurance of eternal life. Many people who trust Christ as their Savior know they are saved but are not certain about their eternal security – the work of God that assures us that our redemption is permanent. They believe their deliverance can somehow be forfeited through wrong actions.
If our salvation is based on anything other than the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross, then we will find ourselves on shaky ground. Therefore, some believers attempt to involve themselves in the redemption process by their good works or right behavior. Sadly, they are always prone to wavering faith because they feel they must continuously earn the Lord’s goodwill to get to heaven.
If we add a single work requirement to it, then it is no longer given to us freely; it is payment for services rendered. That is not how God works in our life. Absolutely nothing can revoke what He has given us. We can accept that He has made us secure. God’s grace in redemption is a gift . . .
- Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
- Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
Salvation begins with God – not with us. He chooses us and then we believe. In putting the matter that way, I simply mean to declare that salvation is all His grace, all of God, all the time. So, when Paul says, “God chose us for salvation,” I am happy and content believing it is just as written. That does not mean I can fully explain (far from it) every nuance of how our choices – our free will fit into God’s sovereign plan for the universe. I believe that God arranges circumstances of life (and movements of the heart) to bring us to the place where we have no other choice but to freely choose to trust in Christ for our salvation.
God will seek us -- how long? Until he finds us. And when He has found the last rebellious soul and has depopulated hell, then death will be swallowed up in victory, and Christ will turn over all things to the Father that he may be all and in all.
To some that will seem like a contradiction, to others it will seem like a simple statement of biblical truth. Is there a mystery here? Yes of course, and I would much prefer a theology with some mystery in it than a theology that claimed to fully explain the mind of God. When it comes to salvation, we bring the sin that makes salvation necessary, and God brings everything else. Naturally, we are not robots or puppets on a string, and when we come to Christ, we do not come mindful of any compulsion. We come by faith because we want to come. And in our coming we discover later that God was drawing us to Himself all along by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When we trust and live by faith, the Holy Spirit will reveal to us what “paid in full” really means in our lives. If you are troubled by this, or wonder how it could be, just remember that you are on the right track when your view of salvation gives all the Glory to God. Magnify the Lord as Savior, give Him the credit, and you will be moving in the right direction, your journey is of hope and promise.
Salvation springs from the Heart of God who loved and gave His Son for us. We have been chosen, we were called by the work of the Holy Spirit to come to Christ for our salvation, we believe in God’s Word, and one day we will share in Christ’s glory.
God, the Author of History has a purpose. He is not making all this up as He goes along. Everything in the universe plays a role in the outworking of God’s plan. This ought to give us enormous confidence as we face the uncertainties of life. If we believe that everything in our life is a hit and miss affair, if we think that the events of each day just happen by chance, then we will be a prisoner to our circumstances. We will be up when things are good, and we will be down when things are bad. How wonderful it is to rest in the knowledge that our God is working out His plan for us in everything that happens to us . . . the good, the bad, the positive, and the negative, the happy and the sad. / There is no one who wants to be saved who cannot be saved! Rest assured on this truth. No one will be in hell who truly ought to be in Heaven. No one will be in hell who says, “I wanted to be saved but God would not save me.” Such a thing simply cannot happen. If you have the desire to know God, you can be confident that He gave that longing to you. (There maybe resistance, but truly save your energy, you will not win when playing tug-o-war with God.) God is always the initiator in salvation. God calls, we respond. God calls, we believe. God calls, we come to Christ. When God wanted to populate Heaven, He sent His Son to die for us. Then He sent His Spirit to draw us. And He gave us His word so we would know the truth. And He even gives us faith to believe the Gospel.
Everything is different because we now live in a world where death did not have the final word, where truth and goodness and love are the final realities, and where a resurrection has happened. We must never forget salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has a profound depth.
The perfecting of salvation will be realized in the glorification of true believers @ Christ’s second advent, His second coming. In this consummation of the entire movement of salvation, Christians will be perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
The following is from the book “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers. Specifically, 10/07.
“The revealed truth of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took on Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took on Himself the heredity of sin that no man can even touch. God made His own Son “to be sin” that He might make the sinner into a saint. It is revealed throughout the Bible that our Lord took on the sin of the world through identification with us, not sympathy for us ( I Love that). He deliberately took on His own shoulders, and endured in His own body, the complete, cumulative sin of humanity. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” and by so doing He placed salvation for the entire human race solely based on redemption. Jesus Christ reconciled humanity, putting it back to where God designed it to be. And now anyone can experience that restoration, being brought into oneness with God, on the basis of what our Lord has done on the cross.
The Doctrine of Salvation or Soteriology is a lot more complex and in-depth. Composing my morning message, reading, and re-reading, I kept thinking that my summary of salvation is elementary in so many ways. But I was “compelled” to following my initial train of thought, and I sincerely hoped that the Holy Spirit had someone(s) in attendance or viewing that needed to hear this.
My focus and concern was I wanted to invite you on the journey after Calvary and collect what is yours. It is up to us to invite God into our life and to Live in the Presence of God every day, all the time.
I used to tell our Juvenile Correction Students this scenario: and I may have shared before, but it illustrates the many gifts and blessings that our Creator has for us. . . . . .
Amen!
Little Church in the Pines
April4, 2021
by: Pastor Tom Shanor
Easter…………a new day begins with a new morning!
It is now early morning…the morning following a day and night of dramatic and mind-numbing events….beginning, with the arrest, trial, and subsequent death of Jesus, known as a prophet, the Messiah…and by His own words, the Son of God.
That night previous, from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was a supernatural darkness over all the land. Jesus, at the ninth hour cried out with a loud voice saying, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me,” soon followed by His very last words “Father, into Your hands I commit my Spirit!” And at that moment He gave up His Spirit….and died.
His disciples, their families, his own mother, and those who loved and followed Him, believing, trusting that He, their Jesus was the One…the One all of Israel had for generations been waiting for. The One who would lead them out of bondage and into a kingdom where God’s glory would prevail, and peace would reign, from the throne of David once more, but this time across the world.
Hope, belief, faith for some dies easily…for others, they cling with the tenacity born to those of deep faith…for a miracle. Through their tears, through their shattered dreams and hopes they cling. Some remembering He would as He said come back to life….a resurrection spoken of. Hope does not die easily….for some.
That night also events happened that fueled their hopes. Were they rumors, did they really happen? The darkness, the earthquake felt by all in themselves were mind numbing, but the rumor that the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and during the earthquake rocks were split….and the graves opened, where it is said many of the bodies of the saints who had died were raised from the dead.
So amazed and even terrified were some, that when centurion and, those with him, who were guarding Jesus at His tomb, saw felt the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying “Truly this was the Son of God.”
His tomb sealed and guarded during those night hours because of the demands of the religious leaders, fearing that Jesus body might be taken by His disciples….thereby spreading a false rumor that He had risen from the dead as He had stated He would.
It is pre-dawn…a clear and beautiful morning is coming. The eastern sky showing ever so slightly that lovely pre-dawn glow, but what is this, what is happening? The ground once again begins to move a sudden there is a great earthquake; for as we learn later, an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone form the door and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary who were on their way to the tomb, shaken by the earthquake, still in mourning and tears continued on, encountering the angel who spoke to them said, “do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. “Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go…go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold I have told you.”
And as they went to tell His disciples behold, Jesus met them there, (in the garden) saying, “Rejoice!” so they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Let us sing…on page 106 MORNING HAS BROKEN……………
That morning broke as equal, if not even superior to the first morning of Creation. The pure light…not only from the early morning sun, but the pure light that radiated from the newly risen Son of God.
The Light that He brought was going to restore and break, the chains of bondage that the enemy of God bound humanity with, called sin. The beginning of a New Creation.
In time then, time present and time to come, we would then begin to the see the first fruits of this New Creation. An opportunity for each, and every individual man, woman, and child, given the opportunity by this Man/God, Jesus the Christ, to be healed, set free and even made whole by His Love, Grace, Salvation, and restoration.
No matter the degree of hurt, abuse, pain, sorrow, desolation, or rejection, He promises and delivers to us, the JOY of our SALVATION! Halleluiah.
No one cares as much as He does for all of humanity. From the least to the greatest, the poor to the rich, red, and yellow, black, and white…and all in between, are precious in His sight.
Beneath our skin, aside from our successes and failures, our looks, our body types, our sexuality….beneath these and more, He, looks at the pain, the heart, the soul, and spirit of each of us. What He wants to do is to wrap His arms around all of us, all of humanity and draw us close to his breast, to where we feel His broken heart beating for us.
He knows even more intimately than we know ourselves, all that we do through, endure and dream.
Oh, how He loves you and me.
Oh, how He loves you and me,
He gave His life,
What more could He give,
Oh, how He loves you,
Oh, how He loves me,
Oh, how He loves you and me….
You see…we are often bound by our past. By people who have hurt us, some deliberately and some not so. But, you see, pain is pain, abuse is abuse, sorrow is sorrow….and yes, sometimes it hurts and binds us more when it happens to be someone we love and care for who hurts us, be it physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual. When these things happen, sometimes in our loss of those we love, it hurts even more.
But you see…He promises us that one day all will be good. One day He says there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more tears.
One day….the chains that even still bind us, He wants you and me, to walk up to Him and say, Lord, I know you can do it, so would you please break these chains that hurt me and bind me, so that I can walk into Your open arms and be comforted, made free, made whole. Will you hold me?
You broke the chains of death….and You, even in this life, as well as the next to come can set me free. All I need to be is willing. Willing to let them go, no matter who, what, where, when, how they came to be.
I ask you to take them now….and envelope me, us, in your Resurrected arms until I no longer can or want to cry. Let today be my resurrected day….that you will have turned my MOURNING into dancing for me…You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, where together, arm in arm, we walk on the cool grass with morning dew still on it.
A new day can dawn….a resurrection is possible, if indeed we simply say yes Lord, yes.
I read a remarkable story yesterday called “The Butterfly Miracle” I am going to read to you, for in some ways it is an Easter story….a story of life and death and hope/faith. I know your heart will be touched . . . Perhaps deeply.
“The Book of Amazing Stories”
"March 30 ~ The Butterfly Story"
by; Robert Petterson
April4, 2021
by: Pastor Tom Shanor
Easter…………a new day begins with a new morning!
It is now early morning…the morning following a day and night of dramatic and mind-numbing events….beginning, with the arrest, trial, and subsequent death of Jesus, known as a prophet, the Messiah…and by His own words, the Son of God.
That night previous, from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was a supernatural darkness over all the land. Jesus, at the ninth hour cried out with a loud voice saying, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me,” soon followed by His very last words “Father, into Your hands I commit my Spirit!” And at that moment He gave up His Spirit….and died.
His disciples, their families, his own mother, and those who loved and followed Him, believing, trusting that He, their Jesus was the One…the One all of Israel had for generations been waiting for. The One who would lead them out of bondage and into a kingdom where God’s glory would prevail, and peace would reign, from the throne of David once more, but this time across the world.
Hope, belief, faith for some dies easily…for others, they cling with the tenacity born to those of deep faith…for a miracle. Through their tears, through their shattered dreams and hopes they cling. Some remembering He would as He said come back to life….a resurrection spoken of. Hope does not die easily….for some.
That night also events happened that fueled their hopes. Were they rumors, did they really happen? The darkness, the earthquake felt by all in themselves were mind numbing, but the rumor that the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and during the earthquake rocks were split….and the graves opened, where it is said many of the bodies of the saints who had died were raised from the dead.
So amazed and even terrified were some, that when centurion and, those with him, who were guarding Jesus at His tomb, saw felt the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying “Truly this was the Son of God.”
His tomb sealed and guarded during those night hours because of the demands of the religious leaders, fearing that Jesus body might be taken by His disciples….thereby spreading a false rumor that He had risen from the dead as He had stated He would.
It is pre-dawn…a clear and beautiful morning is coming. The eastern sky showing ever so slightly that lovely pre-dawn glow, but what is this, what is happening? The ground once again begins to move a sudden there is a great earthquake; for as we learn later, an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone form the door and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary who were on their way to the tomb, shaken by the earthquake, still in mourning and tears continued on, encountering the angel who spoke to them said, “do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. “Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go…go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold I have told you.”
And as they went to tell His disciples behold, Jesus met them there, (in the garden) saying, “Rejoice!” so they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Let us sing…on page 106 MORNING HAS BROKEN……………
That morning broke as equal, if not even superior to the first morning of Creation. The pure light…not only from the early morning sun, but the pure light that radiated from the newly risen Son of God.
The Light that He brought was going to restore and break, the chains of bondage that the enemy of God bound humanity with, called sin. The beginning of a New Creation.
In time then, time present and time to come, we would then begin to the see the first fruits of this New Creation. An opportunity for each, and every individual man, woman, and child, given the opportunity by this Man/God, Jesus the Christ, to be healed, set free and even made whole by His Love, Grace, Salvation, and restoration.
No matter the degree of hurt, abuse, pain, sorrow, desolation, or rejection, He promises and delivers to us, the JOY of our SALVATION! Halleluiah.
No one cares as much as He does for all of humanity. From the least to the greatest, the poor to the rich, red, and yellow, black, and white…and all in between, are precious in His sight.
Beneath our skin, aside from our successes and failures, our looks, our body types, our sexuality….beneath these and more, He, looks at the pain, the heart, the soul, and spirit of each of us. What He wants to do is to wrap His arms around all of us, all of humanity and draw us close to his breast, to where we feel His broken heart beating for us.
He knows even more intimately than we know ourselves, all that we do through, endure and dream.
Oh, how He loves you and me.
Oh, how He loves you and me,
He gave His life,
What more could He give,
Oh, how He loves you,
Oh, how He loves me,
Oh, how He loves you and me….
You see…we are often bound by our past. By people who have hurt us, some deliberately and some not so. But, you see, pain is pain, abuse is abuse, sorrow is sorrow….and yes, sometimes it hurts and binds us more when it happens to be someone we love and care for who hurts us, be it physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual. When these things happen, sometimes in our loss of those we love, it hurts even more.
But you see…He promises us that one day all will be good. One day He says there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more tears.
One day….the chains that even still bind us, He wants you and me, to walk up to Him and say, Lord, I know you can do it, so would you please break these chains that hurt me and bind me, so that I can walk into Your open arms and be comforted, made free, made whole. Will you hold me?
You broke the chains of death….and You, even in this life, as well as the next to come can set me free. All I need to be is willing. Willing to let them go, no matter who, what, where, when, how they came to be.
I ask you to take them now….and envelope me, us, in your Resurrected arms until I no longer can or want to cry. Let today be my resurrected day….that you will have turned my MOURNING into dancing for me…You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, where together, arm in arm, we walk on the cool grass with morning dew still on it.
A new day can dawn….a resurrection is possible, if indeed we simply say yes Lord, yes.
I read a remarkable story yesterday called “The Butterfly Miracle” I am going to read to you, for in some ways it is an Easter story….a story of life and death and hope/faith. I know your heart will be touched . . . Perhaps deeply.
“The Book of Amazing Stories”
"March 30 ~ The Butterfly Story"
by; Robert Petterson
Palm Sunday Altar
by; Pastor Tom
Palm Sunday * Holy Week * Passion Week
March 28, 2021
by; Connie Funkhouser
Pastor Tom knowing this week is a favorite of mine, and after last Sunday’s service, here I stand before you to share about Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and why this week “Holy Week” is also known as Passion Week.
Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week. The final week of Lent. The final and most profound week of Jesus’ journey to the Cross. A few interesting facts . . . .
Palm Sunday triggered the countdown to the greatest and most scared week of Earth’s history since Creation. The creation of our Universe, spoken into existence by our Creator, certainly was a grand event. But the universe shackled by the bondage to sin, groaning in anticipation of being liberated, must have rejoiced in the redemptive events of this week.
Jesus is wrapping up His 3-year ministry. He has done a lot of healing and teaching in the last three years but some of His important work will take place in His final week.
Jesus and His disciples have come to Jerusalem for Passover feast. But Jesus will not only celebrate the feast He will end up being the sacrificial lamb for the Passover meal. Tensions are high as the religious leaders are searching for a way to capture Jesus and have Him killed for blasphemy. The disciples are aware of this and they too are worried about what will happen when they go into the city. Massive crowds are coming to Jerusalem for Passover, so the tension also comes with some excitement.
By this point, Jesus of Nazareth has gained a reputation. Not only has Jesus taught the Scriptures like no one has ever taught them, but He has physically healed people, and the latest thing He has done to really upset the religious leaders was He literally raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. The religious leaders are frantically trying to figure out who Jesus really is, and how they can stop Him from creating more disruption among the religious establishment.
The NT Gospels recount the story:
On the first day of the week Jesus riding on the colt of a donkey. In Biblical times, it was common for Jewish kings or important people to arrive by a procession riding on a donkey. The donkey symbolized peace, so those who chose to ride donkeys showed that they came with peaceful intentions. Jesus even then reminded us that He is the Prince of Peace. Jesus made His way into Jerusalem, to celebrate the Passover festival fulfilling an ancient prophesy.
In Zechariah 9:9, we are told;
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The crowds of people welcomed Him and placed their clothes and palm branches on the road, shouting, “Hosanna (save now) to the Son of David. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9 NKJV). The Roman road climbed steeply to the crest of the Mount of Olives, affording a spectacular view of the Desert of Judea to the east and Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley to the west.
Palm branches, the significance of the Palm Branch during this time of year. God's Word tells us the multitudes of people cut palm branches and waved them in the air, laid them out on the ground before Jesus as He rode into the city. The palm branch represented goodness and victory and was symbolic of the final victory Jesus would soon fulfill over death.
It was Palm Sunday and because Sally had a sore throat stayed home from Church. When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm branches. Sally asked what they were for. “People held them over Jesus’ head as He walked by,” her father told her. Wouldn’t you know it, Sally replied. “The one Sunday I don’t go to Church and He shows up.”
Christian’s recall, recount, reflect, and reminisce the events leading up to Jesus’ death by crucifixion, and according to their faith, His Resurrection.
This week includes five days of special importance:
Passion: is a feeling of intense enthusiasm for or compelling desire for someone or something. Passion can range from eager interest in or admiration for an idea, proposal, or cause. An enthusiastic enjoyment of an interest or activity; a strong attraction, excitement, or emotion towards a person.
Jesus did feel strongly about His impending death and resurrection, but that is not why we call it Passion Week. Attributing this week of remembrance to the English word “passion” has a long history, much longer than any of us have been alive. It dates back @ least to the 12th century (old English), and stems from the late Latin noun passio. Which meant suffering or “enduring.” Therefore, the Passion of the Christ, the week leading up to His enduring and suffering for us.
Jesus was/is passionate about us and His mission to the Cross. Passion is deep, focused, and a driving force to. I am not sure about you, and I can only speak for myself, but my passion and what I have chosen to be passionate about has on more than one occasion met with negativity, criticism, resentment, and resistance. I am ok with this, since I know, really know and am confident in the passions I do have are centered in God’s Word, His Truth.
I wonder, whether you are sitting here or watching Live Stream, are you thinking about your passions, do you waver when they are questioned? Maybe what created your passion(s) is from enduring and amid unthinkable suffering. We do know this; Jesus did not put the brakes on His donkey and turn His entourage and donkey around. The passion that He harbored for His assignment was true, it was deep-rooted in His very soul, and He “knew” what and how was about to unfold. The Son of God’s passion was unquestionably a deep conviction, a great devotion, a motivating and compelling action that must be taken to fulfill prophesy.
Jesus, God our Father is intensely passionate about reconciling us to Him. The great passion of God’s heart is that we will want to “KNOW” Him. God is talking about more than our salvation. An understanding of God starts when we begin to trust Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, but there is even more than that. He wants us to know all about Him! God’s main passion is His creation – His people.
What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus that is passionate spiritually?
The following is a brief story, and Jesus delivers the punch line: “Martha, Martha” He tell His hostess. “You are worried and distracted about many things; there is need for only one. Mary has chosen the better part and it shall not be taken from her.” Luke's Gospel (Luke 10:38–42).
Everything, therefore, hangs on the one thing that Jesus mentions, the one thing that Mary has chosen and apparently her sister, Martha has not. (Mary and Martha remind me of my Grandma Daisy 102 and Great Auntie Ethel 101. Share a little story.)
I am sure most know the story of Jesus entering Martha and Mary’s home and the different reactions from the two sisters.
At 1st it looks as though the one thing that is necessary - is to sit @ Jesus’ feet, to assume a disciple’s posture; this over something so useful as bustling about to make your guests feel @ home.
It is even possible to set up the two sisters as examples of different vocations. Martha the thoughtful, and fortunate one that she devotes herself to prayer, to spiritual practice. Martha on the other hand, seems like the rest of us, who struggle with the demands of life in the world, and praying on the run, if @ all.
The distinction between Mary and Martha, contemplation and action, prayer, and service, comes across as a tidy distinction. Life is rarely neat. Issues of faith are rarely simple.
Something more is involved here. The story of Jesus as a guest in the home of these women does not justify dividing believers into two classes: spiritual aristocrats and the rest of us. Instead, it challenges all of us, and does so in a way that need not separate us from each other.
What makes Mary of Bethany an example is not that she sits @ the feet of Jesus. What makes her sister Martha need her example is not that she labors to accommodate others. What is @ stake lies elsewhere. A contemporary name for it is passionate spirituality.
Passionate spirituality takes many forms. It does not have to be emotional rather than reasonable, extroverted rather than introverted, or contemporary rather than traditional. What makes some spirituality passionate is prayer, enthusiasm, and boldness. People of passionate spirituality live committed lives. They practice and apply their faith with joy and enthusiasm. Passionate spirituality can spill out through service and study and devotion. It can be apparent in whatever one does.
The problem with Martha is not her hospitality. It is how she does not let her hospitality become a channel for spirituality marked by passion. Instead, she becomes distracted and complains to Jesus about her sister rather than speaking directly to her sister. While Mary listens to Jesus, Martha presumes to tell Him what she must do. Apparently, Martha is driven by duty (or in my case an urgency to clean), rather than to take delight in the presence of their guest. She may be an effective organizer, a great cook, attentive in all that she does, but she is simply responsible, not inspired, even on the day when Jesus Himself comes to dinner.
What makes Mary an example is not the simple fact that she listens to Jesus, but that she does so in a way that is passionate and bold. Jesus does not so much commend her behavior as the spirit behind it. Mary takes the role of a disciple, sitting @ the teacher’s feet. This is not something women in her society did, this is a role reserved for men. Yet, this is where she places herself, or rather listening to her inner passion, where the Spirit leads her.
Passionate spirituality is more God’s gift than it is anything we do. It is more for us to welcome than for us to achieve. It results from a series of conversions, a series of transformations.
Each of us is called repeatedly, invited to turn away from something and toward something else. The transformations that occur in our lives may cause us to turn toward God, toward Christ, toward a Church family and friends, toward the poor, to a life of prayer, toward a certain form of service, toward the world that God loves.
Each of us is invited many times to turn in a new direction. Passionate spirituality happens again and again when we answer these calls and enter new dimensions of the great gift of life. We cannot make these calls happen, but we can leave ourselves undefended so that we can hear such a call when it does present itself. Spiritual practices, properly understood, are to a large degree a form of listening to the Holy Spirit who resides within.
In this way, prayer, scripture, helping those in need, going on a faith-based retreat, and many others are ways for us, like Mary to sit @ Jesus’ feet and listen to what He wants to tell us.
We may find it risky and uncomfortable, for all sorts of reason, some of them self-imposed, to undertake spiritual practices in a receptive way, to answer the call to continuing our conversions/transformations, to become aflame with passionate spirituality or what Jesus calls the one thing necessary. We may after all find ourselves taken to unexpected places. And I am not necessarily speaking of physically relocating one’s life, but a new life in Christ with new and a fresh purpose.
Passionate spirituality took a biblical farm hand name Amos away from the tending of sycamore trees and made him into a prophet of God. He responded to his call.
Passionate spirituality took a slave from Maryland’s Eastern Shore named Harriet Tubman and made her into the Moses of her people. She responded to the call.
Passionate spirituality took Oscar Romero, a conventional cleric from the tortured country of El Salvador and made him into a voice for the voiceless. Oscar responded.
Fishermen dropped their nets, left their families, abandoned their comfort zones to follow Jesus and become His inner circle. They answered and responded.
Our Daisy’s Angels’ Ministry Team answered a call to volunteer and committed ourselves to ministering to a chapel full of Juvenile offenders. We responded . . . and speaking for myself, look where it has taken me. To a lifestyle of study, of reading and composing written assignments upon assignments, learning to articulate my words to paper, a passionate commitment, a highly focus and disciplined life, and for some of my peers, an exceedingly boring and lonely life.
As we contemplate Holy Week and the passion driven followers of Jesus, we must remember what our Lord endured for our salvation. He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice of sin on the altar of the cross and washed away our sins with His blood.
We have so much to be grateful for this week. The enemy knows that, and you can bet, he is going to do everything he can to try and distract us away from the true meaning of what this Holy Week means. God’s word is unstoppable. One thing we can be sure of – God keeps His word. We can count on Him, trust Him, and believe His Word. Today as we remember Palm Sunday, we are assured that God will keep His Word about the future. How do we know that for certain? Because He has kept His Word so perfectly and exactly in the past.
Our responsibility is to repent of our sins. Our crucified Lord on the cross is a vivid image of His love. Meditating on His passion will strengthen us against temptation, move us to frequent confession and I am not talking about publicly confessing, just a sincere and deep conversation with God.
Today, Palm Sunday is significant as we begin Holy Week. I encourage you to delve into the meaning of this week and what is about to transpire. Scripture relates the grand story of how God has acted in grace to save His way-ward children. Reflect on God’s promise of salvation that is offered to all. This journey that Jesus willingly took to the cross is for us, yes, all of us. God’s plan to save us is about to unfold. Reflect, marvel, sit in a state of amazement and gratitude because this is for You! ☺ The gift of salvation happens on Calvary.
Calvary where we come with our sin and receive His salvation. Calvary, where we come with our ruin and receive His righteousness. Calvary, the place where we come with our darkness and receive His light. Calvary, the place where we come with our hate and rebellion and receive His love. I suggest making the journey and collect what is yours.
Of course, I am talking figuratively. Go to the cross, take all your brokenness, and lay them down. Take all your baggage stuffed full of regrets, sins, the should haves, the what ifs, your heavy burdens and placed those bags at the foot of the cross. Get on your knees and give it “all” to our Lord and Savior and tell Him, “Thank You!” Get up and begin a fresh new beginning with a life centered in God’s Word and discover your God-given purpose(s). Your life will be transformed
Not ready yet, it is okay, fortunately God is patient, diligent, and His vigilance never waivers with us, His creation.
Holy Week is a reminder that God is not finished. Hope is still coming. God is not done. In this Holy Week, may God direct our thoughts and attention towards what matters most, Jesus Christ our King...
Let us choose to focus on worshipping our Lord, thanking Him for the gift of His sacrifice, celebrating the power of the Resurrection, and the new life found in Him alone. "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Cor. 9:15
If you are able . . . make sure to witness the sunrise on Easter morning. Remember, the Son, S-O-N is rising for You!
Amen!
March 28, 2021
by; Connie Funkhouser
Pastor Tom knowing this week is a favorite of mine, and after last Sunday’s service, here I stand before you to share about Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and why this week “Holy Week” is also known as Passion Week.
Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week. The final week of Lent. The final and most profound week of Jesus’ journey to the Cross. A few interesting facts . . . .
- The final week of Christ’s life is captured for us in the NT across 28 chapters out of 89 chapters that make up the Four Gospels.
- Just for perspective - - - out of those 89 chapters in the Four Gospels:
- Christ’s entire 42-month (or 168 weeks, or 3-1/2 yr.) of ministry is covered in 61 of those 89 chapters.
- Christ’s Final Week fills another 28 chapters.
- We know so much more about Christ’s final week, than any other week in the Bible.
Palm Sunday triggered the countdown to the greatest and most scared week of Earth’s history since Creation. The creation of our Universe, spoken into existence by our Creator, certainly was a grand event. But the universe shackled by the bondage to sin, groaning in anticipation of being liberated, must have rejoiced in the redemptive events of this week.
Jesus is wrapping up His 3-year ministry. He has done a lot of healing and teaching in the last three years but some of His important work will take place in His final week.
Jesus and His disciples have come to Jerusalem for Passover feast. But Jesus will not only celebrate the feast He will end up being the sacrificial lamb for the Passover meal. Tensions are high as the religious leaders are searching for a way to capture Jesus and have Him killed for blasphemy. The disciples are aware of this and they too are worried about what will happen when they go into the city. Massive crowds are coming to Jerusalem for Passover, so the tension also comes with some excitement.
By this point, Jesus of Nazareth has gained a reputation. Not only has Jesus taught the Scriptures like no one has ever taught them, but He has physically healed people, and the latest thing He has done to really upset the religious leaders was He literally raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. The religious leaders are frantically trying to figure out who Jesus really is, and how they can stop Him from creating more disruption among the religious establishment.
The NT Gospels recount the story:
On the first day of the week Jesus riding on the colt of a donkey. In Biblical times, it was common for Jewish kings or important people to arrive by a procession riding on a donkey. The donkey symbolized peace, so those who chose to ride donkeys showed that they came with peaceful intentions. Jesus even then reminded us that He is the Prince of Peace. Jesus made His way into Jerusalem, to celebrate the Passover festival fulfilling an ancient prophesy.
In Zechariah 9:9, we are told;
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The crowds of people welcomed Him and placed their clothes and palm branches on the road, shouting, “Hosanna (save now) to the Son of David. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9 NKJV). The Roman road climbed steeply to the crest of the Mount of Olives, affording a spectacular view of the Desert of Judea to the east and Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley to the west.
Palm branches, the significance of the Palm Branch during this time of year. God's Word tells us the multitudes of people cut palm branches and waved them in the air, laid them out on the ground before Jesus as He rode into the city. The palm branch represented goodness and victory and was symbolic of the final victory Jesus would soon fulfill over death.
It was Palm Sunday and because Sally had a sore throat stayed home from Church. When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm branches. Sally asked what they were for. “People held them over Jesus’ head as He walked by,” her father told her. Wouldn’t you know it, Sally replied. “The one Sunday I don’t go to Church and He shows up.”
Christian’s recall, recount, reflect, and reminisce the events leading up to Jesus’ death by crucifixion, and according to their faith, His Resurrection.
This week includes five days of special importance:
- The first is Palm Sunday also referred to as Passion Sunday. Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey.
- Maundy Thursday – Commemorates the Last Super.
- Good Friday – The most solemn day of the Church year. Jesus was crucified.
- Holy Saturday – A day of somber reflection on what a world would be like w/o Jesus.
- Easter – Hallelujah, we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior.
Passion: is a feeling of intense enthusiasm for or compelling desire for someone or something. Passion can range from eager interest in or admiration for an idea, proposal, or cause. An enthusiastic enjoyment of an interest or activity; a strong attraction, excitement, or emotion towards a person.
Jesus did feel strongly about His impending death and resurrection, but that is not why we call it Passion Week. Attributing this week of remembrance to the English word “passion” has a long history, much longer than any of us have been alive. It dates back @ least to the 12th century (old English), and stems from the late Latin noun passio. Which meant suffering or “enduring.” Therefore, the Passion of the Christ, the week leading up to His enduring and suffering for us.
Jesus was/is passionate about us and His mission to the Cross. Passion is deep, focused, and a driving force to. I am not sure about you, and I can only speak for myself, but my passion and what I have chosen to be passionate about has on more than one occasion met with negativity, criticism, resentment, and resistance. I am ok with this, since I know, really know and am confident in the passions I do have are centered in God’s Word, His Truth.
I wonder, whether you are sitting here or watching Live Stream, are you thinking about your passions, do you waver when they are questioned? Maybe what created your passion(s) is from enduring and amid unthinkable suffering. We do know this; Jesus did not put the brakes on His donkey and turn His entourage and donkey around. The passion that He harbored for His assignment was true, it was deep-rooted in His very soul, and He “knew” what and how was about to unfold. The Son of God’s passion was unquestionably a deep conviction, a great devotion, a motivating and compelling action that must be taken to fulfill prophesy.
Jesus, God our Father is intensely passionate about reconciling us to Him. The great passion of God’s heart is that we will want to “KNOW” Him. God is talking about more than our salvation. An understanding of God starts when we begin to trust Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, but there is even more than that. He wants us to know all about Him! God’s main passion is His creation – His people.
What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus that is passionate spiritually?
The following is a brief story, and Jesus delivers the punch line: “Martha, Martha” He tell His hostess. “You are worried and distracted about many things; there is need for only one. Mary has chosen the better part and it shall not be taken from her.” Luke's Gospel (Luke 10:38–42).
Everything, therefore, hangs on the one thing that Jesus mentions, the one thing that Mary has chosen and apparently her sister, Martha has not. (Mary and Martha remind me of my Grandma Daisy 102 and Great Auntie Ethel 101. Share a little story.)
I am sure most know the story of Jesus entering Martha and Mary’s home and the different reactions from the two sisters.
At 1st it looks as though the one thing that is necessary - is to sit @ Jesus’ feet, to assume a disciple’s posture; this over something so useful as bustling about to make your guests feel @ home.
It is even possible to set up the two sisters as examples of different vocations. Martha the thoughtful, and fortunate one that she devotes herself to prayer, to spiritual practice. Martha on the other hand, seems like the rest of us, who struggle with the demands of life in the world, and praying on the run, if @ all.
The distinction between Mary and Martha, contemplation and action, prayer, and service, comes across as a tidy distinction. Life is rarely neat. Issues of faith are rarely simple.
Something more is involved here. The story of Jesus as a guest in the home of these women does not justify dividing believers into two classes: spiritual aristocrats and the rest of us. Instead, it challenges all of us, and does so in a way that need not separate us from each other.
What makes Mary of Bethany an example is not that she sits @ the feet of Jesus. What makes her sister Martha need her example is not that she labors to accommodate others. What is @ stake lies elsewhere. A contemporary name for it is passionate spirituality.
Passionate spirituality takes many forms. It does not have to be emotional rather than reasonable, extroverted rather than introverted, or contemporary rather than traditional. What makes some spirituality passionate is prayer, enthusiasm, and boldness. People of passionate spirituality live committed lives. They practice and apply their faith with joy and enthusiasm. Passionate spirituality can spill out through service and study and devotion. It can be apparent in whatever one does.
The problem with Martha is not her hospitality. It is how she does not let her hospitality become a channel for spirituality marked by passion. Instead, she becomes distracted and complains to Jesus about her sister rather than speaking directly to her sister. While Mary listens to Jesus, Martha presumes to tell Him what she must do. Apparently, Martha is driven by duty (or in my case an urgency to clean), rather than to take delight in the presence of their guest. She may be an effective organizer, a great cook, attentive in all that she does, but she is simply responsible, not inspired, even on the day when Jesus Himself comes to dinner.
What makes Mary an example is not the simple fact that she listens to Jesus, but that she does so in a way that is passionate and bold. Jesus does not so much commend her behavior as the spirit behind it. Mary takes the role of a disciple, sitting @ the teacher’s feet. This is not something women in her society did, this is a role reserved for men. Yet, this is where she places herself, or rather listening to her inner passion, where the Spirit leads her.
Passionate spirituality is more God’s gift than it is anything we do. It is more for us to welcome than for us to achieve. It results from a series of conversions, a series of transformations.
Each of us is called repeatedly, invited to turn away from something and toward something else. The transformations that occur in our lives may cause us to turn toward God, toward Christ, toward a Church family and friends, toward the poor, to a life of prayer, toward a certain form of service, toward the world that God loves.
Each of us is invited many times to turn in a new direction. Passionate spirituality happens again and again when we answer these calls and enter new dimensions of the great gift of life. We cannot make these calls happen, but we can leave ourselves undefended so that we can hear such a call when it does present itself. Spiritual practices, properly understood, are to a large degree a form of listening to the Holy Spirit who resides within.
In this way, prayer, scripture, helping those in need, going on a faith-based retreat, and many others are ways for us, like Mary to sit @ Jesus’ feet and listen to what He wants to tell us.
We may find it risky and uncomfortable, for all sorts of reason, some of them self-imposed, to undertake spiritual practices in a receptive way, to answer the call to continuing our conversions/transformations, to become aflame with passionate spirituality or what Jesus calls the one thing necessary. We may after all find ourselves taken to unexpected places. And I am not necessarily speaking of physically relocating one’s life, but a new life in Christ with new and a fresh purpose.
Passionate spirituality took a biblical farm hand name Amos away from the tending of sycamore trees and made him into a prophet of God. He responded to his call.
Passionate spirituality took a slave from Maryland’s Eastern Shore named Harriet Tubman and made her into the Moses of her people. She responded to the call.
Passionate spirituality took Oscar Romero, a conventional cleric from the tortured country of El Salvador and made him into a voice for the voiceless. Oscar responded.
Fishermen dropped their nets, left their families, abandoned their comfort zones to follow Jesus and become His inner circle. They answered and responded.
Our Daisy’s Angels’ Ministry Team answered a call to volunteer and committed ourselves to ministering to a chapel full of Juvenile offenders. We responded . . . and speaking for myself, look where it has taken me. To a lifestyle of study, of reading and composing written assignments upon assignments, learning to articulate my words to paper, a passionate commitment, a highly focus and disciplined life, and for some of my peers, an exceedingly boring and lonely life.
As we contemplate Holy Week and the passion driven followers of Jesus, we must remember what our Lord endured for our salvation. He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice of sin on the altar of the cross and washed away our sins with His blood.
We have so much to be grateful for this week. The enemy knows that, and you can bet, he is going to do everything he can to try and distract us away from the true meaning of what this Holy Week means. God’s word is unstoppable. One thing we can be sure of – God keeps His word. We can count on Him, trust Him, and believe His Word. Today as we remember Palm Sunday, we are assured that God will keep His Word about the future. How do we know that for certain? Because He has kept His Word so perfectly and exactly in the past.
Our responsibility is to repent of our sins. Our crucified Lord on the cross is a vivid image of His love. Meditating on His passion will strengthen us against temptation, move us to frequent confession and I am not talking about publicly confessing, just a sincere and deep conversation with God.
Today, Palm Sunday is significant as we begin Holy Week. I encourage you to delve into the meaning of this week and what is about to transpire. Scripture relates the grand story of how God has acted in grace to save His way-ward children. Reflect on God’s promise of salvation that is offered to all. This journey that Jesus willingly took to the cross is for us, yes, all of us. God’s plan to save us is about to unfold. Reflect, marvel, sit in a state of amazement and gratitude because this is for You! ☺ The gift of salvation happens on Calvary.
Calvary where we come with our sin and receive His salvation. Calvary, where we come with our ruin and receive His righteousness. Calvary, the place where we come with our darkness and receive His light. Calvary, the place where we come with our hate and rebellion and receive His love. I suggest making the journey and collect what is yours.
Of course, I am talking figuratively. Go to the cross, take all your brokenness, and lay them down. Take all your baggage stuffed full of regrets, sins, the should haves, the what ifs, your heavy burdens and placed those bags at the foot of the cross. Get on your knees and give it “all” to our Lord and Savior and tell Him, “Thank You!” Get up and begin a fresh new beginning with a life centered in God’s Word and discover your God-given purpose(s). Your life will be transformed
Not ready yet, it is okay, fortunately God is patient, diligent, and His vigilance never waivers with us, His creation.
Holy Week is a reminder that God is not finished. Hope is still coming. God is not done. In this Holy Week, may God direct our thoughts and attention towards what matters most, Jesus Christ our King...
Let us choose to focus on worshipping our Lord, thanking Him for the gift of His sacrifice, celebrating the power of the Resurrection, and the new life found in Him alone. "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Cor. 9:15
If you are able . . . make sure to witness the sunrise on Easter morning. Remember, the Son, S-O-N is rising for You!
Amen!
The Little Church in the Pines
March 21, 2021
Is it Possible? Absolutely!
Micah 6:8
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
As we know by experience, life is full of requirements and expectations, it just is, if we are going to live together in community and harmony. There are realistic and applicable expectations, fundamental ones as well as unrealistic and absurd ones. When they come from God Himself though, we had better listen for our own good. His are never unrealistic, absurd, or irrelevant. They are always life-applicable and necessary for the well-being of we as individuals, and for humanity-as-a-whole.
MICAH 6:8 – “He has told you, O mankind, what is good and what the Lord ‘requires’ of you, and that is, to act with justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly….with your God.”
This verse encapsulates the heart of God, and with that my goal and our eventual destination in today’s message. We will now go over these again, one by one.
a. We have been told!
b. What is good in the sight of God.
c. What our requirements are that need to be fulfilled in us being accepted by Him and they are:
d. Justice
e. Mercy
f. Humility
Think about just these three requirements and expectations, that if indeed they and they alone were fulfilled by us, how different the world would be. We need to look deep within our hearts and lives, examining ourselves through the eyes of the Spirit and see where we fall short.
We will become more intimate with this verse and these words as we go along in today’s message, for they are foundational to our Christian journey in making us more like Jesus.
I am now going to do a bit of what I call ‘a weaving’ of these words into a tapestry of a good life for each and all of us.
A requirement is in its essence a commandment.
Here is the meaning of each in their simplest definition.
1. Commandment, an important ‘rule’ given by God that tells us how to behave.
2. Rule, a statement that tells us what is or is not permitted, in-any-given situation we find ourselves in as Believers.
3. Requirement, something that must be done.
4. Expectation, a belief that something will happen or is likely to happen, if stated clearly what is expected.
5. Faithful; keeping our promises and doing what we are supposed to do, thereby showing true and constant loyalty to God.
6. Benefits, a good or helpful result or effect of doing what is expected.
Weaving these six together in a complete paragraph comes next!
“Commandments are important rules given by God, instructing us as to how to live our lives, and these rules or commandments tell us what is, or even perhaps what is not expected in our daily living, requiring of us, the needed musts that He instructs us in His expectations, of what will be the outcome or likely to happen. As we are faithful in keeping our promises, by doing what we are supposed to do, thereby showing Him our love and true consistent loyalty, for in doing so, the results will be beneficial and both helpful and good.
In Jesus’ teachings there have been determined by scholars to be thirty-eight actual commandments. These commandments in their totality, offer to us ‘the way of life’ that if followed, will bless, and enrich us that no other way offered to us can give us.
My question at this point is, is this easy? and my answer is no, but it is also not impossible. For in Christ we are told, all things are possible. This, friend, is the crux on which all of these and their successes or failure depends. Do we want to please God or ourselves? Do we want to have full and rich lives or not? What must come about first, is the desire to love and worship Him, or ourselves. When the desire of our focus is settled, that is the first step toward pleasing God. These virtues can be woven into the very fabric of our lives if we but desire them to be there, for God will enable us to become master weavers of our own lives when He is working the shuttle.
Jesus said, “IF…you indeed love Me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15
These teaching of His will clearly tell us if we follow a form of religion, or instead true followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.
We can be like Old Faithful in Yellowstone, or like all the rest of the geysers., for it is not the largest in the Park, but certainly the most predictable or reliable.
As Christians, if we adhere to the commandments of Jesus, desiring to follow them, we too can be relied upon to be faithful and true because of the requirement and expectation that are being fulfilled. These, flowing from Him through us, as we interact with one another, with strangers and family members making changes for the better! Not only our lives and world, but all those whom we touch every day will benefit from our adherence to these virtues. Being Faithful is the key.
As we learn by studying His Commandments or requirements, it will also become noticeably clear to us, that God, being the God of expectations, is also the God of grace, justice, mercy, and humility, as exampled in Jesus when He washed the feet of His disciples.
Of the acknowledged thirty-eight commandments, there is one that in the past several decades became quite unpopular to speak of, and we find that one in John 3:7 – “You must be born again” (I have heard too many Christians speak against this statement, yet it was Jesus Himself who said it, and He NEVER said anything He did not mean. Just one of those requirements.) The benefits we are told is when doing so, (being born again) we receive eternal life, but not only eternal life, but eternal life with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in a place called Heaven. This is as opposed to the alternative, for it seems everyone born has an eternal life….the difference being, where one spends it. These are not my words, but I sure do not mind saying them.
Do you remember the man reaching out to Jesus when He stated this to him? John 3:4, Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born again when he is old? Can he enter back into his mother’s womb and be re-born. Well, that was rational question.
In John 3:5, Jesus replies, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water (baptism) and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Let us put it all together here….and this is called the “Message of the Kingdom.”
Upon repentance, (asking for the forgiveness of a person’s personal sins) then accepting what the Bible says about who Jesus the Christ as…(the begotten Son of God) and then turning to God in a new faith or belief in Him, for salvation. (benefit!) Acts 3:19. Turning from sin is NOT the definition of repentance but it is one of the results of genuine faith-based belief.
I will try to sum it up as best I can. “Upon repentance, a new order of life opens up to the new believer in Jesus Christ. Jesus used the term “new birth” to dramatically indicate three things.
1. Without a new birth there is no life, and no relationship with God, through His Son Jesus Christ.
2. In a New Birth, a new perspective is born as we now begin to see with new eyes and hear with new ears, the truth of the Kingdom of God. God’s Word becomes alive and clear, as the Holy Spirit brings us fresh revelations of truths.
3. Through this new birth we are given a second birth, not literally physically, yet literally in the Spiritual realm, by entering that new realm of growing faith, where God’s position in our lives is now being realized. (2nd Corinthians 5:17) It is now a re-qualifying experience, opening the possibilities, of our existence to a new supernatural dimension of life, and outfitting us for our new and vital spiritual journey.
Over the years there was formed a pattern that still exists in some religious circles, as to how to be born again. You had to get up, walk down an aisle (if there was one) to the front of the church building, and confess (in front of the congregation that indeed you were a sinner) inviting Jesus into your heart, so to speak. This I experienced personally at the age of 12 and found it to be a most memorable and wonderful experience. But in my opinion, this is but one way, this is not the only way. What occurs between you and God is between you and God, and to how this relationship comes about. One fact is that indeed it is through Christ and Christ alone. Publicly, privately, in a dump or in a mansion, a church, or a pool hall, it just does not matter. The moment you realize you by faith you believe, you at that moment are born again.
From that moment on it is a time to recognize that indeed, God will require of you, me, and all of us that call upon HIM, that we begin to live out Micah 6:8, and, that our new attitude and outlook, is focused on becoming like Jesus, who lived out and continues to live out humility, justice, and mercy as well as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
We are also told this beautiful revelation in Romans 8:1, “There is NOW no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus!” Nada, never, no way, NO condemnation! God now sees us solely through the eyes of His Son. Justified and whole.
Is your place a small place?
Tend it with care!
For, He set you there.
Is your place a large place?
Guard it with care!
For He set you there.
Whatever your place,
You are not alone,
But His place, and
He set you there.
Therefore. Tend it with care…………
Wherever we are now, is where we are supposed to be. It is here and now that God called us to be His followers, doing His will, learning His ways, so that His Son is given the freedom by us, to work through us, in assisting and loving others into the Kingdom of God.
A Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ…help us to learn from You, opening our minds and spirit to your Holy Spirit…who teaches us in all things….also helping us to remember Micah 6:8. “He has told you, O mankind, what is good and what the Lord ‘requires’ of you, and that is to act with justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly….with your God. Amen
Story…….read. . . .
March 21, 2021
Is it Possible? Absolutely!
Micah 6:8
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
As we know by experience, life is full of requirements and expectations, it just is, if we are going to live together in community and harmony. There are realistic and applicable expectations, fundamental ones as well as unrealistic and absurd ones. When they come from God Himself though, we had better listen for our own good. His are never unrealistic, absurd, or irrelevant. They are always life-applicable and necessary for the well-being of we as individuals, and for humanity-as-a-whole.
MICAH 6:8 – “He has told you, O mankind, what is good and what the Lord ‘requires’ of you, and that is, to act with justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly….with your God.”
This verse encapsulates the heart of God, and with that my goal and our eventual destination in today’s message. We will now go over these again, one by one.
a. We have been told!
b. What is good in the sight of God.
c. What our requirements are that need to be fulfilled in us being accepted by Him and they are:
d. Justice
e. Mercy
f. Humility
Think about just these three requirements and expectations, that if indeed they and they alone were fulfilled by us, how different the world would be. We need to look deep within our hearts and lives, examining ourselves through the eyes of the Spirit and see where we fall short.
We will become more intimate with this verse and these words as we go along in today’s message, for they are foundational to our Christian journey in making us more like Jesus.
I am now going to do a bit of what I call ‘a weaving’ of these words into a tapestry of a good life for each and all of us.
A requirement is in its essence a commandment.
Here is the meaning of each in their simplest definition.
1. Commandment, an important ‘rule’ given by God that tells us how to behave.
2. Rule, a statement that tells us what is or is not permitted, in-any-given situation we find ourselves in as Believers.
3. Requirement, something that must be done.
4. Expectation, a belief that something will happen or is likely to happen, if stated clearly what is expected.
5. Faithful; keeping our promises and doing what we are supposed to do, thereby showing true and constant loyalty to God.
6. Benefits, a good or helpful result or effect of doing what is expected.
Weaving these six together in a complete paragraph comes next!
“Commandments are important rules given by God, instructing us as to how to live our lives, and these rules or commandments tell us what is, or even perhaps what is not expected in our daily living, requiring of us, the needed musts that He instructs us in His expectations, of what will be the outcome or likely to happen. As we are faithful in keeping our promises, by doing what we are supposed to do, thereby showing Him our love and true consistent loyalty, for in doing so, the results will be beneficial and both helpful and good.
In Jesus’ teachings there have been determined by scholars to be thirty-eight actual commandments. These commandments in their totality, offer to us ‘the way of life’ that if followed, will bless, and enrich us that no other way offered to us can give us.
My question at this point is, is this easy? and my answer is no, but it is also not impossible. For in Christ we are told, all things are possible. This, friend, is the crux on which all of these and their successes or failure depends. Do we want to please God or ourselves? Do we want to have full and rich lives or not? What must come about first, is the desire to love and worship Him, or ourselves. When the desire of our focus is settled, that is the first step toward pleasing God. These virtues can be woven into the very fabric of our lives if we but desire them to be there, for God will enable us to become master weavers of our own lives when He is working the shuttle.
Jesus said, “IF…you indeed love Me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15
These teaching of His will clearly tell us if we follow a form of religion, or instead true followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.
We can be like Old Faithful in Yellowstone, or like all the rest of the geysers., for it is not the largest in the Park, but certainly the most predictable or reliable.
As Christians, if we adhere to the commandments of Jesus, desiring to follow them, we too can be relied upon to be faithful and true because of the requirement and expectation that are being fulfilled. These, flowing from Him through us, as we interact with one another, with strangers and family members making changes for the better! Not only our lives and world, but all those whom we touch every day will benefit from our adherence to these virtues. Being Faithful is the key.
As we learn by studying His Commandments or requirements, it will also become noticeably clear to us, that God, being the God of expectations, is also the God of grace, justice, mercy, and humility, as exampled in Jesus when He washed the feet of His disciples.
Of the acknowledged thirty-eight commandments, there is one that in the past several decades became quite unpopular to speak of, and we find that one in John 3:7 – “You must be born again” (I have heard too many Christians speak against this statement, yet it was Jesus Himself who said it, and He NEVER said anything He did not mean. Just one of those requirements.) The benefits we are told is when doing so, (being born again) we receive eternal life, but not only eternal life, but eternal life with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in a place called Heaven. This is as opposed to the alternative, for it seems everyone born has an eternal life….the difference being, where one spends it. These are not my words, but I sure do not mind saying them.
Do you remember the man reaching out to Jesus when He stated this to him? John 3:4, Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born again when he is old? Can he enter back into his mother’s womb and be re-born. Well, that was rational question.
In John 3:5, Jesus replies, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water (baptism) and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Let us put it all together here….and this is called the “Message of the Kingdom.”
Upon repentance, (asking for the forgiveness of a person’s personal sins) then accepting what the Bible says about who Jesus the Christ as…(the begotten Son of God) and then turning to God in a new faith or belief in Him, for salvation. (benefit!) Acts 3:19. Turning from sin is NOT the definition of repentance but it is one of the results of genuine faith-based belief.
I will try to sum it up as best I can. “Upon repentance, a new order of life opens up to the new believer in Jesus Christ. Jesus used the term “new birth” to dramatically indicate three things.
1. Without a new birth there is no life, and no relationship with God, through His Son Jesus Christ.
2. In a New Birth, a new perspective is born as we now begin to see with new eyes and hear with new ears, the truth of the Kingdom of God. God’s Word becomes alive and clear, as the Holy Spirit brings us fresh revelations of truths.
3. Through this new birth we are given a second birth, not literally physically, yet literally in the Spiritual realm, by entering that new realm of growing faith, where God’s position in our lives is now being realized. (2nd Corinthians 5:17) It is now a re-qualifying experience, opening the possibilities, of our existence to a new supernatural dimension of life, and outfitting us for our new and vital spiritual journey.
Over the years there was formed a pattern that still exists in some religious circles, as to how to be born again. You had to get up, walk down an aisle (if there was one) to the front of the church building, and confess (in front of the congregation that indeed you were a sinner) inviting Jesus into your heart, so to speak. This I experienced personally at the age of 12 and found it to be a most memorable and wonderful experience. But in my opinion, this is but one way, this is not the only way. What occurs between you and God is between you and God, and to how this relationship comes about. One fact is that indeed it is through Christ and Christ alone. Publicly, privately, in a dump or in a mansion, a church, or a pool hall, it just does not matter. The moment you realize you by faith you believe, you at that moment are born again.
From that moment on it is a time to recognize that indeed, God will require of you, me, and all of us that call upon HIM, that we begin to live out Micah 6:8, and, that our new attitude and outlook, is focused on becoming like Jesus, who lived out and continues to live out humility, justice, and mercy as well as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
We are also told this beautiful revelation in Romans 8:1, “There is NOW no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus!” Nada, never, no way, NO condemnation! God now sees us solely through the eyes of His Son. Justified and whole.
Is your place a small place?
Tend it with care!
For, He set you there.
Is your place a large place?
Guard it with care!
For He set you there.
Whatever your place,
You are not alone,
But His place, and
He set you there.
Therefore. Tend it with care…………
Wherever we are now, is where we are supposed to be. It is here and now that God called us to be His followers, doing His will, learning His ways, so that His Son is given the freedom by us, to work through us, in assisting and loving others into the Kingdom of God.
A Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ…help us to learn from You, opening our minds and spirit to your Holy Spirit…who teaches us in all things….also helping us to remember Micah 6:8. “He has told you, O mankind, what is good and what the Lord ‘requires’ of you, and that is to act with justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly….with your God. Amen
Story…….read. . . .
The Little Church in the Pines
March 14, 2021
“WHAT IS SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE?"
by: Pastor Tom Shanor
What is so amazing about Grace ties into what is so amazing about Life. Really, life is simply (but not so simply) a fact I am not always able to grasp even though
I live. The enormity of space…eternity…this amazing little dot we live on…amazing! That not only the mere fact of life, on earth, but the resources to sustain life and for it to prosper are all here. We take for granted all these facts, and live as if what? That life is our due? I tell you this, it is a gift, and should be recognized as such. A gift that we should use in the very-best ways possible as a means of giving thanks to God for it.
At the center of this amazing thing called life is God. Not a god, but THE GOD, for God is not a concept but a reality. We know it, we sense it, we feel Him. The order of life, the body we live in, so amazing! From dust and water…and the elements that God used to create both the Universe and us, amazing. Not only us, but from the mite to the mighty, amazing, the diversity of life, PERFECT in Creation, but when the perfect went awry through man who not being content to live in peace, harmony, and unity with all that God gave him, because he wanted to be like God…. came the fall. Unity, harmony became disunity and confusion resulting in a rift, when Gods and our enemy entered the picture and, as a result, the need for mankind, now exploding upon the earth to be able to become once again reconciled to the Creator through what and who? Through Jesus Christ and GRACE, because of His great life and sacrifice of that life for us. GRACE and RECONCILIATION THROUGH HIS SACRIFICE is nothing short of AMAZING. And all it takes is acknowledgment of the Savior with the forgiveness of sins, and the GRACE that separates them from us as far as the East is from the West! Vanished forever…that is Grace. God planted within us the desire for Him, for His Son at the very beginning of Creation. Many of us have tried to fill that space with so many other things.
And people….and yet the hunger for God, un-satiated, remains in us, which drives us on and up and into, finally, hopefully, the One who breathed life into us.
Amazing Grace……how sweet the sound ~ that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.
Twas GRACE that taught my heart to fear, and “grace” my fears relieved; how precious did that “Grace” appear…the hour I first believed.
He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.
Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come;
His Grace hath brough me safe thus fare, and Grace will lead me home.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve not less day to sings God’s praise, than when we’d first begun.
(READ THE HISTORY OF THE HYMN)
Yes, I have spoken on GRACE before and will again, but it has been a while since a singular topic, and feel deeply the need for myself and all of us to simply remember the great and mighty “gift” that it is, and as we draw close to Easter and what it cost our Lord to bestow on us this gift….and what it cost Him to give it.
The first stanza of the hymn speaks of fear, so I am going to try and clarify the meaning of that fear. I believe what Newton is saying here is that without GRACE, with the GRACE given freely to all who come to that Saving Grace in Jesus, here, in this stanza is specific to himself. That the acknowledgment of his own sins…the weight of not having that GRACE…would cause him to be swallowed up by the sins that weighed on him, causing fear to rise within him to the degree of an it, then becoming a great fear, an awful fear, and that the result without this free grace ultimately….is not just physical death, but a total separation of himself from God in Christ. Do you understand….it would mean conscious separation, because Scripture tells us all will live forever, no annihilation, but conscious separation from the Savior. John Newton came deeply into the understanding of what GRACE meant to him. Freedom, freedom from fear, darkness, separation, and death.
He goes on to say…. how precious, how valuable, how light-filled Grace is, when both received….and then given to others, when through us, by way of witness of our lives and words………………
John Newton, following a difficult upbringing, his mother dying when he was but seven, because of the choices he made as a young man eventually let to his deep conversion…once recognizing his then immediate and eternal value of this GRACE.
Freely, freely you have received…freely, freely give. Go in my name and because you believe…. others will know that I live.
I have mentioned Philip Yancy before…because of his book he wrote and published called “What’s So Amazing About Grace.” I recall a line he wrote saying, “Little did I know what I was getting into when I began writing a book on the word grace. He goes on to say, “I chose the topic out of my concern that some of us in the U.S. Church have lost our way, and that we stand in danger of losing our most important contribution to the world, (along with the message of reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ) because we fail…we fail…to both understand and live out the grace given to us in our everyday interactive lives with each other and our neighbors.”
Philip also says, “I truly believe that the future of the church in America and the world, depends on how we master the ‘gift’ of giving Grace, not His grace for only He can give that, but the grace given to us working out through us to others…being grace-filled.
What makes Christianity so radically different from all the other religions in the world. C.S. Lewis put it this way. “Grace”
Think about this…. where in the Muslim religion is grace ever mentioned. The entire world and all its religions are considered by them as faithless infidels, worthy of being if not converted, killed. Without one iota of mercy or grace.
There are a few religions such as Buddhists, which incorporate peace into their faith, and here the four notables of that religion.
1. Existence is suffering.
2. Suffering has a cause, namely craving and attachment, (sin)
3. There is a cessation to suffering that can be reached in life. And that is called Nirvana.
4. There is a pathway to Nirvana, but only a few can find within themselves the discipline to achieving it. Nirvana is being One with all of creation.
There is the Bahai Faith…. which is a new religion, (19th Century) teaching the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. They acknowledge Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad as predecessors to “the Bab, who is the one yet to come, called Bahuaullah, who will unify the world under one all-knowing God. Unknown to them, this is true as Jesus Christ will do so when He returns to earth.
If you adhere to any one of these faiths only…. then there is no grace extended…the idea is to incorporate the best of them all if indeed they can be found.
GRACE….as you know or perhaps do not know, cannot be earned…for in Western Christian theology, Grace is “the love and mercy given to us by God, because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have, will do or can earn it”. Undeserved, but given freely.
Christ paid for it…. period. Be grateful and accept it…. please.
Why do we sometimes find it so hard to extend to others this GRACE in us (having been forgiven ourselves by Christ) who have offended us?
Because it is beneath us to condescend to do so?
Because they offended us and therefore do not deserve it?
Because we want to feel superior to them…add infinitum.
Because of this, we often nurture the offense to the point where It rules our lives.
These among many others…. if not reconciled, become chains around our mind, heart and spirit that can blind and bind us to the need of letting the offense go. No longer walking in grace, it soon becomes almost possible to live without our self-righteousness indignation, hurt, anger…thereby making reconciliation next to impossible.
It is not out business to go around pointing fingers at others, pointing out their failures or sins…. but, for the most part we have all on occasion done so. In this area we don’t need any training either, as it seems to come naturally. Experience comes quickly and can be fed to the degree of becoming a ravaging beast. Then too often our tongue gets involve, blaming, accusing, gossiping, condemning for these actions keep us in control….and we like being in control.
I have mentioned Corrie Ten-Boom and her sister Betsy who from Holland ended up in a concentration camp for aiding Jews fleeing from Nazi persecution. It is all about grace……. titled, “The Deepest Pit of All” READ (from
One last illustration;
On April 4th, 1968, American Civil Rights Leader, known as Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated, leaving millions angry and disillusioned. In Indianapolis, a largely African American crowd had gathered to hear Robert F. Kennedy speak. They had not yet heard of Dr. King’s death, so Kennedy (heart-broken and shattered himself,) chose to share the tragic news. He appealed for calm by acknowledging not only his, but their loss……the country’s loss and his, having lost his own brother President Kennedy, and the abiding pain he carried within himself.
Kennedy then quoted a variation of an ancient poem.
Even in our sleep,
Pain which we cannot forget,
Falls, drop by drop upon our heart,
Until in our own despair, against our will,
Comes wisdom…through the awful grace of God,
“Wisdom through the ‘awful Grace of God’ is a remarkable statement. It means this…. that God’s Grace should fill us with awe, for it gives us the opportunity to grow in wisdom and Grace itself, during life’s most difficult times, will, when receiving and giving, change our lives for the better, and make us into men and women of gratitude and grace…. not judgment.
It will make us into kinder and gentler people…. with the side effect of doing the same to others when they see us being like our Lord.
God help us all…every one of us…to live such lives that in turn will bring us, us, health, peace and even joy, where no matter what comes our way, we can say and sing as we did last week. “It is Well with My Soul” for it will be well with your soul because of being men and women of God’s grace through Christ.
Acts of Grace begins with the small things, things as simple as small acts of kindness…so that when the big opportunities come, we will automatically do the right thing, because we were faithful in the small things. We will have stepped into that water I spoke of last week…. for we will have His Peace, Like a River in our soul.
Amen….
What is so amazing about Grace……Everything!
(Selah)
March 14, 2021
“WHAT IS SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE?"
by: Pastor Tom Shanor
What is so amazing about Grace ties into what is so amazing about Life. Really, life is simply (but not so simply) a fact I am not always able to grasp even though
I live. The enormity of space…eternity…this amazing little dot we live on…amazing! That not only the mere fact of life, on earth, but the resources to sustain life and for it to prosper are all here. We take for granted all these facts, and live as if what? That life is our due? I tell you this, it is a gift, and should be recognized as such. A gift that we should use in the very-best ways possible as a means of giving thanks to God for it.
At the center of this amazing thing called life is God. Not a god, but THE GOD, for God is not a concept but a reality. We know it, we sense it, we feel Him. The order of life, the body we live in, so amazing! From dust and water…and the elements that God used to create both the Universe and us, amazing. Not only us, but from the mite to the mighty, amazing, the diversity of life, PERFECT in Creation, but when the perfect went awry through man who not being content to live in peace, harmony, and unity with all that God gave him, because he wanted to be like God…. came the fall. Unity, harmony became disunity and confusion resulting in a rift, when Gods and our enemy entered the picture and, as a result, the need for mankind, now exploding upon the earth to be able to become once again reconciled to the Creator through what and who? Through Jesus Christ and GRACE, because of His great life and sacrifice of that life for us. GRACE and RECONCILIATION THROUGH HIS SACRIFICE is nothing short of AMAZING. And all it takes is acknowledgment of the Savior with the forgiveness of sins, and the GRACE that separates them from us as far as the East is from the West! Vanished forever…that is Grace. God planted within us the desire for Him, for His Son at the very beginning of Creation. Many of us have tried to fill that space with so many other things.
And people….and yet the hunger for God, un-satiated, remains in us, which drives us on and up and into, finally, hopefully, the One who breathed life into us.
Amazing Grace……how sweet the sound ~ that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.
Twas GRACE that taught my heart to fear, and “grace” my fears relieved; how precious did that “Grace” appear…the hour I first believed.
He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.
Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come;
His Grace hath brough me safe thus fare, and Grace will lead me home.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve not less day to sings God’s praise, than when we’d first begun.
(READ THE HISTORY OF THE HYMN)
Yes, I have spoken on GRACE before and will again, but it has been a while since a singular topic, and feel deeply the need for myself and all of us to simply remember the great and mighty “gift” that it is, and as we draw close to Easter and what it cost our Lord to bestow on us this gift….and what it cost Him to give it.
The first stanza of the hymn speaks of fear, so I am going to try and clarify the meaning of that fear. I believe what Newton is saying here is that without GRACE, with the GRACE given freely to all who come to that Saving Grace in Jesus, here, in this stanza is specific to himself. That the acknowledgment of his own sins…the weight of not having that GRACE…would cause him to be swallowed up by the sins that weighed on him, causing fear to rise within him to the degree of an it, then becoming a great fear, an awful fear, and that the result without this free grace ultimately….is not just physical death, but a total separation of himself from God in Christ. Do you understand….it would mean conscious separation, because Scripture tells us all will live forever, no annihilation, but conscious separation from the Savior. John Newton came deeply into the understanding of what GRACE meant to him. Freedom, freedom from fear, darkness, separation, and death.
He goes on to say…. how precious, how valuable, how light-filled Grace is, when both received….and then given to others, when through us, by way of witness of our lives and words………………
John Newton, following a difficult upbringing, his mother dying when he was but seven, because of the choices he made as a young man eventually let to his deep conversion…once recognizing his then immediate and eternal value of this GRACE.
Freely, freely you have received…freely, freely give. Go in my name and because you believe…. others will know that I live.
I have mentioned Philip Yancy before…because of his book he wrote and published called “What’s So Amazing About Grace.” I recall a line he wrote saying, “Little did I know what I was getting into when I began writing a book on the word grace. He goes on to say, “I chose the topic out of my concern that some of us in the U.S. Church have lost our way, and that we stand in danger of losing our most important contribution to the world, (along with the message of reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ) because we fail…we fail…to both understand and live out the grace given to us in our everyday interactive lives with each other and our neighbors.”
Philip also says, “I truly believe that the future of the church in America and the world, depends on how we master the ‘gift’ of giving Grace, not His grace for only He can give that, but the grace given to us working out through us to others…being grace-filled.
What makes Christianity so radically different from all the other religions in the world. C.S. Lewis put it this way. “Grace”
Think about this…. where in the Muslim religion is grace ever mentioned. The entire world and all its religions are considered by them as faithless infidels, worthy of being if not converted, killed. Without one iota of mercy or grace.
There are a few religions such as Buddhists, which incorporate peace into their faith, and here the four notables of that religion.
1. Existence is suffering.
2. Suffering has a cause, namely craving and attachment, (sin)
3. There is a cessation to suffering that can be reached in life. And that is called Nirvana.
4. There is a pathway to Nirvana, but only a few can find within themselves the discipline to achieving it. Nirvana is being One with all of creation.
There is the Bahai Faith…. which is a new religion, (19th Century) teaching the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. They acknowledge Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad as predecessors to “the Bab, who is the one yet to come, called Bahuaullah, who will unify the world under one all-knowing God. Unknown to them, this is true as Jesus Christ will do so when He returns to earth.
If you adhere to any one of these faiths only…. then there is no grace extended…the idea is to incorporate the best of them all if indeed they can be found.
GRACE….as you know or perhaps do not know, cannot be earned…for in Western Christian theology, Grace is “the love and mercy given to us by God, because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have, will do or can earn it”. Undeserved, but given freely.
Christ paid for it…. period. Be grateful and accept it…. please.
Why do we sometimes find it so hard to extend to others this GRACE in us (having been forgiven ourselves by Christ) who have offended us?
Because it is beneath us to condescend to do so?
Because they offended us and therefore do not deserve it?
Because we want to feel superior to them…add infinitum.
Because of this, we often nurture the offense to the point where It rules our lives.
These among many others…. if not reconciled, become chains around our mind, heart and spirit that can blind and bind us to the need of letting the offense go. No longer walking in grace, it soon becomes almost possible to live without our self-righteousness indignation, hurt, anger…thereby making reconciliation next to impossible.
It is not out business to go around pointing fingers at others, pointing out their failures or sins…. but, for the most part we have all on occasion done so. In this area we don’t need any training either, as it seems to come naturally. Experience comes quickly and can be fed to the degree of becoming a ravaging beast. Then too often our tongue gets involve, blaming, accusing, gossiping, condemning for these actions keep us in control….and we like being in control.
I have mentioned Corrie Ten-Boom and her sister Betsy who from Holland ended up in a concentration camp for aiding Jews fleeing from Nazi persecution. It is all about grace……. titled, “The Deepest Pit of All” READ (from
One last illustration;
On April 4th, 1968, American Civil Rights Leader, known as Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated, leaving millions angry and disillusioned. In Indianapolis, a largely African American crowd had gathered to hear Robert F. Kennedy speak. They had not yet heard of Dr. King’s death, so Kennedy (heart-broken and shattered himself,) chose to share the tragic news. He appealed for calm by acknowledging not only his, but their loss……the country’s loss and his, having lost his own brother President Kennedy, and the abiding pain he carried within himself.
Kennedy then quoted a variation of an ancient poem.
Even in our sleep,
Pain which we cannot forget,
Falls, drop by drop upon our heart,
Until in our own despair, against our will,
Comes wisdom…through the awful grace of God,
“Wisdom through the ‘awful Grace of God’ is a remarkable statement. It means this…. that God’s Grace should fill us with awe, for it gives us the opportunity to grow in wisdom and Grace itself, during life’s most difficult times, will, when receiving and giving, change our lives for the better, and make us into men and women of gratitude and grace…. not judgment.
It will make us into kinder and gentler people…. with the side effect of doing the same to others when they see us being like our Lord.
God help us all…every one of us…to live such lives that in turn will bring us, us, health, peace and even joy, where no matter what comes our way, we can say and sing as we did last week. “It is Well with My Soul” for it will be well with your soul because of being men and women of God’s grace through Christ.
Acts of Grace begins with the small things, things as simple as small acts of kindness…so that when the big opportunities come, we will automatically do the right thing, because we were faithful in the small things. We will have stepped into that water I spoke of last week…. for we will have His Peace, Like a River in our soul.
Amen….
What is so amazing about Grace……Everything!
(Selah)
THE LITTLE CHURCH IN THE PINES
MACK’S INN, ISLAND PARK, IDAHO 83429
208-240-2327
March 7, 2021
“Peace Like a River” Pastor Tom Shanor
Peace is described as a “State of Harmony, characterized by alack of conflict of violence, anger, retribution, and freedom from fear of any kind. I would further describe it as benign…. serenity….free from conflict within or without. “Still my heart” A state of being, characterized as place I love being in!
Its Spring…birds are singing, butterflies are flitting, bees are humming, in repose NEARBY under a tree, lies a young fawn, nestled up close to its mother. Both have their eyes shut…sunlight dappling through the branches of the tress as the river almost silently ripples by, as water bugs are scurrying across the ripples looking for something to eat. Mountains lie in the distance, still snow-cap covered. Lying on the cool grass is me…or you…free (for the moment) of pain or worry of any kind. So perfect, timeless and all enveloping is the feeling, that we hold on to as long as we possibly can letting go of even those unsettling things that often wait in the periphery of our mind.
Because being human, and recognizing by experience of daily living, all could change in the matter of one second. One nano second. We know this, which is why at that moment we are holding on to this all-encompassing peace as long as we possibly can. I call it “peace, but, with an edge,” for we cannot seem to do the impossible, the impossible of being totally and completely at peace without that edge, of the unexpected events, person or noise that is going to bring us back to the reality that all things are fleeting…the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. Us.
Yet…. Jesus said to us in John 14:27, My Peace I leave with you; “My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. (that is fleeting peace) Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.” (NIV) WOW…if only.
The question is, if this peace is given to us, why then are we so little and seldom at peace? Is it our lack of understanding, lack of faith, of trust? What is it that allows fear at times to overwhelm us? Why is it we cannot seem to appropriate or hold onto this statement, planting it deeply within us, so that when occasions come, that take us by the mind and heart shaking us to the core of our being….or even lightly, how can we more fully hold on to this elusive thing place called Peace.
I know the answer….and when I fail to hold onto that peace, I can only point to myself, pointing out to myself, that it is simply because of those questions I posed above, where I lack the faith, and most of all I lack the radical trust…that Jesus who said these words meant them, and it is up to me to build and stabilize and deepen my one-on-one relationship with Him. And in doing this, I then will find His words resonating throughout my whole being, head to toe. fingertip to fingertip. (PRAYER)
Dear God…. In this season of Lent, we are reminded of our own difficulties and struggles. Sometimes the way has seemed too dark. Sometimes we feel like our lives have been marked by such grief and pain that we cannot see how our circumstances can ever change. But in the midst of our weakness and lack of that radical trust, we ask that You be strong for us on our behalf.
Lord, rise within us. and may Your Spirit shine through us, healing every broken place within us. Align Your power to be manifest through our own weaknesses and shortsightedness, so that other will recognize it is You who is at work on our behalf.
We ask that You, will trade the ashes of our lives for the beauty and Peace of Your Presence, not only at the moment of our greatest need but at every moment of our lives.
May we trade our mourning for dancing as David said, “Thou has turned my mourning into dancing for me, Thou has put off my sackcloth, and wrapped me in gladness. Our grief traded for the oil of Joy by inviting the Presence of Your Holy Spirit into us. We trade now, today, our despair for hope and because we can, we praise You. We choose to give You our thanks today and believe that this season of confusion and darkness will fade away, as You shine the light of Your face upon, us and upon this world.
That indeed You that are with us in whatever we face, and that You are greater than this or any trial we endure…because You and I and we, can face them together. We know and recognize that You are Sovereign, and we are grateful our victory is in Christ Jesus Your Son, our Friend, Lord, Savior and Advocate. On Christ the Solid Rock we stand…. all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.
My we be confident that You still have Good in store for our future, “for You have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind…. also, with a future and a hope. Amen
Given the events of my own life these past several months in particular, today’s message is based on my own need to come to a better place than I have been. To gain a deeper understanding, and a deeper radical faith, than heretofore that I have ever had, by listening and building new ways to look at my own life, and you, yours, seeing where we can garner some new insight. You see, it starts here (in our mind) fueled by the Spirit and by our Lord’s teachings and example, being fueled by our need. This message of PEACE began at the birth of our Lord and one day will be established forever at His second arrival. As I said, it starts (here in our minds) and then is taken hold of by our soul and spirit…seen by us as a possible major turning point in our lives.
We can spend time watching the news, reading online, or in the newspapers and magazines, telling us of all the horrible things that are happening in our world, the pain so many endure and succumb to every day, even though we allegedly here live in a visual paradise, we cannot escape the world, no matter how much or how hard we try…. the world will seek us out.
Interestingly, lately, I have read and heard so-called prophets today, who say our role as Christians is to take over the government by elections, etc., (called Kingdom Now theology) and as Christians, governmentally we are to turn our nation and then the world around, through our Christianity….yes, this is becoming a growing focus out there, as I have listened on the radio to a pastor in Idaho Falls, called the River of Life (of all things) a Geneva Bible preacher,, who talks more about the government and Constitution than he does about Scripture, but it is never going to happen. What happens by those means, pointed out to us by history itself never works, for power corrupts when good men become inflated by their own success, and begin to compromise their beginning high ideals, for the sake of staying and gaining more power. I stated this in a sermon not long ago, that religion and politics are an extremely dangerous combination, hence, not have a state recognized church. Religion marrying politics causes great division, authoritarianism…and just plain dangerous trouble. That we a nation proclaim to be under God, and that is good, as well as individuals in government who w profess allegiance to God…. that is good. Basing our moral society on God’s commandments…that too is good, but using religion, any religion in a world as to force its citizens to follow and obey it will only bring disaster.
UNTIL that is…. the One, the Son of God returns. Then according to Holy Scripture, He will reign with love, justice, and righteousness. The King of kings and Lord of lord.
These false prophets I speak of, have already drawn many into their web of idealism, and corrupted truth for lies. Jesus said these words to us, “For many will come in My name, claiming; ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that YOU are not deceived, for these things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many places,” All these are the beginning of Sorrows. Matthew 24:5-7 See to it that you are not alarmed.
“Peace…. like a river (no matter our circumstances) attendeth our soul.”
The Puritan, Thomas Watson put it this way: “God the Son is called the Prince of Peace. He came into thew world with a song of peace: of “peace on earth, goodwill toward mankind.” He went out having preached a legacy of Peace, saying to us, “My peace I give unto you.” Christ’s earnest prayer was for peace; He prayed that his people might be one (Song)
We are one in the Spirit,
We are one in the Lord,
We are one in the Spirit,
We are one in the Lord.
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored,
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our Love.
Christ not only prayed for peace but bled for peace: having made peace through the blood of His Cross.” He died not only to make peace between God and man, but between man and man. Christ suffered on the Cross thereby He bought peace, paid for it, for you and for me when in our greatest time of need, He gives it to us, when we reach out…. taking and holding onto it. This He did for you and for me, and for all those who call upon His name…for He is there, here and everywhere, even now. For Scriptures say when two or three are gathered in His name…He is Present.
In the center of the whirlpool, while the waters rush around,
There’s a space of perfect stillness, though without turmoil it is found.
All is calm and all is quiet, scarcely even a sense of sound.
Who with us…despite the conflict…when in Christ our peace is found.
Have you seen the picture of a huge wave rushing around a towering lighthouse, where in an open doorway on the opposite side, at the bottom stands a man…unaware of what is coming?
I did a little research…and found that the man was unscathed, simply backing in…and closing the door….
THERE IS A RIVER OF LIFE….SO DIFFERENT THA THAT TOWERING WAVE…. for all we need to do is step up to the edge, trusting that it is not too cold or hot, not to swift or stagnant, wade in slowly as it drifts (this river of life) beckoning us to enter. First our feet…then up to our knees…thighs, waist, chest, neck….and allow ourselves to immerse ourselves into the current…of His river. Feeling no fear…. only trust and then joy…………………………
There is a river of life flowing over me….
Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see,
Open’s prison doors, sets the captives free,
There is a river of life flowing out of me.
When we observe the life of Jesus as He walked His journey to the Cross…. nothing is more noticeable than the quiet even poise, of His life. Never flustered whatever came His way, never taken off guard, however assailed by men or demons while in the midst of fickle, volatile people, hostile rulers, sometimes faithless disciples, always calm, always collected. Christ, tireless teacher, leader indeed…but doing no more, no less, than God had appointed Him to do, not restless, nor in a hurry, no worry.
Was ever…such a peaceful life up unto the end was lived, under conditions so intense, dangerous, and unsettling.
We might say, but He was God, and He could do all these things, and yet we know “He wept” He feared…He identified so with us while in this earthly journey he became as one of us, and so having gone through (as I said two weeks ago) the same things we go through, only more, He says to us…..We CAN do ALL Things
through He (Jesus the Christ) who will strengthen and enable us…to do.
The Lord is aware of how you feel when you are under pressure, when you are physically sick or mentally exhausted, or emotionally distraught.
You…. are precious to Him. He invites each of, in this crazy, chaotic, upside down world to join Him, in the River of His life….and to trust Him with all your heart, mind and strength…and to walk together, forever WITH Him…..
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear,
What a privilege to carry,
Everything to God in prayer,
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry,
Everything to God in prayer,
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; but
Take it to the Lord in Prayer:
Can we find a friend so faithful?
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer,
Are we weak and heavy laden?
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
Take it to the Lord in prayer……….
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
IN HIS ARMS HE’LL TAKE AND SHIELD THEE;
THOU WILT FIND A SOLACE THERE
…Do you want peace…peace like a river in your soul? Do need peace with all the things and people in our everyday life?
Immerse yourself in Him………that River of Life, believing His parting words…. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world give. Do not let your hearts be troubled, DO NOT BE AFRAID!”
LET’S PRAY………….
The Lord who heals all your sins, bless you and keep you;
The face of the Lord who heals all your afflictions shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Light of the countenance of the Lord who redeems your life, be lifted upon you…and give you peace………. Amen
MACK’S INN, ISLAND PARK, IDAHO 83429
208-240-2327
March 7, 2021
“Peace Like a River” Pastor Tom Shanor
Peace is described as a “State of Harmony, characterized by alack of conflict of violence, anger, retribution, and freedom from fear of any kind. I would further describe it as benign…. serenity….free from conflict within or without. “Still my heart” A state of being, characterized as place I love being in!
Its Spring…birds are singing, butterflies are flitting, bees are humming, in repose NEARBY under a tree, lies a young fawn, nestled up close to its mother. Both have their eyes shut…sunlight dappling through the branches of the tress as the river almost silently ripples by, as water bugs are scurrying across the ripples looking for something to eat. Mountains lie in the distance, still snow-cap covered. Lying on the cool grass is me…or you…free (for the moment) of pain or worry of any kind. So perfect, timeless and all enveloping is the feeling, that we hold on to as long as we possibly can letting go of even those unsettling things that often wait in the periphery of our mind.
Because being human, and recognizing by experience of daily living, all could change in the matter of one second. One nano second. We know this, which is why at that moment we are holding on to this all-encompassing peace as long as we possibly can. I call it “peace, but, with an edge,” for we cannot seem to do the impossible, the impossible of being totally and completely at peace without that edge, of the unexpected events, person or noise that is going to bring us back to the reality that all things are fleeting…the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. Us.
Yet…. Jesus said to us in John 14:27, My Peace I leave with you; “My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. (that is fleeting peace) Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.” (NIV) WOW…if only.
The question is, if this peace is given to us, why then are we so little and seldom at peace? Is it our lack of understanding, lack of faith, of trust? What is it that allows fear at times to overwhelm us? Why is it we cannot seem to appropriate or hold onto this statement, planting it deeply within us, so that when occasions come, that take us by the mind and heart shaking us to the core of our being….or even lightly, how can we more fully hold on to this elusive thing place called Peace.
I know the answer….and when I fail to hold onto that peace, I can only point to myself, pointing out to myself, that it is simply because of those questions I posed above, where I lack the faith, and most of all I lack the radical trust…that Jesus who said these words meant them, and it is up to me to build and stabilize and deepen my one-on-one relationship with Him. And in doing this, I then will find His words resonating throughout my whole being, head to toe. fingertip to fingertip. (PRAYER)
Dear God…. In this season of Lent, we are reminded of our own difficulties and struggles. Sometimes the way has seemed too dark. Sometimes we feel like our lives have been marked by such grief and pain that we cannot see how our circumstances can ever change. But in the midst of our weakness and lack of that radical trust, we ask that You be strong for us on our behalf.
Lord, rise within us. and may Your Spirit shine through us, healing every broken place within us. Align Your power to be manifest through our own weaknesses and shortsightedness, so that other will recognize it is You who is at work on our behalf.
We ask that You, will trade the ashes of our lives for the beauty and Peace of Your Presence, not only at the moment of our greatest need but at every moment of our lives.
May we trade our mourning for dancing as David said, “Thou has turned my mourning into dancing for me, Thou has put off my sackcloth, and wrapped me in gladness. Our grief traded for the oil of Joy by inviting the Presence of Your Holy Spirit into us. We trade now, today, our despair for hope and because we can, we praise You. We choose to give You our thanks today and believe that this season of confusion and darkness will fade away, as You shine the light of Your face upon, us and upon this world.
That indeed You that are with us in whatever we face, and that You are greater than this or any trial we endure…because You and I and we, can face them together. We know and recognize that You are Sovereign, and we are grateful our victory is in Christ Jesus Your Son, our Friend, Lord, Savior and Advocate. On Christ the Solid Rock we stand…. all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.
My we be confident that You still have Good in store for our future, “for You have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind…. also, with a future and a hope. Amen
Given the events of my own life these past several months in particular, today’s message is based on my own need to come to a better place than I have been. To gain a deeper understanding, and a deeper radical faith, than heretofore that I have ever had, by listening and building new ways to look at my own life, and you, yours, seeing where we can garner some new insight. You see, it starts here (in our mind) fueled by the Spirit and by our Lord’s teachings and example, being fueled by our need. This message of PEACE began at the birth of our Lord and one day will be established forever at His second arrival. As I said, it starts (here in our minds) and then is taken hold of by our soul and spirit…seen by us as a possible major turning point in our lives.
We can spend time watching the news, reading online, or in the newspapers and magazines, telling us of all the horrible things that are happening in our world, the pain so many endure and succumb to every day, even though we allegedly here live in a visual paradise, we cannot escape the world, no matter how much or how hard we try…. the world will seek us out.
Interestingly, lately, I have read and heard so-called prophets today, who say our role as Christians is to take over the government by elections, etc., (called Kingdom Now theology) and as Christians, governmentally we are to turn our nation and then the world around, through our Christianity….yes, this is becoming a growing focus out there, as I have listened on the radio to a pastor in Idaho Falls, called the River of Life (of all things) a Geneva Bible preacher,, who talks more about the government and Constitution than he does about Scripture, but it is never going to happen. What happens by those means, pointed out to us by history itself never works, for power corrupts when good men become inflated by their own success, and begin to compromise their beginning high ideals, for the sake of staying and gaining more power. I stated this in a sermon not long ago, that religion and politics are an extremely dangerous combination, hence, not have a state recognized church. Religion marrying politics causes great division, authoritarianism…and just plain dangerous trouble. That we a nation proclaim to be under God, and that is good, as well as individuals in government who w profess allegiance to God…. that is good. Basing our moral society on God’s commandments…that too is good, but using religion, any religion in a world as to force its citizens to follow and obey it will only bring disaster.
UNTIL that is…. the One, the Son of God returns. Then according to Holy Scripture, He will reign with love, justice, and righteousness. The King of kings and Lord of lord.
These false prophets I speak of, have already drawn many into their web of idealism, and corrupted truth for lies. Jesus said these words to us, “For many will come in My name, claiming; ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that YOU are not deceived, for these things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many places,” All these are the beginning of Sorrows. Matthew 24:5-7 See to it that you are not alarmed.
“Peace…. like a river (no matter our circumstances) attendeth our soul.”
The Puritan, Thomas Watson put it this way: “God the Son is called the Prince of Peace. He came into thew world with a song of peace: of “peace on earth, goodwill toward mankind.” He went out having preached a legacy of Peace, saying to us, “My peace I give unto you.” Christ’s earnest prayer was for peace; He prayed that his people might be one (Song)
We are one in the Spirit,
We are one in the Lord,
We are one in the Spirit,
We are one in the Lord.
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored,
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our Love.
Christ not only prayed for peace but bled for peace: having made peace through the blood of His Cross.” He died not only to make peace between God and man, but between man and man. Christ suffered on the Cross thereby He bought peace, paid for it, for you and for me when in our greatest time of need, He gives it to us, when we reach out…. taking and holding onto it. This He did for you and for me, and for all those who call upon His name…for He is there, here and everywhere, even now. For Scriptures say when two or three are gathered in His name…He is Present.
In the center of the whirlpool, while the waters rush around,
There’s a space of perfect stillness, though without turmoil it is found.
All is calm and all is quiet, scarcely even a sense of sound.
Who with us…despite the conflict…when in Christ our peace is found.
Have you seen the picture of a huge wave rushing around a towering lighthouse, where in an open doorway on the opposite side, at the bottom stands a man…unaware of what is coming?
I did a little research…and found that the man was unscathed, simply backing in…and closing the door….
THERE IS A RIVER OF LIFE….SO DIFFERENT THA THAT TOWERING WAVE…. for all we need to do is step up to the edge, trusting that it is not too cold or hot, not to swift or stagnant, wade in slowly as it drifts (this river of life) beckoning us to enter. First our feet…then up to our knees…thighs, waist, chest, neck….and allow ourselves to immerse ourselves into the current…of His river. Feeling no fear…. only trust and then joy…………………………
There is a river of life flowing over me….
Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see,
Open’s prison doors, sets the captives free,
There is a river of life flowing out of me.
When we observe the life of Jesus as He walked His journey to the Cross…. nothing is more noticeable than the quiet even poise, of His life. Never flustered whatever came His way, never taken off guard, however assailed by men or demons while in the midst of fickle, volatile people, hostile rulers, sometimes faithless disciples, always calm, always collected. Christ, tireless teacher, leader indeed…but doing no more, no less, than God had appointed Him to do, not restless, nor in a hurry, no worry.
Was ever…such a peaceful life up unto the end was lived, under conditions so intense, dangerous, and unsettling.
We might say, but He was God, and He could do all these things, and yet we know “He wept” He feared…He identified so with us while in this earthly journey he became as one of us, and so having gone through (as I said two weeks ago) the same things we go through, only more, He says to us…..We CAN do ALL Things
through He (Jesus the Christ) who will strengthen and enable us…to do.
The Lord is aware of how you feel when you are under pressure, when you are physically sick or mentally exhausted, or emotionally distraught.
You…. are precious to Him. He invites each of, in this crazy, chaotic, upside down world to join Him, in the River of His life….and to trust Him with all your heart, mind and strength…and to walk together, forever WITH Him…..
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear,
What a privilege to carry,
Everything to God in prayer,
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry,
Everything to God in prayer,
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; but
Take it to the Lord in Prayer:
Can we find a friend so faithful?
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer,
Are we weak and heavy laden?
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
Take it to the Lord in prayer……….
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
IN HIS ARMS HE’LL TAKE AND SHIELD THEE;
THOU WILT FIND A SOLACE THERE
…Do you want peace…peace like a river in your soul? Do need peace with all the things and people in our everyday life?
Immerse yourself in Him………that River of Life, believing His parting words…. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world give. Do not let your hearts be troubled, DO NOT BE AFRAID!”
LET’S PRAY………….
The Lord who heals all your sins, bless you and keep you;
The face of the Lord who heals all your afflictions shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Light of the countenance of the Lord who redeems your life, be lifted upon you…and give you peace………. Amen
Little Church in the Pines
February 28, 2021
Connie Funkhouser - subbing for Pastor Tom Shanor
“STRONG – CONFIDENT?”
No, my friends, I Am far from it. What you are seeing is a simple - weak person, with a very faithful and strong God.
When our Daisy's Angels' Ministry Team volunteered @ the Juvenile Correction Center, I wanted to be relatable. Not someone that they would think . . .. Lady you have no idea what I have done, or who we are. Of course, they were correct, but it was important that they knew who was behind the visual image of me. I knew they thought I was an individual that had it all together, composed, self-assured, wearing nice clothes, and once we were done with our 1-1/2hrs. of volunteer service we would not give them another thought until the following month. In those thoughts they were wrong. Extremely wrong.
I told them that I was an individual that lacked confidence, not a little, but a lot! So much so that I chose to find confidence not from myself, but from the Holy Spirit that resides within . . . . to “Be Confident in God!” It was important to our Team that we shared that confidence and how it was attainable.
So, we had them write out affirmation statements about themselves. We could see they were struggling so I showed them the one that I made for myself as an example. . .. show mine – we called them “I Am Statements” and I do have on there I Am Confident in God.
Their affirmation statements were not to be what they were, but what they could and would accomplish through the power of God. I do not know how many we made, but it was a lot. One cool thing was the JCC facility let the Teens tape their statements to the walls in their cottages. We requested that they read them morning and night to remind themselves of what they were capable of by remaining in faith and having an intimate and personal relationship with our Lord and Savior.
I often wonder how many Teens that have completed the program still have their I Am Statements and have checked off the desires of their hearts.
I am going to read 5 verses from Scripture then ask a question:
(New International Version and King James Version)
What is the one word that is missing from all these verses?
SELF – Correct ☺
What does it mean to have confidence in God?
God-confidence means depending completely upon God and His strength to handle the things in our lives. It is not about our strength or the confidence that we put into earthly things.
We all need confidence, but the question is where does true confidence come from? It only comes from Christ. If our confidence is coming from any other source it will fail in the end. When our confidence comes from anything other than God, we will never be satisfied. When we take our focus off God, our confidence will suffer. God needs to be our confidence. We need to get closer to Him. I do not think I am telling you anything new when I say, “He is” our everlasting source for all that we need.
We live in a world where self-confidence is the phrase of the 21 century. There is so much talk about self-confidence and how important it is. While yes, confidence is important, but as a Christian, do we really think we should be relying on ourselves instead of God? Absolutely not! There is a hierarchy God want us to follow. So, let us look @ God-confidence vs self-confidence and I will do my best to illustrate that God-confidence is truly the only way to go.
Dictionary.com gives us two definitions of self-confidence. The first definition is a realistic confidence in one’s own judgment, ability, and power. The second definition is excessive or inflated confidence in one’s own judgment or ability. First realistic and then excessive? In any event, it is all about us!
As a Christian, these definitions go completely against the grain of what God wants for us. It is not about our strength or the confidence that we put into earthly things like money, education, people, and appearance. Self-confidence has limited potential but – God-confidence has unlimited possibilities (Renee Swope). We must place no confidence in our own works, but only in God. Having a Godly focus means to seek those things from above.
The first step in God-confidence is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Once we have a personal relationship with our Lord, God-confidence starts with prayer.
When we get so focused on a trial, we will not be able to seek joy in the Lord. God helps to calm down our hearts. When we are confident in the Lord, we know that there are many promises in Scripture that we can pray for. “God you said my mind would be @ peace if I trust in you. Help me to trust.” God will honor that prayer and He will give us a special peace in Him. (Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him/God”).
Confidence in prayer is achieved by having special intimate alone time with God. There are many ppl that know what God can do and they know all about God, but knowing God intimately eludes them. They have never prayed for more of His presence in their lives. This is where confidence comes from, naturally prayer, but committing oneself to living in the Presence of God. We cannot afford not to be alone w/God. There must be an un-satisfied appetite for study, for God’s Word. The passion for truth in scripture is an extension of the passion we have for God.
Believing in God and Believing God are not the same, and it is important that we understand the distinction to live the victorious Christian life. Believing in God is saying, “I know God exists.” But believing God is trusting what He has said about Himself, about us, and about the relationship He desires to have with us. This goes beyond our basic salvation to having utmost faith and confidence in Jesus for every detail of our lives. Harboring full confidence that fear does not come from the Lord --- confidence, a sense of belonging, and clarity do. We can be sure that God is going to give us the strength, the love, the wisdom to face whatever may come.
We want confidence that our prayers will be answered. We want confidence in Him in the hardest of situations. We want a boldness in our lives that we never had before. Therefore, we must get alone w/God every day.
Personally, I have an open dialogue with God, I feel as though I pray my way through the day. So much so, I can pray as I am talking to someone and petitioning the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts, which is a reflection on my words. A few summers ago, Pastor Tom recommended this book: 2 Chairs . . . I too recommend it. Crazy, I now brew my coffee and hightail it upstairs to spend time in my 2 Chairs before I begin the day. I look forward to that one-on-one intimate time with Jesus. And I admit, there have been times when I have said, I no longer know what to say or how to pray, please Holy Spirit who resides from within, take over for me, I am lost - I am crushed. And then I listen . . . .
Every time we are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to us. “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27) - - a peace which brings unconstrained confidence and covers us completely, from the tops of our heads to the soles of our feet.
Faith is not some casual emotion, but a strong, determined, and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is Holy Love. Martin Luther said, “Faith is a living and unshakable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake.”
Faith is the supreme effort of our life’s – throwing ourselves with abandon and total confidence upon God. God ventured His “All” in Jesus Christ to save us, and now He wants us to venture our “All” with complete abandon confidence in Him.
The author of Hebrews tells us in 4:16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
1 John 4:17 tells us, “This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment.” In this world we are called to be like Jesus. Every single verse that I have referenced so far, reinforces that we can have confidence because God is enough and, in Him, we are enough.
It is also important to remember that our worth does not come from our actions. Instead, our worth lies in God. He created us for His honor and glory and for His pleasure. He has known us from the very beginning and values us so very much that he created a plan for sinful mankind, even before the foundation of the world.
Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God, created him; male and female created he them.”
We are made, not if we are made, in the image of God, then why do we struggle with our worth? Obviously, because of sin. But our true basis of worth can only be found through faith in Jesus and by accepting His free gift of salvation. As a result, we are precious to God. We were and are so important to Him, that He sent His only begotten Son.
Our worth from our Lord is why in a contest of God-confidence vs self-confidence, God wins every time. Our worth upon acceptance of Jesus as our Savior will never change, unlike self-worth of the world, which can change by the minute.
One of the truths of our identity in Christ is that we can approach God with freedom and confidence and when we are secure in our identity in Christ, we have no need to promote, protect, or prove ourselves. We have His complete attention and unfailing love. We freely and humbly point to Jesus instead of ourselves. We rest in our relationship with God, humbly serving as Jesus did, wherever He leads us. His Spirit assures us that we belong to Him.
We are God’s masterpiece. God knows and loves us just the way we are. Sometimes, I do struggle with comparisons, which is a sin, I know . . . however in those times of doubt, my Heavenly Father is waiting for me, for us, to turn to Him for strength. God-confidence is not walking into a room checking everyone out or comparing yourself to everyone, it is walking in . . . not comparing yourself to anyone @ all.
To love, live and be an Apprentice of Jesus Christ, is more than a catchphrase, more than a lesson to be taught. Loving, living, and learning from God’s Word is an ongoing way of life. When we open our hearts to God’s life transforming work, the Spirit begins the process of reshaping us into the likeness of Jesus. The life poured into us gives us a new nature and overflows into our relationship with others. The Spirit’s transforming presence flows into every aspect of our lifes: personal, professional, public, and private. Concern for others, humility, and God-confidence reshapes our lives.
I am going to end with a story that I enjoy, and I am confident you will too ☺
Every month Martin’s parents took a trip too Grandmas and came home on the same train the next day.
One day Martin said to his parents, “I am all grown up. Can I ride the train and go to Grandma’s alone?”
After a brief discussion, his parents agreed. They stood with him as he waited for the train to arrive. They said goodbye to their son and gave him a few last-minute tips and instructions.
Martin repeated to them, “I know. I’ve been told this a thousand times.” As Martin was about to get onboard, his father murmured in his ear . . . “Son if you feel bad or insecure, this is for you.” And he put something in his pocket.
Now Martin was alone, sitting on the train as he had wanted, without his parents for the first time. He was admiring the landscape out the windows. Around him people pushed and shoved while getting on and off the train during each stop. The conductor made some comments about him being alone. One person looked @ Martin with eyes of sadness and pity.
Martin was feeling more uneasy and insecure, with every minute that passed, and now was scared. He felt concerned and alone. He put his head down, and with tears in his eyes, he remembered his Dad had put something in his pocket. Trembling, he searched for what his Dad had given him. Upon finding the piece of paper, Martin read, “Son, I am in the last train car.”
I read this and instantly thought, God is so like that. When we are going through moments or phases of insecurities, loneliness, questioning our life’s, may we always remember God is right with us. Not in the last train car, but sitting right beside us, His Spirit is so close to us that He resides within us. Always offering His support, His strength, even trusting that we will remain confident in Him, and loving us regardless of whatever situation we find ourselves.
Do not let obstacles along the road of eternity shake your confidence in God’s promises.
*** The HOLY SPIRIT is God’s SEAL that you will arrive ***
(David Jeremiah).
Amen!
February 28, 2021
Connie Funkhouser - subbing for Pastor Tom Shanor
“STRONG – CONFIDENT?”
No, my friends, I Am far from it. What you are seeing is a simple - weak person, with a very faithful and strong God.
When our Daisy's Angels' Ministry Team volunteered @ the Juvenile Correction Center, I wanted to be relatable. Not someone that they would think . . .. Lady you have no idea what I have done, or who we are. Of course, they were correct, but it was important that they knew who was behind the visual image of me. I knew they thought I was an individual that had it all together, composed, self-assured, wearing nice clothes, and once we were done with our 1-1/2hrs. of volunteer service we would not give them another thought until the following month. In those thoughts they were wrong. Extremely wrong.
I told them that I was an individual that lacked confidence, not a little, but a lot! So much so that I chose to find confidence not from myself, but from the Holy Spirit that resides within . . . . to “Be Confident in God!” It was important to our Team that we shared that confidence and how it was attainable.
So, we had them write out affirmation statements about themselves. We could see they were struggling so I showed them the one that I made for myself as an example. . .. show mine – we called them “I Am Statements” and I do have on there I Am Confident in God.
Their affirmation statements were not to be what they were, but what they could and would accomplish through the power of God. I do not know how many we made, but it was a lot. One cool thing was the JCC facility let the Teens tape their statements to the walls in their cottages. We requested that they read them morning and night to remind themselves of what they were capable of by remaining in faith and having an intimate and personal relationship with our Lord and Savior.
I often wonder how many Teens that have completed the program still have their I Am Statements and have checked off the desires of their hearts.
I am going to read 5 verses from Scripture then ask a question:
(New International Version and King James Version)
- Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
- Isaiah 30:15 “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
- Philippians 3:3a “Rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.”
- Galatians 5:10 “I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind.”
- 1 John 5:14 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."
What is the one word that is missing from all these verses?
SELF – Correct ☺
What does it mean to have confidence in God?
God-confidence means depending completely upon God and His strength to handle the things in our lives. It is not about our strength or the confidence that we put into earthly things.
We all need confidence, but the question is where does true confidence come from? It only comes from Christ. If our confidence is coming from any other source it will fail in the end. When our confidence comes from anything other than God, we will never be satisfied. When we take our focus off God, our confidence will suffer. God needs to be our confidence. We need to get closer to Him. I do not think I am telling you anything new when I say, “He is” our everlasting source for all that we need.
We live in a world where self-confidence is the phrase of the 21 century. There is so much talk about self-confidence and how important it is. While yes, confidence is important, but as a Christian, do we really think we should be relying on ourselves instead of God? Absolutely not! There is a hierarchy God want us to follow. So, let us look @ God-confidence vs self-confidence and I will do my best to illustrate that God-confidence is truly the only way to go.
Dictionary.com gives us two definitions of self-confidence. The first definition is a realistic confidence in one’s own judgment, ability, and power. The second definition is excessive or inflated confidence in one’s own judgment or ability. First realistic and then excessive? In any event, it is all about us!
As a Christian, these definitions go completely against the grain of what God wants for us. It is not about our strength or the confidence that we put into earthly things like money, education, people, and appearance. Self-confidence has limited potential but – God-confidence has unlimited possibilities (Renee Swope). We must place no confidence in our own works, but only in God. Having a Godly focus means to seek those things from above.
The first step in God-confidence is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Once we have a personal relationship with our Lord, God-confidence starts with prayer.
When we get so focused on a trial, we will not be able to seek joy in the Lord. God helps to calm down our hearts. When we are confident in the Lord, we know that there are many promises in Scripture that we can pray for. “God you said my mind would be @ peace if I trust in you. Help me to trust.” God will honor that prayer and He will give us a special peace in Him. (Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him/God”).
Confidence in prayer is achieved by having special intimate alone time with God. There are many ppl that know what God can do and they know all about God, but knowing God intimately eludes them. They have never prayed for more of His presence in their lives. This is where confidence comes from, naturally prayer, but committing oneself to living in the Presence of God. We cannot afford not to be alone w/God. There must be an un-satisfied appetite for study, for God’s Word. The passion for truth in scripture is an extension of the passion we have for God.
Believing in God and Believing God are not the same, and it is important that we understand the distinction to live the victorious Christian life. Believing in God is saying, “I know God exists.” But believing God is trusting what He has said about Himself, about us, and about the relationship He desires to have with us. This goes beyond our basic salvation to having utmost faith and confidence in Jesus for every detail of our lives. Harboring full confidence that fear does not come from the Lord --- confidence, a sense of belonging, and clarity do. We can be sure that God is going to give us the strength, the love, the wisdom to face whatever may come.
We want confidence that our prayers will be answered. We want confidence in Him in the hardest of situations. We want a boldness in our lives that we never had before. Therefore, we must get alone w/God every day.
Personally, I have an open dialogue with God, I feel as though I pray my way through the day. So much so, I can pray as I am talking to someone and petitioning the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts, which is a reflection on my words. A few summers ago, Pastor Tom recommended this book: 2 Chairs . . . I too recommend it. Crazy, I now brew my coffee and hightail it upstairs to spend time in my 2 Chairs before I begin the day. I look forward to that one-on-one intimate time with Jesus. And I admit, there have been times when I have said, I no longer know what to say or how to pray, please Holy Spirit who resides from within, take over for me, I am lost - I am crushed. And then I listen . . . .
Every time we are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to us. “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27) - - a peace which brings unconstrained confidence and covers us completely, from the tops of our heads to the soles of our feet.
Faith is not some casual emotion, but a strong, determined, and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is Holy Love. Martin Luther said, “Faith is a living and unshakable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake.”
Faith is the supreme effort of our life’s – throwing ourselves with abandon and total confidence upon God. God ventured His “All” in Jesus Christ to save us, and now He wants us to venture our “All” with complete abandon confidence in Him.
The author of Hebrews tells us in 4:16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
1 John 4:17 tells us, “This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment.” In this world we are called to be like Jesus. Every single verse that I have referenced so far, reinforces that we can have confidence because God is enough and, in Him, we are enough.
It is also important to remember that our worth does not come from our actions. Instead, our worth lies in God. He created us for His honor and glory and for His pleasure. He has known us from the very beginning and values us so very much that he created a plan for sinful mankind, even before the foundation of the world.
Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God, created him; male and female created he them.”
We are made, not if we are made, in the image of God, then why do we struggle with our worth? Obviously, because of sin. But our true basis of worth can only be found through faith in Jesus and by accepting His free gift of salvation. As a result, we are precious to God. We were and are so important to Him, that He sent His only begotten Son.
Our worth from our Lord is why in a contest of God-confidence vs self-confidence, God wins every time. Our worth upon acceptance of Jesus as our Savior will never change, unlike self-worth of the world, which can change by the minute.
One of the truths of our identity in Christ is that we can approach God with freedom and confidence and when we are secure in our identity in Christ, we have no need to promote, protect, or prove ourselves. We have His complete attention and unfailing love. We freely and humbly point to Jesus instead of ourselves. We rest in our relationship with God, humbly serving as Jesus did, wherever He leads us. His Spirit assures us that we belong to Him.
We are God’s masterpiece. God knows and loves us just the way we are. Sometimes, I do struggle with comparisons, which is a sin, I know . . . however in those times of doubt, my Heavenly Father is waiting for me, for us, to turn to Him for strength. God-confidence is not walking into a room checking everyone out or comparing yourself to everyone, it is walking in . . . not comparing yourself to anyone @ all.
To love, live and be an Apprentice of Jesus Christ, is more than a catchphrase, more than a lesson to be taught. Loving, living, and learning from God’s Word is an ongoing way of life. When we open our hearts to God’s life transforming work, the Spirit begins the process of reshaping us into the likeness of Jesus. The life poured into us gives us a new nature and overflows into our relationship with others. The Spirit’s transforming presence flows into every aspect of our lifes: personal, professional, public, and private. Concern for others, humility, and God-confidence reshapes our lives.
I am going to end with a story that I enjoy, and I am confident you will too ☺
Every month Martin’s parents took a trip too Grandmas and came home on the same train the next day.
One day Martin said to his parents, “I am all grown up. Can I ride the train and go to Grandma’s alone?”
After a brief discussion, his parents agreed. They stood with him as he waited for the train to arrive. They said goodbye to their son and gave him a few last-minute tips and instructions.
Martin repeated to them, “I know. I’ve been told this a thousand times.” As Martin was about to get onboard, his father murmured in his ear . . . “Son if you feel bad or insecure, this is for you.” And he put something in his pocket.
Now Martin was alone, sitting on the train as he had wanted, without his parents for the first time. He was admiring the landscape out the windows. Around him people pushed and shoved while getting on and off the train during each stop. The conductor made some comments about him being alone. One person looked @ Martin with eyes of sadness and pity.
Martin was feeling more uneasy and insecure, with every minute that passed, and now was scared. He felt concerned and alone. He put his head down, and with tears in his eyes, he remembered his Dad had put something in his pocket. Trembling, he searched for what his Dad had given him. Upon finding the piece of paper, Martin read, “Son, I am in the last train car.”
I read this and instantly thought, God is so like that. When we are going through moments or phases of insecurities, loneliness, questioning our life’s, may we always remember God is right with us. Not in the last train car, but sitting right beside us, His Spirit is so close to us that He resides within us. Always offering His support, His strength, even trusting that we will remain confident in Him, and loving us regardless of whatever situation we find ourselves.
Do not let obstacles along the road of eternity shake your confidence in God’s promises.
*** The HOLY SPIRIT is God’s SEAL that you will arrive ***
(David Jeremiah).
Amen!
The Little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn
Island park, Idaho 83433
♥ February 14, 2021 ♥
Valentine’s Day (it’s origin) You will be surprised & moved.
SERMON: PAIN (what good is it?)
I know, I know…. quite a topic for Valentine’s Day, but since Valentine’s Day is not a religious holiday, and this Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten Season, called Ash Wednesday, I chose to talk about one of the most difficult parts of being a human being….one topic with two streams that come together in the place of pain in Lent and pain in our lives. Most of us (especially those of us who are older) are seldom pain free, choosing of course, which is simply common sense, to alleviate it as much as possible, but at times impossible to do so completely, so we adapt, and as long as we can, deal with it as best as we can and with as good an attitude…. that sometimes takes work.
As I said above, we are entering this Wednesday according to the Church calendar, the Lenten Season. During this six-week period (a sober one) leading up to the death of Jesus, we commemorate and eventually celebrate on Easter Sunday His journey of pain, sorrow and death…. all coming together victoriously in the Lord’s Triumphant Resurrection.
It is often a dark and troubling journey, one aspect of which we will be covering today, as we (the world) currently are in a time of travail, and a time of what I have come to call The Year of Tears. Eventually, Grace will enter the scene…eventually, there once again will be light and joy, and laughter. But, for now, let us continue by starting with Isaiah 52:14 which correlates to my sermon title and specifically Lent. It reads, “Many were amazed when they saw Him. His face was so disfigured He seemed hardly human, and from His appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.” (direct quote from the Bible) In Mel Gibson’s movie “The Christ,” if you saw it you will remember that the Jesus was so disfigured by being beaten, cut and whipped so deeply, that indeed He was unrecognizable, and that yes, He barely seemed human. All for us.
Isaiah 53:2-5 continues, “There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him. He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised and we did not care. Yet, it was our weakness He carried, and we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins. But! He was pierced for our rebellion, He was crushed for our sins, and He was beaten so we could be made whole.”
Now, there is so much pain in the world that I am surprised the world itself is not groaning under its weight. I am going to give you these few verses to help sustain us, and help us overcome those events, people and pain that could overwhelm us, if we tried to bear the weight of it ourselves. Through this journey, especially now in this season let us look to Hebrews 2:17, for in these verses we hear of why and how, Jesus came to understand more fully by being one of us, what indeed it is to be human. Listen closely please. “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like us, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, (for us) to make propitiation or atonement…. which means, appeasing God, and by doing so, incurring divine favor therefore avoiding divine retribution…all of it comes down to His sacrificing His life….to appease God for our sins.”
Knowing as He did, what lay ahead…. the pain He would have to endure, it was necessary for Him to be as human as we are, like us, His brothers, and sisters, and thereby literally by doing so, deepening His understanding by experiencing what we experience, so that, He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest as He stands before the judgement seat of God interceding on our behalf. Talking to God for us. (the man in the middle) so that when God sees us, He sees us of the faith, through the sacrifice and blood that he willingly bled for us. Because of this, Jesus says to us in His Word, that “therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
He knows…by experience our pain, deeply. He understands, yet, as in how own case, did not and does not always alleviate it, as His was not alleviated. Sometimes what we endure, teaches us valuable lessons of endurance, compassion, mercy, grace and understanding. When times like these come upon us….we can go to Him who Himself experienced emotional pain, the pain of rejection on the deepest level, pain from bodily injury, but as He cried out to His Father, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me where I can hear and feel in his words the anguish in His cry….and in some small way we can identify with it…rejection is one of the most painful emotions that we as human being can experience. The loneliness of it at times crushing as it was to Him.
In using the words He expressed at that moment, literally quoting Scripture from the Old Testament in Psalm 22…a deep expression of the anguish he felt when He took the sins of the world upon Himself….which in doing so for that moment, caused a separation or rift from His Father….and then in Luke 24:46 Jesus then shouts out, the separation about to be healed with these words, “Father….Abba….I entrust my Spirit into Your hands.” And with these words he breathed His last…and in that moment, He was immediately back into the Presence of His Father.
When we are enduring pain, from the lightest to the deepest, it should give us a bit of comfort in knowing what we feel, He felt. At times such as these I have to attempt at least, to do what I spoke briefly of and of which we sang two weeks ago….I put my hands in the rough by tender hands of the man who stilled the water, calmed the sea…who raised the dead….who set and sets today, the captives free. Those bound by extremely difficult situations…. of so many different kinds.
Job, St. Augustine, C.S. Lewis, and others have contributed to the ongoing dialogue swirling around not only us, but the proverbial questions of those who doubt the existence of God. “Why do bad things happen to good people, let alone the so-called bad ones.’ For some, stories of personal suffering, persecution and martyrdom provide encouragement and a reminder of the pain He endured. Others suggest suffering is a character-building opportunity. This is all true…but it goes deeper, for pain is one of the most powerful tools for learning…both how to avoid it and if we cannot, endure it and learn what we can from it.
The upside of pain is this…. practically speaking, and on the lighter side of the subject. It tells us simply that something is wrong. If we did not feel pain, we would not know we were either sick or injured and would not seek and answer to find healing. This next thing I am saying to men mostly. They, we too often make the mistake of not addressing the pain in a timely manner, thinking erroneously a times that just to ignore it…until we cannot….and then in some cases it is too late to heal….and the consequences are never good. God made us smarter than that, and we need to address our fears instead of burying them….by sanely seeking help in all four arenas we experience pain in…those being physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
Jesus walked boldly and with pre-ordained purpose into His pain, embracing it, for the benefits that lay ahead for Him and us. Why God required His self-sacrifice through the death of His Son is because, He is a God of justice…. justice based on moral principles, whereas I said earlier there had to be by design and then planning, an atonement for sin. A sacrifice…. the greatest one that could be made. Otherwise, sin, error, evil would one day win out and God forbid, that just could not be allowed to happen.
Sin…is not a word we hear much about these days for the world has moved into a very gray area of right and wrong, often excusing behavior that needs to be defined as sin and is not….and this makes people uncomfortable and above all else human beings love to be comfortable.
You have the knowledge by observation alone, that we live daily in a world of opposites and sometimes deeply opposing forces. Duality is the nature of our world. Light and dark, earth and water, rain and drought, desert and jungle, mountains and plains, rich and poor, strength and weakness, health and illness, good and evil, war and peace, pain and comfort…and many more. Duality…. such as these
few mentioned co-exist, but in coexisting create both beauty and chaos.
Into this chaos came the God/Man, Jesus Christ, to reconcile the world through justice into wholeness. That day is yet physically to come, though spiritually it has been accomplished through His atonement.
There is much we can learn in and from pain that otherwise we would not learn, not only for ourselves but for others…. we can learn compassion, tenderness, gratefulness, kindness, mercy, even justice….and in doing so, we can also learn to appreciate our differences, join together in exhibiting and practicing these learned values. To appreciate this day, the day we currently have….and are gifted with. Looking through the big picture window of life in the Spirit, and not through the dirty window of emotion, where we do not clearly see things as they really are, we will at times allow ourselves due to our circumstances, choose the wrong attitude, even feeling justified in becoming, petty, vindictive, mean, angry, hateful, spiteful, and thereby even causing more pain, self-inflicted pain that can wash out and over on to others.
We all know by experience, that pain manifests itself in many different areas of our lives, to where we are affected, as I said earlier, emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Who can say with complete understanding which of these four areas are or can be, the most painful, or the most damaging, for all can be long term or temporary? Once having experienced it and then it is gone, we are grateful, incredibly grateful but what did we learn?
It is part of creation….and without its presence we would quickly destroy ourselves. Dr. Paul Brand, a deeply committed medical missionary works with lepers, and sees firsthand the suffering they endure. One of the problems with leprosy is that these people cannot feel pain in the affected part of their bodies. Dr. Brand speaks about what a tragedy it is for them that they cannot. He said, “If I had the power to eliminate pian, I would not exercise that right.’ Pain’s value is too great.
There is the necessary protective value of pain. He goes on to say, that when a healthy person has an injured leg as an example, he or she feel the pain and therefore does not put their weight on that injured leg. A leper not feeling the injury, wherever it is, will continue to use that injured limb to where it is destroyed, having never felt a thing.
We learn from our encounters or battles with it, in all the four areas I spoke of for it is a gift in our design from God. Pain unifies the body. Dr. Brand says, “I can tell the health of a human body by its reaction to pain. I f the body does not react, I know something is dreadfully wrong.”
Suffering….is a real and important element of our Faith. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I choose to lose all else. Philippians 3:8
I am now going to read to you one of the most painful, yet beautiful true stories I have ever read, of a young woman’s long and difficult triumph over pain.
READ
Kechi…like Jesus, was horribly disfigured…. both endured, both triumphed, each in their own way. Yet…it was He who having endured His pain, as she said…” enables her to walk with the confidence of one who knows that He sees her as beautiful, and instead of feeling resentment, she confesses “that all things work together for the good of those who love God.” Romans 8:28
God bless Kechi and all who endure great pain of any kind….and God bless you…each and all of you, with His great Grace and Mercy, but most of all His deep and everlasting love.
Amen (so be it)
Macks Inn
Island park, Idaho 83433
♥ February 14, 2021 ♥
Valentine’s Day (it’s origin) You will be surprised & moved.
SERMON: PAIN (what good is it?)
I know, I know…. quite a topic for Valentine’s Day, but since Valentine’s Day is not a religious holiday, and this Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten Season, called Ash Wednesday, I chose to talk about one of the most difficult parts of being a human being….one topic with two streams that come together in the place of pain in Lent and pain in our lives. Most of us (especially those of us who are older) are seldom pain free, choosing of course, which is simply common sense, to alleviate it as much as possible, but at times impossible to do so completely, so we adapt, and as long as we can, deal with it as best as we can and with as good an attitude…. that sometimes takes work.
As I said above, we are entering this Wednesday according to the Church calendar, the Lenten Season. During this six-week period (a sober one) leading up to the death of Jesus, we commemorate and eventually celebrate on Easter Sunday His journey of pain, sorrow and death…. all coming together victoriously in the Lord’s Triumphant Resurrection.
It is often a dark and troubling journey, one aspect of which we will be covering today, as we (the world) currently are in a time of travail, and a time of what I have come to call The Year of Tears. Eventually, Grace will enter the scene…eventually, there once again will be light and joy, and laughter. But, for now, let us continue by starting with Isaiah 52:14 which correlates to my sermon title and specifically Lent. It reads, “Many were amazed when they saw Him. His face was so disfigured He seemed hardly human, and from His appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.” (direct quote from the Bible) In Mel Gibson’s movie “The Christ,” if you saw it you will remember that the Jesus was so disfigured by being beaten, cut and whipped so deeply, that indeed He was unrecognizable, and that yes, He barely seemed human. All for us.
Isaiah 53:2-5 continues, “There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him. He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised and we did not care. Yet, it was our weakness He carried, and we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins. But! He was pierced for our rebellion, He was crushed for our sins, and He was beaten so we could be made whole.”
Now, there is so much pain in the world that I am surprised the world itself is not groaning under its weight. I am going to give you these few verses to help sustain us, and help us overcome those events, people and pain that could overwhelm us, if we tried to bear the weight of it ourselves. Through this journey, especially now in this season let us look to Hebrews 2:17, for in these verses we hear of why and how, Jesus came to understand more fully by being one of us, what indeed it is to be human. Listen closely please. “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like us, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, (for us) to make propitiation or atonement…. which means, appeasing God, and by doing so, incurring divine favor therefore avoiding divine retribution…all of it comes down to His sacrificing His life….to appease God for our sins.”
Knowing as He did, what lay ahead…. the pain He would have to endure, it was necessary for Him to be as human as we are, like us, His brothers, and sisters, and thereby literally by doing so, deepening His understanding by experiencing what we experience, so that, He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest as He stands before the judgement seat of God interceding on our behalf. Talking to God for us. (the man in the middle) so that when God sees us, He sees us of the faith, through the sacrifice and blood that he willingly bled for us. Because of this, Jesus says to us in His Word, that “therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
He knows…by experience our pain, deeply. He understands, yet, as in how own case, did not and does not always alleviate it, as His was not alleviated. Sometimes what we endure, teaches us valuable lessons of endurance, compassion, mercy, grace and understanding. When times like these come upon us….we can go to Him who Himself experienced emotional pain, the pain of rejection on the deepest level, pain from bodily injury, but as He cried out to His Father, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me where I can hear and feel in his words the anguish in His cry….and in some small way we can identify with it…rejection is one of the most painful emotions that we as human being can experience. The loneliness of it at times crushing as it was to Him.
In using the words He expressed at that moment, literally quoting Scripture from the Old Testament in Psalm 22…a deep expression of the anguish he felt when He took the sins of the world upon Himself….which in doing so for that moment, caused a separation or rift from His Father….and then in Luke 24:46 Jesus then shouts out, the separation about to be healed with these words, “Father….Abba….I entrust my Spirit into Your hands.” And with these words he breathed His last…and in that moment, He was immediately back into the Presence of His Father.
When we are enduring pain, from the lightest to the deepest, it should give us a bit of comfort in knowing what we feel, He felt. At times such as these I have to attempt at least, to do what I spoke briefly of and of which we sang two weeks ago….I put my hands in the rough by tender hands of the man who stilled the water, calmed the sea…who raised the dead….who set and sets today, the captives free. Those bound by extremely difficult situations…. of so many different kinds.
Job, St. Augustine, C.S. Lewis, and others have contributed to the ongoing dialogue swirling around not only us, but the proverbial questions of those who doubt the existence of God. “Why do bad things happen to good people, let alone the so-called bad ones.’ For some, stories of personal suffering, persecution and martyrdom provide encouragement and a reminder of the pain He endured. Others suggest suffering is a character-building opportunity. This is all true…but it goes deeper, for pain is one of the most powerful tools for learning…both how to avoid it and if we cannot, endure it and learn what we can from it.
The upside of pain is this…. practically speaking, and on the lighter side of the subject. It tells us simply that something is wrong. If we did not feel pain, we would not know we were either sick or injured and would not seek and answer to find healing. This next thing I am saying to men mostly. They, we too often make the mistake of not addressing the pain in a timely manner, thinking erroneously a times that just to ignore it…until we cannot….and then in some cases it is too late to heal….and the consequences are never good. God made us smarter than that, and we need to address our fears instead of burying them….by sanely seeking help in all four arenas we experience pain in…those being physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
Jesus walked boldly and with pre-ordained purpose into His pain, embracing it, for the benefits that lay ahead for Him and us. Why God required His self-sacrifice through the death of His Son is because, He is a God of justice…. justice based on moral principles, whereas I said earlier there had to be by design and then planning, an atonement for sin. A sacrifice…. the greatest one that could be made. Otherwise, sin, error, evil would one day win out and God forbid, that just could not be allowed to happen.
Sin…is not a word we hear much about these days for the world has moved into a very gray area of right and wrong, often excusing behavior that needs to be defined as sin and is not….and this makes people uncomfortable and above all else human beings love to be comfortable.
You have the knowledge by observation alone, that we live daily in a world of opposites and sometimes deeply opposing forces. Duality is the nature of our world. Light and dark, earth and water, rain and drought, desert and jungle, mountains and plains, rich and poor, strength and weakness, health and illness, good and evil, war and peace, pain and comfort…and many more. Duality…. such as these
few mentioned co-exist, but in coexisting create both beauty and chaos.
Into this chaos came the God/Man, Jesus Christ, to reconcile the world through justice into wholeness. That day is yet physically to come, though spiritually it has been accomplished through His atonement.
There is much we can learn in and from pain that otherwise we would not learn, not only for ourselves but for others…. we can learn compassion, tenderness, gratefulness, kindness, mercy, even justice….and in doing so, we can also learn to appreciate our differences, join together in exhibiting and practicing these learned values. To appreciate this day, the day we currently have….and are gifted with. Looking through the big picture window of life in the Spirit, and not through the dirty window of emotion, where we do not clearly see things as they really are, we will at times allow ourselves due to our circumstances, choose the wrong attitude, even feeling justified in becoming, petty, vindictive, mean, angry, hateful, spiteful, and thereby even causing more pain, self-inflicted pain that can wash out and over on to others.
We all know by experience, that pain manifests itself in many different areas of our lives, to where we are affected, as I said earlier, emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Who can say with complete understanding which of these four areas are or can be, the most painful, or the most damaging, for all can be long term or temporary? Once having experienced it and then it is gone, we are grateful, incredibly grateful but what did we learn?
It is part of creation….and without its presence we would quickly destroy ourselves. Dr. Paul Brand, a deeply committed medical missionary works with lepers, and sees firsthand the suffering they endure. One of the problems with leprosy is that these people cannot feel pain in the affected part of their bodies. Dr. Brand speaks about what a tragedy it is for them that they cannot. He said, “If I had the power to eliminate pian, I would not exercise that right.’ Pain’s value is too great.
There is the necessary protective value of pain. He goes on to say, that when a healthy person has an injured leg as an example, he or she feel the pain and therefore does not put their weight on that injured leg. A leper not feeling the injury, wherever it is, will continue to use that injured limb to where it is destroyed, having never felt a thing.
We learn from our encounters or battles with it, in all the four areas I spoke of for it is a gift in our design from God. Pain unifies the body. Dr. Brand says, “I can tell the health of a human body by its reaction to pain. I f the body does not react, I know something is dreadfully wrong.”
Suffering….is a real and important element of our Faith. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I choose to lose all else. Philippians 3:8
I am now going to read to you one of the most painful, yet beautiful true stories I have ever read, of a young woman’s long and difficult triumph over pain.
READ
Kechi…like Jesus, was horribly disfigured…. both endured, both triumphed, each in their own way. Yet…it was He who having endured His pain, as she said…” enables her to walk with the confidence of one who knows that He sees her as beautiful, and instead of feeling resentment, she confesses “that all things work together for the good of those who love God.” Romans 8:28
God bless Kechi and all who endure great pain of any kind….and God bless you…each and all of you, with His great Grace and Mercy, but most of all His deep and everlasting love.
Amen (so be it)
THE LITTLE CHURCH IN THE PINES
Macks Inn, Idaho 83433 Febraury 7, 2021
” DO YOU HEAR ME? “
(AN ADDENDUM TO “COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS”
The Art and Discipline of Listening and Why it is Important
Silence
This morning….part of the reason you came was to hear, of all people, me, speak to you….to listen….perhaps expecting and hoping to carry away some encouragement, guidance, maybe even a little wisdom, as to how to live your lives. That, I have to tell you is my hope and expectation. Romans 10:17 says “So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the Word of God.”
If we truly are hearing….it is because we are really listening…and really listening sometimes takes focus and discipline, for, “listening” most often must be sought after and then calls for focused development. I hope I have not lost you already.
Here is a short secular, rather off-beat illustration, as to whether this person listening really listened, and the consequences of not.
A couple of hunters, good friends, are out in the forest, when one of them simply falls to the ground. Checking on him, his friend notices He does not seem to be breathing, and his eyes are rolled back in his head.
His friend frantically calls 911 on his cell phone, blurting out to the operator, “My friend Jackson appears to be dead! What can I do?
The operator, trying to calm him down says, “Take it easy…. I can help, just listen to me, and follow my instructions sir, first, make sure he is dead.”
There is a short pause, and then the operator is puzzled when she hears a loud gunshot. The hunter comes back on the line and says breathlessly, “ok, now what?”
Sometimes…it is easy to hear the words being spoken to us, without hearing the real message being spoken.
We think that we know what is being said, but do not clarify it (because we are thinking as to how what is being said, does not fit our understanding) we stopped listening to the person speaking, missing perhaps much of what the person is saying to prove their position. Listening means listening, clear to the end of that person’s narrative before we hear the whole thing. This, when done this way can cause us to what is the term jump to conclusions” that are untrue, and sometime unwarranted.
Listen to this…..and this is true. We have been designed with two ears, one mouth for a reason. Two ears so we can hear better, and one mouth so we can speak less that what we hear. Let our goal be to strive to become better listeners, especially if we are going to repeat what we are hearing to others, and especially if we disagree….we will repeat with our own interpretation.
Another example many of us have taken part is a circle game called “the circle whisper.” All sitting in a circle one person turns to the next on the right and whispers something in their ear. That person then allegedly whispers the exact words they just heard to the person on their right, until the circle of passing the information on comes back to the original person.
So, what is usually the outcome? It barely resembles the original words, with perhaps just a small element of the original….and sometimes not at all.
James 3:6 reads, “How great a forest can be set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a potential for good or evil and can stain the whole body by setting on fire a cycle of burning…….at times by hell itself. “
Then there is Matthew 13:12-13, “to those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But, for those who are NOT listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away. Jesus goes on to say, “that is why I use these parables, for
the people look but they do not really see. They hear, but they are not really listening, therefore they are not able to comprehend or understand.”
This now is important to hear, so please listen closely. Who we are is reflected in both what we say, and what we do, if concerned at all about our personal reputation, and as Christians, our reputation either holds up or diminishes the very reputation of Christ Himself.
The words we speak puts accountability in our own laps, and no one else’s. Human ears hear many sounds but there is a deeper kind of listening that results in spiritual understanding. When speaking parables, Jesus was not cloaking or hiding truth from sincere seekers, but those who were receptive to spiritual truths and therefore understood His illustrations. To others they were just stories with little applicable meaning. We hear…. really hear, only when we really listen.
I know…I am being repetitive here…. but it is only because it is such a vital discipline in our lives…. that can change the course of our ever days lives, everyday….by the choices we make in listening and correctly and fully understanding.
Steven Covey….an educator, author, businessman and motivational speaker says, “seek first to understand, then….to be understood.” Only by listening can this happen.”
He also said this, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to respond.” X2
Now here comes the chalkboard………………WITH FIVE TIPS FOR BECOMING A MORE EFFECTIVE LISTENER”
1. Be aware of your body language. The effective use of body language is often discussed when teaching how to deliver a message, but not so much when receiving one. This means…. try not to fall asleep when the speaker is speaking. I once had a young woman (a teacher) in my congregation in Kentucky who for some reason was really ticked at me. So, she sat one Sunday in the back pew correcting her student’s papers, rustling them…. while I was preaching. That was a bit amusing in looking back, though not so at the time. I will say it was one of the most.
audacious ways of publicly telling me and everyone else her feelings toward me at that time.
2. Do not be afraid of silence. Sometimes we are so used to noise that we start to feel uncomfortable when there are pauses during a conversation. One of the important lessons to learn is to allow for moments of silence while listening to others.
3. Restrain yourself. Many times, we fall into the trap of thinking we have a funnier anecdote, more fascinating statistics, or sadder story than the person speaking. (and it may be true) but we need to hold our tongue.
4. A good way to start a conversation is to ask questions. Asking follow-up questions can be an excellent way of showing that you were listening. It might even be a point where you may disagree….and that is ok depending on your approach of course.
5. Get rid of distractions. Put your phone on silent when talking or listening to someone. Honor the person by giving them your undivided attention.
Here are a few Scriptures about the discipline of listening.
Proverbs 10:8 “The wise of heart will receive what is spoken, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
Mark 4:24, and He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear; and with the measure you apply what you receive, it will be measured back to you and still more will be added to that.”
Proverbs 20:12, “the hearing ear and the seeing eyes, the Lord has made them both. (Use them well)
Proverbs 18:5, “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise…seeks knowledge.”
The last one. Proverbs 2:21-22 My son or daughter, if you receive my words and treasure my commandments, making your ear attentive to wisdom and incline your heart to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then (and only then) …. will you understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God?
Did you get that?
We are now down to the last illustration….
But before that…. did you know that we think four times faster than we can talk, and I know some fast talkers! Their minds must be like a blur.
Ok…here is the illustration.
Franklin Roosevelt…. often endured long receiving lines as do all presidents at the White House with political and social events. He complained to his wife and staff, that no one really paid any attention to what was said by him in these lines. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. (loved it) To, every person whom he greeted while shaking their hand murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “marvelous!” Keep up the good work,” we are proud of you Mr. President.” God bless you sir,” and so on.
It was not until the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia that his words were heard. Non-pulsed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”
Remember…. who we are is reflected in what we say….and what we do, and they better be the same! Our reputation and our Lords are at stake.
Lord…give us the wisdom to help us, to both speak when we should and keep our mouths shut when we should. That is real wisdom! Amen
Macks Inn, Idaho 83433 Febraury 7, 2021
” DO YOU HEAR ME? “
(AN ADDENDUM TO “COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS”
The Art and Discipline of Listening and Why it is Important
Silence
This morning….part of the reason you came was to hear, of all people, me, speak to you….to listen….perhaps expecting and hoping to carry away some encouragement, guidance, maybe even a little wisdom, as to how to live your lives. That, I have to tell you is my hope and expectation. Romans 10:17 says “So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the Word of God.”
If we truly are hearing….it is because we are really listening…and really listening sometimes takes focus and discipline, for, “listening” most often must be sought after and then calls for focused development. I hope I have not lost you already.
Here is a short secular, rather off-beat illustration, as to whether this person listening really listened, and the consequences of not.
A couple of hunters, good friends, are out in the forest, when one of them simply falls to the ground. Checking on him, his friend notices He does not seem to be breathing, and his eyes are rolled back in his head.
His friend frantically calls 911 on his cell phone, blurting out to the operator, “My friend Jackson appears to be dead! What can I do?
The operator, trying to calm him down says, “Take it easy…. I can help, just listen to me, and follow my instructions sir, first, make sure he is dead.”
There is a short pause, and then the operator is puzzled when she hears a loud gunshot. The hunter comes back on the line and says breathlessly, “ok, now what?”
Sometimes…it is easy to hear the words being spoken to us, without hearing the real message being spoken.
We think that we know what is being said, but do not clarify it (because we are thinking as to how what is being said, does not fit our understanding) we stopped listening to the person speaking, missing perhaps much of what the person is saying to prove their position. Listening means listening, clear to the end of that person’s narrative before we hear the whole thing. This, when done this way can cause us to what is the term jump to conclusions” that are untrue, and sometime unwarranted.
Listen to this…..and this is true. We have been designed with two ears, one mouth for a reason. Two ears so we can hear better, and one mouth so we can speak less that what we hear. Let our goal be to strive to become better listeners, especially if we are going to repeat what we are hearing to others, and especially if we disagree….we will repeat with our own interpretation.
Another example many of us have taken part is a circle game called “the circle whisper.” All sitting in a circle one person turns to the next on the right and whispers something in their ear. That person then allegedly whispers the exact words they just heard to the person on their right, until the circle of passing the information on comes back to the original person.
So, what is usually the outcome? It barely resembles the original words, with perhaps just a small element of the original….and sometimes not at all.
James 3:6 reads, “How great a forest can be set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a potential for good or evil and can stain the whole body by setting on fire a cycle of burning…….at times by hell itself. “
Then there is Matthew 13:12-13, “to those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But, for those who are NOT listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away. Jesus goes on to say, “that is why I use these parables, for
the people look but they do not really see. They hear, but they are not really listening, therefore they are not able to comprehend or understand.”
This now is important to hear, so please listen closely. Who we are is reflected in both what we say, and what we do, if concerned at all about our personal reputation, and as Christians, our reputation either holds up or diminishes the very reputation of Christ Himself.
The words we speak puts accountability in our own laps, and no one else’s. Human ears hear many sounds but there is a deeper kind of listening that results in spiritual understanding. When speaking parables, Jesus was not cloaking or hiding truth from sincere seekers, but those who were receptive to spiritual truths and therefore understood His illustrations. To others they were just stories with little applicable meaning. We hear…. really hear, only when we really listen.
I know…I am being repetitive here…. but it is only because it is such a vital discipline in our lives…. that can change the course of our ever days lives, everyday….by the choices we make in listening and correctly and fully understanding.
Steven Covey….an educator, author, businessman and motivational speaker says, “seek first to understand, then….to be understood.” Only by listening can this happen.”
He also said this, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to respond.” X2
Now here comes the chalkboard………………WITH FIVE TIPS FOR BECOMING A MORE EFFECTIVE LISTENER”
1. Be aware of your body language. The effective use of body language is often discussed when teaching how to deliver a message, but not so much when receiving one. This means…. try not to fall asleep when the speaker is speaking. I once had a young woman (a teacher) in my congregation in Kentucky who for some reason was really ticked at me. So, she sat one Sunday in the back pew correcting her student’s papers, rustling them…. while I was preaching. That was a bit amusing in looking back, though not so at the time. I will say it was one of the most.
audacious ways of publicly telling me and everyone else her feelings toward me at that time.
2. Do not be afraid of silence. Sometimes we are so used to noise that we start to feel uncomfortable when there are pauses during a conversation. One of the important lessons to learn is to allow for moments of silence while listening to others.
3. Restrain yourself. Many times, we fall into the trap of thinking we have a funnier anecdote, more fascinating statistics, or sadder story than the person speaking. (and it may be true) but we need to hold our tongue.
4. A good way to start a conversation is to ask questions. Asking follow-up questions can be an excellent way of showing that you were listening. It might even be a point where you may disagree….and that is ok depending on your approach of course.
5. Get rid of distractions. Put your phone on silent when talking or listening to someone. Honor the person by giving them your undivided attention.
Here are a few Scriptures about the discipline of listening.
Proverbs 10:8 “The wise of heart will receive what is spoken, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
Mark 4:24, and He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear; and with the measure you apply what you receive, it will be measured back to you and still more will be added to that.”
Proverbs 20:12, “the hearing ear and the seeing eyes, the Lord has made them both. (Use them well)
Proverbs 18:5, “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise…seeks knowledge.”
The last one. Proverbs 2:21-22 My son or daughter, if you receive my words and treasure my commandments, making your ear attentive to wisdom and incline your heart to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then (and only then) …. will you understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God?
Did you get that?
We are now down to the last illustration….
But before that…. did you know that we think four times faster than we can talk, and I know some fast talkers! Their minds must be like a blur.
Ok…here is the illustration.
Franklin Roosevelt…. often endured long receiving lines as do all presidents at the White House with political and social events. He complained to his wife and staff, that no one really paid any attention to what was said by him in these lines. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. (loved it) To, every person whom he greeted while shaking their hand murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “marvelous!” Keep up the good work,” we are proud of you Mr. President.” God bless you sir,” and so on.
It was not until the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia that his words were heard. Non-pulsed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”
Remember…. who we are is reflected in what we say….and what we do, and they better be the same! Our reputation and our Lords are at stake.
Lord…give us the wisdom to help us, to both speak when we should and keep our mouths shut when we should. That is real wisdom! Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
January 31, 2021
Pastor Tom A. Shanor
COURAGE….is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.
PHYSICAL COURAGE is bravery in the face of physical pain, hardship, even death or the threat of death.
MORAL COURAGE is the right to act rightly in the face for what may be popular opposition, shame scandal, discouragement, or personal loss.
The classical virtue of fortitude can also be translated “courage” but includes the aspects of perseverance and patience.
Patience being the topic on which I spoke last week.
…. Courage, in both small matters and large matters takes a measure of fortitude. Fortitude means “strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with COURAGE.”
EXAMPLE
1. “They showed fortitude in the face of a hostile encounter.”
2. We pray we have the fortitude to carry on fighting for what is right!
This calls for being brave in the face of difficulty, be it physical, mental, emotional, even verbal….in thought word or deed. It is the ability to act rightly in the face of opposition when we KNOW what we are saying is backed up let us say, by Scripture, even Jesus own words. Those in themselves are substantive enough to give us courage.
We are at times when right facing unpopular opposition which can be manifested in politics, religion or in any other realm or topic. It could also involve an aspect of patience and perseverance, in the ability to stay calm while in a crowd that is not, and even involved in a conversation where there are sometimes great differences in opinions and outlook in any of the above-mentioned topics. STAY CALM…is a great virtue to develop in any situation that has the potential to evolve quickly into a mob situation.
How about in being a part of a conversation where you or I disagree greatly with what is being spoken? Have we the ability to maintain a kind of reverse courage by listening all the way through the conversation until it is our time to speak, without interrupting the person speaking. It is what you would want when you speak so why not give the others person(s) the same respect and patience? One of the most courageous things you can do…. which will draw attention to you is to stand perfectly still…. eyes closed perhaps…and pray. I guarantee you will be noticed.
In the world of our Western tradition, notable thoughts on courage have come from philosophers Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and Kierkregard as a few examples.
In the realm of Western Christianity…. we have such notables as Billy Graham, Philip Yancey (controversial) Max Lucado, Pope Francis, Joel Osteen, J.I. Packer, Joyce Meyer, Aimee Semple McPherson to name just a few. Few have had the impact that Billy Graham has had…being a simple man with a simple and clear message, and having lived a simple, honest, and upright life.
Yet each, in their own way and in their own words have been influential to a greater or lesser degree. Each also, having displayed courage at times by differing and speaking those differences in both words and the written word, that at times veered off from what then was the current mainstream of Christian thought, especially of course the women. Simply preaching publicly was enough to put them on the blacklist of many denominations. Heretics and tools of the devil.
Jesus said you will know them by their fruit….and each and all of these, produced good fruit that is utilized and cherished to this day, and will be tomorrow and beyond. That is often the problem, that we look at people through our prejudices and bias’s, seeing neither the person, or the truths they speak and live…. judging them instead on those prejudices and bias’s alone.
Gathered here today….in the Name and Person of Jesus Christ, we come from a broad collection of different doctrinal backgrounds, but the same faith.
The ancient APOSTLES CREED written by the forefathers of our faith, who labored over what would come to the cement or glue of that faith. With all our great variety of structures and methodology in expressing our faith…. these words bind all of together. Let’s read them….
I want to say and will, that there is a simple hymn in our hymnals that for me is the bottom line and essence of, Who, and what we believe in that binds us together….in love, which we shortly will sing acapella. “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love”
Please think about what I am going to share next…. for it is very important, and for which I am and will be held accountable for.
IT IS NOT OUR DOCTRINE THAT SAVE US……IT IS A BINDER, BUT NOT A BOX FROM WHICH WE LIVE, FOR NO ONE CAN BREATHE AND LIVE IN A CLOSED, AIRLESS BOX.
If…I could get that across to people of faith, that though doctrine (important as it is) may give us comfort….it is the Lord Jesus Christ HIMSELF who saves us. We too often worship our doctrine above He, Himself. It is HIM whom we must find our security in. Doctrine is important…. please understand that…. but with our Lord, it was when in discourse with individuals or a crowd…. He saw the people, the pain, the heartache, the brokenness, and responded to those things. He always saw the person, even above the sin…. of what and who they could become, simply believing in and following Him.
In Luke 9:49-50, is a brief conversation between John and Jesus, (49) “Master, he says, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop, because he isn’t in our group.”
(50) But, Jesus said, do not stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.”
By using these words, He is saying, we are to embrace an open-arms attitude toward Christians outside our own group. Back then, there was not yet a bona-fide church of internal and external structure, and not the over 35,000 different Christian denominations that exist today. Yet…we are to rejoice with one another when we see the evidence of good fruit, being produced by any Christian gathering or denomination…. or for that matter, any individual. For we will know them by two things……their love of Christ and good that is produced by them in the name of Jesus Christ.
I do not know if you are aware of this, but several times, people of different denominations and even faiths in Idaho Falls, gather to discuss their commonalities and differences. It has brought together, many people who desire to be healers, finding understanding and therefore being not dividers. Some hundreds have attended, and it has been a blessing as it builds bridges, and not walls. It is about having courageous conversations in a godly and peace-filled setting and manner, in order to learn about each other, love and accept each other in an atmosphere of grace and kindness.
Now, somewhat briefly, (I think) I am going to turn this conversation to a place that is practical, personal, and potentially courageous, for the finger is now going to point to you…and me, of course, in our personal, interactive everyday relationships with one another and, in regard to family, friends, neighbors and even political adversaries.
WE ARE TOLD….”to love our neighbor as we love ourselves”, (who is our neighbor?) Mark 12:31…this is not a narcissistic love, self-ego love, prideful self-love…but a humble love in understanding that we are first loved by Him, and if indeed we are, and He loves us, having proven it by His great sacrifice…. knowing we are loved, enables us to love the self/person that we sometime do not love. He died for us which proves we are loved and lovable…. just as we are, seen by Him in His eyes. He made us worthy of His great love, otherwise why would He have done what He did for us?
We are also TOLD (dang) to love our enemies….and yet He goes further than that, by saying (as His finger points to us) do good to those who would harm us, and spitefully use us.
Well, we know, that just does not sit well with us, but, as He, (from the human point of view, did the impossible, by forgiving those who crucified Him…while hanging from that cross they put Him on…. He is telling us through this graphic example….TO DO THE SAME, no matter how much it costs us (our egos and sometimes pride)
That…is the sort of action that can change an adversary’s life as well as our own.
He asks us to do at times what seems the impossible…. but,
remember these words…if we are willing, “WE CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO WILL GIVE US THE ABILITY AND STRENGTH TO DO SO)” if, we are but willing.
So…I am now going to make a recommendation here. At home, set aside some time. Get out a pen and paper and sit at your table or desk. Ask the Lord by His Spirit to assist you…… (not in guilt or punishment) but out of need, show you those things and people in your life, that you need to make amends to, change your mind about, stop judging, whatever! Write on paper or on your computer or phone, this list. Then ask the Spirit now, as to how you can make right that which is not right but wrong, and, that He will give you the wisdom as to how to do so. Remember…. we are weak, but He is strong. In being willing…. much like admitting (if an alcoholic, or addict of any kind) being willing to admit our condition, is the first step toward healing and wholeness.
I can guarantee…. He WILL assist you in this endeavor. The reason is that He wants you whole, and He wants you healed of events such as estrangements, hurts, abuse either given or received. Give to Him those events, people, and pain, willingly and watch what He can and will do…. the key? WILLING
If you are in trouble in your marriage and communication is not exceptionally good…. sit down together and have a courageous conversation.
Your children…your neighbor, co-worker, etc., etc.
God…continually will give us the opportunity to be healthy, happy, whole people, whom He loves without prejudice or judgement….NO MATTER WHAT YOU HAVE DONE that has caused sin, sorrow, pain or rejection. ALL can be forgiven and healed. ALL.
If…your request for forgiveness from someone is rejected, it lay on them and no longer on you, for you will have done that which God in Christ expects you to do.
In having some of these courageous conversations, they will not at times go as we hope and pray, they will. That comes with being courageous…. but, we will have done what we were willing and courageous enough to do. I can tell you, God will honor our efforts, as we attempt to make things right. That is who He is….and He desires we be like Him as His dear Son exemplifies.
Well…that about wraps it up for today…. hopefully, I have given you some food for thought, with the intention of good and not evil. A way to please God and ease some of the burdens you just may be carrying around. They do not get any lighter.
As we now, as part of our service head to the Table of the Lord, there is something I am going to read to you that a childhood friend sent me yesterday.
It is about God…through the eyes of an 8 year old child….I think this will bless you…as it did and does me. (READ)
I have had a couple of interesting months…and through it all have found myself more emotional than usual….this really touched me in a beautiful way….and so I hope it does you as well.
God loves you….as do I, and God bless you…….
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
January 31, 2021
Pastor Tom A. Shanor
COURAGE….is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.
PHYSICAL COURAGE is bravery in the face of physical pain, hardship, even death or the threat of death.
MORAL COURAGE is the right to act rightly in the face for what may be popular opposition, shame scandal, discouragement, or personal loss.
The classical virtue of fortitude can also be translated “courage” but includes the aspects of perseverance and patience.
Patience being the topic on which I spoke last week.
…. Courage, in both small matters and large matters takes a measure of fortitude. Fortitude means “strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with COURAGE.”
EXAMPLE
1. “They showed fortitude in the face of a hostile encounter.”
2. We pray we have the fortitude to carry on fighting for what is right!
This calls for being brave in the face of difficulty, be it physical, mental, emotional, even verbal….in thought word or deed. It is the ability to act rightly in the face of opposition when we KNOW what we are saying is backed up let us say, by Scripture, even Jesus own words. Those in themselves are substantive enough to give us courage.
We are at times when right facing unpopular opposition which can be manifested in politics, religion or in any other realm or topic. It could also involve an aspect of patience and perseverance, in the ability to stay calm while in a crowd that is not, and even involved in a conversation where there are sometimes great differences in opinions and outlook in any of the above-mentioned topics. STAY CALM…is a great virtue to develop in any situation that has the potential to evolve quickly into a mob situation.
How about in being a part of a conversation where you or I disagree greatly with what is being spoken? Have we the ability to maintain a kind of reverse courage by listening all the way through the conversation until it is our time to speak, without interrupting the person speaking. It is what you would want when you speak so why not give the others person(s) the same respect and patience? One of the most courageous things you can do…. which will draw attention to you is to stand perfectly still…. eyes closed perhaps…and pray. I guarantee you will be noticed.
In the world of our Western tradition, notable thoughts on courage have come from philosophers Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and Kierkregard as a few examples.
In the realm of Western Christianity…. we have such notables as Billy Graham, Philip Yancey (controversial) Max Lucado, Pope Francis, Joel Osteen, J.I. Packer, Joyce Meyer, Aimee Semple McPherson to name just a few. Few have had the impact that Billy Graham has had…being a simple man with a simple and clear message, and having lived a simple, honest, and upright life.
Yet each, in their own way and in their own words have been influential to a greater or lesser degree. Each also, having displayed courage at times by differing and speaking those differences in both words and the written word, that at times veered off from what then was the current mainstream of Christian thought, especially of course the women. Simply preaching publicly was enough to put them on the blacklist of many denominations. Heretics and tools of the devil.
Jesus said you will know them by their fruit….and each and all of these, produced good fruit that is utilized and cherished to this day, and will be tomorrow and beyond. That is often the problem, that we look at people through our prejudices and bias’s, seeing neither the person, or the truths they speak and live…. judging them instead on those prejudices and bias’s alone.
Gathered here today….in the Name and Person of Jesus Christ, we come from a broad collection of different doctrinal backgrounds, but the same faith.
The ancient APOSTLES CREED written by the forefathers of our faith, who labored over what would come to the cement or glue of that faith. With all our great variety of structures and methodology in expressing our faith…. these words bind all of together. Let’s read them….
I want to say and will, that there is a simple hymn in our hymnals that for me is the bottom line and essence of, Who, and what we believe in that binds us together….in love, which we shortly will sing acapella. “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love”
Please think about what I am going to share next…. for it is very important, and for which I am and will be held accountable for.
IT IS NOT OUR DOCTRINE THAT SAVE US……IT IS A BINDER, BUT NOT A BOX FROM WHICH WE LIVE, FOR NO ONE CAN BREATHE AND LIVE IN A CLOSED, AIRLESS BOX.
If…I could get that across to people of faith, that though doctrine (important as it is) may give us comfort….it is the Lord Jesus Christ HIMSELF who saves us. We too often worship our doctrine above He, Himself. It is HIM whom we must find our security in. Doctrine is important…. please understand that…. but with our Lord, it was when in discourse with individuals or a crowd…. He saw the people, the pain, the heartache, the brokenness, and responded to those things. He always saw the person, even above the sin…. of what and who they could become, simply believing in and following Him.
In Luke 9:49-50, is a brief conversation between John and Jesus, (49) “Master, he says, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop, because he isn’t in our group.”
(50) But, Jesus said, do not stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.”
By using these words, He is saying, we are to embrace an open-arms attitude toward Christians outside our own group. Back then, there was not yet a bona-fide church of internal and external structure, and not the over 35,000 different Christian denominations that exist today. Yet…we are to rejoice with one another when we see the evidence of good fruit, being produced by any Christian gathering or denomination…. or for that matter, any individual. For we will know them by two things……their love of Christ and good that is produced by them in the name of Jesus Christ.
I do not know if you are aware of this, but several times, people of different denominations and even faiths in Idaho Falls, gather to discuss their commonalities and differences. It has brought together, many people who desire to be healers, finding understanding and therefore being not dividers. Some hundreds have attended, and it has been a blessing as it builds bridges, and not walls. It is about having courageous conversations in a godly and peace-filled setting and manner, in order to learn about each other, love and accept each other in an atmosphere of grace and kindness.
Now, somewhat briefly, (I think) I am going to turn this conversation to a place that is practical, personal, and potentially courageous, for the finger is now going to point to you…and me, of course, in our personal, interactive everyday relationships with one another and, in regard to family, friends, neighbors and even political adversaries.
WE ARE TOLD….”to love our neighbor as we love ourselves”, (who is our neighbor?) Mark 12:31…this is not a narcissistic love, self-ego love, prideful self-love…but a humble love in understanding that we are first loved by Him, and if indeed we are, and He loves us, having proven it by His great sacrifice…. knowing we are loved, enables us to love the self/person that we sometime do not love. He died for us which proves we are loved and lovable…. just as we are, seen by Him in His eyes. He made us worthy of His great love, otherwise why would He have done what He did for us?
We are also TOLD (dang) to love our enemies….and yet He goes further than that, by saying (as His finger points to us) do good to those who would harm us, and spitefully use us.
Well, we know, that just does not sit well with us, but, as He, (from the human point of view, did the impossible, by forgiving those who crucified Him…while hanging from that cross they put Him on…. He is telling us through this graphic example….TO DO THE SAME, no matter how much it costs us (our egos and sometimes pride)
That…is the sort of action that can change an adversary’s life as well as our own.
He asks us to do at times what seems the impossible…. but,
remember these words…if we are willing, “WE CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO WILL GIVE US THE ABILITY AND STRENGTH TO DO SO)” if, we are but willing.
So…I am now going to make a recommendation here. At home, set aside some time. Get out a pen and paper and sit at your table or desk. Ask the Lord by His Spirit to assist you…… (not in guilt or punishment) but out of need, show you those things and people in your life, that you need to make amends to, change your mind about, stop judging, whatever! Write on paper or on your computer or phone, this list. Then ask the Spirit now, as to how you can make right that which is not right but wrong, and, that He will give you the wisdom as to how to do so. Remember…. we are weak, but He is strong. In being willing…. much like admitting (if an alcoholic, or addict of any kind) being willing to admit our condition, is the first step toward healing and wholeness.
I can guarantee…. He WILL assist you in this endeavor. The reason is that He wants you whole, and He wants you healed of events such as estrangements, hurts, abuse either given or received. Give to Him those events, people, and pain, willingly and watch what He can and will do…. the key? WILLING
If you are in trouble in your marriage and communication is not exceptionally good…. sit down together and have a courageous conversation.
Your children…your neighbor, co-worker, etc., etc.
God…continually will give us the opportunity to be healthy, happy, whole people, whom He loves without prejudice or judgement….NO MATTER WHAT YOU HAVE DONE that has caused sin, sorrow, pain or rejection. ALL can be forgiven and healed. ALL.
If…your request for forgiveness from someone is rejected, it lay on them and no longer on you, for you will have done that which God in Christ expects you to do.
In having some of these courageous conversations, they will not at times go as we hope and pray, they will. That comes with being courageous…. but, we will have done what we were willing and courageous enough to do. I can tell you, God will honor our efforts, as we attempt to make things right. That is who He is….and He desires we be like Him as His dear Son exemplifies.
Well…that about wraps it up for today…. hopefully, I have given you some food for thought, with the intention of good and not evil. A way to please God and ease some of the burdens you just may be carrying around. They do not get any lighter.
As we now, as part of our service head to the Table of the Lord, there is something I am going to read to you that a childhood friend sent me yesterday.
It is about God…through the eyes of an 8 year old child….I think this will bless you…as it did and does me. (READ)
I have had a couple of interesting months…and through it all have found myself more emotional than usual….this really touched me in a beautiful way….and so I hope it does you as well.
God loves you….as do I, and God bless you…….
| courage.pdf |
The Little Church in the Pines,
January 17, 2021
Prayer
…. in its most basic form is simply communication.
…. communication is life!
…. communication is expressed in a multitude of means and is self-aware and self-realized. Without it we are dead, whether we are alive physically or physically dead.
~Prayer is an invocation (invocation being the act of invoking or seeking someone of higher authority and power) God as an example, for the purpose of activating a rapport or connection so to speak, through deliberate communication. Prayer can be a form of religious “practice” and may be either individual or communal, taking place in private or in a public setting. It may involve the use of words understood, or in feelings. When language is used, prayer may take the form of a hymn, a psalm, incantation, formal doctrinal or creedal statement, such as in the case of, as Christians, the Nicene or Apostle’s Creed, or it can be totally spontaneous.
~Scriptural references of prayer……………. include these four words.
PRAYER (I believe) is literally our most neglected tool in the tool box of a Christian, and I believe it to be so, because #1, we are too busy and #2, we fail to fully grasp its vital importance. As I said above, it is all about communication, and without communication, good communication, real and honest communication, explicit and pointed communication, with a person or with our Lord and God…. we really do not KNOW him (in the intimate biblical sense) but mostly know only about him.
2nd Chronicle 4:14 so beautifully lays the foundation of the importance and necessity for prayer.
“Then…. if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face…and turn from their ways of sin. I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land and life. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made.”
…………a key, is coming to the Lord with a heart that is open and honest, and believing that he does hear us……as it is said, “my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to your every prayer.”
~ WE cannot expect a return on our prayers if we do not believe that they are being heard, so faith is indeed an important factor. I say this because it is true, that unless you or I take the time to get to know God personally through His Son Jesus Christ…. we will not and cannot have the faith necessary to effectively pray. So…discipline, time out for this purpose of knowing him, is essential to not only prayer, but to deep, basic relational friendship with God. Once we draw closer to him…. our faith will grow, and our prayers will be not only more effective, but deeper and self-realized.
~ Like Brother Lawrence…. we will “feel” his Presence. Prayer is simply talking to God. As Brother Lawrence, a worker in the kitchen (his ministry) in a Carmelite Monastery in Paris, is remembered for the intimacy he expressed concerning his relationship to God, as recorded in a book compiled from his journals after his death; the book being “The Practice of the Presence of God.” This little book is a classic example of being in the presence of God all day and every day…and the joys experienced by being so. His whole monastic life was a living prayer of praise and intercession.
~ We are given permission to ‘pray for anything,’ but there is a prerequisite which is found in mark 11:24-25. “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you have received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins also.”
~My actual desire in talking on Prayer today is that we see it as a real and practical reality in our every day lives. Is it spiritual in essence, yes, but it is also practical in outcome, and vital to our lives and the lives of those whom we pray for…. including ourselves.
~ My real hope is that I can with the help of the Spirit, and Scripture accomplish this.
~ So…. how many of you have a cell phone?
~ When you desire to communicate with a friend, a family member, a business, etc., etc. It is one of the best means of immediate communication (unless of course the line is busy or disconnected) for whatever it is you wish to communicate. But…until you pick the phone up, making sure it is charged and powered up….it is just a dormant communication device lying there, wherever, doing nothing. But pick it up, turn it on and punch in the number…you are in touch…you are ready to communicate…ready to get down to business!
~ And, so it is the same with God. He’s there, just waiting for you to pick up the phone, power it up and talk to him. That is prayer…. talking to him. Now whatever you wish to talk about, implore, intercede, ask, cry out…. take a deep breath, knowing you are talking to a friend, (so you can be completely honest) and talk. You can laugh, you can cry, you can yell, you can ask questions, make your request known….so, just be yourself. No contrived religious talk, full of platitudes and sometimes high-sounding religious stuff….no contrived King James language…. quite simple, straight-forward communication is best.
~ You see…God is on the line all the time, fully charged and, looking forward to spending some time with you. Cool, huh!
~ He is like a fully powered atomic generator…. ready to light up the world, our world…. but until we turn the on switch on….it just sits there and quietly hums…. he saying to himself, somebody plug in, come on, somebody hit the on switch!
~ When we come together on Sundays, one of our group participatory actions is to both share our blessings….and the other to pray for those whom we know or don’t know, and who we do know, needs support through prayer. So…you speak, I pray, out loud, (and I’ve never been eloquent at it) but pray none-the-less, praying also that God will see my motivation and desire more than my lack of eloquence. Remember, I said he simply wants us to be honest and real. So…then, as I pray, you join with me in spirit, which makes it then a conference call/prayer…. for we are all on the line together. It’s kind of amazing and a good thing.
~ We have seen positive results, and some not so…. we are glad when we hear of progress and then in turn, thank God for intervening through our prayers, but disappointed when it doesn’t happen, as we had hoped and prayed, but the thing is, not to grow weary and stop when things do not turn out as we had hoped. We…. are not God, but are his people, and because we are, just as in the case of our parents when things did not go as we had hoped, though we may not understand, we accept and go on. Papa God.
~ Do I like it that some prayers are not answered? No, but, then what I need to do is some self-examination, referring to my earlier paragraph…. that obstacles of un-forgiveness, anger, hatred, etc. and sin, stand at times in the way, but it does not change my mind about prayer and the power to bring about change….and speaking of change…can I change God’s mind or pre-disposed actions. Yes…. God is not a puppet attached to our strings and we control him…. nor are we puppets, where he does this movement with his hand and we move this way or that way. No…. he gives us freedom and the ability to make choices, and that is in regards to prayer as well. But…we can move him by prayer.
~ an example can be found in the story of Lot and his family in Sodom. There is verse after verse of Abraham interceding on behalf of the righteous who were living among them…that God would not destroy everyone including Lot and his family. Abraham started with 50 righteous people…then continued to coax God by intercession, getting the number down to 10, and ultimately four.
~ Abraham’s prayer for Lot and his family…is a revelation of the faith of one man in the face of great odds. Abraham is an example to us that as he stood alone before God, he wielded a significant spiritual/practical influence over God’s actions. Lot and his family were saved. FYI, Sarah was a close blood relative of Lot, hence because of being family, Abraham interceded on their behalf.
~ There is one more element that is a bit more difficult (for me) to grasp, regarding unanswered prayer. That being that God desires to at times (test our faith) and as an extreme example, and, to understand this example, we must read the progressive story of Job. Job was caught in between basically a bet between God and Satan. The crux of the illustration being that most ALL of Job’s blessings were to be taken away, including all his children, his riches, his health and more…. his unkind and unsupportive friends. If, Job stood strong in his faith, and endured to the end of the test…. not only would Job win, but God would win too! This bet! And God won…. his faith in Job was verified.
So…hopefully, we are out of Job’s league, and the time of testing for our faith does not encompass those extremes.
A few verses on prayer and I will be close to finishing up, for today! Close!
To earnestly pray takes discipline, and an effort of the will, but once involved it will flow from you to God…because like the phone illustration, you will be connected.
Conversational prayer can happen throughout your day, everyday and like it was with Brother Lawrence, simply become a part of your relationship with God in Christ.
Intercessory Prayer….is a step deeper than earnest prayer…and an illustration is praying in the Holy Spirit…meaning you sometimes may move out of your understanding into a place in the Spirit, where you sense you are one with God, and perhaps even praying in utterances that you do not understand.
PRAYER NEED NOT BE A MYSTERY…. BUT A FACT, AN ACTION OFTEN BEARING VISIBLE RESULTS.
Life is not without uncertainties, whether they come in the form of a major life transition, family issues, health scares and or financial trouble. What we should continue to learn is that God cares, about even the smaller issues in our lives, he asks us, and even invites us to let go of our fears on all levels, by giving them to him. When we do truly let go……he, who knows all things, promises that his peace, “which is transcends all understanding, will guard our heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
To that, I say Amen
January 17, 2021
Prayer
…. in its most basic form is simply communication.
…. communication is life!
…. communication is expressed in a multitude of means and is self-aware and self-realized. Without it we are dead, whether we are alive physically or physically dead.
~Prayer is an invocation (invocation being the act of invoking or seeking someone of higher authority and power) God as an example, for the purpose of activating a rapport or connection so to speak, through deliberate communication. Prayer can be a form of religious “practice” and may be either individual or communal, taking place in private or in a public setting. It may involve the use of words understood, or in feelings. When language is used, prayer may take the form of a hymn, a psalm, incantation, formal doctrinal or creedal statement, such as in the case of, as Christians, the Nicene or Apostle’s Creed, or it can be totally spontaneous.
~Scriptural references of prayer……………. include these four words.
- Pray
- Prayed
- Prayers
- Praying
PRAYER (I believe) is literally our most neglected tool in the tool box of a Christian, and I believe it to be so, because #1, we are too busy and #2, we fail to fully grasp its vital importance. As I said above, it is all about communication, and without communication, good communication, real and honest communication, explicit and pointed communication, with a person or with our Lord and God…. we really do not KNOW him (in the intimate biblical sense) but mostly know only about him.
2nd Chronicle 4:14 so beautifully lays the foundation of the importance and necessity for prayer.
“Then…. if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face…and turn from their ways of sin. I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land and life. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made.”
…………a key, is coming to the Lord with a heart that is open and honest, and believing that he does hear us……as it is said, “my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to your every prayer.”
~ WE cannot expect a return on our prayers if we do not believe that they are being heard, so faith is indeed an important factor. I say this because it is true, that unless you or I take the time to get to know God personally through His Son Jesus Christ…. we will not and cannot have the faith necessary to effectively pray. So…discipline, time out for this purpose of knowing him, is essential to not only prayer, but to deep, basic relational friendship with God. Once we draw closer to him…. our faith will grow, and our prayers will be not only more effective, but deeper and self-realized.
~ Like Brother Lawrence…. we will “feel” his Presence. Prayer is simply talking to God. As Brother Lawrence, a worker in the kitchen (his ministry) in a Carmelite Monastery in Paris, is remembered for the intimacy he expressed concerning his relationship to God, as recorded in a book compiled from his journals after his death; the book being “The Practice of the Presence of God.” This little book is a classic example of being in the presence of God all day and every day…and the joys experienced by being so. His whole monastic life was a living prayer of praise and intercession.
~ We are given permission to ‘pray for anything,’ but there is a prerequisite which is found in mark 11:24-25. “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you have received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins also.”
- So, an obstacle of effective prayers lies in un-forgiveness, resentment, anger, hatred and oh so many other negative behaviors that we humans can come up with, and all of these are in truth designated as sin.
- Doing what we do prior to taking part in Communion, is exactly what this is all about…. cleansing our minds, hearts, and spirits before God and each other…. praying along with David when he says to God…. “create in me a clean heart O God, take not your Holy Sprit from me, cast me not away from thy Presence O Lord, renew a right spirit, mind, heart and attitude within me.” Psalm 51:10-12
~My actual desire in talking on Prayer today is that we see it as a real and practical reality in our every day lives. Is it spiritual in essence, yes, but it is also practical in outcome, and vital to our lives and the lives of those whom we pray for…. including ourselves.
~ My real hope is that I can with the help of the Spirit, and Scripture accomplish this.
~ So…. how many of you have a cell phone?
~ When you desire to communicate with a friend, a family member, a business, etc., etc. It is one of the best means of immediate communication (unless of course the line is busy or disconnected) for whatever it is you wish to communicate. But…until you pick the phone up, making sure it is charged and powered up….it is just a dormant communication device lying there, wherever, doing nothing. But pick it up, turn it on and punch in the number…you are in touch…you are ready to communicate…ready to get down to business!
~ And, so it is the same with God. He’s there, just waiting for you to pick up the phone, power it up and talk to him. That is prayer…. talking to him. Now whatever you wish to talk about, implore, intercede, ask, cry out…. take a deep breath, knowing you are talking to a friend, (so you can be completely honest) and talk. You can laugh, you can cry, you can yell, you can ask questions, make your request known….so, just be yourself. No contrived religious talk, full of platitudes and sometimes high-sounding religious stuff….no contrived King James language…. quite simple, straight-forward communication is best.
~ You see…God is on the line all the time, fully charged and, looking forward to spending some time with you. Cool, huh!
~ He is like a fully powered atomic generator…. ready to light up the world, our world…. but until we turn the on switch on….it just sits there and quietly hums…. he saying to himself, somebody plug in, come on, somebody hit the on switch!
~ When we come together on Sundays, one of our group participatory actions is to both share our blessings….and the other to pray for those whom we know or don’t know, and who we do know, needs support through prayer. So…you speak, I pray, out loud, (and I’ve never been eloquent at it) but pray none-the-less, praying also that God will see my motivation and desire more than my lack of eloquence. Remember, I said he simply wants us to be honest and real. So…then, as I pray, you join with me in spirit, which makes it then a conference call/prayer…. for we are all on the line together. It’s kind of amazing and a good thing.
~ We have seen positive results, and some not so…. we are glad when we hear of progress and then in turn, thank God for intervening through our prayers, but disappointed when it doesn’t happen, as we had hoped and prayed, but the thing is, not to grow weary and stop when things do not turn out as we had hoped. We…. are not God, but are his people, and because we are, just as in the case of our parents when things did not go as we had hoped, though we may not understand, we accept and go on. Papa God.
~ Do I like it that some prayers are not answered? No, but, then what I need to do is some self-examination, referring to my earlier paragraph…. that obstacles of un-forgiveness, anger, hatred, etc. and sin, stand at times in the way, but it does not change my mind about prayer and the power to bring about change….and speaking of change…can I change God’s mind or pre-disposed actions. Yes…. God is not a puppet attached to our strings and we control him…. nor are we puppets, where he does this movement with his hand and we move this way or that way. No…. he gives us freedom and the ability to make choices, and that is in regards to prayer as well. But…we can move him by prayer.
~ an example can be found in the story of Lot and his family in Sodom. There is verse after verse of Abraham interceding on behalf of the righteous who were living among them…that God would not destroy everyone including Lot and his family. Abraham started with 50 righteous people…then continued to coax God by intercession, getting the number down to 10, and ultimately four.
~ Abraham’s prayer for Lot and his family…is a revelation of the faith of one man in the face of great odds. Abraham is an example to us that as he stood alone before God, he wielded a significant spiritual/practical influence over God’s actions. Lot and his family were saved. FYI, Sarah was a close blood relative of Lot, hence because of being family, Abraham interceded on their behalf.
~ There is one more element that is a bit more difficult (for me) to grasp, regarding unanswered prayer. That being that God desires to at times (test our faith) and as an extreme example, and, to understand this example, we must read the progressive story of Job. Job was caught in between basically a bet between God and Satan. The crux of the illustration being that most ALL of Job’s blessings were to be taken away, including all his children, his riches, his health and more…. his unkind and unsupportive friends. If, Job stood strong in his faith, and endured to the end of the test…. not only would Job win, but God would win too! This bet! And God won…. his faith in Job was verified.
So…hopefully, we are out of Job’s league, and the time of testing for our faith does not encompass those extremes.
A few verses on prayer and I will be close to finishing up, for today! Close!
- Philippians 4:6 “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
- 1st Timothy 2:1, “I urge you, first-of-all to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them.”
- James 5:13-16, “Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
- 17b, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
To earnestly pray takes discipline, and an effort of the will, but once involved it will flow from you to God…because like the phone illustration, you will be connected.
Conversational prayer can happen throughout your day, everyday and like it was with Brother Lawrence, simply become a part of your relationship with God in Christ.
Intercessory Prayer….is a step deeper than earnest prayer…and an illustration is praying in the Holy Spirit…meaning you sometimes may move out of your understanding into a place in the Spirit, where you sense you are one with God, and perhaps even praying in utterances that you do not understand.
PRAYER NEED NOT BE A MYSTERY…. BUT A FACT, AN ACTION OFTEN BEARING VISIBLE RESULTS.
Life is not without uncertainties, whether they come in the form of a major life transition, family issues, health scares and or financial trouble. What we should continue to learn is that God cares, about even the smaller issues in our lives, he asks us, and even invites us to let go of our fears on all levels, by giving them to him. When we do truly let go……he, who knows all things, promises that his peace, “which is transcends all understanding, will guard our heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
To that, I say Amen
January 10, 2021
The Little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
“DO I WANT TO?”
(Why wouldn’t I want to?)
Then Jesus told him, “Follow Me.” John 21:19b
“Timothy will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go? 1st Cor. 4:17b
But…even as He spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “this is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to and follow him.”
Matthew 17:5
I have saved the last part of this verse to emphasize it….so think about it as you hear it, including the fact that all the disciples heard the voice, and their reaction to hearing it. “The disciples were terrified…and fell face down on the ground.”
Take a moment and with your active imagination, imagine the surprise, even shock of this voice coming out of the sky. Then, imagine the timbre, tone, and resonance of that voice…. the voice of God Himself.
What do you think your reaction would have been? I know what mine would have been, I would be right down there with the disciples…. face flat on the ground and quaking in my sandals.
There are some key words in these verses I am going to point out before giving you a composite illustration of those words. They are as follow, Son, Great Joy and Terrified.
Four words…so vastly different in meaning, yet bound together in intent…simply say, PAY ATTENTION!
Pay attention to who is speaking and what I am about to say.
~ <>~
A question?
How many of your have planted a Sunflower seed and watched it grow over the course of its growing season?
GOOD…a few, but we all know they are hardy flowers with strong stems and deeply rooted.
There are several characteristics of sunflowers that make them unique and stand out, for when in bloom, it is usually a large bloom that literally stands as a symbol for the sun and its beauty, form and colors.
This sentence brings us back to the title of today’s Message….”DO I WANT TO follow Him?” (but why wouldn’t I want to?) There are some self-centered reasons that I might not want to, or you might not want to, taking into account something or someone we desire that we know would go contrary to following Him, His teaching and His examples. If so, we then must go back to THE VOICE from heaven that said…. “Listen to and follow Him.” Most of the trouble in my life stems back to where I did not heed the words of that voice, and instead chose, oh so stupidly sometimes to follow my desires, over what I KNEW I should have chosen to do, therefore reaping the consequences, some of which I still endue to this day.
Remember Jesus’ own two words in John 21... “Follow Me.”
We just came through weeks of preparation, then celebrations of the birth of Jesus, this Son of God in whom He is well pleased…. who throughout human history the past 2000 years has brought the world, both GREAT JOY amidst GREAT TERROR.
This past year has seemed at times on the brink of being apocalyptic socially and governmentally. It still has that feeling to a certain extent, even with the vaccine now being administered for COVID-19, for there is confusion and fear in that area, some conspiratorial and others seeming factual. Sorting it all out if (I’m sorry) is almost impossible, which brings us back to individual choice.
There has been great terror and great joy for those who have pulled through….and joy in my heart for those serving at their own risk, people just like me who ended up several times in the ER and overnight, in the midst of it all, and in the center of those dear people, both men and women ministering to me.
As a result, I and we go through a myriad of emotions…. from the mundane to extraordinary, much like being on one of those new high-tech rollercoasters with loops and turns that scare the (blank our of me) having ventured once onto one….and NEVER AGAIN.
BUT…IN THE CENTER OF ALL OF THIS. WE CAN BE…like that follower of the sun, the Sunflower. When we awake in the morning, as I do, facing the sun and before getting out of bed, say a prayer of thanksgiving with gratefulness in my heart and mind….as my soul and spirit reach out to Jesus.
We live in a world of opposites. Day and night, desert and tropical, wet and dry, cold and heat, wind and perfect stillness, good and evil, and the list goes on.
YET…...in the center…the center of all that we know…..like that sunflower we are positionally able (by choice) to follow the Son, through all the changes and opposites…to follow the Son.
We are but days into another so called “NEW YEAR,” not knowing as we did not know last year at this time. what would unfold.
Today…is an ideal time for serious introspection, laced with HOPE for a better year.
Solomon said it so well as he wrote, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a a time to gather. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A TIME TO LOVE AND A TIME TO HATE…A TIME FOR WAR AND A TIME FOR PEACE……….
A new year, a new month, a new day, a new hour, a new minute, a new second, the same life, but ever changing as time advances, yet all we have is what we have at this very moment…in time. Where both joy and sorrow came hand in hand…where laughter and tears co-mingled, flowing from the same eyes…where pain and peace seemed just a heartbeat apart. Such is life on planet earth.
Have you ended the year knowing what you now know that the choices you made were the right ones? A year where you kept the Lord at the center of your daily life, putting your hand daily in the hand of the man who stilled the water, put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea. Take a look at yourself, and you will look at others differently, put your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.
SING………. ALL OF US.
My closing question to each of us this morning is…in following this Son of God…Son of Man….DO YOU REALLY WANT TO? Are you willing to do what is necessary….no matter what it takes? You see, there is a difference between following a religion than in following the Savior. The first can be ceremonial and ritual, comforting and predictable. The second sometimes takes blood, sweat and tears along with the laugher, joys and celebration... Christianity in as true and deep followers of Jesus is not for wimps, for in the process you will build character, stamina, patience, grace, justice, goodness, mercy and kindness, of which these are but a few of the benefits of this journey, fraught though it also may be with trials, temptations and pain.
My question now becomes another question. Why wouldn’t you want to? You see…the benefits (in the long term) far outweigh the immediate pleasures that we might have otherwise.
As the years wind down, and we all get closer and closer to that day…. that day of accountability, what should be our highest and deepest priority? In the daily devotional we are now reading, studying, and discussing on Friday mornings…. titled, MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST. Should that not be our motto, for often we leave the highest and best our lowest priority….
This now is a challenge and not a question. Take your personal one-on-one relationship with Jesus to the highest level of priorities and I guarantee you…. your life will change for the better in so many, many ways.
No matter our physical, emotional state of being we find ourselves in, our lives can be better, deeper, richer, livelier, happier, more content, IF, we but set apart some small amount of time (determined by you_ to spend with Him and Him alone. It can simply be sitting in our favorite spot, reading even Our Daily Bread, or some other devotional, but taking that quiet time, one on one with Him. Read, talk to Him as you would talk to your best Friend, and in the spirit also, listen, for He will speak to you. It could be through your devotional, through Scripture or that “still, quiet, small voice deep in your heart.
Be grateful and speak your gratefulness in prayer and in quiet worship.
A merry heart (Proverbs 17:22) does good like a medicine, like a medicine in a merry heart, but a broken spirit, drieth up the bones….a merry heart…is the Joy of the Lord.
Selah (pause and think about it)
Amen (so be it)
Here is a little song…that many years ago came from the musical called God Spell.
Oh, dear Lord…three things I pray………….
To see Thee more clearly….
Love Thee more dearly….
Follow Thee more nearly…..
Day by day, by day.
Again, I say…. Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
“DO I WANT TO?”
(Why wouldn’t I want to?)
Then Jesus told him, “Follow Me.” John 21:19b
“Timothy will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go? 1st Cor. 4:17b
But…even as He spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “this is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to and follow him.”
Matthew 17:5
I have saved the last part of this verse to emphasize it….so think about it as you hear it, including the fact that all the disciples heard the voice, and their reaction to hearing it. “The disciples were terrified…and fell face down on the ground.”
Take a moment and with your active imagination, imagine the surprise, even shock of this voice coming out of the sky. Then, imagine the timbre, tone, and resonance of that voice…. the voice of God Himself.
What do you think your reaction would have been? I know what mine would have been, I would be right down there with the disciples…. face flat on the ground and quaking in my sandals.
There are some key words in these verses I am going to point out before giving you a composite illustration of those words. They are as follow, Son, Great Joy and Terrified.
Four words…so vastly different in meaning, yet bound together in intent…simply say, PAY ATTENTION!
Pay attention to who is speaking and what I am about to say.
~ <>~
A question?
How many of your have planted a Sunflower seed and watched it grow over the course of its growing season?
GOOD…a few, but we all know they are hardy flowers with strong stems and deeply rooted.
There are several characteristics of sunflowers that make them unique and stand out, for when in bloom, it is usually a large bloom that literally stands as a symbol for the sun and its beauty, form and colors.
- It has a strong stem that can sufficiently carry the weight of the large, heavy flower itself.
- It also follows the path of the sun it…all day long. It greets the morning sun, and as the sun traverses across the sky, it faces up ever so slightly…. then more and more as the bloom follows the traversing sun, facing it at the end of the day as it did in the morning. East to west.
- That means in the early morning, as it senses the rising of the sun, it turns back around to once again greet the day.
This sentence brings us back to the title of today’s Message….”DO I WANT TO follow Him?” (but why wouldn’t I want to?) There are some self-centered reasons that I might not want to, or you might not want to, taking into account something or someone we desire that we know would go contrary to following Him, His teaching and His examples. If so, we then must go back to THE VOICE from heaven that said…. “Listen to and follow Him.” Most of the trouble in my life stems back to where I did not heed the words of that voice, and instead chose, oh so stupidly sometimes to follow my desires, over what I KNEW I should have chosen to do, therefore reaping the consequences, some of which I still endue to this day.
Remember Jesus’ own two words in John 21... “Follow Me.”
We just came through weeks of preparation, then celebrations of the birth of Jesus, this Son of God in whom He is well pleased…. who throughout human history the past 2000 years has brought the world, both GREAT JOY amidst GREAT TERROR.
This past year has seemed at times on the brink of being apocalyptic socially and governmentally. It still has that feeling to a certain extent, even with the vaccine now being administered for COVID-19, for there is confusion and fear in that area, some conspiratorial and others seeming factual. Sorting it all out if (I’m sorry) is almost impossible, which brings us back to individual choice.
There has been great terror and great joy for those who have pulled through….and joy in my heart for those serving at their own risk, people just like me who ended up several times in the ER and overnight, in the midst of it all, and in the center of those dear people, both men and women ministering to me.
As a result, I and we go through a myriad of emotions…. from the mundane to extraordinary, much like being on one of those new high-tech rollercoasters with loops and turns that scare the (blank our of me) having ventured once onto one….and NEVER AGAIN.
BUT…IN THE CENTER OF ALL OF THIS. WE CAN BE…like that follower of the sun, the Sunflower. When we awake in the morning, as I do, facing the sun and before getting out of bed, say a prayer of thanksgiving with gratefulness in my heart and mind….as my soul and spirit reach out to Jesus.
We live in a world of opposites. Day and night, desert and tropical, wet and dry, cold and heat, wind and perfect stillness, good and evil, and the list goes on.
YET…...in the center…the center of all that we know…..like that sunflower we are positionally able (by choice) to follow the Son, through all the changes and opposites…to follow the Son.
We are but days into another so called “NEW YEAR,” not knowing as we did not know last year at this time. what would unfold.
Today…is an ideal time for serious introspection, laced with HOPE for a better year.
Solomon said it so well as he wrote, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a a time to gather. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A TIME TO LOVE AND A TIME TO HATE…A TIME FOR WAR AND A TIME FOR PEACE……….
A new year, a new month, a new day, a new hour, a new minute, a new second, the same life, but ever changing as time advances, yet all we have is what we have at this very moment…in time. Where both joy and sorrow came hand in hand…where laughter and tears co-mingled, flowing from the same eyes…where pain and peace seemed just a heartbeat apart. Such is life on planet earth.
Have you ended the year knowing what you now know that the choices you made were the right ones? A year where you kept the Lord at the center of your daily life, putting your hand daily in the hand of the man who stilled the water, put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea. Take a look at yourself, and you will look at others differently, put your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.
SING………. ALL OF US.
My closing question to each of us this morning is…in following this Son of God…Son of Man….DO YOU REALLY WANT TO? Are you willing to do what is necessary….no matter what it takes? You see, there is a difference between following a religion than in following the Savior. The first can be ceremonial and ritual, comforting and predictable. The second sometimes takes blood, sweat and tears along with the laugher, joys and celebration... Christianity in as true and deep followers of Jesus is not for wimps, for in the process you will build character, stamina, patience, grace, justice, goodness, mercy and kindness, of which these are but a few of the benefits of this journey, fraught though it also may be with trials, temptations and pain.
My question now becomes another question. Why wouldn’t you want to? You see…the benefits (in the long term) far outweigh the immediate pleasures that we might have otherwise.
As the years wind down, and we all get closer and closer to that day…. that day of accountability, what should be our highest and deepest priority? In the daily devotional we are now reading, studying, and discussing on Friday mornings…. titled, MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST. Should that not be our motto, for often we leave the highest and best our lowest priority….
This now is a challenge and not a question. Take your personal one-on-one relationship with Jesus to the highest level of priorities and I guarantee you…. your life will change for the better in so many, many ways.
No matter our physical, emotional state of being we find ourselves in, our lives can be better, deeper, richer, livelier, happier, more content, IF, we but set apart some small amount of time (determined by you_ to spend with Him and Him alone. It can simply be sitting in our favorite spot, reading even Our Daily Bread, or some other devotional, but taking that quiet time, one on one with Him. Read, talk to Him as you would talk to your best Friend, and in the spirit also, listen, for He will speak to you. It could be through your devotional, through Scripture or that “still, quiet, small voice deep in your heart.
Be grateful and speak your gratefulness in prayer and in quiet worship.
A merry heart (Proverbs 17:22) does good like a medicine, like a medicine in a merry heart, but a broken spirit, drieth up the bones….a merry heart…is the Joy of the Lord.
Selah (pause and think about it)
Amen (so be it)
Here is a little song…that many years ago came from the musical called God Spell.
Oh, dear Lord…three things I pray………….
To see Thee more clearly….
Love Thee more dearly….
Follow Thee more nearly…..
Day by day, by day.
Again, I say…. Amen
Little Church in the Pines
~ Advent ~
Sermon by; Pastor Tom
Luke 15:6-7
“I once was lost but now am found”
In John 9:5, during the miracle of healing the blind at birth, saying “When I am in the world, I am the LIGHT of the world”. This episode leads into John 9:39 where Jesus metaphorically explains that He came into this world, so that the blind may see. Isaiah 9:2
“The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who swell in a land of deep darkness…to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
A Marvelous Light!
The arrival of a notable person, thing or event
Christian Theology
The coming (in the case of Christmas) of the Light of the world, the Messiah, The Christ Child….as spoken by the prophets of God…. the only Begotten Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a young virgin girl…Mary
Anticipation
Looking forward to
With each passing minute, hour day, weeks…
This season is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christ-mass, or Christmas.
All this condensed down to one word and that word is “coming”.
Not only are these weeks a time of anticipation, buy in those week, days, hours, and minutes we feel His light within us and in the getting brighter and brighter.
His birth, life, death, and resurrection all build to an even greater anticipation. That anticipation one day will be fulfilled in His Second Coming, when indeed the whole world will be awash with His light, bathed in glorious brightness, cleansed from all darkness, made new in the Glory of His Presence.
All things…all things will be new!
A new heaven, a new earth…. all of Creation will sing a song of praise, harmony will reign and finally there will be PEACE ON EARTH AND GOOD WILL TOWARD ALL OF MANKIND…FOREVER
“The celebration and full understanding of Advent is possible only for those of us who are troubled in soul, those who consider themselves sinners apart from Him and who know themselves to be needy and even imperfect, and who look forward to someone and something greater to come.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“God of hope, we look to you with an open heart and yearning spirit. During this Advent season, we will keep alert and awake, listening for Your Word, looking for Your Presence even in the unlovely, the harsh, the mean, the unkind, for they, like us are of the same need. YOU!
Our hope is in You, Lord
Our life is in You, Lord,
In you, It’s in You~
Today is no different from yesterday, nor tomorrow as our hope rises this time of year in anticipation of those who like us, will open their hearts and minds to receive Him as the Savior of every individual man, woman and child who live and breathe.
How will they hear of him, how will they come to know Him, but through those of us who are living images of Him….and who are unafraid to speak of what He has done and continues to do in our hearts and lives.
For those of us who celebrate the coming of the Christ Child…the Light of the World…. this ‘season’ last for four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day, starting on Sunday, November 29th, and ends on Thursday, December 24.
As we celebrate Advent, as in past years we will light each week one candle, representing HOPE, then LOVE, then JOY AND then PEACE…. the fourth candle also representing purity of heart, mind soul and body…. then a fifth candle will be set to light and it becomes the brightest flame of all, the LIGHT of Christ…a flame that we are to light our own candle (life) with as we are individually and collectively as the Body of Christ shine into the darkness of the world.
There is much darkness today, so very much, but there is also Light, and that light is THE LIGHT of God in Christ that shines through us…. from Him. A GREAT and MARVELOUS LIGHT that comes from the very center of the Universe He created and given to us freely…. freely, for freely we have received, and freely we are to give.
All His gifts come from the greatest gift of all, the GIFT OF LOVE, for of these three: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE.
These past several weeks I have been the recipient of His love, your love, strangers love, and my life has been changed because of it. This Advent Season, my hope is that we all “love one another. John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
AMEN
Let us share in a blessed and beautiful Advent Season together!
TO GOD BE THE GLORY…………………
Pastor Tom
~ Advent ~
Sermon by; Pastor Tom
Luke 15:6-7
“I once was lost but now am found”
In John 9:5, during the miracle of healing the blind at birth, saying “When I am in the world, I am the LIGHT of the world”. This episode leads into John 9:39 where Jesus metaphorically explains that He came into this world, so that the blind may see. Isaiah 9:2
“The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who swell in a land of deep darkness…to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
A Marvelous Light!
The arrival of a notable person, thing or event
Christian Theology
The coming (in the case of Christmas) of the Light of the world, the Messiah, The Christ Child….as spoken by the prophets of God…. the only Begotten Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a young virgin girl…Mary
Anticipation
Looking forward to
With each passing minute, hour day, weeks…
This season is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christ-mass, or Christmas.
All this condensed down to one word and that word is “coming”.
Not only are these weeks a time of anticipation, buy in those week, days, hours, and minutes we feel His light within us and in the getting brighter and brighter.
His birth, life, death, and resurrection all build to an even greater anticipation. That anticipation one day will be fulfilled in His Second Coming, when indeed the whole world will be awash with His light, bathed in glorious brightness, cleansed from all darkness, made new in the Glory of His Presence.
All things…all things will be new!
A new heaven, a new earth…. all of Creation will sing a song of praise, harmony will reign and finally there will be PEACE ON EARTH AND GOOD WILL TOWARD ALL OF MANKIND…FOREVER
“The celebration and full understanding of Advent is possible only for those of us who are troubled in soul, those who consider themselves sinners apart from Him and who know themselves to be needy and even imperfect, and who look forward to someone and something greater to come.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“God of hope, we look to you with an open heart and yearning spirit. During this Advent season, we will keep alert and awake, listening for Your Word, looking for Your Presence even in the unlovely, the harsh, the mean, the unkind, for they, like us are of the same need. YOU!
Our hope is in You, Lord
Our life is in You, Lord,
In you, It’s in You~
Today is no different from yesterday, nor tomorrow as our hope rises this time of year in anticipation of those who like us, will open their hearts and minds to receive Him as the Savior of every individual man, woman and child who live and breathe.
How will they hear of him, how will they come to know Him, but through those of us who are living images of Him….and who are unafraid to speak of what He has done and continues to do in our hearts and lives.
For those of us who celebrate the coming of the Christ Child…the Light of the World…. this ‘season’ last for four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day, starting on Sunday, November 29th, and ends on Thursday, December 24.
As we celebrate Advent, as in past years we will light each week one candle, representing HOPE, then LOVE, then JOY AND then PEACE…. the fourth candle also representing purity of heart, mind soul and body…. then a fifth candle will be set to light and it becomes the brightest flame of all, the LIGHT of Christ…a flame that we are to light our own candle (life) with as we are individually and collectively as the Body of Christ shine into the darkness of the world.
There is much darkness today, so very much, but there is also Light, and that light is THE LIGHT of God in Christ that shines through us…. from Him. A GREAT and MARVELOUS LIGHT that comes from the very center of the Universe He created and given to us freely…. freely, for freely we have received, and freely we are to give.
All His gifts come from the greatest gift of all, the GIFT OF LOVE, for of these three: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE.
These past several weeks I have been the recipient of His love, your love, strangers love, and my life has been changed because of it. This Advent Season, my hope is that we all “love one another. John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
AMEN
Let us share in a blessed and beautiful Advent Season together!
TO GOD BE THE GLORY…………………
Pastor Tom
Shekinah * Shekinah Glory
Homily by; Connie Funkhouser
November 29, 2020
Last Sunday Pastor Tom mentioned the term “Shekinah” followed with a brief explanation and a story of a friend experiencing, “Shekinah Glory.” I was immediately captivated, for I felt I had witnessed something similar. I have not been able to get the word Shekinah (shuh•kai•nuh) off my mind, nor do I want too. My inquiring mind began researching my textbooks and various resources.
What is Shekinah Glory? Shekinah Glory is a visible manifestation of God on earth, whose presence is portrayed through a natural occurrence. The word shekinah is a Hebrew name meaning “dwelling, one who dwells, to reside, or permanently stay.” Shekinah Glory means “He caused to dwell” referring to the divine presence of God.
If you read my “I Have a Secret” homily dated October 22, or attended church a couple of Sundays ago when I subbed for Pastor Tom, you know that the Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit, His Spirit dwelling within us, and Living in the Presence of God are two of my favorite topics. Now add the words, Shekinah Glory, and I am now on a natural high.
The word Shekinah, and Shekinah Glory is not in the Bible, but the description is. The divine presence of God on earth is portrayed through the following:
As a cloud (Exodus 24:16-18; Exodus 33:9; 1 Kings 8:10-13).
As a pillar of smoke and fire (Exodus 13:21-22).
As a fire and burning bush (Zechariah 2:5; Exodus 3:2).
Not only is the holy manifestation of God depicted through Shekinah Glory, but it also entails the practice of honoring and praising God by exemplifying His glory. “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NKJV). Jesus’ ministry is the ultimate encounter of Shekinah Glory that God has ever had with man on earth.
Some describe as like gold dust suspended in the air – filled with shimmering light. Visualizing gold dust suspended in the air, think to the moments when you have been outside on a bright sunny, clear, cold winter day, and there are glimmering snow crystals falling around you. I find it to be magically, makes me lift my arms up to raise a Hallelujah to Heaven. My limited mind did not know how this could be, but I chose to marvel in the glimmering light that surrounded me. Could this be something like Shekinah Glory, or is it Shekinah Glory? We are the church, we are God’s Temple that houses His Holy Spirit, with keeping our hearts and thoughts toward God, we are able to feel the Presence of God, and on occasion see a Shekinah light, the Shekinah Glory.
Regardless of what type of day is before us, and as we prepare for Advent season, let the divine presence of God dwell, settle in your very soul. We are God’s vessels, as broken as we may be, remain focused on God’s One and Only Son, the Light of the World who shines through us as we Live in the Presence of God.
Continue to Bless those that are fortunate to be in your presence. Upon doing so, others will notice there is something illuminating from within. It is up to us to let God’s Spirit shine. Shekinah Glory Be Yours!
Amen
Connie Funkhouser
Little Church in the Pines
Steering Committee Chair
Homily by; Connie Funkhouser
November 29, 2020
Last Sunday Pastor Tom mentioned the term “Shekinah” followed with a brief explanation and a story of a friend experiencing, “Shekinah Glory.” I was immediately captivated, for I felt I had witnessed something similar. I have not been able to get the word Shekinah (shuh•kai•nuh) off my mind, nor do I want too. My inquiring mind began researching my textbooks and various resources.
What is Shekinah Glory? Shekinah Glory is a visible manifestation of God on earth, whose presence is portrayed through a natural occurrence. The word shekinah is a Hebrew name meaning “dwelling, one who dwells, to reside, or permanently stay.” Shekinah Glory means “He caused to dwell” referring to the divine presence of God.
If you read my “I Have a Secret” homily dated October 22, or attended church a couple of Sundays ago when I subbed for Pastor Tom, you know that the Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit, His Spirit dwelling within us, and Living in the Presence of God are two of my favorite topics. Now add the words, Shekinah Glory, and I am now on a natural high.
The word Shekinah, and Shekinah Glory is not in the Bible, but the description is. The divine presence of God on earth is portrayed through the following:
As a cloud (Exodus 24:16-18; Exodus 33:9; 1 Kings 8:10-13).
As a pillar of smoke and fire (Exodus 13:21-22).
As a fire and burning bush (Zechariah 2:5; Exodus 3:2).
Not only is the holy manifestation of God depicted through Shekinah Glory, but it also entails the practice of honoring and praising God by exemplifying His glory. “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NKJV). Jesus’ ministry is the ultimate encounter of Shekinah Glory that God has ever had with man on earth.
Some describe as like gold dust suspended in the air – filled with shimmering light. Visualizing gold dust suspended in the air, think to the moments when you have been outside on a bright sunny, clear, cold winter day, and there are glimmering snow crystals falling around you. I find it to be magically, makes me lift my arms up to raise a Hallelujah to Heaven. My limited mind did not know how this could be, but I chose to marvel in the glimmering light that surrounded me. Could this be something like Shekinah Glory, or is it Shekinah Glory? We are the church, we are God’s Temple that houses His Holy Spirit, with keeping our hearts and thoughts toward God, we are able to feel the Presence of God, and on occasion see a Shekinah light, the Shekinah Glory.
Regardless of what type of day is before us, and as we prepare for Advent season, let the divine presence of God dwell, settle in your very soul. We are God’s vessels, as broken as we may be, remain focused on God’s One and Only Son, the Light of the World who shines through us as we Live in the Presence of God.
Continue to Bless those that are fortunate to be in your presence. Upon doing so, others will notice there is something illuminating from within. It is up to us to let God’s Spirit shine. Shekinah Glory Be Yours!
Amen
Connie Funkhouser
Little Church in the Pines
Steering Committee Chair
Little Church in the Pines
November 22, 2020
1 Thessalonians 5:18
“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Sermon by; Pastor Tom Shanor
**This was Pastor Tom's first Sunday back after suffering a mild stroke. Understandably so, he was a bit weak, but was a pillar of strength. For those that were not in attendance, his message was from his heart, raw, passionate, filled with emotion, and beautiful. Sunday was a witness of Pastor Tom doing what he wants to do serving our community and Church Family in the place that he wants to be.
Your Prayers are sincerely appreciated Please continue to Pray ~ Thank You!
I am happy and thrilled to simply be here today – to see each and all of you! Been a rather unusual, sometimes scary, and even over the top in fright at moments. Moments lasting an exceptionally long time due to panic attacks, but more on that later – but not too much later.
Before leaving for Oregon, there were two topics I spoke on, two separate Sundays. One; The Church – as a community, purpose, and function. Then two; as a Sanctuary – described as a holy place, set apart for worshiping God and as a place or location that is a refuge from danger.
The main Scripture verses for today is; 1 Chronicles 29:16-18 (Read). Lord our God, all our abundance that we have provided, for the building of your temple to worship your holy name, comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to You.
I know my God, that you test the heart, and are pleased with integrity. All these things have willingly been given back to You. Lord God, the Father of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel may we hold these desires and thoughts in the heart of we, your people today, forever.
All of what is spoken towards a temple, the Sanctuary to house and worship God whose Presence would fill His holy tabernacle - in doing so – in keeping their hearts and thoughts toward Him – thereby often literally able to feel the Presence of God, and on rare occasion see a shekinah light or also called “Glory.” Some describe as like gold dust suspended in the air – filled with shimmering light.
There is in our Book a rather amazing collection of words spoken to us in 1 Corinthians 6:19 in reference to another temple – a deeper illustration and understanding of God’s greatest and most amazing temple – where the desires above all other places to live – for the temple or sanctuary is a living and breathing one.
You must understand – I must understand that our bodies, mind, spirit, and soul have been redeemed or purchased at an extremely high cost. That being Jesus Christ, His only begotten son, by His death, the ultimate sacrifice.
Knowing, grasping this singular truth should compel us to treat it accordingly. We do not own this body, for it is a temporary dwelling place, and we are told someday we will receive a new and eternal one. (Thank goodness 😊)
How do we take care of this one? By treating it as a sanctuary, meeting place, a place of worship and with great gratitude.
I have failed often, all too often to do so, and in a very real sense have suffered the consequences by my own choices, the ramifications of poor actions and even thoughts.
We must pay attention to not only how we use this body, but what we put into it. We must feed our minds with healthy intellectual food. Our spirits with God’s word and clean books, articles that are proven to be healthy and beneficial to our minds and spirits.
This body is made up of more than flesh and blood, water, and dust, but of mind, spirit, heart, and soul. In taking care of it properly, we make right choices as how to nourish it.
We are to do more than just gather on Sundays for our services but count every day as a gift from God.
This does not mean that we cannot enjoy or forego pleasure, it just means we must choose appropriate and right pleasure. Fun, family, even foods, friends, the great beauty we have been given to flourish in and with. The good things bestowed on us to enrich our lives with which bright health, happiness, joy, and ultimately true and rich worship of God for all He is and all He does, for we, His ultimate creation.
Joy is a word that I love – the hymn sings out through us. The joy of the Lord is my strength sustained by the Joy of my salvation.
This coming week is Thanksgiving – giving thanks to our God, even with this pandemic. Even with the state of our government and nation, even with personal differences and all the things and people that could and do separate us.
Our mouths, minds, soul and spirits should shout unto God – the joy of our salvation – for Scripture says;
Romans 8:35-39 (Read)
Remember these words and thank God for all the people, things, and places He has given you.
I thank Him for what has happened to me, for it was what I prayed for. When I asked Him about a month or so ago to change my heart, to help me become the person He made me to be, to use David’s prayer, I prayed, because I was sick and tired of who I had become. Psalm 51:1-2 (Read).
God loves you and me ~ Prayers for All!
November 22, 2020
1 Thessalonians 5:18
“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Sermon by; Pastor Tom Shanor
**This was Pastor Tom's first Sunday back after suffering a mild stroke. Understandably so, he was a bit weak, but was a pillar of strength. For those that were not in attendance, his message was from his heart, raw, passionate, filled with emotion, and beautiful. Sunday was a witness of Pastor Tom doing what he wants to do serving our community and Church Family in the place that he wants to be.
Your Prayers are sincerely appreciated Please continue to Pray ~ Thank You!
I am happy and thrilled to simply be here today – to see each and all of you! Been a rather unusual, sometimes scary, and even over the top in fright at moments. Moments lasting an exceptionally long time due to panic attacks, but more on that later – but not too much later.
Before leaving for Oregon, there were two topics I spoke on, two separate Sundays. One; The Church – as a community, purpose, and function. Then two; as a Sanctuary – described as a holy place, set apart for worshiping God and as a place or location that is a refuge from danger.
The main Scripture verses for today is; 1 Chronicles 29:16-18 (Read). Lord our God, all our abundance that we have provided, for the building of your temple to worship your holy name, comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to You.
I know my God, that you test the heart, and are pleased with integrity. All these things have willingly been given back to You. Lord God, the Father of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel may we hold these desires and thoughts in the heart of we, your people today, forever.
All of what is spoken towards a temple, the Sanctuary to house and worship God whose Presence would fill His holy tabernacle - in doing so – in keeping their hearts and thoughts toward Him – thereby often literally able to feel the Presence of God, and on rare occasion see a shekinah light or also called “Glory.” Some describe as like gold dust suspended in the air – filled with shimmering light.
There is in our Book a rather amazing collection of words spoken to us in 1 Corinthians 6:19 in reference to another temple – a deeper illustration and understanding of God’s greatest and most amazing temple – where the desires above all other places to live – for the temple or sanctuary is a living and breathing one.
You must understand – I must understand that our bodies, mind, spirit, and soul have been redeemed or purchased at an extremely high cost. That being Jesus Christ, His only begotten son, by His death, the ultimate sacrifice.
Knowing, grasping this singular truth should compel us to treat it accordingly. We do not own this body, for it is a temporary dwelling place, and we are told someday we will receive a new and eternal one. (Thank goodness 😊)
How do we take care of this one? By treating it as a sanctuary, meeting place, a place of worship and with great gratitude.
I have failed often, all too often to do so, and in a very real sense have suffered the consequences by my own choices, the ramifications of poor actions and even thoughts.
We must pay attention to not only how we use this body, but what we put into it. We must feed our minds with healthy intellectual food. Our spirits with God’s word and clean books, articles that are proven to be healthy and beneficial to our minds and spirits.
This body is made up of more than flesh and blood, water, and dust, but of mind, spirit, heart, and soul. In taking care of it properly, we make right choices as how to nourish it.
We are to do more than just gather on Sundays for our services but count every day as a gift from God.
This does not mean that we cannot enjoy or forego pleasure, it just means we must choose appropriate and right pleasure. Fun, family, even foods, friends, the great beauty we have been given to flourish in and with. The good things bestowed on us to enrich our lives with which bright health, happiness, joy, and ultimately true and rich worship of God for all He is and all He does, for we, His ultimate creation.
Joy is a word that I love – the hymn sings out through us. The joy of the Lord is my strength sustained by the Joy of my salvation.
This coming week is Thanksgiving – giving thanks to our God, even with this pandemic. Even with the state of our government and nation, even with personal differences and all the things and people that could and do separate us.
Our mouths, minds, soul and spirits should shout unto God – the joy of our salvation – for Scripture says;
Romans 8:35-39 (Read)
Remember these words and thank God for all the people, things, and places He has given you.
I thank Him for what has happened to me, for it was what I prayed for. When I asked Him about a month or so ago to change my heart, to help me become the person He made me to be, to use David’s prayer, I prayed, because I was sick and tired of who I had become. Psalm 51:1-2 (Read).
God loves you and me ~ Prayers for All!
Little Church in the Pines
“I HAVE A SECRET”
The Holy Spirit
November 15, 2020
Connie Funkhouser; subbing for Pastor Tom Shanor
I am about to share a secret of mine; I have a favorite. My favorite of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Odd, you may think, how can anyone have a favorite within the Trinity: One God, right? God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three Divine persons within one. I do not know when my heart decided on a favorite, not even sure if it is okay to have a favorite, but I cannot deny that I do. Quite sure God is okay with this because I know in my very soul that the Holy Spirit, is God’s Spirit, and dwells within me. Not when I choose to tap into the Holy Spirit, but He is always there. It is up to me to let God’s Spirit shine.
When I sub for Pastor Tom, I like to have a theme; July 4th, change of seasons, Veteran’s Day, you get the idea. This time when he asked me, I immediately knew I wanted to talk about the Holy Spirit. Being in the restaurant industry I talk with “a lot” of people, whether they are customers, employees, food and beverage reps, and delivery personal. A few years ago, I decided that I was not going to be bashful about my Faith and personal relationship with Our Lord and Savior. Which for me meant, Living in the Presence of God is foremost in my mind, thoughts, and actions. I guess this would qualify me as wearing my Faith on my sleeve, okay, sure, whatever, call it what you want. My desire is to share what I have, and I have been blessed with the resources to share what is in my heart and soul.
This summer having heartfelt discussions with many folks I have noticed something is missing . . . a missing link between life (and I am talking all aspects of life) and faith. Me being me, typically responds with, “if it wasn’t for the Holy Spirit living within, I have no idea what my life would be like or I would never have survived Summer 2020 like I did.” Mentioning God’s Gift of His Holy Spirit brings a blank look from some. Even comments such as I do not know much about the Holy Spirit, let alone how to attain His presence. Or even, the Holy Spirit is the one part of the Trinity that is most confusing. Ok, so I know who God and Jesus are, but I do not get the Holy Spirit.
Please take comfort in knowing that the Trinity, the Triune God is incomprehensible. We cannot fully understand its mystery. When someday we see God, we shall see Him as He is, and understand Him better than we do now.
As the saying goes, “Try to explain it, and you will lose your mind; but try to deny it, you’ll lose your soul.
My prayer with the following homily is to bring awareness of a gift that is available to all and shed a little light on the fact that the Holy Spirit does not need to be foreign. Accepting God’s Gift is life changing. On a few occasions I have offered to give “all” my faith and trust in God away so that others will have what I have, and I will start from scratch. Yes, I trust and believe that I would regain all that was within my soul. Just maybe the following will serve as a gift to you. 😊 😊 😊
Because the Holy Spirit is not systematically described in Scripture, the doctrine of the Third Person of the Trinity may seem elusive and even controversial. The Holy Spirit is important since He provides contact between the believer and God, He is the point at which the Trinity becomes personal to the believer. This has led to difficulties in understanding Him and His work. From the biblical evidence, God’s Word, Jesus’ teachings, we can discover His deity and personality.
You may ask, “What are the qualities and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives?”
One God eternally exists in three divine persons; Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, co-equal and co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes, and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience. Matthew 3:16, 17; Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3, 4; II Corinthians 13:14.
The study of the Holy Spirit is especially important now is that we live in the period in which the Holy Spirit’s work is more prominent than that of the other members of the Trinity.
Of all the gifts given to mankind by God, there is none greater than the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit, His Spirit has many functions, roles, and activities. He does a work in the hearts of all people everywhere. Jesus told the disciples that He would send the Spirit into the world. The Spirit applies the truths of God to minds of humans to convince us by fair and sufficient arguments that we are sinners. Responding to that conviction brings us to salvation.
Once we are saved and belong to God, the Spirit takes up residence in our hearts forever, sealing us with the confirming, certifying, and assuring pledge of our eternal state as His children. Jesus said He would send the Spirit to us to be our Helper, Comforter, and Guide. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot see Him because it is not looking for Him and does not recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you” (John 14:16-17 NLT).
“He will give us another Advocate.” Oh, how I love this. An advocate. An encourager, campaigner, supporter, someone that will even pray for us when we no longer have the strength or words. Full-disclosure, often I ask the Holy Spirit to go to bat for me; to advocate for me as my soul rests in His peace. (Adlib – Have you ever prayed and prayed to God for something, became so exhausted and had no more words, and decided to stop praying? Please let me encourage you to simply reach out to Our Holy Spirit and request that He prays for you. Let Him advocate for your requests. No words needed, except Holy Spirit I need you, I am tired and have no more words. I am giving you this to take to God for me.” That is, it . . .)
Some Bible translations uses the word Counselor, meaning “one who is called alongside” and has the idea of someone who encourages. The Holy Spirit comes alongside the believer, to do what Jesus did when He was here physically, but now mainly from the inside of us. The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the hearts of believers (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20, 12:13). Jesus gave the Spirit as a “compensation” for His absence, to perform the functions toward us which He would have done if He had remained personally with us. I love this, Jesus gave us the Spirit as a compensation for His absence. Thank You Lord Jesus!
The revealer of truth. The Spirit’s presence within us enables us to understand and interpret God’s Word. Jesus told His disciples that “when He, the Spirit of truth, has come He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13 NKJV). He reveals to our minds the whole counsel of God as it relates to worship, doctrine, and Christian living. He is the ultimate guide, going before, and leading the way. He leads in the way we should go in all spiritual things. Without such a guide in our lives, the believer’s life, my life, are thoughts that I do not care to entertain.
The Holy Spirit is also a gift-giver. 1 Corinthians 12 describes the spiritual gifts given to the believer in order that we may function as the Body of Christ on earth.
Read 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11 or have someone else read 😊
All these gifts both great and small, are given by the Spirit so that we may be His ambassadors, showing His grace and glorifying Him.
The Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity through whom the entire Triune Godhead currently works in us. Through the Holy Spirit’s work that we feel God’s presence within, and the Christian life is given a special tangibility. He is someone to whom we can and should pray. The Holy Spirit, being fully divine, is to be accorded the same honor and respect that we give to the Father and the Son. It is appropriate to worship Him as we do them. The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son. His work is the expression and execution of what the three of them have planned together. There is no tension among their persons and activities.
God is not far off. The Holy Spirit performs certain works that are commonly ascribed to God. He was and continues to be involved with the creation, in both originating it and providentially keeping and directing it.
In the Holy Spirit, the Triune God comes close, so close as to enter into each believer. He is even more intimately involved with us now than in the incarnation. Through the operation of the Spirit he has truly become Immanuel, “God with us.” The knowledge that the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence in our lives, that He performs all these miraculous functions, that He dwells with us forever, and that He will never leave or forsake us brings confidence, security, and is cause for great joy and comfort.
“Thank God for Your precious gift of the Holy Spirit
and His work in our lives!”
In closing, I hope that I have shared a little insight to the attainability of God’s Gift to us and maybe why I secretly have a favorite. It is free, does not need to be paid back, a gift that we can share with so many others just by Living in the Presence of God. A gift that is embedded in our very being that enables us to remain confident, and at peace through these challenging times.
With every breath, we will share your goodness Lord. Let everything that has breath praise you, faithful God. Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22, NLT).
Breathe in me Holy Spirit so I may share Your gift of life and all of eternity spent with You.
Blessings Be Yours ~ Amen!
“I HAVE A SECRET”
The Holy Spirit
November 15, 2020
Connie Funkhouser; subbing for Pastor Tom Shanor
I am about to share a secret of mine; I have a favorite. My favorite of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Odd, you may think, how can anyone have a favorite within the Trinity: One God, right? God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three Divine persons within one. I do not know when my heart decided on a favorite, not even sure if it is okay to have a favorite, but I cannot deny that I do. Quite sure God is okay with this because I know in my very soul that the Holy Spirit, is God’s Spirit, and dwells within me. Not when I choose to tap into the Holy Spirit, but He is always there. It is up to me to let God’s Spirit shine.
When I sub for Pastor Tom, I like to have a theme; July 4th, change of seasons, Veteran’s Day, you get the idea. This time when he asked me, I immediately knew I wanted to talk about the Holy Spirit. Being in the restaurant industry I talk with “a lot” of people, whether they are customers, employees, food and beverage reps, and delivery personal. A few years ago, I decided that I was not going to be bashful about my Faith and personal relationship with Our Lord and Savior. Which for me meant, Living in the Presence of God is foremost in my mind, thoughts, and actions. I guess this would qualify me as wearing my Faith on my sleeve, okay, sure, whatever, call it what you want. My desire is to share what I have, and I have been blessed with the resources to share what is in my heart and soul.
This summer having heartfelt discussions with many folks I have noticed something is missing . . . a missing link between life (and I am talking all aspects of life) and faith. Me being me, typically responds with, “if it wasn’t for the Holy Spirit living within, I have no idea what my life would be like or I would never have survived Summer 2020 like I did.” Mentioning God’s Gift of His Holy Spirit brings a blank look from some. Even comments such as I do not know much about the Holy Spirit, let alone how to attain His presence. Or even, the Holy Spirit is the one part of the Trinity that is most confusing. Ok, so I know who God and Jesus are, but I do not get the Holy Spirit.
Please take comfort in knowing that the Trinity, the Triune God is incomprehensible. We cannot fully understand its mystery. When someday we see God, we shall see Him as He is, and understand Him better than we do now.
As the saying goes, “Try to explain it, and you will lose your mind; but try to deny it, you’ll lose your soul.
My prayer with the following homily is to bring awareness of a gift that is available to all and shed a little light on the fact that the Holy Spirit does not need to be foreign. Accepting God’s Gift is life changing. On a few occasions I have offered to give “all” my faith and trust in God away so that others will have what I have, and I will start from scratch. Yes, I trust and believe that I would regain all that was within my soul. Just maybe the following will serve as a gift to you. 😊 😊 😊
Because the Holy Spirit is not systematically described in Scripture, the doctrine of the Third Person of the Trinity may seem elusive and even controversial. The Holy Spirit is important since He provides contact between the believer and God, He is the point at which the Trinity becomes personal to the believer. This has led to difficulties in understanding Him and His work. From the biblical evidence, God’s Word, Jesus’ teachings, we can discover His deity and personality.
You may ask, “What are the qualities and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives?”
One God eternally exists in three divine persons; Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, co-equal and co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes, and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience. Matthew 3:16, 17; Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3, 4; II Corinthians 13:14.
The study of the Holy Spirit is especially important now is that we live in the period in which the Holy Spirit’s work is more prominent than that of the other members of the Trinity.
Of all the gifts given to mankind by God, there is none greater than the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit, His Spirit has many functions, roles, and activities. He does a work in the hearts of all people everywhere. Jesus told the disciples that He would send the Spirit into the world. The Spirit applies the truths of God to minds of humans to convince us by fair and sufficient arguments that we are sinners. Responding to that conviction brings us to salvation.
Once we are saved and belong to God, the Spirit takes up residence in our hearts forever, sealing us with the confirming, certifying, and assuring pledge of our eternal state as His children. Jesus said He would send the Spirit to us to be our Helper, Comforter, and Guide. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot see Him because it is not looking for Him and does not recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you” (John 14:16-17 NLT).
“He will give us another Advocate.” Oh, how I love this. An advocate. An encourager, campaigner, supporter, someone that will even pray for us when we no longer have the strength or words. Full-disclosure, often I ask the Holy Spirit to go to bat for me; to advocate for me as my soul rests in His peace. (Adlib – Have you ever prayed and prayed to God for something, became so exhausted and had no more words, and decided to stop praying? Please let me encourage you to simply reach out to Our Holy Spirit and request that He prays for you. Let Him advocate for your requests. No words needed, except Holy Spirit I need you, I am tired and have no more words. I am giving you this to take to God for me.” That is, it . . .)
Some Bible translations uses the word Counselor, meaning “one who is called alongside” and has the idea of someone who encourages. The Holy Spirit comes alongside the believer, to do what Jesus did when He was here physically, but now mainly from the inside of us. The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the hearts of believers (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20, 12:13). Jesus gave the Spirit as a “compensation” for His absence, to perform the functions toward us which He would have done if He had remained personally with us. I love this, Jesus gave us the Spirit as a compensation for His absence. Thank You Lord Jesus!
The revealer of truth. The Spirit’s presence within us enables us to understand and interpret God’s Word. Jesus told His disciples that “when He, the Spirit of truth, has come He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13 NKJV). He reveals to our minds the whole counsel of God as it relates to worship, doctrine, and Christian living. He is the ultimate guide, going before, and leading the way. He leads in the way we should go in all spiritual things. Without such a guide in our lives, the believer’s life, my life, are thoughts that I do not care to entertain.
The Holy Spirit is also a gift-giver. 1 Corinthians 12 describes the spiritual gifts given to the believer in order that we may function as the Body of Christ on earth.
Read 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11 or have someone else read 😊
All these gifts both great and small, are given by the Spirit so that we may be His ambassadors, showing His grace and glorifying Him.
The Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity through whom the entire Triune Godhead currently works in us. Through the Holy Spirit’s work that we feel God’s presence within, and the Christian life is given a special tangibility. He is someone to whom we can and should pray. The Holy Spirit, being fully divine, is to be accorded the same honor and respect that we give to the Father and the Son. It is appropriate to worship Him as we do them. The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son. His work is the expression and execution of what the three of them have planned together. There is no tension among their persons and activities.
God is not far off. The Holy Spirit performs certain works that are commonly ascribed to God. He was and continues to be involved with the creation, in both originating it and providentially keeping and directing it.
In the Holy Spirit, the Triune God comes close, so close as to enter into each believer. He is even more intimately involved with us now than in the incarnation. Through the operation of the Spirit he has truly become Immanuel, “God with us.” The knowledge that the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence in our lives, that He performs all these miraculous functions, that He dwells with us forever, and that He will never leave or forsake us brings confidence, security, and is cause for great joy and comfort.
“Thank God for Your precious gift of the Holy Spirit
and His work in our lives!”
In closing, I hope that I have shared a little insight to the attainability of God’s Gift to us and maybe why I secretly have a favorite. It is free, does not need to be paid back, a gift that we can share with so many others just by Living in the Presence of God. A gift that is embedded in our very being that enables us to remain confident, and at peace through these challenging times.
With every breath, we will share your goodness Lord. Let everything that has breath praise you, faithful God. Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22, NLT).
Breathe in me Holy Spirit so I may share Your gift of life and all of eternity spent with You.
Blessings Be Yours ~ Amen!
Little Church in the Pines
2 Veterans ~ Military and Spiritual
November 08, 2020
Connie Funkhouser ~ subbing for Pastor Tom
This Patriotic Message highlights four key words from 2 Timothy: 3-4
Enlist • Endure • Engage • Entangle
These 4 words describe what it takes to be a good soldier, whether for Christ or County.
In many churches, just like ours, there stand two flags—the American Flag and the Christian Flag. These two flags represent two types of freedom. One is a freedom that allows us to go where we want to go, say what we want to say, to live where we want to live, to dream big dreams and pursue them.
The Christian Flag has a white field, with a red Latin cross inside a blue canton. The shade of red on the cross symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary. The blue represents the waters of baptism as well as the faithfulness of Jesus. The white represents Jesus' purity. Each Flag also has its own Pledge. Naturally, we all know the Pledge of Allegiance, for those that are unaware of the Pledge to the Christian Flag it is as follows.
I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands; one Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe.
I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.
Someone once wrote:
It is the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the Veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
Veterans over the centuries have sacrificed so much to obtain and preserve this precious freedom—which also includes the God-given right to worship our Creator anytime anywhere. That leads us to the other type of freedom, represented by the Christian Flag—a greater freedom that can only be found in Christ, who died as a ransom to set us free. This is a freedom from a life of futility, freedom from the tyranny of sin, regret, hate, and bitterness. It is the freedom to love God and love our neighbor.
To serve either of these flags (and the freedoms they represent) faithfully and effectively, we must meet certain requirements. Before one can become a Veteran, they must first be a good soldier. So, my question for us today is—what does it take to become a Veteran? Not just a military Veteran, but a spiritual Veteran?
The Apostle Paul knew a little something about that.
Having enlisted in the Lord’s army after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus and enduring countless dangers, toils, and snares as a result, Paul was a Veteran Christian if there ever was one. Toward the end of his life—while facing execution for his commitment to Christ—Paul sat in a cold Roman prison, cut off from the world, with just a quill and some parchment. Paul knew that he would soon be executed and so he wrote his final thoughts to a young pastor named Timothy, passing to him the torch of leadership, reminding him of what was truly important and encouraging him to keep the faith. In 2 Timothy 2:3-4, Paul makes this brief statement:
“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4 NKJV).
In these two short verses Paul uses four e-words—enlist, endure, engage, and entangle—each representing a different aspect of what it takes to become a Veteran soldier of Christ. I want to start with the last e-word, which is—enlist.
• The first step to becoming a spiritual Veteran is Enlisting.
You cannot become a Veteran if you do not enlist. As Paul says in another translation, “A soldier wants to please his enlisting officer” (2 Timothy 2:3-4 NCV - New Century Version is a revision of the International Children’s Bible. The International Children’s Bible is a translation of the Bible that is aimed @ young readers and those w/low reading skills/limited vocabulary. It is written @ a 3rd grade level & is both conservative & evangelical in tone).
Our country no longer uses a forced draft. Recruitment officers are sent out to encourage people to volunteer, but men and women have the freedom to choose whether they serve in the American military today. Naturally, people make that choice for different reasons.
Young people I’ve talked to, and in my own opinion, enlist so that they can go collage, others out of a sense of patriotic duty, some were raised in military families, and still others because they’re looking for some sense of direction or purpose for their lives. No matter what the reasons are, it is a tough decision—life changing, to simply leave everything behind.
God does not force anyone to serve in the service of His Kingdom, either. He does send out recruitment officers, like you and me, to encourage people to serve in His Army, but it is our choice. People make the decision for different reasons. Maybe you were brought up with the faith of your parents, maybe you sensed God is leading in your life, or maybe you came to Christ looking for a sense of purpose and direction. No matter the reason, it is a life changing decision and not one to be taken lightly. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me but loves his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters—or even life—more than me, he cannot be my follower. Whoever is not willing to carry his cross and follow me cannot be my follower” (Luke 14:26-27 NCV). Following Jesus is a life-altering commitment that requires full devotion. It is a personal pledge that you are going to let Christ become the leader of your life. And I am certain there are many here today who testify that it was the best decision they ever made; I know it was/is for me ♥
The next step is enduring.
• ENDURE
American soldiers in ever branch of the military have a lot to endure, not the least of which is the grueling physical punishment experienced during basic training. . .. My husband Jim was in the Marine Corp back in the 60’s. I asked him what he remembers of his introduction into basic training. He said the toughest part was the first 2-3 days. Basically, a lot of marching, being constantly yelled at, lack of sleep, pushups, up and down, more marching, being yelled out, on and on. My 2nd cousin was in the U.S. Army, she said her toughest part was learning to call her Drill Sergeants – Sir and coming with terms with they did not mess up the oatmeal that it was actually grits. I also posed the question to Barry Phillips; he said traveling on the bus and everyone was so nice, then arriving @ Boot Camp, finding the # that you were to stand on, having all your civilian life taken away, hair, clothes, etc., and then the nice guys on the bus became Drill Instructors with attitudes.
Of course, there are fewer physical hardships that soldiers must endure as well. One of the most difficult things is just being away from their families. And then there is the rigidity of military life—often personified in ranking officers.
I read about an Air Force Major that was promoted to Colonel and got a new office. The first morning he was in his new office, an airman knocked on the door and asked to speak to him. The Colonel, feeling the urge to impress the young airman, picked up his phone and began talking. “Yes, General, thank you. Yes, I will pass that information along to the President this afternoon. Yes, goodbye, sir.” Then, turning to the airman, he barked, “And what do you want?” The airman said, “Nothing important, sir. I just came to hook up your telephone.”
If you want to be a Veteran, you must have endurance.
As Paul told Timothy, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3 NKJV). Thank God that we are living in a country where Christians do not experience the kind of hardships they do in other parts of the world—hardships like the ones Paul experienced. During his missionary journeys Paul was flogged, stoned, shipwrecked and much more. But even in America, life is full of hardships. Bad things happen. Our faith is tested.
James reminds us, “when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (James 1:2-3 NLT). As soldiers of Christ, we must endure. We must keep the faith. And we must praise God, even during our struggles.
So, we enlist, we endure. And next we engage.
• ENGAGE
General Sherman once said, “You don’t know the horrible aspects of war. I have been through two wars and I know. I have seen cities and homes in ashes. I have seen thousands of men lying on the ground, their dead faces looking up at the skies. I tell you; war is hell!”
While I have never experienced the horrible aspects of war, I have great respect for those who have been engaged in war. Even those service men and women who were blessed to serve during peacetime, however, must still be prepared to engage the enemy. Through training exercises and combat practice they stay sharp and vigilant, always prepared for battle.
As Christians we need to do the same. As Paul explains, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV).
In other words, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we must be prepared to engage in spiritual warfare. We battle temptation. We stand opposed to false religions and worldviews that are hostile toward Christianity. We are called to defend our faith with reason and precision. We cannot be afraid to stand up for Jesus either in the public square or in our personal relationships. God is counting on us to “take captives,” which means surrendering our own thought and beliefs to Christ, but also leading other to do the same—with gentleness and respect. See in the Lord’s Army, we do not kill our enemies; rather, we make them our allies.
And in the Lord’s Army, we are not fighting alone. Just as soldiers in a squad, platoon, or company, depend on each other, Christians rely on our church family to support us and stand beside us. Even more, we have God on our side.
David Dykes, a Baptist minister from Texas, once shared an amazing story. He writes, “During WWII, soldiers were often given Bibles to take into battle. I recall one veteran showing me his. A German bullet punctured it and traveled halfway through until it stopped in Psalm 91.” The bullet seemed as if it was pointing directly at Psalm 91:11, which says, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Isn’t that amazing? As Christians, we should not ever be afraid to engage our friends, co-workers, or culture. After all, if God is for us, who can be against us?
To be a Veteran, we must enlist, endure, engage, and finally, do not get entangled.
• ENTANGLED
The last e-word that Paul uses in these two verses is entangled: “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life” (2 Timothy 2:4 HCSB).
I heard about a new recruit, shortly after joining the Navy, who asked his officer for a pass so he could attend a wedding. The officer gave him the pass but informed the young man he would have to be back by 7 p.m. Sunday. “You don’t understand, sir,” said the recruit. “I’m in the wedding, actually I am the Groom.”
“No, you don’t understand,” the officer shot back. “You’re in the Navy!”
When you serve this (American) flag, you are expected to be completely committed to your country and to allow nothing to prevent you from performing your duties and serving faithfully.
When you serve this (Christian) flag, you are also expected to be completely committed to Christ and His Kingdom. You are expected to serve Him faithfully, not allowing anything to keep you from doing His will.
Unfortunately, countless Christians, after coming to Christ in faith, do get entangled in the affairs of this world. They let other things become more important to them than Jesus. In fact, Jesus told a story about that very thing. He talked about a farmer who scattered seed everywhere he went. Then Jesus said, “The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so, they never grow into maturity” (Luke 8:14 NLT).
We need to be careful about the things we let distract us from Jesus. As Paul has said elsewhere, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8 NLT).
Conclusion
As I mentioned earlier, there are two types of freedom—embodied in two flags. We want to say many thanks to the Veterans who have served to preserve our political freedoms, which allow us to freely worship our Creator who gives us that greater freedom we all so desperately need.
Invitation
Maybe you’re entangled in the cares and worries of this life, maybe you’re afraid to engage people in spiritual conversation, maybe you’re enduring some hardship and need someone to stand with you and help you to fight the good fight, or maybe you haven’t yet enlisted in God’s Army but you’re thinking about it and you need someone to talk to. I don’t know where you are in your relationship with God, but if there is anything Pastor Tom, myself, or even our Bible Study Group can do to help you become a Spiritual Veteran, you have now received an open invitation.
Amen
2 Veterans ~ Military and Spiritual
November 08, 2020
Connie Funkhouser ~ subbing for Pastor Tom
This Patriotic Message highlights four key words from 2 Timothy: 3-4
Enlist • Endure • Engage • Entangle
These 4 words describe what it takes to be a good soldier, whether for Christ or County.
In many churches, just like ours, there stand two flags—the American Flag and the Christian Flag. These two flags represent two types of freedom. One is a freedom that allows us to go where we want to go, say what we want to say, to live where we want to live, to dream big dreams and pursue them.
The Christian Flag has a white field, with a red Latin cross inside a blue canton. The shade of red on the cross symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary. The blue represents the waters of baptism as well as the faithfulness of Jesus. The white represents Jesus' purity. Each Flag also has its own Pledge. Naturally, we all know the Pledge of Allegiance, for those that are unaware of the Pledge to the Christian Flag it is as follows.
I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands; one Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe.
I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.
Someone once wrote:
It is the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the Veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
Veterans over the centuries have sacrificed so much to obtain and preserve this precious freedom—which also includes the God-given right to worship our Creator anytime anywhere. That leads us to the other type of freedom, represented by the Christian Flag—a greater freedom that can only be found in Christ, who died as a ransom to set us free. This is a freedom from a life of futility, freedom from the tyranny of sin, regret, hate, and bitterness. It is the freedom to love God and love our neighbor.
To serve either of these flags (and the freedoms they represent) faithfully and effectively, we must meet certain requirements. Before one can become a Veteran, they must first be a good soldier. So, my question for us today is—what does it take to become a Veteran? Not just a military Veteran, but a spiritual Veteran?
The Apostle Paul knew a little something about that.
Having enlisted in the Lord’s army after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus and enduring countless dangers, toils, and snares as a result, Paul was a Veteran Christian if there ever was one. Toward the end of his life—while facing execution for his commitment to Christ—Paul sat in a cold Roman prison, cut off from the world, with just a quill and some parchment. Paul knew that he would soon be executed and so he wrote his final thoughts to a young pastor named Timothy, passing to him the torch of leadership, reminding him of what was truly important and encouraging him to keep the faith. In 2 Timothy 2:3-4, Paul makes this brief statement:
“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4 NKJV).
In these two short verses Paul uses four e-words—enlist, endure, engage, and entangle—each representing a different aspect of what it takes to become a Veteran soldier of Christ. I want to start with the last e-word, which is—enlist.
• The first step to becoming a spiritual Veteran is Enlisting.
You cannot become a Veteran if you do not enlist. As Paul says in another translation, “A soldier wants to please his enlisting officer” (2 Timothy 2:3-4 NCV - New Century Version is a revision of the International Children’s Bible. The International Children’s Bible is a translation of the Bible that is aimed @ young readers and those w/low reading skills/limited vocabulary. It is written @ a 3rd grade level & is both conservative & evangelical in tone).
Our country no longer uses a forced draft. Recruitment officers are sent out to encourage people to volunteer, but men and women have the freedom to choose whether they serve in the American military today. Naturally, people make that choice for different reasons.
Young people I’ve talked to, and in my own opinion, enlist so that they can go collage, others out of a sense of patriotic duty, some were raised in military families, and still others because they’re looking for some sense of direction or purpose for their lives. No matter what the reasons are, it is a tough decision—life changing, to simply leave everything behind.
God does not force anyone to serve in the service of His Kingdom, either. He does send out recruitment officers, like you and me, to encourage people to serve in His Army, but it is our choice. People make the decision for different reasons. Maybe you were brought up with the faith of your parents, maybe you sensed God is leading in your life, or maybe you came to Christ looking for a sense of purpose and direction. No matter the reason, it is a life changing decision and not one to be taken lightly. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me but loves his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters—or even life—more than me, he cannot be my follower. Whoever is not willing to carry his cross and follow me cannot be my follower” (Luke 14:26-27 NCV). Following Jesus is a life-altering commitment that requires full devotion. It is a personal pledge that you are going to let Christ become the leader of your life. And I am certain there are many here today who testify that it was the best decision they ever made; I know it was/is for me ♥
The next step is enduring.
• ENDURE
American soldiers in ever branch of the military have a lot to endure, not the least of which is the grueling physical punishment experienced during basic training. . .. My husband Jim was in the Marine Corp back in the 60’s. I asked him what he remembers of his introduction into basic training. He said the toughest part was the first 2-3 days. Basically, a lot of marching, being constantly yelled at, lack of sleep, pushups, up and down, more marching, being yelled out, on and on. My 2nd cousin was in the U.S. Army, she said her toughest part was learning to call her Drill Sergeants – Sir and coming with terms with they did not mess up the oatmeal that it was actually grits. I also posed the question to Barry Phillips; he said traveling on the bus and everyone was so nice, then arriving @ Boot Camp, finding the # that you were to stand on, having all your civilian life taken away, hair, clothes, etc., and then the nice guys on the bus became Drill Instructors with attitudes.
Of course, there are fewer physical hardships that soldiers must endure as well. One of the most difficult things is just being away from their families. And then there is the rigidity of military life—often personified in ranking officers.
I read about an Air Force Major that was promoted to Colonel and got a new office. The first morning he was in his new office, an airman knocked on the door and asked to speak to him. The Colonel, feeling the urge to impress the young airman, picked up his phone and began talking. “Yes, General, thank you. Yes, I will pass that information along to the President this afternoon. Yes, goodbye, sir.” Then, turning to the airman, he barked, “And what do you want?” The airman said, “Nothing important, sir. I just came to hook up your telephone.”
If you want to be a Veteran, you must have endurance.
As Paul told Timothy, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3 NKJV). Thank God that we are living in a country where Christians do not experience the kind of hardships they do in other parts of the world—hardships like the ones Paul experienced. During his missionary journeys Paul was flogged, stoned, shipwrecked and much more. But even in America, life is full of hardships. Bad things happen. Our faith is tested.
James reminds us, “when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (James 1:2-3 NLT). As soldiers of Christ, we must endure. We must keep the faith. And we must praise God, even during our struggles.
So, we enlist, we endure. And next we engage.
• ENGAGE
General Sherman once said, “You don’t know the horrible aspects of war. I have been through two wars and I know. I have seen cities and homes in ashes. I have seen thousands of men lying on the ground, their dead faces looking up at the skies. I tell you; war is hell!”
While I have never experienced the horrible aspects of war, I have great respect for those who have been engaged in war. Even those service men and women who were blessed to serve during peacetime, however, must still be prepared to engage the enemy. Through training exercises and combat practice they stay sharp and vigilant, always prepared for battle.
As Christians we need to do the same. As Paul explains, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV).
In other words, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we must be prepared to engage in spiritual warfare. We battle temptation. We stand opposed to false religions and worldviews that are hostile toward Christianity. We are called to defend our faith with reason and precision. We cannot be afraid to stand up for Jesus either in the public square or in our personal relationships. God is counting on us to “take captives,” which means surrendering our own thought and beliefs to Christ, but also leading other to do the same—with gentleness and respect. See in the Lord’s Army, we do not kill our enemies; rather, we make them our allies.
And in the Lord’s Army, we are not fighting alone. Just as soldiers in a squad, platoon, or company, depend on each other, Christians rely on our church family to support us and stand beside us. Even more, we have God on our side.
David Dykes, a Baptist minister from Texas, once shared an amazing story. He writes, “During WWII, soldiers were often given Bibles to take into battle. I recall one veteran showing me his. A German bullet punctured it and traveled halfway through until it stopped in Psalm 91.” The bullet seemed as if it was pointing directly at Psalm 91:11, which says, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Isn’t that amazing? As Christians, we should not ever be afraid to engage our friends, co-workers, or culture. After all, if God is for us, who can be against us?
To be a Veteran, we must enlist, endure, engage, and finally, do not get entangled.
• ENTANGLED
The last e-word that Paul uses in these two verses is entangled: “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life” (2 Timothy 2:4 HCSB).
I heard about a new recruit, shortly after joining the Navy, who asked his officer for a pass so he could attend a wedding. The officer gave him the pass but informed the young man he would have to be back by 7 p.m. Sunday. “You don’t understand, sir,” said the recruit. “I’m in the wedding, actually I am the Groom.”
“No, you don’t understand,” the officer shot back. “You’re in the Navy!”
When you serve this (American) flag, you are expected to be completely committed to your country and to allow nothing to prevent you from performing your duties and serving faithfully.
When you serve this (Christian) flag, you are also expected to be completely committed to Christ and His Kingdom. You are expected to serve Him faithfully, not allowing anything to keep you from doing His will.
Unfortunately, countless Christians, after coming to Christ in faith, do get entangled in the affairs of this world. They let other things become more important to them than Jesus. In fact, Jesus told a story about that very thing. He talked about a farmer who scattered seed everywhere he went. Then Jesus said, “The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so, they never grow into maturity” (Luke 8:14 NLT).
We need to be careful about the things we let distract us from Jesus. As Paul has said elsewhere, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8 NLT).
Conclusion
As I mentioned earlier, there are two types of freedom—embodied in two flags. We want to say many thanks to the Veterans who have served to preserve our political freedoms, which allow us to freely worship our Creator who gives us that greater freedom we all so desperately need.
Invitation
Maybe you’re entangled in the cares and worries of this life, maybe you’re afraid to engage people in spiritual conversation, maybe you’re enduring some hardship and need someone to stand with you and help you to fight the good fight, or maybe you haven’t yet enlisted in God’s Army but you’re thinking about it and you need someone to talk to. I don’t know where you are in your relationship with God, but if there is anything Pastor Tom, myself, or even our Bible Study Group can do to help you become a Spiritual Veteran, you have now received an open invitation.
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
November 1, 2020
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
"The Church * The Body of Christ”
Matthew 16:18 “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock) and upon this rock I will build My church, and all the powers of hell* will NOT conquer it”!
by Pastor Tom Shanor
~+~
Good morning church…the living, breathing representative of the Person and Body of Jesus Christ on planet earth, specifically here in Island Park, Idaho.
How are you this morning?
You did not “come to church’ you came to a building, this building that houses the church…. for you are the church!
Instead of saying it is time to go to church, we should be saying, it is the time set aside to come together for our worship service and be the church. That is just being correct as far as the actual meaning of the word church. Wikipedia has it wrong in part, where they define it as a “building for Christian religious activities;” but in the second part have it correct by calling church “a local congregation” of a Christian (denomination) but, also instead of denomination, should simply say gathering.
I am not attempting to make a big to-do about this, but I always think it is important to use words correctly and to apply them in the proper way as well. Also, on the upside, it is important also to fully understand just how valuable the church is…yes, the Christian church, in all its variety of manifestations, denominations, and gatherings. It is spiritually healthy to know what is correct or legitimate in the eyes of the Lord, for as stated above in Matthew 16, He said “He would build His church” by bringing together as a unit, ‘people’ from all races specified in Mark:16:15, (“go ye into all the world and preach the Good News to EVERYONE!” Paul further reiterates the importance of coming together in Hebrews 10:25, “Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching. (The day approaching meaning the second coming of the Lord.)
Perhaps you may have figured out….that today you are mostly in a classroom, at least in the beginning of this message, because I think it is important to know as much as we can about our history, defined also as the history of “the church”.
Coming back to the rock Jesus spoke of twice in the same sentence, saying, “Now I say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
The rock on which Jesus would build His church has been identified as (1.) Jesus Himself (Peters statement proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah) “You are the Messiah,* the Son of the Living God” (2) Peter (the first great leader chosen by Jesus to lead the church or at that time the gathering of the people in Jerusalem, who following His resurrection, became His followers, and of course this included the leadership of all the disciples. (3) by the confession of faith as I stated above, and that all subsequent Believers down to today would profess Him as the Messiah, therefore Savior.
It seems most likely that the first rock Jesus spoke of did point to Peter as the upcoming leader of the church, and today that spiritual office and the person who fills that office is known as the Pope, and each successive Pope having been established as such, from the earliest days of the newly forming church, because of his role as the apostolic successor to Sant Peter, to whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Himself, giving him (Peter) the Keys of Heaven and the powers of “binding and loosing”, naming him as the “rock”.
As a point of interest, the earliest recorded use of the title “pope” in English dates to the mid-10th century, when it was used in reference to the 7th century Roman POPE Vitalian, which is an Old English translation of Bede’s History of the early church. So, the title has been around for a very long time, and maybe I should have said this in the first place, but Pope means Father. Peter was the first and literal Father of the church.
Later, Peter reminds the fledgling church that they are the church built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the Cornerstone. (1 Peter 2:4-6) All Believers are joined into the church by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior; the same faith that Peter expressed as Jesus praised Peter for his confession of faith. It is faith like Peter’s that is the foundation of Christ’s Kingdom.
Jesus was prophesying in regards to the future, for the church He prophesied of was born on the Day of Pentecost…based on the New Testament happenings of the descending of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and all the others present that day as they prayed together as one, fulfilling Jesus words where he said, (Luke 24:49) “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” On that day, The Church was born as stated, empowered and soon to become the Body of Christ known as the Church, which following this baptism became the most powerful spiritual force in the world, changing everything.
1 Corinthians 12:27 reads, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”
The diversity in this gathering is broad, but needing each other in all our gifts and personalities, to be a healthy representation of Him to our local community, therefore it is our individual and collective responsibility, and should be our goal to be One in the Spirit and One in the Lord, with no division or strife, so as to be a true witness of the Person and Unity that can be found in Him, thereby drawing others to Him through us.
In verse 12:13-15 we read, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…whether Jew or Greek, slave or free…and have all been made to drink of ‘one’ Spirit, for in fact the body is not one member, but many parts. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body….is it therefore not a part of the body….of course it is?
These verses also point to this simple statement. “We should all get along”! But when divisions and strife come, and they do arise, we are to think first of what those divisions do to our witness, and upon realizing the importance of that, should honestly and in grace work through those disagreements as Christians. We are to be different in a good way.
Pastor Eugene Peterson, author of The Shack and The Message wrote, “I would like to talk about the foolishness of the ‘congregation.’ Gods choice of venue. Of all the ways in which to carry out the enterprise of the church, this has to be the most absurd. A haphazard collection of people who somehow get assembled into pews or chairs on Sunday morning, sing a few songs and tune in and out of a sermon according to the state of their digestion, or sleep they had the night before, or not, and the preachers tonal voice and words, the decibels he or she uses, and sometimes awkward and in-cohesive in their structure”.
But…those of you sitting in these pews at times, are people who suffer deeply and hopefully find God walking with you in your suffering. We make love commitments, and work to be faithful to them through trials and temptations that come our way. When failing to do so, are most often forgiven and given another chance…we also bear the fruit of making right choices, Spirit-related choices that then bless those around us, both great and small.
As an example of what was big to me was small to my engineer friend Larry Johnson, so yesterday I took to Larry a timer for my new fireplace insert. Just looking at it fried my brain, let alone figuring out how to use and adjust it. Being an engineer (what kind I don’t know) but that did not matter, for within a few minutes after asking me a couple of questions, I heard the most soothing and comforting words, as he said, just plug it in. Halleluiah! Thank you Larry!
The reality of living a Christian life together as the Body of Christ on this planet, and in this geographical location we live in, we can help and encourage one another and those strangers who come to worship with us, who in our spiritual reality are brothers and sisters, born of the same Father. That is part of our calling and ministry. We, always realizing we are fallible but redeemable, making mistakes at times, even sinning, we are forgiven both by God in Christ and by each other. Perhaps we even get grumpy, but get over it quicker than most, (or should) for we find a measure of happiness and sometimes JOY in just being together, for we are one in Christ and one in our desire to meet together for all the right reasons, and therefore we are blessed!
We are not a perfect church….and no attempt to make it as such will never work, for all of us who are imperfect should be reasonable, rational, tolerant, understanding and in love forgiving.
A man reportedly came to the British Pastor Charles Spurgeon, looking for the perfect church. The famous preacher told him he had many saintly people in his congregation, but a Judas could also be among them. After all, he said, even Jesus had a traitor among His own chosen disciples. He went on to say, that some in his congregation were most likely, even deliberately walking in sin, as had been the case among the believers at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, and Sardis. His final words to the man were, “my church is not the one you are looking for,” “but if you should happen to find just such a congregation, I beg you not to becomes a member, for you would spoil the whole thing.”
Our call as followers/disciples of Christ is this, be gracious or grace motivated, and filled with love for one another as Christ loves us, He says. Since we represent Him as the Body of Christ on this little blue spinning ball in space and time, we are to exhibit to both believers and unbelievers, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Add to those grace and mercy and justice. (What does the Lord require of you?) “To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8,
As a side note, think about applying this verse in our current social and governmental situations. In those two interactive environments, we are most exposed as to whether we are followers of Christ or ourselves and own opinions. These three Christian traits we must internally fight for when opportunities come up that require them.
Act justly
Love mercy
Walk humbly
“with your God”
This now, is a Key to the Kingdom of God within us. Our individual relationship with Jesus will always be vital, and we must always see ourselves not as loner Christians, but as living members of Christ’s Body, the church. We though individuals, need to continue to gather-together as we do, able to be and accomplish what the Lord Himself has asked and exampled. He…is the head of the Church, and as we continue to build up each other through our words, actions and participation, we are to remember this……we exemplify HIM!
The parable of the Tree is a good one that tells us the true source of good, in producing good things (or what is called the fruit of the Spirit) both individually and collectively.
Luke 6:43-45 “You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It is who you are not what you say and do that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds. The Message
Amen
Now…we come to the Table of the Lord…. let’s sing,
“Let Us Break Bread Together” # 564
November 1, 2020
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
"The Church * The Body of Christ”
Matthew 16:18 “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock) and upon this rock I will build My church, and all the powers of hell* will NOT conquer it”!
by Pastor Tom Shanor
~+~
Good morning church…the living, breathing representative of the Person and Body of Jesus Christ on planet earth, specifically here in Island Park, Idaho.
How are you this morning?
You did not “come to church’ you came to a building, this building that houses the church…. for you are the church!
Instead of saying it is time to go to church, we should be saying, it is the time set aside to come together for our worship service and be the church. That is just being correct as far as the actual meaning of the word church. Wikipedia has it wrong in part, where they define it as a “building for Christian religious activities;” but in the second part have it correct by calling church “a local congregation” of a Christian (denomination) but, also instead of denomination, should simply say gathering.
I am not attempting to make a big to-do about this, but I always think it is important to use words correctly and to apply them in the proper way as well. Also, on the upside, it is important also to fully understand just how valuable the church is…yes, the Christian church, in all its variety of manifestations, denominations, and gatherings. It is spiritually healthy to know what is correct or legitimate in the eyes of the Lord, for as stated above in Matthew 16, He said “He would build His church” by bringing together as a unit, ‘people’ from all races specified in Mark:16:15, (“go ye into all the world and preach the Good News to EVERYONE!” Paul further reiterates the importance of coming together in Hebrews 10:25, “Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching. (The day approaching meaning the second coming of the Lord.)
Perhaps you may have figured out….that today you are mostly in a classroom, at least in the beginning of this message, because I think it is important to know as much as we can about our history, defined also as the history of “the church”.
Coming back to the rock Jesus spoke of twice in the same sentence, saying, “Now I say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
The rock on which Jesus would build His church has been identified as (1.) Jesus Himself (Peters statement proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah) “You are the Messiah,* the Son of the Living God” (2) Peter (the first great leader chosen by Jesus to lead the church or at that time the gathering of the people in Jerusalem, who following His resurrection, became His followers, and of course this included the leadership of all the disciples. (3) by the confession of faith as I stated above, and that all subsequent Believers down to today would profess Him as the Messiah, therefore Savior.
It seems most likely that the first rock Jesus spoke of did point to Peter as the upcoming leader of the church, and today that spiritual office and the person who fills that office is known as the Pope, and each successive Pope having been established as such, from the earliest days of the newly forming church, because of his role as the apostolic successor to Sant Peter, to whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Himself, giving him (Peter) the Keys of Heaven and the powers of “binding and loosing”, naming him as the “rock”.
As a point of interest, the earliest recorded use of the title “pope” in English dates to the mid-10th century, when it was used in reference to the 7th century Roman POPE Vitalian, which is an Old English translation of Bede’s History of the early church. So, the title has been around for a very long time, and maybe I should have said this in the first place, but Pope means Father. Peter was the first and literal Father of the church.
Later, Peter reminds the fledgling church that they are the church built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the Cornerstone. (1 Peter 2:4-6) All Believers are joined into the church by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior; the same faith that Peter expressed as Jesus praised Peter for his confession of faith. It is faith like Peter’s that is the foundation of Christ’s Kingdom.
Jesus was prophesying in regards to the future, for the church He prophesied of was born on the Day of Pentecost…based on the New Testament happenings of the descending of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and all the others present that day as they prayed together as one, fulfilling Jesus words where he said, (Luke 24:49) “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” On that day, The Church was born as stated, empowered and soon to become the Body of Christ known as the Church, which following this baptism became the most powerful spiritual force in the world, changing everything.
1 Corinthians 12:27 reads, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”
The diversity in this gathering is broad, but needing each other in all our gifts and personalities, to be a healthy representation of Him to our local community, therefore it is our individual and collective responsibility, and should be our goal to be One in the Spirit and One in the Lord, with no division or strife, so as to be a true witness of the Person and Unity that can be found in Him, thereby drawing others to Him through us.
In verse 12:13-15 we read, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…whether Jew or Greek, slave or free…and have all been made to drink of ‘one’ Spirit, for in fact the body is not one member, but many parts. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body….is it therefore not a part of the body….of course it is?
These verses also point to this simple statement. “We should all get along”! But when divisions and strife come, and they do arise, we are to think first of what those divisions do to our witness, and upon realizing the importance of that, should honestly and in grace work through those disagreements as Christians. We are to be different in a good way.
Pastor Eugene Peterson, author of The Shack and The Message wrote, “I would like to talk about the foolishness of the ‘congregation.’ Gods choice of venue. Of all the ways in which to carry out the enterprise of the church, this has to be the most absurd. A haphazard collection of people who somehow get assembled into pews or chairs on Sunday morning, sing a few songs and tune in and out of a sermon according to the state of their digestion, or sleep they had the night before, or not, and the preachers tonal voice and words, the decibels he or she uses, and sometimes awkward and in-cohesive in their structure”.
But…those of you sitting in these pews at times, are people who suffer deeply and hopefully find God walking with you in your suffering. We make love commitments, and work to be faithful to them through trials and temptations that come our way. When failing to do so, are most often forgiven and given another chance…we also bear the fruit of making right choices, Spirit-related choices that then bless those around us, both great and small.
As an example of what was big to me was small to my engineer friend Larry Johnson, so yesterday I took to Larry a timer for my new fireplace insert. Just looking at it fried my brain, let alone figuring out how to use and adjust it. Being an engineer (what kind I don’t know) but that did not matter, for within a few minutes after asking me a couple of questions, I heard the most soothing and comforting words, as he said, just plug it in. Halleluiah! Thank you Larry!
The reality of living a Christian life together as the Body of Christ on this planet, and in this geographical location we live in, we can help and encourage one another and those strangers who come to worship with us, who in our spiritual reality are brothers and sisters, born of the same Father. That is part of our calling and ministry. We, always realizing we are fallible but redeemable, making mistakes at times, even sinning, we are forgiven both by God in Christ and by each other. Perhaps we even get grumpy, but get over it quicker than most, (or should) for we find a measure of happiness and sometimes JOY in just being together, for we are one in Christ and one in our desire to meet together for all the right reasons, and therefore we are blessed!
We are not a perfect church….and no attempt to make it as such will never work, for all of us who are imperfect should be reasonable, rational, tolerant, understanding and in love forgiving.
A man reportedly came to the British Pastor Charles Spurgeon, looking for the perfect church. The famous preacher told him he had many saintly people in his congregation, but a Judas could also be among them. After all, he said, even Jesus had a traitor among His own chosen disciples. He went on to say, that some in his congregation were most likely, even deliberately walking in sin, as had been the case among the believers at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, and Sardis. His final words to the man were, “my church is not the one you are looking for,” “but if you should happen to find just such a congregation, I beg you not to becomes a member, for you would spoil the whole thing.”
Our call as followers/disciples of Christ is this, be gracious or grace motivated, and filled with love for one another as Christ loves us, He says. Since we represent Him as the Body of Christ on this little blue spinning ball in space and time, we are to exhibit to both believers and unbelievers, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Add to those grace and mercy and justice. (What does the Lord require of you?) “To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8,
As a side note, think about applying this verse in our current social and governmental situations. In those two interactive environments, we are most exposed as to whether we are followers of Christ or ourselves and own opinions. These three Christian traits we must internally fight for when opportunities come up that require them.
Act justly
Love mercy
Walk humbly
“with your God”
This now, is a Key to the Kingdom of God within us. Our individual relationship with Jesus will always be vital, and we must always see ourselves not as loner Christians, but as living members of Christ’s Body, the church. We though individuals, need to continue to gather-together as we do, able to be and accomplish what the Lord Himself has asked and exampled. He…is the head of the Church, and as we continue to build up each other through our words, actions and participation, we are to remember this……we exemplify HIM!
The parable of the Tree is a good one that tells us the true source of good, in producing good things (or what is called the fruit of the Spirit) both individually and collectively.
Luke 6:43-45 “You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It is who you are not what you say and do that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds. The Message
Amen
Now…we come to the Table of the Lord…. let’s sing,
“Let Us Break Bread Together” # 564
The Little Church in the Pines
October 25, 2020
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
” WORSHIP”
Revelation 1:8 “…Which is, and which was, and which is to come, The Almighty
By; Pastor Tom Shanor
~+~
In beginning today’s message, we are going to start it by expressing what the sermon topic is about and sing a song of worship!
His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful
Jesus my Lord;
He is the Mighty King, Master of everything, His name is Wonderful
Jesus my Lord.
He’s the Great Shepherd, the Rock of all ages, Almighty God is He;
Bow down before Him, Love and adore Him, His name is Wonderful,
Jesus my Lord….
Amen
A visiting woman decided to attend a liturgical service, attending a church in her hometown she had never visited before. As the pastor preached, she became so caught up in his message that she exclaimed out loud, Praise the Lord!” A fellow worshiper leaned over and whispered, saying, “Excuse me, but we don’t praise the Lord in the Episcopal Church.” A man on the other side of her corrected him: “Yes we do, and it is on page 19.”
The word worship is derived from the Old English word ‘weorbscipe’ Nice eh? Anyway, it means “to honor outwardly” which over time has evolved to “worthiness” or “worth-ship” and now worship and in its simplest context, value to something or someone. So, in worshiping God we are acknowledging His value or worth from us, expressed outwardly to Him.
We also call our gatherings on Sunday morning, Saturday night or whenever we meet collectively as Believers in our services…. our worship service.
Wikipedia describes it as thus. Worship is an ‘act’ or religious devotion, usually directed towards a deity. An ‘act’ of worship may be expressed individually, in an informal gathering, or through a designated ‘worship leader’ in an organized or formal gathering or service.
ACT…comes from the word ‘action’ which puts it in a category of expression, which is an “outward expression of an internal devotion.” Devotion, meaning a deep and internal connection. That action can manifest itself in countless ways of expression. Not all forms of action in worship are accepted by everyone. Shortly I will delve into some of those expressions, and we need to be careful not to judge those who express themselves in worship differently than we do….for true worship comes from the heart, and when coming from the heart can take on at times spontaneity of expression. Example, (standing on the pew.)
Culture, race, denominations, history, experiences by both an individual and collectively can determine that expression.
A friend of mine years ago asked, he being an atheist, why God would want to be worshiped? It was a good question and one I had not given a lot of thought to. Why? It seems to me that it is DNA’ed into the heart and mind of humankind, tracing our history back eons, that we have within us a place that has to be filled, and that place is a belief in a deity beyond ourselves that is wise, rooted in power and even majesty. Somehow this belief is an anchor when something is so wonderful or so bad, that beyond us is someone who we can thank/worship for the good and beautiful, and we can ask help from when we once again need wisdom and sometimes just a hand to hold.
As we acknowledge God as existing and as our Creator, again a supernatural deity responsible for and giver of life and love, worship then comes spontaneously from within us in an outward expression of praise and worship.
In some cultures, there are many gods. In others a female god, in yet others they or it is benevolent or demonic. Great and beautiful or great and malevolent. In some religions man can become gods themselves if indeed they are deemed worthy.
Most acknowledge that they believe a god, or gods’ or goddesses’ are in themselves responsible for all of Creation, and that He, she or it simply can do what He, she, or it wants with, and to all that exists. We Christians along with the Jews and Muslims, and those unaffiliated with the above, yet believe in the Biblical God, totaling 4.3 billion of the world’s 7.8 billion people. Christianity being the largest of those totaling 2.3 billion and therefore the largest religion in the world today.
Coming back to Creation, God, power and eventual spontaneous worship, and the evidence of a deity being responsible. I once quoted Albert Einstein in his personal belief in a Creator. He said,
#1. “The theory produces a good deal but hardly bring us closer to the secret of the ‘Old One,’” “I am at all events convinced that He does not play dice.”
#2. Tesla, another brilliant scientist is quoted as saying once, as he gazed out into the recesses of space, “I believe there’s some explanation for this universe, which you might call God.”
#3. Benedict Spinoza, whom Einstein is quoted as saying “I believe in the God of Spinoza, Spinoza saying when asked, “All things, I say, are in God, and everything which takes place takes place by the laws alone of the infinite nature of God and follows from the necessity of His essence.”
Therefore, even the most brilliant minds that have been produced among mankind, they have through their own wonder of the Universe, have had to come to terms with the existence of a Being beyond their understanding who set forth eternal laws that cannot be understood or broken, as to their source, thereby provoking awe and wonder. A feeling that even for the most brilliant, is religious in nature.
Taking a bit of a curve here in talking about God’s rights with and in Creation, I have attempted to make an analogy that helps me understand God’s rights with not only all of Creation, but specifically with human beings. It’s very simple.
When I create something, say a painting….it is my creation, as I spent the time, provided the materials, having come up with the subject applying paint to brush and brush to canvas. Now, depending on how it turns out and whether I am pleased with it, I can choose to do with that painting anything I want when finished. I own it, and I can hang it on my wall, put it in a closet, sell it, give it away or even destroy it….whatever I want to do I can do….because I created it.
I can say the same in regards to God…again, if indeed I believe in Him and have come to KNOW HIM, I am still His Creation, knowing that He made me, gave me the breath of life upon my birth and has every right to do with me that which He desires.
I too…because along with the breath of life given to me, and the wonders of what I believe are His Creation, and giving me free will as He most certainly gave all of us, I can choose to acknowledge Him….and come to KNOW Him, and by choosing this I then am then given the opportunity to experience His majesty, love and power, and all of this thorough His Beloved Son Jesus Christ. Choice is something we have every day. Choosing to believe is one of the greatest if not the greatest actions we can take in this brief life.
In this belief and acceptance, this deliberate ACT of recognizing God, connecting to God, giving to Him, turning over to Him…those things that are too hard for me (in my not so brilliant thinking abilities) I then feel compelled from the depth of my heart and mind, to not only acknowledge Him…but to worship Him.
Remember, in the beginning of this message I described worship as showing outward manifestations as indeed a part of worship. These outward manifestations as I also stated, can take on a great variety of expressions. Also, through worship I find myself being draw closer to Him, Him being the totality of who He is, described as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity.
In this relationship, with these acts of worship….I FEEL His PRESENCE more closely.
I believe God created along with our physical bodies our soul, and our soul is designed to contain His very real Presence 24/7. Every man, woman and child has a soul….and by design, our soul is spirit….but can be spiritual even apart from the Presence of God, but never fully, and never One with Him until we embrace Him, by accepting and believing that He is indeed the Creator of the Universe and all therein.
I will now read a Psalm which is an invitation to worship.
PSALM 95:1-7 READ
There were five actions spoken of in this Psalm,
Also, Scripture say Clap Your Hands all Ye people, shout unto God with a voice of Triumph, clap your hands all ye people, SHOUT unto God with a voice of praise.
There are a multitude of ways in which to express to God our PRAISE AND WORSHIP…and are acceptable and pleasing to Him. If individuals are expressing themselves in an insincere way, using any of these I have spoken of to draw attention to themselves….it is no longer worship but a show, and unacceptable to both God and us.
The manner of expression of worship is secondary to the condition of our motives and condition of our heart in doing so.
David prays in Psalm 51:10-12,
Let us finish with this:
Come let us worship and bow down
Let us kneel before the Lord our God our Maker
Come let us worship and bow down
Let us kneel before the Lord our God our Maker
For He is our God
And we are the people of His pasture
For He is our God
And we are the sheep of His hand
Come let us worship and bow down.
Amen
October 25, 2020
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
” WORSHIP”
Revelation 1:8 “…Which is, and which was, and which is to come, The Almighty
By; Pastor Tom Shanor
~+~
In beginning today’s message, we are going to start it by expressing what the sermon topic is about and sing a song of worship!
His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful
Jesus my Lord;
He is the Mighty King, Master of everything, His name is Wonderful
Jesus my Lord.
He’s the Great Shepherd, the Rock of all ages, Almighty God is He;
Bow down before Him, Love and adore Him, His name is Wonderful,
Jesus my Lord….
Amen
A visiting woman decided to attend a liturgical service, attending a church in her hometown she had never visited before. As the pastor preached, she became so caught up in his message that she exclaimed out loud, Praise the Lord!” A fellow worshiper leaned over and whispered, saying, “Excuse me, but we don’t praise the Lord in the Episcopal Church.” A man on the other side of her corrected him: “Yes we do, and it is on page 19.”
The word worship is derived from the Old English word ‘weorbscipe’ Nice eh? Anyway, it means “to honor outwardly” which over time has evolved to “worthiness” or “worth-ship” and now worship and in its simplest context, value to something or someone. So, in worshiping God we are acknowledging His value or worth from us, expressed outwardly to Him.
We also call our gatherings on Sunday morning, Saturday night or whenever we meet collectively as Believers in our services…. our worship service.
Wikipedia describes it as thus. Worship is an ‘act’ or religious devotion, usually directed towards a deity. An ‘act’ of worship may be expressed individually, in an informal gathering, or through a designated ‘worship leader’ in an organized or formal gathering or service.
ACT…comes from the word ‘action’ which puts it in a category of expression, which is an “outward expression of an internal devotion.” Devotion, meaning a deep and internal connection. That action can manifest itself in countless ways of expression. Not all forms of action in worship are accepted by everyone. Shortly I will delve into some of those expressions, and we need to be careful not to judge those who express themselves in worship differently than we do….for true worship comes from the heart, and when coming from the heart can take on at times spontaneity of expression. Example, (standing on the pew.)
Culture, race, denominations, history, experiences by both an individual and collectively can determine that expression.
A friend of mine years ago asked, he being an atheist, why God would want to be worshiped? It was a good question and one I had not given a lot of thought to. Why? It seems to me that it is DNA’ed into the heart and mind of humankind, tracing our history back eons, that we have within us a place that has to be filled, and that place is a belief in a deity beyond ourselves that is wise, rooted in power and even majesty. Somehow this belief is an anchor when something is so wonderful or so bad, that beyond us is someone who we can thank/worship for the good and beautiful, and we can ask help from when we once again need wisdom and sometimes just a hand to hold.
As we acknowledge God as existing and as our Creator, again a supernatural deity responsible for and giver of life and love, worship then comes spontaneously from within us in an outward expression of praise and worship.
In some cultures, there are many gods. In others a female god, in yet others they or it is benevolent or demonic. Great and beautiful or great and malevolent. In some religions man can become gods themselves if indeed they are deemed worthy.
Most acknowledge that they believe a god, or gods’ or goddesses’ are in themselves responsible for all of Creation, and that He, she or it simply can do what He, she, or it wants with, and to all that exists. We Christians along with the Jews and Muslims, and those unaffiliated with the above, yet believe in the Biblical God, totaling 4.3 billion of the world’s 7.8 billion people. Christianity being the largest of those totaling 2.3 billion and therefore the largest religion in the world today.
Coming back to Creation, God, power and eventual spontaneous worship, and the evidence of a deity being responsible. I once quoted Albert Einstein in his personal belief in a Creator. He said,
#1. “The theory produces a good deal but hardly bring us closer to the secret of the ‘Old One,’” “I am at all events convinced that He does not play dice.”
#2. Tesla, another brilliant scientist is quoted as saying once, as he gazed out into the recesses of space, “I believe there’s some explanation for this universe, which you might call God.”
#3. Benedict Spinoza, whom Einstein is quoted as saying “I believe in the God of Spinoza, Spinoza saying when asked, “All things, I say, are in God, and everything which takes place takes place by the laws alone of the infinite nature of God and follows from the necessity of His essence.”
Therefore, even the most brilliant minds that have been produced among mankind, they have through their own wonder of the Universe, have had to come to terms with the existence of a Being beyond their understanding who set forth eternal laws that cannot be understood or broken, as to their source, thereby provoking awe and wonder. A feeling that even for the most brilliant, is religious in nature.
Taking a bit of a curve here in talking about God’s rights with and in Creation, I have attempted to make an analogy that helps me understand God’s rights with not only all of Creation, but specifically with human beings. It’s very simple.
When I create something, say a painting….it is my creation, as I spent the time, provided the materials, having come up with the subject applying paint to brush and brush to canvas. Now, depending on how it turns out and whether I am pleased with it, I can choose to do with that painting anything I want when finished. I own it, and I can hang it on my wall, put it in a closet, sell it, give it away or even destroy it….whatever I want to do I can do….because I created it.
I can say the same in regards to God…again, if indeed I believe in Him and have come to KNOW HIM, I am still His Creation, knowing that He made me, gave me the breath of life upon my birth and has every right to do with me that which He desires.
I too…because along with the breath of life given to me, and the wonders of what I believe are His Creation, and giving me free will as He most certainly gave all of us, I can choose to acknowledge Him….and come to KNOW Him, and by choosing this I then am then given the opportunity to experience His majesty, love and power, and all of this thorough His Beloved Son Jesus Christ. Choice is something we have every day. Choosing to believe is one of the greatest if not the greatest actions we can take in this brief life.
In this belief and acceptance, this deliberate ACT of recognizing God, connecting to God, giving to Him, turning over to Him…those things that are too hard for me (in my not so brilliant thinking abilities) I then feel compelled from the depth of my heart and mind, to not only acknowledge Him…but to worship Him.
Remember, in the beginning of this message I described worship as showing outward manifestations as indeed a part of worship. These outward manifestations as I also stated, can take on a great variety of expressions. Also, through worship I find myself being draw closer to Him, Him being the totality of who He is, described as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity.
In this relationship, with these acts of worship….I FEEL His PRESENCE more closely.
I believe God created along with our physical bodies our soul, and our soul is designed to contain His very real Presence 24/7. Every man, woman and child has a soul….and by design, our soul is spirit….but can be spiritual even apart from the Presence of God, but never fully, and never One with Him until we embrace Him, by accepting and believing that He is indeed the Creator of the Universe and all therein.
I will now read a Psalm which is an invitation to worship.
PSALM 95:1-7 READ
There were five actions spoken of in this Psalm,
- Come, let us SING (no problem there for most of us)
- Let us SHOUT JOYFULLY to the Rock of our Salvation. Ah oh!
- Let us come before Him with THANKSGIVING (we can all do that)
- Let us worship and BOW DOWN (most of us are good with that)
- Let us KNEEL before the Lord out God our Maker (ok with that too_
Also, Scripture say Clap Your Hands all Ye people, shout unto God with a voice of Triumph, clap your hands all ye people, SHOUT unto God with a voice of praise.
There are a multitude of ways in which to express to God our PRAISE AND WORSHIP…and are acceptable and pleasing to Him. If individuals are expressing themselves in an insincere way, using any of these I have spoken of to draw attention to themselves….it is no longer worship but a show, and unacceptable to both God and us.
The manner of expression of worship is secondary to the condition of our motives and condition of our heart in doing so.
David prays in Psalm 51:10-12,
- Create in me a clean heart O God
- And renew a right spirit within me
- Cast me not away from thy Presence of Lord.
- And renew a right spirit within me
Let us finish with this:
Come let us worship and bow down
Let us kneel before the Lord our God our Maker
Come let us worship and bow down
Let us kneel before the Lord our God our Maker
For He is our God
And we are the people of His pasture
For He is our God
And we are the sheep of His hand
Come let us worship and bow down.
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
October 18, 2020
“An Attitude of Gratitude”
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
1 Thessalonians 5:18,
“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, concerning you.”
This pandemic 2020, soon to move into 2021 has filled our lives to the extent we will only know as time goes forward. Up to this time fear has often crowded out what we remember was our ordinary-everyday-lives, making them into only a semblance of what we once called normal. Since January it has filled the news, fueled rumors, brough rifts between friends, family, and our nation, often bringing strife, divisions, anger, suspicion and definitely the ugly in people. Paranoia continues to reign.
AND YET…. these words of Paul resonate through it all. He says to us in all sincerity, “always be joyful, never stop praying. Be thankful and full of gratitude in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Our Joy, our prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with our circumstances. I have heard and experienced many examples of ordinary people who through their belief/faith came through some horrendous and even extraordinary circumstances with an attitude of gratitude, managing to be and do, all three of these. JOFUL-THANKFUL-GRATEFUL
Doing so certainly goes contrary to our natural inclinations and definitely in our flesh the ability to do so when we make a conscious decision to do so. That which God in Christ tells us in Scripture is always for our benefit, and often the benefit of others. In being obedient, however, we will then begin to see not only our circumstances differently, but people also in those circumstances with a new perspective. A spiritual and godly perspective. Not that we are enjoying the suffering of others and our own suffering…. but joyful in that God knows our pain, our fears, our hopes, and dreams. God will never leave us or forsake us. Though we often cannot avoid these things that we are going through today, we can adjust our attitude, and often our attitude will heavily influence the outcome.
A well-known stress researcher claims that two attitudes more an any other, influence the quality of everyday life, saying that on these two emotions “depends our peace of mind” through all that we endure. Those being gratitude and revenge.
I shared this illustration once before but am going to do so again.
In the devotional “Springs in the Valley” the author tells of those who found a location where Satan kept his destructive seeds, ready to be sown in the human heart. Through experimentation, Satan found that these seeds could be made to grow in almost everyone, but when he was questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there was one, just one place, in which he could never get them to root and thrive and that one place he replied in anger was, “in the heart of a grateful person!”
In everything give thanks,
In everything give thanks,
For this is the will of God, in Christ Jesus
Concerning you……
Please note that this verse does not say for everything, but in.
To give Him thanks in the midst of this very real situation we are living every day, shows that we are reaching out and up, simply saying and asking, God, we need you now perhaps more or equal too and (though different) many situations that we have been through. We may not understand, but that is because our understanding is limited and finite and God’s, is being able to see the beginning to the end, remembering that all things are ultimately for the benefit of we, your people.
We all know, because we have been around this ole place long enough, that this life seems at times awfully unfair, and with that it comes with both short and long-term risks, some great and some small. In all of these we have choices to make…. Lord, give us we pray, the wisdom to choose the right thing and the right attitude.
In reference to our attitudes about difficult things, be they illness, wars, relationships, disagreements, division, accidents, etc., the unexpected will continue to come about, and as a result, often painful, distressful… these possibly even to the point of death. Though hard to understand, this is simply the way life is since the pristine order and beauty of Creation was corrupted. That is the reality we live with daily. Remember also in this reality: God loves and cares for each and all of us, wanting the very-best for us. Remember also…. He gave us free will and therefore, we CAN CHOOSE how we are going to respond to both the good and the evil. Attitude is almost EVERYTHING.
It is both my understanding and my opinion: God does NOT point his finger at any of us and says, “I am going to give you cancer, or I am going to strike you down with COVID or cause you to be in a deadly accident. Along with free-will, He permits the long-term effects of sin its’ resulting corruption to run its’ course. As Scripture says, and is seen as a sign of God’s mercy, we read in Matthew 4:45 where it is written: “That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. All will happen within the natural course of the rules and laws set in place by the Almighty.
Yet…in all of these things, as difficult and even awful they may be, He desires that we call on Him in those times, He, being invited by us, will walk with us through it all. Then His strength can be our strength and His wisdom our wisdom. His patience our patience, His touch upon us, forever.
We together, are called to encourage and comfort one another for where and when two or three of us are gathered-together, He is there with us in the Person of His Holy Spirit. If we start our day with the Lord in an attitude of gratitude, for all that He has given us, we will more easily sense His Presence, comforting us, encouraging us, lifting us up. We can pray together, talk together, walk together and enjoy the presence of Godly fellowship.
It is proven even scientifically through the study of psychology and actual physical testing that, there are deep benefits that come with an attitude of gratitude. Every morning when we wake up, whatever that time is, the first thing that we should do to prepare ourselves for the day ahead and whatever comes our way, is to go over in our head a list of those things that we find to be grateful for. Or, you can get up, have a cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, and literally write down a handwritten list or perhaps do so on your computer. I can guarantee it, that in doing so, going into our day with gratitude, all will be a much better and brighter day.
No matter the state or quality of our lives, whatever outcomes we have produced, goals we have reached (or even failed to reach), what decision we have made have yet to make, and where we ended up or will end up, has almost everything to do with our focus. While some thing may be out of our control, much of what happens is based on our thoughts, prayers, emotions, and resulting behaviors, are largely a conditional response of our attitude and therefore focus. Understand? There is always, always, something to be grateful for that can bring us a measure of peace and perhaps even joy.
Though I do not know intimately the circumstances of your lives, I do know some things that, for some of you have been and are very difficult and knowing these things at times breaks my heart but also enables me to with more focus pray for you and at times to in my own way offer comfort.
Instead of us worrying 24/7, let us agree to look to our God and Lord, praying with knowledge and with understanding, that He indeed knows who we are and what we are enduring. Also, that He (our Father) knows what is best for us. It helps me when troubled, to sing a hymn or read an encouraging account, or to call someone and ask for prayer or simply just to listen. No one has to go through or, should go through difficulties alone. We are one in the Spirit and we are One in the Lord and the body of Christ.
As a minister and having listened to many accounts of pain and loss in people’s lives, I understand, sometimes more than I even want too, how difficult life has been and continues to be for far too many, both believers and non-believers. Sometimes, therefore, attitude, especially a genuine and positive one is difficult to create, but in Christ it can be accomplished. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 “All things, not just some things.”
I am going to read to you a true account of a man who had a horrendous upbringing….and how through unexpected love and acceptance, and because of this love being unconditional love, his attitude became a sound motivation, when coupled with His faith turned pain into health and joy, which today results in being able to share that with countless others, including me, and I hope you as I read his brief story.
READ, December 31st.
Please…as we now ready ourselves to participate in Communion, let us do so with a grateful heart, and with an attitude of gratitude, along with thanksgiving. Ok?
Sing with me…. this song based on a grateful heart.
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks, because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son
And now, Let the weak say I am strong Let the poor say I am rich,
Because of what the Lord has done for us,
Give thanks, Give thanks!
The Little Church in the Pines
October 11, 2020
The Church and Government ~ History and to Come
Multiple Verses as the Foundation for this sermon
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
The place of the Church in Government has dramatically changed since the Revolutionary War.
Because the writers of the Constitution having been under British rule and under the influence of the Church of England, the framers of the Constitution favored a neutral posture toward religion, though with the exception of one man, all were religious in their personal lives. These men who were members of the Constitutional Convention, the group charged with authoring the Constitution believed that the government should have NO power to influence its citizen toward or away from a religion. The principles of separating church from state was integral to the framers’ understanding of religious freedom.
In two instances, the first in Article VI, is a proscription of any religious tests as a requisite qualification for public service. The second instance is in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.
The First Amendment contains two clauses that prescribe the government’s relationship with religion. In the first instance, the Establishment Clause states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” This assures us that the federal government will not adopt any stance in favor of or against any religion.
The second clause is called the Free Exercise Clause. The Free exercise clause protects an individual’s right not only to believe what he or she would like but also to practice it. “Congress shall make no law respecting or prohibiting the exercise thereof.”
Since the establishment of our Government based on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Amendments, there have been many attempts to change, add and or delete. Some of these have happened through the Supreme Court, as cases come before them in which religion is involved, though I am not at this time going to go into them. Right now, we still have the right to gather (though that is being modified today in regard to COVID. There are some in government who are attempting, and who have been successful to use COVID to manipulate and prevent the free exercise thereof.
My personal opinion is, that within reason, those that are reasonable are necessary, such as of course, what we here are following, but the call for ceasing meeting at all is contrary to the established laws. There have been and continue to be churches and minister who have refused reasonable caution and have reaped the results of doing so. Common sense must be taken into account in protecting ourselves and one each other.
Moving on. Let us visit some of the verses in God’s word, scriptures that speak of government.
Roman’s 13:1 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
This one is a bit hard to swallow when an established government is corrupt, and it is when a government is corrupt that there are exceptions to this line of obedience.
Acts 5:29 But Peter and the other apostles replied (to the governing authorities speaking to them) the apostles answering, “We must obey God rather than men.” This was when the governing authorities commanded them to stop preaching Jesus
Anytime when we are being subject to the government and are being told to obey the laws that transgress the laws of God, we are permitted by God to take a stand contrary to those laws and must disobey.
The New Testament gives us some broad principles on how we are supposed to respond. Romans 13, above, is an example. The great theologian Augustine said the government is a necessary evil, that it is necessary because of evil. Today we hear those demanding we defund the police, and because of the evil in their hearts, these people want no consequences for doing evil. This is not God’s way.
The true function of government is to restrain evil and to maintain, uphold, and protect the sanctity of life and property. Given this function, the Christian understands that government is ordained of God, and so, Christians, first of all, are called to respect that which God institutes and ordains. The true function of government.
There are occasions on which Christians not only may but must disobey the civil magistrates, but our basic posture toward government, according to the New Testament is to be submissive and obedient citizens of the state.
We are also given the duty of praying for earthly governments that they may fulfill the tasks God has given to them, which we do here every Sunday.
We have another responsibility, and this is the one that sometimes brings us into controversial areas. I personally believe in a separation of spheres of authority between the church and state. I think it is a marvelous structure in the United States of America, which does not allow for the state to rule the church or the church the state. (this was one of the major things that forced America to rise up against the British Empire). The Church of England was in bed with the country of England causing great hardships on the citizens of America in the free exercise of their faith. The church is to have its job, and the government its job.
Unfortunately, in today’s culture, separation of church and state means separation of state and God, as if the state and the government were answerable to no one but themselves – as if the government did not have to respond to God. But God monitors governments; God raised them up and brings them down. Every human government is accountable to God and is accountable to maintain its affairs with justice and with righteousness. When the government is no longer acting justly and no longer protecting all its people, as illustrated in sanctioning of abortion, then it is the task of the church to be the prophetic voice, to call the state to task and tell the state to repent and do what God commands.
There is, in this disobedience, a way to do this and a way not to. We do NOT resort to violence of any kind in our objections. We are to diligently work smart and hard, praying for wisdom, using the tools we have the freedom to use to make changes. If the government turns against us violently, then according to the Constitution which is based on the principles of God, we do have the right to defend ourselves by necessary means, but never as the aggressors. We do not stand against evil by becoming evil. We are to be the conscience of America.
As we do this most important thing…. we make ourselves targets just as John the Baptist did by confronting Herod over the taking of his brother’s wife. It cost him time in prison and then his life.
Do you recall the term “the writing on the wall”? Belshazzar’s feast in Daniel, as he tells how Belshazzar holds a great feast and drinks from the vessels that had been looted in the destruction of the First Temple…..Belshazzar had blasphemed God, and so God sent this hand…….”a hand appears and writes on the wall.” The terrified Belshazzar calls for his wise men, but they are unable to read the writing. Under the queen’s request he send for Daniel who reads the words “he Belshazzar has been weighed by God and found wanting,” and his kingdom will be given to the Medes and the Persians. That very night Belshazzar was killed. Daniel 5:30-31
Please…when I say what I am going to next, this is my opinion based on my own observations, and coming to my own conclusions. You may heartily disagree and that is your choice. I believe that there is now, writing on the wall of our nation that is very faint and incomplete, unable to be read at this time because God is patient and God wants the best for us as a nation. But, if we continue down the road we are now on, hell bent for deep and dramatic change, letter after letter will appear, and at some point be completed and able to be read, and an interpreter will arise and read the then completed judgments that we will have brought on ourselves.
Our needs are to speak against evil, do no evil, speak loudly and clearly, using God’s Words and not our own, as each situation arises in our lives that gives us the opportunity to do so. Not attacking but to emulate Jesus, in the manner in which in all His words to the leaders of His day, were never backed with violence, but always, when necessary, confrontive and factual, emotions held in check so that what was being said had the words and power of God Himself backing Him, not feelings.
We….citizens of this country, within the Constitution, have been accorded the right to stand against a government, ours, when it no longer has the betterment and safety of its citizens foremost in its intent, stating the words as I spoke of last week from the Constitution itself.
Now…for a bit of history in regards to the Church, Ministers and Congregations prior to the Revolutionary War. I am going to attempt to do this in as few words as possible but would ask you to take it upon yourselves to do your own research.
Volumes have been written on the American Revolution, sadly, however, an important aspect of this heroic epic has been omitted: the Protestant Christian pulpits which constituted the media of the day, from which were preached dynamic sermons addressing the evil of tyranny and the blessings of God-ordained liberty.
Independence was boldly preached from Scripture throughout the 13 original States during the American Revolution. These sermons brought about enthusiasm; prayers, brought about courage, and parting blessings brought encouragement and ultimately resolutions.
Pastor Peter von Muhlenberg, known as the “the fighting parson of the American Revolution” received a circular letter from General George Washington, requesting that regiments be raised for the Revolutionary Army.
The following Sunday, Muhlenberg’s sermon was taken from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, ending with an appeal to his own congregation: “There is a time for war, and a time for peace; there is a time to pray and a time to fight!” Upon which he then dramatically pulled open his clerical robes, revealing the uniform of a colonel in the Continental Army. His parishioners readily enrolled in the then fledgling army – Muhlenberg’s regiment being complete. This great man of God served eight years’ military service for his newly forming nation.
During earlier years, prior to the Revolution there were chaplains in the colonial wars, such as the French and Indian War. At the conclusion of these wars, these chaplains became pastors of Protestant churches, preaching fervently to their congregations “the divine right of Resistance” “as opposed to the divine right of kings,” which of course the colonies were under at that time.
Reverend Phillips Payson, A.M., Pastor of a Chelsea church in part preached: “Recollecting our pious ancestors, the first settlers of the country, - nor shall we look for ancestry beyond that period. - and we may say, in the most literal sense, “we are children, not of the bond woman, but of the free.” It may hence well be expected that the exertions and effect of American liberty should be more vigorous and complete. It has the most to fear from ignorance and avarice; of their liberty in the eager pursuit of wealth, as the states of Holland have done, and it will always be as easy to rob an ignorant people of their liberty as to the pick the pockets of a blind man.”
Here is a list of the notable of ministers, priests and more, who effectively preached against the tyranny of England and the must for the Independence of American.
Of these…. are the denominations and churches listed for history? READ
There is so much more available to read and study, but I will end with this.
This was the hope, the dream the collective thinking and prayerful summation of HOPE for America by these men….as long as these self-evident truths were practiced and adhered to.
We may, then, consider –
We are not perfect but denying portions of our history have made us vulnerable to corruption from within and without.
Still, as a great nation, we have time to turn from the direction we are heading toward, repent and reaffirm our dependence on a Being greater than ourselves. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
PRAYER……………….based on Ephesians 6:10-18 READ
We…and our nation are involved deeply at this time in a deep spiritual warfare, and what I just read is who we must be and what we must do.
Amen
October 11, 2020
The Church and Government ~ History and to Come
Multiple Verses as the Foundation for this sermon
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
The place of the Church in Government has dramatically changed since the Revolutionary War.
Because the writers of the Constitution having been under British rule and under the influence of the Church of England, the framers of the Constitution favored a neutral posture toward religion, though with the exception of one man, all were religious in their personal lives. These men who were members of the Constitutional Convention, the group charged with authoring the Constitution believed that the government should have NO power to influence its citizen toward or away from a religion. The principles of separating church from state was integral to the framers’ understanding of religious freedom.
In two instances, the first in Article VI, is a proscription of any religious tests as a requisite qualification for public service. The second instance is in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.
The First Amendment contains two clauses that prescribe the government’s relationship with religion. In the first instance, the Establishment Clause states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” This assures us that the federal government will not adopt any stance in favor of or against any religion.
The second clause is called the Free Exercise Clause. The Free exercise clause protects an individual’s right not only to believe what he or she would like but also to practice it. “Congress shall make no law respecting or prohibiting the exercise thereof.”
Since the establishment of our Government based on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Amendments, there have been many attempts to change, add and or delete. Some of these have happened through the Supreme Court, as cases come before them in which religion is involved, though I am not at this time going to go into them. Right now, we still have the right to gather (though that is being modified today in regard to COVID. There are some in government who are attempting, and who have been successful to use COVID to manipulate and prevent the free exercise thereof.
My personal opinion is, that within reason, those that are reasonable are necessary, such as of course, what we here are following, but the call for ceasing meeting at all is contrary to the established laws. There have been and continue to be churches and minister who have refused reasonable caution and have reaped the results of doing so. Common sense must be taken into account in protecting ourselves and one each other.
Moving on. Let us visit some of the verses in God’s word, scriptures that speak of government.
Roman’s 13:1 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
This one is a bit hard to swallow when an established government is corrupt, and it is when a government is corrupt that there are exceptions to this line of obedience.
Acts 5:29 But Peter and the other apostles replied (to the governing authorities speaking to them) the apostles answering, “We must obey God rather than men.” This was when the governing authorities commanded them to stop preaching Jesus
Anytime when we are being subject to the government and are being told to obey the laws that transgress the laws of God, we are permitted by God to take a stand contrary to those laws and must disobey.
The New Testament gives us some broad principles on how we are supposed to respond. Romans 13, above, is an example. The great theologian Augustine said the government is a necessary evil, that it is necessary because of evil. Today we hear those demanding we defund the police, and because of the evil in their hearts, these people want no consequences for doing evil. This is not God’s way.
The true function of government is to restrain evil and to maintain, uphold, and protect the sanctity of life and property. Given this function, the Christian understands that government is ordained of God, and so, Christians, first of all, are called to respect that which God institutes and ordains. The true function of government.
There are occasions on which Christians not only may but must disobey the civil magistrates, but our basic posture toward government, according to the New Testament is to be submissive and obedient citizens of the state.
We are also given the duty of praying for earthly governments that they may fulfill the tasks God has given to them, which we do here every Sunday.
We have another responsibility, and this is the one that sometimes brings us into controversial areas. I personally believe in a separation of spheres of authority between the church and state. I think it is a marvelous structure in the United States of America, which does not allow for the state to rule the church or the church the state. (this was one of the major things that forced America to rise up against the British Empire). The Church of England was in bed with the country of England causing great hardships on the citizens of America in the free exercise of their faith. The church is to have its job, and the government its job.
Unfortunately, in today’s culture, separation of church and state means separation of state and God, as if the state and the government were answerable to no one but themselves – as if the government did not have to respond to God. But God monitors governments; God raised them up and brings them down. Every human government is accountable to God and is accountable to maintain its affairs with justice and with righteousness. When the government is no longer acting justly and no longer protecting all its people, as illustrated in sanctioning of abortion, then it is the task of the church to be the prophetic voice, to call the state to task and tell the state to repent and do what God commands.
There is, in this disobedience, a way to do this and a way not to. We do NOT resort to violence of any kind in our objections. We are to diligently work smart and hard, praying for wisdom, using the tools we have the freedom to use to make changes. If the government turns against us violently, then according to the Constitution which is based on the principles of God, we do have the right to defend ourselves by necessary means, but never as the aggressors. We do not stand against evil by becoming evil. We are to be the conscience of America.
As we do this most important thing…. we make ourselves targets just as John the Baptist did by confronting Herod over the taking of his brother’s wife. It cost him time in prison and then his life.
Do you recall the term “the writing on the wall”? Belshazzar’s feast in Daniel, as he tells how Belshazzar holds a great feast and drinks from the vessels that had been looted in the destruction of the First Temple…..Belshazzar had blasphemed God, and so God sent this hand…….”a hand appears and writes on the wall.” The terrified Belshazzar calls for his wise men, but they are unable to read the writing. Under the queen’s request he send for Daniel who reads the words “he Belshazzar has been weighed by God and found wanting,” and his kingdom will be given to the Medes and the Persians. That very night Belshazzar was killed. Daniel 5:30-31
Please…when I say what I am going to next, this is my opinion based on my own observations, and coming to my own conclusions. You may heartily disagree and that is your choice. I believe that there is now, writing on the wall of our nation that is very faint and incomplete, unable to be read at this time because God is patient and God wants the best for us as a nation. But, if we continue down the road we are now on, hell bent for deep and dramatic change, letter after letter will appear, and at some point be completed and able to be read, and an interpreter will arise and read the then completed judgments that we will have brought on ourselves.
Our needs are to speak against evil, do no evil, speak loudly and clearly, using God’s Words and not our own, as each situation arises in our lives that gives us the opportunity to do so. Not attacking but to emulate Jesus, in the manner in which in all His words to the leaders of His day, were never backed with violence, but always, when necessary, confrontive and factual, emotions held in check so that what was being said had the words and power of God Himself backing Him, not feelings.
We….citizens of this country, within the Constitution, have been accorded the right to stand against a government, ours, when it no longer has the betterment and safety of its citizens foremost in its intent, stating the words as I spoke of last week from the Constitution itself.
Now…for a bit of history in regards to the Church, Ministers and Congregations prior to the Revolutionary War. I am going to attempt to do this in as few words as possible but would ask you to take it upon yourselves to do your own research.
Volumes have been written on the American Revolution, sadly, however, an important aspect of this heroic epic has been omitted: the Protestant Christian pulpits which constituted the media of the day, from which were preached dynamic sermons addressing the evil of tyranny and the blessings of God-ordained liberty.
Independence was boldly preached from Scripture throughout the 13 original States during the American Revolution. These sermons brought about enthusiasm; prayers, brought about courage, and parting blessings brought encouragement and ultimately resolutions.
Pastor Peter von Muhlenberg, known as the “the fighting parson of the American Revolution” received a circular letter from General George Washington, requesting that regiments be raised for the Revolutionary Army.
The following Sunday, Muhlenberg’s sermon was taken from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, ending with an appeal to his own congregation: “There is a time for war, and a time for peace; there is a time to pray and a time to fight!” Upon which he then dramatically pulled open his clerical robes, revealing the uniform of a colonel in the Continental Army. His parishioners readily enrolled in the then fledgling army – Muhlenberg’s regiment being complete. This great man of God served eight years’ military service for his newly forming nation.
During earlier years, prior to the Revolution there were chaplains in the colonial wars, such as the French and Indian War. At the conclusion of these wars, these chaplains became pastors of Protestant churches, preaching fervently to their congregations “the divine right of Resistance” “as opposed to the divine right of kings,” which of course the colonies were under at that time.
Reverend Phillips Payson, A.M., Pastor of a Chelsea church in part preached: “Recollecting our pious ancestors, the first settlers of the country, - nor shall we look for ancestry beyond that period. - and we may say, in the most literal sense, “we are children, not of the bond woman, but of the free.” It may hence well be expected that the exertions and effect of American liberty should be more vigorous and complete. It has the most to fear from ignorance and avarice; of their liberty in the eager pursuit of wealth, as the states of Holland have done, and it will always be as easy to rob an ignorant people of their liberty as to the pick the pockets of a blind man.”
Here is a list of the notable of ministers, priests and more, who effectively preached against the tyranny of England and the must for the Independence of American.
Of these…. are the denominations and churches listed for history? READ
There is so much more available to read and study, but I will end with this.
This was the hope, the dream the collective thinking and prayerful summation of HOPE for America by these men….as long as these self-evident truths were practiced and adhered to.
We may, then, consider –
- What reason have we to expect that, by the blessing of God, These United States may prosper and flourish into a great American Republic and ascend into high and distinguished honor among the nations of the earth. “To make Thee high above all nations which He hath made, in praise, and in name and in honor.”
- That our system of dominion and civil polity would be imperfect without the true religion; or that from the diffusion of virtue among the people of any community would arise their greatest secular happiness: which will terminate in this conclusion, “that holiness ought to be the end of all civil government and that thou mayest be a holy people unto the Lord thy God.”
We are not perfect but denying portions of our history have made us vulnerable to corruption from within and without.
Still, as a great nation, we have time to turn from the direction we are heading toward, repent and reaffirm our dependence on a Being greater than ourselves. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
PRAYER……………….based on Ephesians 6:10-18 READ
We…and our nation are involved deeply at this time in a deep spiritual warfare, and what I just read is who we must be and what we must do.
Amen
BE STRONG AND BE COURAGEOUS
October 4, 2020
“Have I not commanded you? “Be STRONG and of GOOD COURAGE;
do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD YOUR God is with you wherever you go.”
JOSHUA 1:9
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
There are times in our lives we have had to be courageous and there will be times coming down the road when, we will once again have to be courageous. To understand the word’s full meaning let’s take a look at it. Courage seems to come easier and deeper to some, than others, and there are times when we would rather have not desired to be courageous, but gladly let someone else step to the front, and do what needed to be done.
COURAGE (also called bravery or valor) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.
When looking at those five words, any sane person would want to avoid them totally, again, they being AGONY, PAIN, DANGER, UNCERTAINTY and INTIMIDATION.
The most courageous person I have ever met, and yes, I have met Him in multiple ways is Jesus Christ. With God by His side, with His mission firmly in place, he faced agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, and deliberate intimidation at almost every turn of His three-year ministry. In paintings from the renaissance, we see Him often depicted as this thin, pale, blue-eyed rather insipid looking victim, when the opposite is true. Being the stepson of a carpenter, his hands, forearms, biceps, shoulders, neck, legs, and feet belonged to a man who worked hard to help his family make living. His hands were calloused, splinter-filled from working with wood and stone. His skin was dark, made so by the middle eastern sun, and the dry arid climate. It is safe to say His hair was dark, his eyes either brown or even black. He was strong not only physically, but in the strength and power of God.
As His mission unfolded, beginning publicly (we are told) with turning water into wine for a wedding He and His family were attending, and then doing so only because He was obedient to His mother who rather insisted He do something because the family had run out of wine, so as not to embarrass the parents of the bride. It is evident that He is rather annoyed at Mary for asking Him to intervene, and in such a public way, but He had learned obedience during the course of His upbringing, and ultimately, He obeyed her. I also find it rather interesting that she KNEW that He was fully capable of doing this thing, and, put Him on the spot to do so. So…this was His first public miracle, one that certainly did not take courage, but instead simple obedience to mom. There is a lesson in here for all of us, and that lesson is always “obey your mother.”
From that time forward, courage walked with Him, for next in the series of events His next act was to cleanse the Temple where to the horror and fury of the priests and money changers, etc., He yelled at them saying “take these things away! Do not make My Father’s hour a house of merchandise, fulfilling Scripture by speaking these words, His “Zeal for Your house has eater Me up.” He then made a whip of cords, driving them all out of the temple, along with the sheep and oxen, pouring out the money-changers money and overturning the tables! The tone is set. He in His ministry will be in continual combative mode with the religious leaders, yet finding compassion, grace, forgiveness, and mercy for the everyday people that He was raised with. Yet, in time, even some of those would turn against Him. His focus and courage in each confrontation to come would only strengthen His resolve to fulfill His calling as the Messiah and Savior of the world, not just the Jews.
With each miracle each teaching He revealed more and more of who He was and the Father God He spoke for. He opened the eyes and hearts of anyone who could and would accept His message and His place as the Son of God. Courage gave Him strength and vision to take each new step in His journey, each new day and each new encounter or event.
Speaking of courage, let us now look at today and our contemporary life, using as examples those who serve us.
Where would we be without our men and women in the military, our men and women in law enforcement, our men and women as firefighters, those everyday people who are unafraid to speak out, in calling sin and wrong actions for what they are, no matter the ramifications. Also, for organizations such as doctors and nurses who volunteer skills in places where it seems no man or woman should be, often being attacked and killed in their willingness to serve. Strength and courage!
I speak these next words with caution but feel that I will be proven to be correct. As I said in my REFLECTIONS article, “the times they are a changing” and the acceleration of those changes are going to increase and deepen. I believe the days are coming when we, as ordinary everyday people, are going to have to stand up for our faith, for our country and for each other. We are going to have to be strong in the power of our God and in the strength of His might. We will be called upon to be courageous and to bear the standard of the truths we know to be self-evident. Spiritual truths for which the truth spoken of in our Constitution are shaped around. Both Spiritual and governmental truths we cherish and have relied upon for centuries are under attack and the enemy grows stronger, but God says as I started out in Joshua with this message. “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor dismayed, for the LORD YOUR GOD is with you wherever you go.”
Do you know our history well enough to know that it was ministers, standing in their pulpits preaching truths that played a very powerful in the Revolutionary War in our quest for freedom, and through them preaching those truths deeply affected the construction of the Constitution of this country? Did you know that?
Out of times like this that are upon us, and that grow exponentially as truths are deserted, the enemy of God and man is stepping up the attacks. I am not speaking lightly here but am speaking what I see on the horizon unless, those who are advancing their unjust causes, turn from their wicked ways and repent. I am comparing and mixing these two, faith and government, because our government is based primarily on the self-evident truths of God’s word.
Listen to this…..”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (all people) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable right, that among these are LIFE, LIBERTY and the pursuit of HAPPINESS. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness.
I am now going to read to you a true account that epitomizes and combines everything I have just shared with you. Listen close and hold this account close to your hearts and in your minds, for it will give you courage when courage and strength is needed. It comes from the book, “Book of Amazing Stories, authored by Robert Petterson, and published by Tyndale, Momentum.
It is titled, THE FOUR CHAPLAINS
In an era of increasing polarization, it might do us all some good to remember an amazing act of heroism many decades ago. It took place during an era of nation against nation, race against race, and religion against religion, an era that began with ethnic cleansing and ended in the Holocaust.
On February 3, 1943, an army transport ship, the Dorchester, was ferrying nine hundred combat soldiers across the North Atlantic to join in the fight against Nazi Germany. It was not an easy passage. The winter crossing was stormy, making those aboard feel like they were riding a rodeo bull. Young boys in uniform were both homesick and seasick in hot airtight compartments below deck. But their queasy claustrophobia would soon be forgotten when torpedoes from a German sub slammed into the Dorchester. The captain knew that his vessel was going down, and he sounded the order to abandon ship with all haste.
The pandemonium was heightened by the utter blackness of the stormy night. Young men were desperately searching for life jackets and trying to find lifeboats on a ship sinking in icy seas a hundred fifty miles from Greenland. In the midst of this chaos, four military chaplains became immortal heroes: Father John Washington, a New Jersey Roman Catholic; Reverend Clark Poling, a Reformed Church of America chaplain from Ohio; Reverend George Fox, a Pennsylvania Methodist; and Rabbi Alexander Goode, a Jewish Rabbi from Brooklyn. Together, they did what chaplains are supposed to do as they guided soldiers to evacuation points, whispered courage in their ears, and helped them into lifeboats or over the side of the sinking ship. When life jackets ran out, the four chaplains peeled their off and gave them away.
Nearly seven hundred men died in the frigid waters that night, yet more than two hundred survived – some wearing life jackets handed to them by the Chaplains. One soldier said that he was going back to retrieve his gloves, but Rabbi Goode insisted that he take his. Witnesses remembered seeing those four Chaplains for the last time, linking arms together and praying as the ship disappeared from sight – a Catholic priest, a Reformed pastor, a Methodist preacher, and a Jewish rabbi. They may have come from different regions of America, voted for different political candidates, believed disparate theologies, and worshiped with dissimilar liturgies, but they believed in the same God, fought under the same flag, and were willing to die for young men whose views and lifestyles they may not have embraced. Its’ no wonder that they were posthumously awarded one of the highest honors this nation can give to its military heroes.
Today, in a time of intolerance, when almost anyone who doesn’t agree with us is dismissed as an enemy to be ridiculed, we would do well to dust off the amazing story of these four Chaplains who linked arms together in unity to pay the ultimate sacrifice for others. If it causes any of us to become less divisive, the retelling of this story will be well worth it. We might even benefit from something Malcom Forbes said;
“Diversity is the art of thinking independently ‘together.’”
Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God:
Malachi 2:10
Amen
October 4, 2020
“Have I not commanded you? “Be STRONG and of GOOD COURAGE;
do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD YOUR God is with you wherever you go.”
JOSHUA 1:9
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
There are times in our lives we have had to be courageous and there will be times coming down the road when, we will once again have to be courageous. To understand the word’s full meaning let’s take a look at it. Courage seems to come easier and deeper to some, than others, and there are times when we would rather have not desired to be courageous, but gladly let someone else step to the front, and do what needed to be done.
COURAGE (also called bravery or valor) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.
When looking at those five words, any sane person would want to avoid them totally, again, they being AGONY, PAIN, DANGER, UNCERTAINTY and INTIMIDATION.
The most courageous person I have ever met, and yes, I have met Him in multiple ways is Jesus Christ. With God by His side, with His mission firmly in place, he faced agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, and deliberate intimidation at almost every turn of His three-year ministry. In paintings from the renaissance, we see Him often depicted as this thin, pale, blue-eyed rather insipid looking victim, when the opposite is true. Being the stepson of a carpenter, his hands, forearms, biceps, shoulders, neck, legs, and feet belonged to a man who worked hard to help his family make living. His hands were calloused, splinter-filled from working with wood and stone. His skin was dark, made so by the middle eastern sun, and the dry arid climate. It is safe to say His hair was dark, his eyes either brown or even black. He was strong not only physically, but in the strength and power of God.
As His mission unfolded, beginning publicly (we are told) with turning water into wine for a wedding He and His family were attending, and then doing so only because He was obedient to His mother who rather insisted He do something because the family had run out of wine, so as not to embarrass the parents of the bride. It is evident that He is rather annoyed at Mary for asking Him to intervene, and in such a public way, but He had learned obedience during the course of His upbringing, and ultimately, He obeyed her. I also find it rather interesting that she KNEW that He was fully capable of doing this thing, and, put Him on the spot to do so. So…this was His first public miracle, one that certainly did not take courage, but instead simple obedience to mom. There is a lesson in here for all of us, and that lesson is always “obey your mother.”
From that time forward, courage walked with Him, for next in the series of events His next act was to cleanse the Temple where to the horror and fury of the priests and money changers, etc., He yelled at them saying “take these things away! Do not make My Father’s hour a house of merchandise, fulfilling Scripture by speaking these words, His “Zeal for Your house has eater Me up.” He then made a whip of cords, driving them all out of the temple, along with the sheep and oxen, pouring out the money-changers money and overturning the tables! The tone is set. He in His ministry will be in continual combative mode with the religious leaders, yet finding compassion, grace, forgiveness, and mercy for the everyday people that He was raised with. Yet, in time, even some of those would turn against Him. His focus and courage in each confrontation to come would only strengthen His resolve to fulfill His calling as the Messiah and Savior of the world, not just the Jews.
With each miracle each teaching He revealed more and more of who He was and the Father God He spoke for. He opened the eyes and hearts of anyone who could and would accept His message and His place as the Son of God. Courage gave Him strength and vision to take each new step in His journey, each new day and each new encounter or event.
Speaking of courage, let us now look at today and our contemporary life, using as examples those who serve us.
Where would we be without our men and women in the military, our men and women in law enforcement, our men and women as firefighters, those everyday people who are unafraid to speak out, in calling sin and wrong actions for what they are, no matter the ramifications. Also, for organizations such as doctors and nurses who volunteer skills in places where it seems no man or woman should be, often being attacked and killed in their willingness to serve. Strength and courage!
I speak these next words with caution but feel that I will be proven to be correct. As I said in my REFLECTIONS article, “the times they are a changing” and the acceleration of those changes are going to increase and deepen. I believe the days are coming when we, as ordinary everyday people, are going to have to stand up for our faith, for our country and for each other. We are going to have to be strong in the power of our God and in the strength of His might. We will be called upon to be courageous and to bear the standard of the truths we know to be self-evident. Spiritual truths for which the truth spoken of in our Constitution are shaped around. Both Spiritual and governmental truths we cherish and have relied upon for centuries are under attack and the enemy grows stronger, but God says as I started out in Joshua with this message. “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor dismayed, for the LORD YOUR GOD is with you wherever you go.”
Do you know our history well enough to know that it was ministers, standing in their pulpits preaching truths that played a very powerful in the Revolutionary War in our quest for freedom, and through them preaching those truths deeply affected the construction of the Constitution of this country? Did you know that?
Out of times like this that are upon us, and that grow exponentially as truths are deserted, the enemy of God and man is stepping up the attacks. I am not speaking lightly here but am speaking what I see on the horizon unless, those who are advancing their unjust causes, turn from their wicked ways and repent. I am comparing and mixing these two, faith and government, because our government is based primarily on the self-evident truths of God’s word.
Listen to this…..”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (all people) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable right, that among these are LIFE, LIBERTY and the pursuit of HAPPINESS. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness.
I am now going to read to you a true account that epitomizes and combines everything I have just shared with you. Listen close and hold this account close to your hearts and in your minds, for it will give you courage when courage and strength is needed. It comes from the book, “Book of Amazing Stories, authored by Robert Petterson, and published by Tyndale, Momentum.
It is titled, THE FOUR CHAPLAINS
In an era of increasing polarization, it might do us all some good to remember an amazing act of heroism many decades ago. It took place during an era of nation against nation, race against race, and religion against religion, an era that began with ethnic cleansing and ended in the Holocaust.
On February 3, 1943, an army transport ship, the Dorchester, was ferrying nine hundred combat soldiers across the North Atlantic to join in the fight against Nazi Germany. It was not an easy passage. The winter crossing was stormy, making those aboard feel like they were riding a rodeo bull. Young boys in uniform were both homesick and seasick in hot airtight compartments below deck. But their queasy claustrophobia would soon be forgotten when torpedoes from a German sub slammed into the Dorchester. The captain knew that his vessel was going down, and he sounded the order to abandon ship with all haste.
The pandemonium was heightened by the utter blackness of the stormy night. Young men were desperately searching for life jackets and trying to find lifeboats on a ship sinking in icy seas a hundred fifty miles from Greenland. In the midst of this chaos, four military chaplains became immortal heroes: Father John Washington, a New Jersey Roman Catholic; Reverend Clark Poling, a Reformed Church of America chaplain from Ohio; Reverend George Fox, a Pennsylvania Methodist; and Rabbi Alexander Goode, a Jewish Rabbi from Brooklyn. Together, they did what chaplains are supposed to do as they guided soldiers to evacuation points, whispered courage in their ears, and helped them into lifeboats or over the side of the sinking ship. When life jackets ran out, the four chaplains peeled their off and gave them away.
Nearly seven hundred men died in the frigid waters that night, yet more than two hundred survived – some wearing life jackets handed to them by the Chaplains. One soldier said that he was going back to retrieve his gloves, but Rabbi Goode insisted that he take his. Witnesses remembered seeing those four Chaplains for the last time, linking arms together and praying as the ship disappeared from sight – a Catholic priest, a Reformed pastor, a Methodist preacher, and a Jewish rabbi. They may have come from different regions of America, voted for different political candidates, believed disparate theologies, and worshiped with dissimilar liturgies, but they believed in the same God, fought under the same flag, and were willing to die for young men whose views and lifestyles they may not have embraced. Its’ no wonder that they were posthumously awarded one of the highest honors this nation can give to its military heroes.
Today, in a time of intolerance, when almost anyone who doesn’t agree with us is dismissed as an enemy to be ridiculed, we would do well to dust off the amazing story of these four Chaplains who linked arms together in unity to pay the ultimate sacrifice for others. If it causes any of us to become less divisive, the retelling of this story will be well worth it. We might even benefit from something Malcom Forbes said;
“Diversity is the art of thinking independently ‘together.’”
Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God:
Malachi 2:10
Amen
The Theology of Kneeology
Praise and Prayer
Sunday Message by: Connie Funkhouser
September 27, 2020
Theology in a Christian context is a discipline of study that seeks to understand the God revealed in the Bible and to provide a Christian understanding of reality. It seeks to understand God’s creation, particularly human beings and their condition, and God’s redemptive work in relation to humankind. Theology has practical value in providing guidance for the Christian life and ministry.
It is important for us to have good theology. It is good for us to know what we think and why we think the way we do. It is good to check what you believe and make sure it aligns with the work of God. However, no matter how much formal religious education we get. No matter how intelligent we become when it comes to scripture and God’s work. All of it means nothing unless we have a living relationship with Jesus. None of it matters unless we know how to communicate with God. None of it matters near as much as being on our knees speaking to the all-knowing, all powerful, all loving God Our Creator.
Jeremiah 29:12
“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you” (NKJV).
Psalms 91:15
“He will call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him” (NIV).
There are 58 verses in the Bible that commands us to “call” unto the Lord. We are commanded and demanded to pray. I find it intriguing that God must command us to pray. I think I know who is reading my Sunday homily this week, so I feel as I am preaching to the choir. At the Little Church in the Pines, we have a well-established Prayer Circle. I know for a fact, that I have a close circle of friends whom I affectionally refer to as Prayer Warriors, which write down petitions of prayers from others and will take them to Our Lord throughout the day. When our Daisy’s Angels’ Ministry Team was involved @ the JCC, we had a list of students that we kept with us so that we may pray specific prayers for the students. Personally, I feel that I am in a constant state of prayer. My own private never-ending dialogue with God.
Charles Hadden Spurgeon said, “Prayer pulls the rope down below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give only an occasional jerk at the rope. But he who communicates with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all his might.”
Speaking for myself, I can honestly admit that I boldly pull on the rope.
“I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously. He has hurled both horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise Him – my father’s God, and I will exalt Him” (Exodus 15:1-2 NLT).
Moses and the Israelites praised the Lord for His deliverance from Pharaoh. The Egyptians, who were chasing them, were no more. God had hurled each horse and rider into the sea. The Lord was their strength and had given them absolute victory. Their God was also the amazing God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They praised Him for their miracle. They exalted Him for His promise.
Here we are now, amid our own Red Sea. Our God is still the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses. But He is more than that. His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus has defeated sin and disease on the Cross. He has opened the windows to heaven. God is no longer just our father’s God. Because of Jesus’ grace, He is also our Father. We can go to Him with anything. No longer the judge of His children, He is the lover of our souls. We pray in faith, believing, and we praise Him for His faithfulness. The Red Sea that appears before us shall be no more.
Praise is synonymous with strength and is born of trust in our Father, whom we believe takes care of every aspect of life. We face our Red Seas, believing that He has already met our needs. Even now when we do not see His provision taking place, we believe because we trust our Savior, who has opened the door to all the resources of our heavenly Father. We praise our Father that we can speak to this mountain, and He who loves us so much will move it.
When we pray, we are immediately ushered into the very presence of God. There are no restrictions to praying. God did not say, “Call unto me if it is important, or if it is serious.” We are not only to talk to God anytime, at any place, we are to talk to God about anything. Paul said in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.”
What compelled me to talk about prayer is a personal experience that I had in February. I knew that I was going to die, and I was able to watch my life on earth end in slow-motion. It is true when people say that they see their life flash before them. I saw a quick reel of my parents, my brothers when we were younger, my husband, and then my pets. I even had the fleeting thought, well I guess they’ll just need to figure everything out at the business for themselves 😊 Then I prayed, I prayed out loud and I boldly said, “God thank you for this life that you have entrusted me with. It has been great and my honor to serve you. Please watch over my husband. Thank you.” I was at perfect peace. I did not fight what was about to happen, it was all good. I even remembered feeling happy. I was not afraid. Granted, sounds like there was a lot of time between the fast-moving snow grader coming right for me, but this all happened within seconds. The impact, glass shattering, my driver side door being crushed into me . . . and then I opened my eyes, and much to my surprise I was still on earth. Crazy, I thought did God change His mind? Seems I covered all the requirements in Philippians 4:6, but does God change His mind because we pray? More on this later.
The only thing that God wants us to pray about is everything. The only thing you do not need to pray about is nothing. The only prayer that God does not answer is the prayer never prayed.
That is where kneeology comes in. We spend time praying with God to be a witness for Him, praying to let our words be used to touch others, praying to be anointed by God so that we may be used in His service. We are to share the good news of Jesus with others. It does not matter how deep our theology runs, how much we know about the word of God, or what limitations we think we might have. If we are willing to be used and are willing to put some prayer and effort into being who God wants us to be then we can make a difference. Do not believe prayer and praise are important? Then just study the life of Jesus. He continually went away to be alone and spend time in prayer with His Father. He prayed asking for direction, for assurance, for strength. He prayed to be used in the way he was meant to be used.
Remember something about God. God always answers prayer on schedule, but it is always His schedule, not ours. Our problem is, we are concerned with time, but God is concerned with timing. Remember that God’s delays are not God’s denials.
The greatest knowledge a person can ever have is the will of God. We will never know that apart from prayer. The greatest person we can ever know is the Lord Jesus Christ. You will never know Him intimately apart from prayer. The greatest book we will ever read is the Word of God and we will never understand it apart from prayer.
Does prayer change things? Yes. Does God use prayer as a secondary means to bring His work to pass? Yes. Does God not only invite us to pray but command us to? Yes. Does the effective prayer of righteous man accomplish much? Yes. But do these things change God’s mind? No. Why? Because God has never had to change His mind from the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:11).
Kneeology; Communicating with God on a regular basis is way more important than most theology we are taught. Yes, of course theology is important, but prayer is what makes it come alive . . . it is what helps us to use what we know to become who we are supposed to be.
If you do not have a degree in kneeology, learn, teach others to pray, to communicate, to listen for the Will of God. You will not be disappointed you did.
Prayer changes us ~ Praise moves the heart ♥ of God.
Praise and Prayer
Sunday Message by: Connie Funkhouser
September 27, 2020
Theology in a Christian context is a discipline of study that seeks to understand the God revealed in the Bible and to provide a Christian understanding of reality. It seeks to understand God’s creation, particularly human beings and their condition, and God’s redemptive work in relation to humankind. Theology has practical value in providing guidance for the Christian life and ministry.
It is important for us to have good theology. It is good for us to know what we think and why we think the way we do. It is good to check what you believe and make sure it aligns with the work of God. However, no matter how much formal religious education we get. No matter how intelligent we become when it comes to scripture and God’s work. All of it means nothing unless we have a living relationship with Jesus. None of it matters unless we know how to communicate with God. None of it matters near as much as being on our knees speaking to the all-knowing, all powerful, all loving God Our Creator.
Jeremiah 29:12
“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you” (NKJV).
Psalms 91:15
“He will call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him” (NIV).
There are 58 verses in the Bible that commands us to “call” unto the Lord. We are commanded and demanded to pray. I find it intriguing that God must command us to pray. I think I know who is reading my Sunday homily this week, so I feel as I am preaching to the choir. At the Little Church in the Pines, we have a well-established Prayer Circle. I know for a fact, that I have a close circle of friends whom I affectionally refer to as Prayer Warriors, which write down petitions of prayers from others and will take them to Our Lord throughout the day. When our Daisy’s Angels’ Ministry Team was involved @ the JCC, we had a list of students that we kept with us so that we may pray specific prayers for the students. Personally, I feel that I am in a constant state of prayer. My own private never-ending dialogue with God.
Charles Hadden Spurgeon said, “Prayer pulls the rope down below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give only an occasional jerk at the rope. But he who communicates with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all his might.”
Speaking for myself, I can honestly admit that I boldly pull on the rope.
“I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously. He has hurled both horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise Him – my father’s God, and I will exalt Him” (Exodus 15:1-2 NLT).
Moses and the Israelites praised the Lord for His deliverance from Pharaoh. The Egyptians, who were chasing them, were no more. God had hurled each horse and rider into the sea. The Lord was their strength and had given them absolute victory. Their God was also the amazing God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They praised Him for their miracle. They exalted Him for His promise.
Here we are now, amid our own Red Sea. Our God is still the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses. But He is more than that. His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus has defeated sin and disease on the Cross. He has opened the windows to heaven. God is no longer just our father’s God. Because of Jesus’ grace, He is also our Father. We can go to Him with anything. No longer the judge of His children, He is the lover of our souls. We pray in faith, believing, and we praise Him for His faithfulness. The Red Sea that appears before us shall be no more.
Praise is synonymous with strength and is born of trust in our Father, whom we believe takes care of every aspect of life. We face our Red Seas, believing that He has already met our needs. Even now when we do not see His provision taking place, we believe because we trust our Savior, who has opened the door to all the resources of our heavenly Father. We praise our Father that we can speak to this mountain, and He who loves us so much will move it.
When we pray, we are immediately ushered into the very presence of God. There are no restrictions to praying. God did not say, “Call unto me if it is important, or if it is serious.” We are not only to talk to God anytime, at any place, we are to talk to God about anything. Paul said in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.”
What compelled me to talk about prayer is a personal experience that I had in February. I knew that I was going to die, and I was able to watch my life on earth end in slow-motion. It is true when people say that they see their life flash before them. I saw a quick reel of my parents, my brothers when we were younger, my husband, and then my pets. I even had the fleeting thought, well I guess they’ll just need to figure everything out at the business for themselves 😊 Then I prayed, I prayed out loud and I boldly said, “God thank you for this life that you have entrusted me with. It has been great and my honor to serve you. Please watch over my husband. Thank you.” I was at perfect peace. I did not fight what was about to happen, it was all good. I even remembered feeling happy. I was not afraid. Granted, sounds like there was a lot of time between the fast-moving snow grader coming right for me, but this all happened within seconds. The impact, glass shattering, my driver side door being crushed into me . . . and then I opened my eyes, and much to my surprise I was still on earth. Crazy, I thought did God change His mind? Seems I covered all the requirements in Philippians 4:6, but does God change His mind because we pray? More on this later.
The only thing that God wants us to pray about is everything. The only thing you do not need to pray about is nothing. The only prayer that God does not answer is the prayer never prayed.
That is where kneeology comes in. We spend time praying with God to be a witness for Him, praying to let our words be used to touch others, praying to be anointed by God so that we may be used in His service. We are to share the good news of Jesus with others. It does not matter how deep our theology runs, how much we know about the word of God, or what limitations we think we might have. If we are willing to be used and are willing to put some prayer and effort into being who God wants us to be then we can make a difference. Do not believe prayer and praise are important? Then just study the life of Jesus. He continually went away to be alone and spend time in prayer with His Father. He prayed asking for direction, for assurance, for strength. He prayed to be used in the way he was meant to be used.
Remember something about God. God always answers prayer on schedule, but it is always His schedule, not ours. Our problem is, we are concerned with time, but God is concerned with timing. Remember that God’s delays are not God’s denials.
The greatest knowledge a person can ever have is the will of God. We will never know that apart from prayer. The greatest person we can ever know is the Lord Jesus Christ. You will never know Him intimately apart from prayer. The greatest book we will ever read is the Word of God and we will never understand it apart from prayer.
Does prayer change things? Yes. Does God use prayer as a secondary means to bring His work to pass? Yes. Does God not only invite us to pray but command us to? Yes. Does the effective prayer of righteous man accomplish much? Yes. But do these things change God’s mind? No. Why? Because God has never had to change His mind from the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:11).
Kneeology; Communicating with God on a regular basis is way more important than most theology we are taught. Yes, of course theology is important, but prayer is what makes it come alive . . . it is what helps us to use what we know to become who we are supposed to be.
If you do not have a degree in kneeology, learn, teach others to pray, to communicate, to listen for the Will of God. You will not be disappointed you did.
Prayer changes us ~ Praise moves the heart ♥ of God.
Luke 17:11-19
Sermon by: Pastor Connie Day
September 20, 2020
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
This is the second time in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus heals someone with leprosy.
In Luke chapter five, a man who had leprosy fell on his face when he saw Jesus and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus said, “I am willing.” He reached out and touched the man and healed him.
In this story (Luke 17), Jesus again encountered some lepers.
They stood at a distance from him. The law required that they do so.
Leviticus 13:45-46
Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as they have the disease, they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.
Leprosy was a disease that not only affected the body. Those who had it were forced to stay socially distant from others. As long as a person had this disease, he would be excluded from the community.
This was considered to be more than just a physical disease. It was considered a disease of body and soul: a judgement from God, a punishment for sin.
People feared lepers, much in the same way that people in our time sometimes view those with diseases: not only was there fear that coming into contact with such a person could put you at risk, but there was also a sense that somehow these people must have done something to deserve this illness.
The average person went out of their way to avoid people with leprosy, and laws kept these people at a distance, isolated from the community. But Jesus didn’t turn away when the men with leprosy called out to him. As in the earlier story, where Jesus reached out a touched the man who was considered “unclean,” Jesus had compassion for people whom others would turn away.
Maybe that’s why they called out to him in the first place. Maybe they had heard of his love for sinners and outcasts. Maybe they had heard that he healed others with this dreadful disease.
So they called out to him, “Jesus, have mercy on us!”
And Jesus told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”
You see, that was the only way that they could be re-admitted to society. It was the only way that they could return to their families: to a “normal” life. A priest had to certify that they were, indeed, healed. Until a priest examined them, they were still outcasts: excluded from the community.
All ten of these men acted on faith. Jesus doesn’t heal them and then send them to see the priest. They have had to act on faith—to trust in Jesus. They go, as Jesus tells them to, as as they go they are healed. Before there is any evidence that the healing would take place, they believed and obeyed the words of Jesus. And maybe there’s a lesson in that for us: to trust in God even when we can’t see the ways that God is working in our lives. To believe, and to step out in faith, even when we don’t have any proof that things will turn out all right.
These men trusted in Jesus, without any evidence that they would be healed. They literally “stepped out in faith”—they turned and started walking. And “as they went, they were cleansed.”
But one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back. He praised God, shouting out praise for what had been done. He found Jesus and said, “Thank you.” And Jesus asked some questions. “Weren’t there ten who were healed?”
“Where are the other nine?”
Where are the other nine?
Where did they go?
What were they doing?
What were they thinking?
Let’s imagine for a moment that we could get inside the minds of the other nine: that we could hear their thoughts and understand “where they were.”
I can imagine some of them thinking, “What a coincidence!” “Right about the time that Jesus came by, suddenly I started feeling better. It’s kind of odd that it happened that way. A real coincidence!” They don’t feel a need to go back and thank Jesus because they don’t see the connection of their cry for mercy and the healing that has taken place.
And don’t we do that sometimes too?
We pray. We cry out to God for help. And when the answer to our prayers comes, we forget that we ever prayed, or we think that things probably would have happened the same way even if we had not prayed. It was just a coincidence. And we don’t think to say, “Thank you.”
Maybe that’s what some of the nine men were thinking that day.
I can imagine some others who are so excited—so amazed that they were healed. They need to go see the priest to be examined. They need to be “certified.” Then they would go and clean up and shave, and put on some decent clothes…and then, there would be joyful reunions with their friends and families. There would be so much to do. There was so much ahead of them. There wasn’t time to look back, or to go back. A quick prayer of thanks on the run was all they had time for. Surely God would understand.
And how many of our prayers are said “on the run?” How often are we willing to stop? To take time to praise God and to thank Jesus for the ways we have been helped and healed?
I can imagine some among those nine men who did not return because they were busy getting on with their lives.
I can imagine others who didn’t return because they were angry.
They got to thinking, as they walked toward town, “Why did I have to go through this in the first place?” “Why did God allow me to suffer?” “Why did God allow me to be sick?” “Why did God allow me to be alienated from my family for so long?”
“It’s not fair! Look how much I have lost! That is time that I can never get back!”
They dwell on the illness, the suffering, and they don’t feel very thankful. The best they can say is, “It’s about time!” And they are unable to see or appreciate the gift they have been given.
Have you ever been there? Have you ever had a hard time being thankful because you can’t see beyond the hurt, disappointment, or anger? Or because you compare yourself and your circumstances with others, and you seem to have gotten the “short end of the stick?”
Sometimes we are blinded by the difficulties of our lives, and instead of being thankful for all the blessings we have received, we can’t even see them. We hold onto the hurt and the anger, and we miss the blessing entirely.
I don’t know all of the reasons why those nine men didn’t come back to thank Jesus. I don’t know all of the reasons why we fail to give thanks.
When we read this story about the ten who were healed and the one who returned, we like to think that we are most like the one. We like to think of ourselves as the one who came back. But the fact is, we are all of them.
About 90% of the time, we take our blessings for granted, and about 10% of the time, we remember to give thanks. About 10% of the time, we recognize how very fortunate we are and how much we have been given. And we stop. And we give praise to God. And we seek out Jesus to say, “Thank you.”
Maybe with some practice, we can increase that percentage a bit.
Let’s remind ourselves, and remind each other, of how God has blessed us. Let’s remember today the ways that God has healed us and helped us, and how God is working in our lives. Open your eyes and see what God has done. And just say, “Thank you.”
When you do, you will be blessed again—just as the one who turned back to thank Jesus was—you will be blessed with the very presence of Christ.
Take some time today to think about it: how has God blessed you? What has God done for you this week? What is God doing in your life right now? If you look, you will see your blessings. And when you acknowledge the source of your blessings, your life will be filled with greater joy. Give thanks.
Sermon by: Pastor Connie Day
September 20, 2020
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
This is the second time in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus heals someone with leprosy.
In Luke chapter five, a man who had leprosy fell on his face when he saw Jesus and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus said, “I am willing.” He reached out and touched the man and healed him.
In this story (Luke 17), Jesus again encountered some lepers.
They stood at a distance from him. The law required that they do so.
Leviticus 13:45-46
Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as they have the disease, they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.
Leprosy was a disease that not only affected the body. Those who had it were forced to stay socially distant from others. As long as a person had this disease, he would be excluded from the community.
This was considered to be more than just a physical disease. It was considered a disease of body and soul: a judgement from God, a punishment for sin.
People feared lepers, much in the same way that people in our time sometimes view those with diseases: not only was there fear that coming into contact with such a person could put you at risk, but there was also a sense that somehow these people must have done something to deserve this illness.
The average person went out of their way to avoid people with leprosy, and laws kept these people at a distance, isolated from the community. But Jesus didn’t turn away when the men with leprosy called out to him. As in the earlier story, where Jesus reached out a touched the man who was considered “unclean,” Jesus had compassion for people whom others would turn away.
Maybe that’s why they called out to him in the first place. Maybe they had heard of his love for sinners and outcasts. Maybe they had heard that he healed others with this dreadful disease.
So they called out to him, “Jesus, have mercy on us!”
And Jesus told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”
You see, that was the only way that they could be re-admitted to society. It was the only way that they could return to their families: to a “normal” life. A priest had to certify that they were, indeed, healed. Until a priest examined them, they were still outcasts: excluded from the community.
All ten of these men acted on faith. Jesus doesn’t heal them and then send them to see the priest. They have had to act on faith—to trust in Jesus. They go, as Jesus tells them to, as as they go they are healed. Before there is any evidence that the healing would take place, they believed and obeyed the words of Jesus. And maybe there’s a lesson in that for us: to trust in God even when we can’t see the ways that God is working in our lives. To believe, and to step out in faith, even when we don’t have any proof that things will turn out all right.
These men trusted in Jesus, without any evidence that they would be healed. They literally “stepped out in faith”—they turned and started walking. And “as they went, they were cleansed.”
But one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back. He praised God, shouting out praise for what had been done. He found Jesus and said, “Thank you.” And Jesus asked some questions. “Weren’t there ten who were healed?”
“Where are the other nine?”
Where are the other nine?
Where did they go?
What were they doing?
What were they thinking?
Let’s imagine for a moment that we could get inside the minds of the other nine: that we could hear their thoughts and understand “where they were.”
I can imagine some of them thinking, “What a coincidence!” “Right about the time that Jesus came by, suddenly I started feeling better. It’s kind of odd that it happened that way. A real coincidence!” They don’t feel a need to go back and thank Jesus because they don’t see the connection of their cry for mercy and the healing that has taken place.
And don’t we do that sometimes too?
We pray. We cry out to God for help. And when the answer to our prayers comes, we forget that we ever prayed, or we think that things probably would have happened the same way even if we had not prayed. It was just a coincidence. And we don’t think to say, “Thank you.”
Maybe that’s what some of the nine men were thinking that day.
I can imagine some others who are so excited—so amazed that they were healed. They need to go see the priest to be examined. They need to be “certified.” Then they would go and clean up and shave, and put on some decent clothes…and then, there would be joyful reunions with their friends and families. There would be so much to do. There was so much ahead of them. There wasn’t time to look back, or to go back. A quick prayer of thanks on the run was all they had time for. Surely God would understand.
And how many of our prayers are said “on the run?” How often are we willing to stop? To take time to praise God and to thank Jesus for the ways we have been helped and healed?
I can imagine some among those nine men who did not return because they were busy getting on with their lives.
I can imagine others who didn’t return because they were angry.
They got to thinking, as they walked toward town, “Why did I have to go through this in the first place?” “Why did God allow me to suffer?” “Why did God allow me to be sick?” “Why did God allow me to be alienated from my family for so long?”
“It’s not fair! Look how much I have lost! That is time that I can never get back!”
They dwell on the illness, the suffering, and they don’t feel very thankful. The best they can say is, “It’s about time!” And they are unable to see or appreciate the gift they have been given.
Have you ever been there? Have you ever had a hard time being thankful because you can’t see beyond the hurt, disappointment, or anger? Or because you compare yourself and your circumstances with others, and you seem to have gotten the “short end of the stick?”
Sometimes we are blinded by the difficulties of our lives, and instead of being thankful for all the blessings we have received, we can’t even see them. We hold onto the hurt and the anger, and we miss the blessing entirely.
I don’t know all of the reasons why those nine men didn’t come back to thank Jesus. I don’t know all of the reasons why we fail to give thanks.
When we read this story about the ten who were healed and the one who returned, we like to think that we are most like the one. We like to think of ourselves as the one who came back. But the fact is, we are all of them.
About 90% of the time, we take our blessings for granted, and about 10% of the time, we remember to give thanks. About 10% of the time, we recognize how very fortunate we are and how much we have been given. And we stop. And we give praise to God. And we seek out Jesus to say, “Thank you.”
Maybe with some practice, we can increase that percentage a bit.
Let’s remind ourselves, and remind each other, of how God has blessed us. Let’s remember today the ways that God has healed us and helped us, and how God is working in our lives. Open your eyes and see what God has done. And just say, “Thank you.”
When you do, you will be blessed again—just as the one who turned back to thank Jesus was—you will be blessed with the very presence of Christ.
Take some time today to think about it: how has God blessed you? What has God done for you this week? What is God doing in your life right now? If you look, you will see your blessings. And when you acknowledge the source of your blessings, your life will be filled with greater joy. Give thanks.
The Holy Spirit
September 13, 2020
Connie Funkhouser subbing for Pastor Tom
I am about to share a secret of mine; I have a favorite. My favorite of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Odd, you may think, how can anyone have a favorite within the Trinity: One God, right? God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three Divine persons within one. I do not know when my heart decided on a favorite, not even sure if it is okay to have a favorite, but I cannot deny that I do. Quite sure God is okay with this because I know in my very soul that the Holy Spirit, is God’s Spirit, and dwells within me. Not when I choose to tap into the Holy Spirit, but He is always there. It is up to me to let God’s Spirit shine.
When I sub for Pastor Tom, I like to have a theme; July 4th, change of seasons, Veteran’s Day, you get the idea. This time when he asked me, I immediately knew I wanted to talk about the Holy Spirit. Being in the restaurant industry I talk with “a lot” of people, whether they are customers, employees, food and beverage reps, and delivery personal. A few years ago, I decided that I was not going to be bashful about my Faith and personal relationship with Our Lord and Savior. Which for me meant, Living in the Presence of God is foremost in my mind, thoughts, and actions. I guess this would qualify me as wearing my Faith on my sleeve, okay, sure, whatever, call it what you want. My desire is to share what I have, and I have been blessed with the resources to share what is in my heart and soul.
This summer having heartfelt discussions with many folks I have noticed something is missing . . . a missing link between life (and I am talking all aspects of life) and faith. Me being me, typically responds with, “if it wasn’t for the Holy Spirit living within I have no idea what my life would be like.” Mentioning God’s Gift of His Holy Spirit brings a blank look from some. Even comments such as I do not know much about the Holy Spirit, let alone how to attain His presence. Or even, the Holy Spirit is the one part of the Trinity that is most confusing. Ok, so I know who God and Jesus are, but I do not get the Holy Spirit. One of my favorites, well if God’s Spirit is out there, there is too many people for Him to be a constant in my life and why would He want to be?
My prayer with the following homily is to bring awareness of a gift that is available to all and shed a little light on the fact that the Holy Spirit does not need to be foreign. Accepting God’s Gift is life changing. On a few occasions I have offered to give “all” my faith and trust in God away so that others will have what I have, and I will start from scratch. Yes, I trust and believe that I would regain all that was within my soul. Just maybe the following will serve as a gift to you.
Because the Holy Spirit is not systematically described in Scripture, the doctrine of the Third Person of the Trinity may seem elusive and even controversial. The Holy Spirit is important since He provides contact between the believer and God, He is the point at which the Trinity becomes personal to the believer. This has led to difficulties in understanding Him and His work. From the biblical evidence, God’s Word, Jesus’ teachings, we can discover His deity and personality.
You may ask, “What are the qualities and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives?”
One God eternally exists in three divine persons; Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, co-equal and co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes, and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience. Matthew 3:16, 17; Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3, 4; II Corinthians 13:14.
Of all the gifts given to mankind by God, there is none greater than the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit, His Spirit has many functions, roles, and activities. He does a work in the hearts of all people everywhere. Jesus told the disciples that He would send the Spirit into the world. The Spirit applies the truths of God to minds of humans to convince us by fair and sufficient arguments that they are sinners. Responding to that conviction brings us to salvation.
Once we are saved and belong to God, the Spirit takes up residence in our hearts forever, sealing us with the confirming, certifying, and assuring pledge of our eternal state as His children. Jesus said He would send the Spirit to us to be our Helper, Comforter, and Guide. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot see Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you” (John 14:16-17 NLT).
“He will give us another Advocate.” Oh, how I love this. An advocate. An encourager, campaigner, supporter, someone that will even pray for us when we no longer have the strength or words. Full-disclosure, often I ask the Holy Spirit to go to bat for me; to advocate for me as my soul rests in His peace. Some Bible translations uses the word Counselor, meaning “one who is called alongside” and has the idea of someone who encourages. The Holy Spirit comes alongside the believer, to do what Jesus did when He was here physically, but now mainly from the inside of us. The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the hearts of believers (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20, 12:13). Jesus gave the Spirit as a “compensation” for His absence, to perform the functions toward us which He would have done if He had remained personally with us. I love this, Jesus gave us the Spirit as a compensation for His absence. Thank You Lord Jesus!
The revealer of truth. The Spirit’s presence within us enables us to understand and interpret God’s Word. Jesus told His disciples that “when He, the Spirit of truth, has come He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13 NKJV). He reveals to our minds the whole counsel of God as it relates to worship, doctrine, and Christian living. He is the ultimate guide, going before, and leading the way. He leads in the way we should go in all spiritual things. Without such a guide in our lives, the believer’s life, my life, are thoughts that I do not care to entertain.
The Holy Spirit is also a gift-giver. 1 Corinthians 12 describes the spiritual gifts given to the believer in order that we may function as the Body of Christ on earth. All these gifts (read vs. 4-27), both great and small, are given by the Spirit so that we may be His ambassadors, showing His grace and glorifying Him.
The Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity through whom the entire Triune Godhead currently works in us. Through the Holy Spirit’s work that we feel God’s presence within, and the Christian life is given a special tangibility. He is someone to whom we can and should pray. The Holy Spirit, being fully divine, is to be accorded the same honor and respect that we give to the Father and the Son. It is appropriate to worship Him as we do them. The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son. His work is the expression and execution of what the three of them have planned together. There is no tension among their persons and activities.
God is not far off. In the Holy Spirit, the Triune God comes close, so close as to enter into each believer. He is even more intimately involved with us now than in the incarnation. Through the operation of the Spirit he has truly become Immanuel, “God with us.” The knowledge that the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence in our lives, that He performs all these miraculous functions, that He dwells with us forever, and that He will never leave or forsake us brings confidence, security, and is cause for great joy and comfort.
“Thank God for Your precious gift the Holy Spirit
and His work in our lives!”
In closing with my homily 😉 I hope that I have shared a little insight to the attainability of God’s Gift to us and maybe why I secretly have a favorite. It is free, does not need to be paid back, a gift that we can share with so many others just by Living in the Presence of God. A gift that is embedded in our very being that enables us to remain confident, and at peace through these challenging times.
I thank you for your time. Pastor Constance Rae (I love her name) will be subbing for Pastor Tom next week, I the following, then P.Tom will be back from vacation the first Sunday in October.
With every breath, we will share your goodness Lord. Let everything that has breath praise you, faithful God. Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22, NLT).
Breathe in me Holy Spirit so I may share your gift of life and all of eternity spent with you.
Blessings ~ Connie Funkhouser
September 13, 2020
Connie Funkhouser subbing for Pastor Tom
I am about to share a secret of mine; I have a favorite. My favorite of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Odd, you may think, how can anyone have a favorite within the Trinity: One God, right? God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three Divine persons within one. I do not know when my heart decided on a favorite, not even sure if it is okay to have a favorite, but I cannot deny that I do. Quite sure God is okay with this because I know in my very soul that the Holy Spirit, is God’s Spirit, and dwells within me. Not when I choose to tap into the Holy Spirit, but He is always there. It is up to me to let God’s Spirit shine.
When I sub for Pastor Tom, I like to have a theme; July 4th, change of seasons, Veteran’s Day, you get the idea. This time when he asked me, I immediately knew I wanted to talk about the Holy Spirit. Being in the restaurant industry I talk with “a lot” of people, whether they are customers, employees, food and beverage reps, and delivery personal. A few years ago, I decided that I was not going to be bashful about my Faith and personal relationship with Our Lord and Savior. Which for me meant, Living in the Presence of God is foremost in my mind, thoughts, and actions. I guess this would qualify me as wearing my Faith on my sleeve, okay, sure, whatever, call it what you want. My desire is to share what I have, and I have been blessed with the resources to share what is in my heart and soul.
This summer having heartfelt discussions with many folks I have noticed something is missing . . . a missing link between life (and I am talking all aspects of life) and faith. Me being me, typically responds with, “if it wasn’t for the Holy Spirit living within I have no idea what my life would be like.” Mentioning God’s Gift of His Holy Spirit brings a blank look from some. Even comments such as I do not know much about the Holy Spirit, let alone how to attain His presence. Or even, the Holy Spirit is the one part of the Trinity that is most confusing. Ok, so I know who God and Jesus are, but I do not get the Holy Spirit. One of my favorites, well if God’s Spirit is out there, there is too many people for Him to be a constant in my life and why would He want to be?
My prayer with the following homily is to bring awareness of a gift that is available to all and shed a little light on the fact that the Holy Spirit does not need to be foreign. Accepting God’s Gift is life changing. On a few occasions I have offered to give “all” my faith and trust in God away so that others will have what I have, and I will start from scratch. Yes, I trust and believe that I would regain all that was within my soul. Just maybe the following will serve as a gift to you.
Because the Holy Spirit is not systematically described in Scripture, the doctrine of the Third Person of the Trinity may seem elusive and even controversial. The Holy Spirit is important since He provides contact between the believer and God, He is the point at which the Trinity becomes personal to the believer. This has led to difficulties in understanding Him and His work. From the biblical evidence, God’s Word, Jesus’ teachings, we can discover His deity and personality.
You may ask, “What are the qualities and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives?”
One God eternally exists in three divine persons; Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, co-equal and co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes, and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience. Matthew 3:16, 17; Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3, 4; II Corinthians 13:14.
Of all the gifts given to mankind by God, there is none greater than the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit, His Spirit has many functions, roles, and activities. He does a work in the hearts of all people everywhere. Jesus told the disciples that He would send the Spirit into the world. The Spirit applies the truths of God to minds of humans to convince us by fair and sufficient arguments that they are sinners. Responding to that conviction brings us to salvation.
Once we are saved and belong to God, the Spirit takes up residence in our hearts forever, sealing us with the confirming, certifying, and assuring pledge of our eternal state as His children. Jesus said He would send the Spirit to us to be our Helper, Comforter, and Guide. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot see Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you” (John 14:16-17 NLT).
“He will give us another Advocate.” Oh, how I love this. An advocate. An encourager, campaigner, supporter, someone that will even pray for us when we no longer have the strength or words. Full-disclosure, often I ask the Holy Spirit to go to bat for me; to advocate for me as my soul rests in His peace. Some Bible translations uses the word Counselor, meaning “one who is called alongside” and has the idea of someone who encourages. The Holy Spirit comes alongside the believer, to do what Jesus did when He was here physically, but now mainly from the inside of us. The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the hearts of believers (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20, 12:13). Jesus gave the Spirit as a “compensation” for His absence, to perform the functions toward us which He would have done if He had remained personally with us. I love this, Jesus gave us the Spirit as a compensation for His absence. Thank You Lord Jesus!
The revealer of truth. The Spirit’s presence within us enables us to understand and interpret God’s Word. Jesus told His disciples that “when He, the Spirit of truth, has come He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13 NKJV). He reveals to our minds the whole counsel of God as it relates to worship, doctrine, and Christian living. He is the ultimate guide, going before, and leading the way. He leads in the way we should go in all spiritual things. Without such a guide in our lives, the believer’s life, my life, are thoughts that I do not care to entertain.
The Holy Spirit is also a gift-giver. 1 Corinthians 12 describes the spiritual gifts given to the believer in order that we may function as the Body of Christ on earth. All these gifts (read vs. 4-27), both great and small, are given by the Spirit so that we may be His ambassadors, showing His grace and glorifying Him.
The Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity through whom the entire Triune Godhead currently works in us. Through the Holy Spirit’s work that we feel God’s presence within, and the Christian life is given a special tangibility. He is someone to whom we can and should pray. The Holy Spirit, being fully divine, is to be accorded the same honor and respect that we give to the Father and the Son. It is appropriate to worship Him as we do them. The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son. His work is the expression and execution of what the three of them have planned together. There is no tension among their persons and activities.
God is not far off. In the Holy Spirit, the Triune God comes close, so close as to enter into each believer. He is even more intimately involved with us now than in the incarnation. Through the operation of the Spirit he has truly become Immanuel, “God with us.” The knowledge that the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence in our lives, that He performs all these miraculous functions, that He dwells with us forever, and that He will never leave or forsake us brings confidence, security, and is cause for great joy and comfort.
“Thank God for Your precious gift the Holy Spirit
and His work in our lives!”
In closing with my homily 😉 I hope that I have shared a little insight to the attainability of God’s Gift to us and maybe why I secretly have a favorite. It is free, does not need to be paid back, a gift that we can share with so many others just by Living in the Presence of God. A gift that is embedded in our very being that enables us to remain confident, and at peace through these challenging times.
I thank you for your time. Pastor Constance Rae (I love her name) will be subbing for Pastor Tom next week, I the following, then P.Tom will be back from vacation the first Sunday in October.
With every breath, we will share your goodness Lord. Let everything that has breath praise you, faithful God. Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22, NLT).
Breathe in me Holy Spirit so I may share your gift of life and all of eternity spent with you.
Blessings ~ Connie Funkhouser
The Little Church in the Pines
It’s not fair, it just isn’t !
Ephesians 1:7 & 8
September 5, 2020
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
How many times have you said these words to God, “it’s not fair, it just isn’t!” So then, what is? Here is what is fair…. brought about by what wasn’t fair to the one that made life if lived in Christ, ultimately fair, though along the pathway it at times sure doesn’t seem so.
In Christ…we (all) have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of “God’s grace that He lavished on us!” Lavished on us! GRACE…. OH, SO AMAZING…THAT GRACE! This speaks of ‘fairness in the extreme, when it is so undeserved, regardless of age, status, occupation, race, nationality or gender…. for, the only thing you have to be is ‘human.’
When we think of how unfair life seems to be and sometimes is…. let us think or of how it would be, without Grace.
This sermon is not about Grace in that Grace is not the central word, but it continuously exists, laying beneath the surface….especially as I read to you the true story of a boy born as an outcast, for we know (God has a special place in His heart for the outcast) as revealed through His Son, Jesus Christ, who did more for the outcasts of His day, than any other group of people and with the long-term result trickling down to today.
Here’s the story……………….a biblical one at that, that rises (in God) above human prejudice and hatred. The innocent are often the recipient of unfairness, sometimes to the extreme.
STORY……………………………………………………………………………………….
There are thousands of such stories in real life, and perhaps one of you has your own story of overcoming when life seemed to beat you down, and everything and everyone seemed unfair.
Jesus told a parable about fairness in Matthew 20:1-16 (read) If you or I were one of those who first agreed to work, for what in those days was a fair wage, and experiencing what these workers did, would you too not expect more and voice your disappointment, or even be angry. Of course, for…it is a natural reaction, but God calls us to a supernatural reaction. The allegory is specifically targeted to we Believers, that instead of grumbling, we should rejoice for each and every person, who by their acceptance of Jesus, even if it is with their dying breath, are saved by the same grace, we experience (those of us who have been His followers for years) thereby all entering into the same heaven.
You see…. we Gentiles are in the Kingdom of God, late comers. The Jews were following Jehovah God for thousands of years….and here we are, the tag-along late comers, adopted as such into the family tree. It is by grace we are saved and not by anything we have accomplished, and we, according to the Jews are (the unclean).
We are all the 5:00 o’clock workers.
Here is a secret about Grace…ten words that explain all you and I need to know: “If God is for us, who can be successful (in the long run) by being against us. His goal is for our ULTIMATE salvation, regardless of how unfair life on this planet treats us.
Let us look at four of the words in this verse, that deserve our attention. Say with me please, “God is for us” Maybe one more time would be good, “God is for us.”
You see…here is the bottom line…. GOD is for US!
You may have had in your childhood a not so good parent, a sibling who picked on you all the time. You may have been bullied. You may have (tragically) been sexually abused as a child, as a friend of mine was numerous times. You may have during your adulthood been overlooked for a promotion that in your eyes should have been yours. You may have experienced any number of negative, painful, even debilitating, unkind mental, emotion, physical, spiritual happenings, that impacted your life deeply.
But…. you, today, sitting here now, have been spoken to, recognized and called by God. You are a son or a daughter of your Father who art in Heaven, and He has called you by name to be a part of His family.
God is for you and NOT against you. NOT maybe, NOT has been, NOT was, NOT will be, but IS! In UNDERSTANDING this, does this mean you had or will have a care-free life, without pain, sorrow or disappointments? NO…for life on this planet, with the long-term influence of sin and all its ramifications, over the eons of time, affect us all…. just simply because we are alive. No one gets a pass on its influence.
Life in and of itself is “not fair, it’s just NOT fair.
One of the differences for we Believers in Jesus the Christ, is that HE will walk with us and even carry us at times when we need to be carried. Most of us have either read or heard spoken, the poem ‘Footprints in the Sand, and I have found it is sometimes a good thing to revisit something that spoke to us when we first read or head it. Here it is.
Lord, You promised me, you’d hold my hand.
Tell me why in the sorrow of my troubled time,
I looked back and would find only one set of footprints in the sand?
Mine….
One set of footprints in the sand?
Oh, yes, at last I understand
Through every storm YOU carried me,
For now, I praise the Lord each time I see
One set of footprints in the sand!
These words speak so beautifully as a description of the heart of God and the heart of Jesus. These words are not ‘religion speaking’ they are God speaking to a hurting people. Come to me all you who are heavily burdened and “I, I will give you rest.”
This is a truth that we can hold on to when the storms come, and in time they will come to everyone. To know that we are not alone….brings comfort to our lives that is like no other, by KNOWING Him.
He…the Triune God, manifested in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are as close to you now, (if you will embrace Him) as He ever will or can be, but are You close enough to Him to sense and KNOW His Presence? Are you? That my fellow Believer is OUR choice, not His. You can only KNOW Him as much as you seek to KNOW Him.
In Isaiah 49:5, God asks Isaiah, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and not have compassion on the little one she has borne? What a bizarre question. Can you imagine, a mother, feeding her infant child and when finished, asking later, what was the baby’s name? Of course not, and what God was telling Isaiah was this….” even if she could forget….I, God, will not forget, you.”
Going back…. knowing what I just shared from Isaiah, whomever comes against you can do no eternal harm. Can death take you away, yes. Can disease come into your life, Yes. Can pain greater than you think you can handle, reach out and absorb you? yes. Can your inherent value in God’s eyes be taken away, NO. Though hell itself may set itself against you, you cannot be defeated if you believe, that single set of footprints in the sand. We are protected for eternity for God is for us……and that is the meaning of grace, especially when life is so deeply unfair.
Can you grasp this? Can you?
For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it IS the GIFT of God…not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9.
We will find as we discover the Presence of God, His love for us, our focus where it needs to be…that we are able then to walk on the waters of life no matter how troubled they may be, for our failures are forgivable, and not only forgivable, but for times of learning, and once learned, to apply that lesson to our every day life.
Life isn’t fair…. but God is and is there always…to help us.
2nd Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God,
Who always…leads us in triumphal procession,
In Christ!
And through us…
Spread everywhere,
The fragrance of the knowledge of Him……
Amen
It’s not fair, it just isn’t !
Ephesians 1:7 & 8
September 5, 2020
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
How many times have you said these words to God, “it’s not fair, it just isn’t!” So then, what is? Here is what is fair…. brought about by what wasn’t fair to the one that made life if lived in Christ, ultimately fair, though along the pathway it at times sure doesn’t seem so.
In Christ…we (all) have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of “God’s grace that He lavished on us!” Lavished on us! GRACE…. OH, SO AMAZING…THAT GRACE! This speaks of ‘fairness in the extreme, when it is so undeserved, regardless of age, status, occupation, race, nationality or gender…. for, the only thing you have to be is ‘human.’
When we think of how unfair life seems to be and sometimes is…. let us think or of how it would be, without Grace.
This sermon is not about Grace in that Grace is not the central word, but it continuously exists, laying beneath the surface….especially as I read to you the true story of a boy born as an outcast, for we know (God has a special place in His heart for the outcast) as revealed through His Son, Jesus Christ, who did more for the outcasts of His day, than any other group of people and with the long-term result trickling down to today.
Here’s the story……………….a biblical one at that, that rises (in God) above human prejudice and hatred. The innocent are often the recipient of unfairness, sometimes to the extreme.
STORY……………………………………………………………………………………….
There are thousands of such stories in real life, and perhaps one of you has your own story of overcoming when life seemed to beat you down, and everything and everyone seemed unfair.
Jesus told a parable about fairness in Matthew 20:1-16 (read) If you or I were one of those who first agreed to work, for what in those days was a fair wage, and experiencing what these workers did, would you too not expect more and voice your disappointment, or even be angry. Of course, for…it is a natural reaction, but God calls us to a supernatural reaction. The allegory is specifically targeted to we Believers, that instead of grumbling, we should rejoice for each and every person, who by their acceptance of Jesus, even if it is with their dying breath, are saved by the same grace, we experience (those of us who have been His followers for years) thereby all entering into the same heaven.
You see…. we Gentiles are in the Kingdom of God, late comers. The Jews were following Jehovah God for thousands of years….and here we are, the tag-along late comers, adopted as such into the family tree. It is by grace we are saved and not by anything we have accomplished, and we, according to the Jews are (the unclean).
We are all the 5:00 o’clock workers.
Here is a secret about Grace…ten words that explain all you and I need to know: “If God is for us, who can be successful (in the long run) by being against us. His goal is for our ULTIMATE salvation, regardless of how unfair life on this planet treats us.
Let us look at four of the words in this verse, that deserve our attention. Say with me please, “God is for us” Maybe one more time would be good, “God is for us.”
You see…here is the bottom line…. GOD is for US!
You may have had in your childhood a not so good parent, a sibling who picked on you all the time. You may have been bullied. You may have (tragically) been sexually abused as a child, as a friend of mine was numerous times. You may have during your adulthood been overlooked for a promotion that in your eyes should have been yours. You may have experienced any number of negative, painful, even debilitating, unkind mental, emotion, physical, spiritual happenings, that impacted your life deeply.
But…. you, today, sitting here now, have been spoken to, recognized and called by God. You are a son or a daughter of your Father who art in Heaven, and He has called you by name to be a part of His family.
God is for you and NOT against you. NOT maybe, NOT has been, NOT was, NOT will be, but IS! In UNDERSTANDING this, does this mean you had or will have a care-free life, without pain, sorrow or disappointments? NO…for life on this planet, with the long-term influence of sin and all its ramifications, over the eons of time, affect us all…. just simply because we are alive. No one gets a pass on its influence.
Life in and of itself is “not fair, it’s just NOT fair.
One of the differences for we Believers in Jesus the Christ, is that HE will walk with us and even carry us at times when we need to be carried. Most of us have either read or heard spoken, the poem ‘Footprints in the Sand, and I have found it is sometimes a good thing to revisit something that spoke to us when we first read or head it. Here it is.
Lord, You promised me, you’d hold my hand.
Tell me why in the sorrow of my troubled time,
I looked back and would find only one set of footprints in the sand?
Mine….
One set of footprints in the sand?
Oh, yes, at last I understand
Through every storm YOU carried me,
For now, I praise the Lord each time I see
One set of footprints in the sand!
These words speak so beautifully as a description of the heart of God and the heart of Jesus. These words are not ‘religion speaking’ they are God speaking to a hurting people. Come to me all you who are heavily burdened and “I, I will give you rest.”
This is a truth that we can hold on to when the storms come, and in time they will come to everyone. To know that we are not alone….brings comfort to our lives that is like no other, by KNOWING Him.
He…the Triune God, manifested in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are as close to you now, (if you will embrace Him) as He ever will or can be, but are You close enough to Him to sense and KNOW His Presence? Are you? That my fellow Believer is OUR choice, not His. You can only KNOW Him as much as you seek to KNOW Him.
In Isaiah 49:5, God asks Isaiah, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and not have compassion on the little one she has borne? What a bizarre question. Can you imagine, a mother, feeding her infant child and when finished, asking later, what was the baby’s name? Of course not, and what God was telling Isaiah was this….” even if she could forget….I, God, will not forget, you.”
Going back…. knowing what I just shared from Isaiah, whomever comes against you can do no eternal harm. Can death take you away, yes. Can disease come into your life, Yes. Can pain greater than you think you can handle, reach out and absorb you? yes. Can your inherent value in God’s eyes be taken away, NO. Though hell itself may set itself against you, you cannot be defeated if you believe, that single set of footprints in the sand. We are protected for eternity for God is for us……and that is the meaning of grace, especially when life is so deeply unfair.
Can you grasp this? Can you?
For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it IS the GIFT of God…not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9.
We will find as we discover the Presence of God, His love for us, our focus where it needs to be…that we are able then to walk on the waters of life no matter how troubled they may be, for our failures are forgivable, and not only forgivable, but for times of learning, and once learned, to apply that lesson to our every day life.
Life isn’t fair…. but God is and is there always…to help us.
2nd Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God,
Who always…leads us in triumphal procession,
In Christ!
And through us…
Spread everywhere,
The fragrance of the knowledge of Him……
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
August 30, 2020
“BLESSED AND BELOVED”
SOLOMON 6:3 ~ “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine “
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
I am my Beloved’s and he is mine (chorus of a song)
His banner over me is love
I am my Beloved’s and he is mine
His banner over me is love
This chorus became important to me in the 70’s when I rededicated my life to Christ, and to this day I on occasion sing it just to remind myself of (our) relationship.
After all that, and in the simplest of terms, Beloved is to ‘be-loved.’
Now save that and let us move on to the next word in the verse and sermon BLESSED.
BLESSED, BLESSING, BLESS AND BLESSES all are derived from the Latin word ‘benedicere.’ The word benediction that is used in many churches means: speaking (diction) well) bene) or saying ‘good things’ about, to and over someone. That should speak to all of us, especially when we are going through difficult time, for we all and I mean all, need to hear good things said of us.
We should be in the practice of affirming each other when we see and hear things that need to be affirmed. Also, something as simple as sincere compliment goes a long way in affirmation. In doing so we are passing on to them a blessing. Doing so is more than a word of praise or appreciation; it is more than pointing out someone’s talents or good deeds; it is more than putting someone in the light. To give a blessing is to affirm, to say yes to a man, woman’s or child’s be-lovedness,
To receive this these in our lives can bring with them a potential healing within us. Kind words can go an exceptionally long way in lifting a person out of the dark places we sometimes by choice and sometime by the words of actions of others put us.
In our Bible study on Friday, we were discussing these past six months, and how the overall attitude of the general public and perhaps even ourselves has changed. Early in the summer folks were hopeful and even a little upbeat that in a short amount of time (it seemed) all would return to the ‘old normal.’ As we have discovered, that is simply not the case. All the external events occurring has brought up an element of fear, tension, strife, and anger. Now, normal has been overturned and it is now the uncertainties that we live with every day that are at time overwhelming us, and we, live far away from where most of what is happening.
The time is now when we need to look for the good, and pass the good around, and bless each other by deliberately choosing to do so. I do not mean by this ignoring what we and our beloved nation are going through, but we must offset some of the negativity with sincere positivity. We are still loved by our Lord who will be with us through all that even now, not knowing what lies ahead. Where we can, we must work to be thoughtful listeners and a part of the solution, not the problem. Set aside our prejudices and listen as we have never listened before, think before we speak and when we speak, speak in a manner that is sincere and thoughtful.
Blessings, even small ones can turn a life around. Being loved and knowing we are loved, well, it does not get much better than that, does it?
Read this real-life story and be encouraged as I was.
A young man was to be welcomed into adulthood during his Bar-Mitzvah, in this synagogue. At 13, he was declared as an adult by his congregation. For the first time he was asked to participate in a leadership role in the service. He read from the Book of Genesis and gave a short sermon about the importance of caring for our environment. He was affirmed by his Rabbi and his friends, then blessed by his parents. His father saying to him: “son, whatever will happen to you in our life, whether you will have success or not, become important or not, will be healthy or not, always remember…….how much your mother and I love you.”
Those words to that young man brought tears to my eyes, and a yearning deep in my soul for something I had never received from my natural father during my own childhood; and that was loving affirmation, neither verbally or through his actions. I believe I longed for that, if even not knowing exactly what it meant. Mom, well, what can I say except that she was the best, often making up for what I did not get from dad. My own story does have a happy resolution and that being that at the age of 21, dad (in a rather intense encounter with me) did hug me and tell me he loved me. It means as much to me now as it did the moment, I heard those words, and I was and am blessed.
As a minister I have realized over the years how much we human beings are fearful, anxious insecure and decidedly human. . . and how much all of us are in need of a blessing, at least now and then.
There are over 80 times the word “blessed” is spoken in the New Testament, and that is not counting the words blessing or bless.
There is an excellent illustration of our Father blessing His Son, and it reads as such. Jesus was affirmed by His Father as He was being baptized by John in the Jordan River, when a voice was heard by all (some thinking it was thunder) spoke so they all could hear and then be recorded for us. This voice came from the sky saying: “You…are my ‘Be-loved Son’ and on You rests My favor.” This was a blessing that sustained Jesus through all the praise and attacks, admiration and condemnation that followed Him up to and through His being crucified. Jesus never lost the intimacy of that blessing, knowing that His Father affirmed Him as the ‘blessed One.
In our lives….one day we feel great, the next we feel miserable. One day we are full of new ideas, things to do and the next everything looks bleak and dull. One day we think we can take on the whole world, but the next, even a little request seems too much for us. These mood swings show that we are not hearing or seeing the blessings that surround us.
When we are thrown up and down by the little or big waves on the surface of our existence, we become easy victims of our manipulative world, but, when we choose to remember and hear the deep gentle voice that blesses us by spending time in prayer, meditation and reading God’s affirming Word, we can walk through life with a stable sense of well-being and true belonging.
2nd Corinthians 10:4-5 read, “For the weapons of our warfare are NOT physical weapons of flesh and blood, but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction or strongholds (which exist often in our minds and in our spirit) in as much as we must come against arguments and theories or ways of thinking that are in error, of every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the (true) knowledge of God…..and……we are to take captive every thought (that is wrong) through obedience to Christ, the anointed One.
Please do not compare yourself to others, but look at what good things we, you, have been given and be blessed. Please, for there is no neutral territory between the land of the blessed and the land of the cursed. You must CHOOSE WHERE IT IS THAT YOU WANT TO LIVE, AND THAT CHOICE is the one that at times you will make from moment to moment.
One of our calls is to allow ourselves to be blessed and to give blessings at every opportunity and in every way we can. We are daily given small and large ways to bless, that are life-giving and sustaining. There is so much fear, so much pain, and so much rejection, but Jesus in you and in me wants to show the world around us, just what it means to be a son or daughter of God through being blessed and by blessing.
Galatians 6
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not lose heart.
August 30, 2020
“BLESSED AND BELOVED”
SOLOMON 6:3 ~ “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine “
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
- The verse which is the foundation of this sermon as noted above, Solomon 6:3 says, “I am my beloved’s and he is mine, his banner over me is love.”
- His banner, or placard, sign, poster or notice that tells the world who I am to him….is Love.
I am my Beloved’s and he is mine (chorus of a song)
His banner over me is love
I am my Beloved’s and he is mine
His banner over me is love
This chorus became important to me in the 70’s when I rededicated my life to Christ, and to this day I on occasion sing it just to remind myself of (our) relationship.
After all that, and in the simplest of terms, Beloved is to ‘be-loved.’
Now save that and let us move on to the next word in the verse and sermon BLESSED.
BLESSED, BLESSING, BLESS AND BLESSES all are derived from the Latin word ‘benedicere.’ The word benediction that is used in many churches means: speaking (diction) well) bene) or saying ‘good things’ about, to and over someone. That should speak to all of us, especially when we are going through difficult time, for we all and I mean all, need to hear good things said of us.
We should be in the practice of affirming each other when we see and hear things that need to be affirmed. Also, something as simple as sincere compliment goes a long way in affirmation. In doing so we are passing on to them a blessing. Doing so is more than a word of praise or appreciation; it is more than pointing out someone’s talents or good deeds; it is more than putting someone in the light. To give a blessing is to affirm, to say yes to a man, woman’s or child’s be-lovedness,
To receive this these in our lives can bring with them a potential healing within us. Kind words can go an exceptionally long way in lifting a person out of the dark places we sometimes by choice and sometime by the words of actions of others put us.
In our Bible study on Friday, we were discussing these past six months, and how the overall attitude of the general public and perhaps even ourselves has changed. Early in the summer folks were hopeful and even a little upbeat that in a short amount of time (it seemed) all would return to the ‘old normal.’ As we have discovered, that is simply not the case. All the external events occurring has brought up an element of fear, tension, strife, and anger. Now, normal has been overturned and it is now the uncertainties that we live with every day that are at time overwhelming us, and we, live far away from where most of what is happening.
The time is now when we need to look for the good, and pass the good around, and bless each other by deliberately choosing to do so. I do not mean by this ignoring what we and our beloved nation are going through, but we must offset some of the negativity with sincere positivity. We are still loved by our Lord who will be with us through all that even now, not knowing what lies ahead. Where we can, we must work to be thoughtful listeners and a part of the solution, not the problem. Set aside our prejudices and listen as we have never listened before, think before we speak and when we speak, speak in a manner that is sincere and thoughtful.
Blessings, even small ones can turn a life around. Being loved and knowing we are loved, well, it does not get much better than that, does it?
Read this real-life story and be encouraged as I was.
A young man was to be welcomed into adulthood during his Bar-Mitzvah, in this synagogue. At 13, he was declared as an adult by his congregation. For the first time he was asked to participate in a leadership role in the service. He read from the Book of Genesis and gave a short sermon about the importance of caring for our environment. He was affirmed by his Rabbi and his friends, then blessed by his parents. His father saying to him: “son, whatever will happen to you in our life, whether you will have success or not, become important or not, will be healthy or not, always remember…….how much your mother and I love you.”
Those words to that young man brought tears to my eyes, and a yearning deep in my soul for something I had never received from my natural father during my own childhood; and that was loving affirmation, neither verbally or through his actions. I believe I longed for that, if even not knowing exactly what it meant. Mom, well, what can I say except that she was the best, often making up for what I did not get from dad. My own story does have a happy resolution and that being that at the age of 21, dad (in a rather intense encounter with me) did hug me and tell me he loved me. It means as much to me now as it did the moment, I heard those words, and I was and am blessed.
As a minister I have realized over the years how much we human beings are fearful, anxious insecure and decidedly human. . . and how much all of us are in need of a blessing, at least now and then.
There are over 80 times the word “blessed” is spoken in the New Testament, and that is not counting the words blessing or bless.
There is an excellent illustration of our Father blessing His Son, and it reads as such. Jesus was affirmed by His Father as He was being baptized by John in the Jordan River, when a voice was heard by all (some thinking it was thunder) spoke so they all could hear and then be recorded for us. This voice came from the sky saying: “You…are my ‘Be-loved Son’ and on You rests My favor.” This was a blessing that sustained Jesus through all the praise and attacks, admiration and condemnation that followed Him up to and through His being crucified. Jesus never lost the intimacy of that blessing, knowing that His Father affirmed Him as the ‘blessed One.
In our lives….one day we feel great, the next we feel miserable. One day we are full of new ideas, things to do and the next everything looks bleak and dull. One day we think we can take on the whole world, but the next, even a little request seems too much for us. These mood swings show that we are not hearing or seeing the blessings that surround us.
When we are thrown up and down by the little or big waves on the surface of our existence, we become easy victims of our manipulative world, but, when we choose to remember and hear the deep gentle voice that blesses us by spending time in prayer, meditation and reading God’s affirming Word, we can walk through life with a stable sense of well-being and true belonging.
2nd Corinthians 10:4-5 read, “For the weapons of our warfare are NOT physical weapons of flesh and blood, but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction or strongholds (which exist often in our minds and in our spirit) in as much as we must come against arguments and theories or ways of thinking that are in error, of every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the (true) knowledge of God…..and……we are to take captive every thought (that is wrong) through obedience to Christ, the anointed One.
Please do not compare yourself to others, but look at what good things we, you, have been given and be blessed. Please, for there is no neutral territory between the land of the blessed and the land of the cursed. You must CHOOSE WHERE IT IS THAT YOU WANT TO LIVE, AND THAT CHOICE is the one that at times you will make from moment to moment.
One of our calls is to allow ourselves to be blessed and to give blessings at every opportunity and in every way we can. We are daily given small and large ways to bless, that are life-giving and sustaining. There is so much fear, so much pain, and so much rejection, but Jesus in you and in me wants to show the world around us, just what it means to be a son or daughter of God through being blessed and by blessing.
Galatians 6
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not lose heart.
The Little Church in the Pines
August 22, 2020
SHAME ON SHAME
by PASTOR TOM SHANOR
1 Corinthians 1:27 And now, dear Children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back form Him in shame.
Shame…. I HATE IT! Unwarranted, undeserved, I put it in the same category as BULLYING! Jesus never once used the word, ever. He never attempted to shame anyone into believing in Him, never. Even when speaking harshly, directly and pointedly to the religious leaders who continuously attempting to debase Him, trick and control Him. Never. Does it have its place? Yes, when in association with a need for someone to understand and feel appropriate guilt about something they did, that definitely crossed into the wrong, usually associated with a pattern of behavior, that in some way was destructive, or broke the accepted norm of social order, but even there is at times shameful to shame person.
SHAME IS A DISCRETE, BASIC EMOTION, DESCRIBED AS A MORAL OR SOCIAL EMOTION THAT DRIVES PEOPLE TO HIDE OR DENY “ACTUAL” WRONG-DOING. The focus of shame is on the self or the individual; it is the only emotion that is dysfunctional for the individual and functional at a group level to achieve its collective goal. Shame can also be described as an unpleasant self-conscious emotion that involves the negative evaluation of self. This can be self-destructive. Shame can be a painful emotion that is seen as a “comparison of the self’s action with the self’s own standards” but may equally stem from comparison of the self’s state of being, with the ideal social standards, and where the individual is found to lacking. Some scales measure shame to assess emotional states of being, whereas other scales are used to assess emotional traits or dispositions. “TO SHAME” generally means to actively assign or communicate a disposition of shame to another person!
Behaviors, rules and standards are often designed to “uncover” or “expose” others for the purpose of placing shame on the other person, therefore, to deflect inadequacies that could be assigned by the accuser. Whereas, having shame means to maintain a sense of restraint against offending others (as in modesty, humility and deference). In contrast to having shame, is to have no shame which is behavior exhibited without restraint in order to purposely offend others, similar to other emotions exhibited in pride. This is when shame is used to bully. Some people who claim they have the gift of discernment, (one of the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit), often are nothing more than mean-spirited individuals who like pointing out what they perceive as the faults of others, often shaming them in the presence of others as well.
As a pastor/minister, I encounter all kinds of people on a regular basis. Many of these folks, often who love God and are followers of Jesus, have been the recipient of harmful narratives about themselves and about Jesus Himself. Because of the misguided perception by some that He, our Lord is the shame giver have harmed many individuals from small children to aged adults. Jesus does not shame…. Jesus points out our areas that need work, be they sin or simply misguided in our decision-making progress and behaviors. If sin….it is the Holy Spirit who will convict us, which will bring a measure of perhaps guilt, or simply recognition. At that point it is our choice as to whether to set that right, which is wrong, and in doing so the guilt is done away with and shame is avoided. It is prolonged and habitual sinning where shame can be used by both the Spirit and a person to bring recognition to the offending person, who needs confronted. Even here…it must be done in the right way, always with love and restoration in mind.
Whether we like it or not, our world, our church, our culture, organizations and with whom and how we were raised, all influenced how we imagine God, and often giving us false perceptions of Him.
One of the greatest “idols” of American Christianity, especially hyper- religious Christianity, has created and maintained the harmful tool of shame as a large part of its own narrative. For many who grew up in the church, the reason shame is often so thick is that they grew up with LISTS of so called spiritual ‘musts’ that defined an individual's worthiness or unworthiness, and if found to be unworthy under the weight of these ‘musts’ were often and are to this day, shamed into compliance. This is the very same thing that Jesus attempted time and time again to point out to the religious leaders of His day.
2 Corinthians 4-6
THE SPIRIT NOT THE LETTER
(4.) And we have such trust through Christ toward God. (5.) Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, (6.) who also made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life!
The Spirit is eye opening and uplifting, not destructive!
Many Christians spend their time feeling shameful about the so-called- ‘spiritual things’, they have failed to accomplish. This mentality produces an on-going shame causing them to feel unworthy. Just one more failure to carry around in the burdens that Jesus said He wanted to take from us.
For a religion that is to be the free giver of GRACE, (UNDESERVED FAVOR) we are all too often very lousy at doing so. Philip Yancy in his book on Amazing Grace states that is THE GREATEST GIFT we Christians are to give to all people, but we are so lousy in doing so. Remember that salvation, comes from Christ, not us, but grace is ours to give and to give abundantly!
Sometimes, I have to inject here, the shameful narrative is one passed down from one generation of congregations to the next, and so deeply rooted is it that no one gives it a second thought because that is the way is has been. Many of these folks speak of grace, but understand so little of what it actually means, and therefore do not know (because the leaders themselves don’t know or understand) how to give this amazing and beautiful love-filled gift given to us by our Lord, Savior and Friend Jesus.
Sadly, shame can be a powerful force that destroys goodness in the world sometimes propelled by people who believe they are proclaiming Hope and Healing. The New Testament claims through grace, over-and-over again, that Christ came to conquer fear and shame! This needs to be re-announced in the CHURCH as though it were a brand-new gift!
Our culture influences our picture of Jesus. Many Christians I know are shamed to be called “Christians.” Why? How about Social-Media. What do I mean? Social-Media continues to be a greater and greater source of multiple narratives in what is becoming a globalized world. However, the pace of stories and the struggle for humanizing discourse can leave us overwhelmed. We make judgments based on ‘clipped’ information, edited to often come across in ways that are untrue. Many of these stories have conjured up shame and exclusion as they bring light to parts of our Christian discourse, leaving a at time foul taste in our mind. Evangelical now means right-wing extremist as an example. But…. if we want to discover the real Jesus behind wrongful, clipped stories, we need to research, examine and discover if what we are being told is true or not. Behind doing so we, must care enough to want to know the truth!
We need to de-clutter our mind and spirit of what is true about Jesus and what is not. We need again, to care enough to spend time studying, praying and sorting. We need to care enough about people, that we stop shaming them, but instead love them, loving them into the Kingdom of our God and Savior. Remember that He is the judge, not us. We need to stop being so gullible and question all that we see and hear. There are many who desire and are attempting to influence our faith in ways that are in gross error. We need to constantly be on guard against the nay-sayers, looking to our Lord to guide us in the path of right-living or righteousness for His name’s sake. How we counter incorrect narratives is through the Spirit of Truth, in gentleness and in goodness, not in bad-mouthing and unrighteous anger. Most of all, we are to be examples or even mirror images of Jesus, and this can only be accomplished through knowledge and understanding of who He is and again, how we are to be like Him.
2 Timothy 2:15 AMPLIFIED BIBLE
Study and be eager, and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman (person) who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing (rightly handling and skillfully researching) the Word of Truth.
In the days, weeks, months and years that lie before us, let us strive to please our dear Friend and Lord/Savior, by being a people full of grace, mercy, justice and goodness, no matter who or what comes against us. We can only do this if we truly respect and love Him who gave us the world in Him, by Him and through Him. Smile and simply say Thank you Lord, to You be all glory, honor and praise. Let us build people up, and not tear them down. Let us exhibit grace instead of shame, offering this same to ourselves when we fail, and fail we often will.
Please have a wonderful rest of the day, being thankful.
O what a wonderful, wonderful day – a day I will never forget;
After I’d wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Savior I met, .
O what a tender compassionate friend –
He met the need of my heart; Shadows dispelling,
With joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart!
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul,
When at the cross the Savior made me whole;
My sins were washed away, and my night was turned to day
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!
Amen
P.S. there is a place for shame, but by God, under His instruction, know whom, where, when, why, and how it is providently and in love to be applied.
August 22, 2020
SHAME ON SHAME
by PASTOR TOM SHANOR
1 Corinthians 1:27 And now, dear Children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back form Him in shame.
Shame…. I HATE IT! Unwarranted, undeserved, I put it in the same category as BULLYING! Jesus never once used the word, ever. He never attempted to shame anyone into believing in Him, never. Even when speaking harshly, directly and pointedly to the religious leaders who continuously attempting to debase Him, trick and control Him. Never. Does it have its place? Yes, when in association with a need for someone to understand and feel appropriate guilt about something they did, that definitely crossed into the wrong, usually associated with a pattern of behavior, that in some way was destructive, or broke the accepted norm of social order, but even there is at times shameful to shame person.
SHAME IS A DISCRETE, BASIC EMOTION, DESCRIBED AS A MORAL OR SOCIAL EMOTION THAT DRIVES PEOPLE TO HIDE OR DENY “ACTUAL” WRONG-DOING. The focus of shame is on the self or the individual; it is the only emotion that is dysfunctional for the individual and functional at a group level to achieve its collective goal. Shame can also be described as an unpleasant self-conscious emotion that involves the negative evaluation of self. This can be self-destructive. Shame can be a painful emotion that is seen as a “comparison of the self’s action with the self’s own standards” but may equally stem from comparison of the self’s state of being, with the ideal social standards, and where the individual is found to lacking. Some scales measure shame to assess emotional states of being, whereas other scales are used to assess emotional traits or dispositions. “TO SHAME” generally means to actively assign or communicate a disposition of shame to another person!
Behaviors, rules and standards are often designed to “uncover” or “expose” others for the purpose of placing shame on the other person, therefore, to deflect inadequacies that could be assigned by the accuser. Whereas, having shame means to maintain a sense of restraint against offending others (as in modesty, humility and deference). In contrast to having shame, is to have no shame which is behavior exhibited without restraint in order to purposely offend others, similar to other emotions exhibited in pride. This is when shame is used to bully. Some people who claim they have the gift of discernment, (one of the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit), often are nothing more than mean-spirited individuals who like pointing out what they perceive as the faults of others, often shaming them in the presence of others as well.
As a pastor/minister, I encounter all kinds of people on a regular basis. Many of these folks, often who love God and are followers of Jesus, have been the recipient of harmful narratives about themselves and about Jesus Himself. Because of the misguided perception by some that He, our Lord is the shame giver have harmed many individuals from small children to aged adults. Jesus does not shame…. Jesus points out our areas that need work, be they sin or simply misguided in our decision-making progress and behaviors. If sin….it is the Holy Spirit who will convict us, which will bring a measure of perhaps guilt, or simply recognition. At that point it is our choice as to whether to set that right, which is wrong, and in doing so the guilt is done away with and shame is avoided. It is prolonged and habitual sinning where shame can be used by both the Spirit and a person to bring recognition to the offending person, who needs confronted. Even here…it must be done in the right way, always with love and restoration in mind.
Whether we like it or not, our world, our church, our culture, organizations and with whom and how we were raised, all influenced how we imagine God, and often giving us false perceptions of Him.
One of the greatest “idols” of American Christianity, especially hyper- religious Christianity, has created and maintained the harmful tool of shame as a large part of its own narrative. For many who grew up in the church, the reason shame is often so thick is that they grew up with LISTS of so called spiritual ‘musts’ that defined an individual's worthiness or unworthiness, and if found to be unworthy under the weight of these ‘musts’ were often and are to this day, shamed into compliance. This is the very same thing that Jesus attempted time and time again to point out to the religious leaders of His day.
2 Corinthians 4-6
THE SPIRIT NOT THE LETTER
(4.) And we have such trust through Christ toward God. (5.) Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, (6.) who also made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life!
The Spirit is eye opening and uplifting, not destructive!
Many Christians spend their time feeling shameful about the so-called- ‘spiritual things’, they have failed to accomplish. This mentality produces an on-going shame causing them to feel unworthy. Just one more failure to carry around in the burdens that Jesus said He wanted to take from us.
For a religion that is to be the free giver of GRACE, (UNDESERVED FAVOR) we are all too often very lousy at doing so. Philip Yancy in his book on Amazing Grace states that is THE GREATEST GIFT we Christians are to give to all people, but we are so lousy in doing so. Remember that salvation, comes from Christ, not us, but grace is ours to give and to give abundantly!
Sometimes, I have to inject here, the shameful narrative is one passed down from one generation of congregations to the next, and so deeply rooted is it that no one gives it a second thought because that is the way is has been. Many of these folks speak of grace, but understand so little of what it actually means, and therefore do not know (because the leaders themselves don’t know or understand) how to give this amazing and beautiful love-filled gift given to us by our Lord, Savior and Friend Jesus.
Sadly, shame can be a powerful force that destroys goodness in the world sometimes propelled by people who believe they are proclaiming Hope and Healing. The New Testament claims through grace, over-and-over again, that Christ came to conquer fear and shame! This needs to be re-announced in the CHURCH as though it were a brand-new gift!
Our culture influences our picture of Jesus. Many Christians I know are shamed to be called “Christians.” Why? How about Social-Media. What do I mean? Social-Media continues to be a greater and greater source of multiple narratives in what is becoming a globalized world. However, the pace of stories and the struggle for humanizing discourse can leave us overwhelmed. We make judgments based on ‘clipped’ information, edited to often come across in ways that are untrue. Many of these stories have conjured up shame and exclusion as they bring light to parts of our Christian discourse, leaving a at time foul taste in our mind. Evangelical now means right-wing extremist as an example. But…. if we want to discover the real Jesus behind wrongful, clipped stories, we need to research, examine and discover if what we are being told is true or not. Behind doing so we, must care enough to want to know the truth!
We need to de-clutter our mind and spirit of what is true about Jesus and what is not. We need again, to care enough to spend time studying, praying and sorting. We need to care enough about people, that we stop shaming them, but instead love them, loving them into the Kingdom of our God and Savior. Remember that He is the judge, not us. We need to stop being so gullible and question all that we see and hear. There are many who desire and are attempting to influence our faith in ways that are in gross error. We need to constantly be on guard against the nay-sayers, looking to our Lord to guide us in the path of right-living or righteousness for His name’s sake. How we counter incorrect narratives is through the Spirit of Truth, in gentleness and in goodness, not in bad-mouthing and unrighteous anger. Most of all, we are to be examples or even mirror images of Jesus, and this can only be accomplished through knowledge and understanding of who He is and again, how we are to be like Him.
2 Timothy 2:15 AMPLIFIED BIBLE
Study and be eager, and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman (person) who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing (rightly handling and skillfully researching) the Word of Truth.
In the days, weeks, months and years that lie before us, let us strive to please our dear Friend and Lord/Savior, by being a people full of grace, mercy, justice and goodness, no matter who or what comes against us. We can only do this if we truly respect and love Him who gave us the world in Him, by Him and through Him. Smile and simply say Thank you Lord, to You be all glory, honor and praise. Let us build people up, and not tear them down. Let us exhibit grace instead of shame, offering this same to ourselves when we fail, and fail we often will.
Please have a wonderful rest of the day, being thankful.
O what a wonderful, wonderful day – a day I will never forget;
After I’d wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Savior I met, .
O what a tender compassionate friend –
He met the need of my heart; Shadows dispelling,
With joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart!
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul,
When at the cross the Savior made me whole;
My sins were washed away, and my night was turned to day
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!
Amen
P.S. there is a place for shame, but by God, under His instruction, know whom, where, when, why, and how it is providently and in love to be applied.
The Little Church in the Pines
August 16. 2020
Requirements and Expectations
Micah 6:8
Pastor Tom Shanor
As we know by experience, life is full of requirements and expectations, it just is if, we are going to live together in community and harmony. There are realistic and applicable expectations, fundamental ones as well as unrealistic and absurd ones. When they come from God Himself though, we had better listen for our own good. His are never unrealistic, absurd, or irrelevant. They are always life-applicable and necessary for the well-being of we as individuals, and for humanity-as-a-whole.
MICAH 6:8 – “He has told you, O mankind, what is good and what the Lord ‘requires’ of you, and that is, to act with justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly….with your God.”
This verse encapsulates the heart of God, and with that my goal and our eventual destination in today’s message. Let us go over these again.
We will become more intimate with this verse and these words as we go along in today’s sermon, for they are foundational to our Christian journey in making us more like Jesus.
I am now going to do a bit of what I call, ‘a weaving’ of these words into a tapestry of a good life.
A requirement is in its essence a commandment.
Here are the meanings of each in their simplest definition.
“Commandments are important rules given by God, instructing us as to how to live our lives, and these rules or commandments tell us what is or what is not expected in our daily living, requiring of us the needed musts that He instructs us in His expectations of what will be the outcome or likely to happen. As we are faithful in keeping our promise, by doing what we are supposed to do, showing Him our love and true consistent loyalty for In doing so, the results will be beneficial and both helpful and good.
In Jesus’ teaching, there have been determined to be thirty-eight actual commandments. These commandments in their totality offer to us ‘the way of life’ that if followed, will bless and enrich us that no other way offered to us can give.
My question at this point is, is this easy, and my answer is no, but it is also not impossible. This friend is the crux on which all of these and their success or failure depends. Do we want to please God or ourselves? Do we want to have full and rich lives or not? What must come about first is the desire to love and worship Him, or ourselves. When the desire of focus is settled, that is the first step toward pleasing God. These can be woven into the very fabric of our lives if we but desire them to be there, for God will enable us to become master weavers of our own lives.
Jesus said, “IF…you indeed love Me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15
These teaching will clearly tell us if we follow a form of religion or are indeed true followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.
We can be like Old Faithful in Yellowstone, or like all the rest of the geysers., for it is not the largest in the Park, but certainly the most predictable or reliable.
As Christians, if we adhere to the commandments of Jesus, desiring to follow them, we too can be relied upon to be faithful and true because of the requirement and expectation that are being fulfilled. These flowing from Him through us, as we interact with one another, with strangers and family members changes for the better not only our lives and world, but all those whom we touch every day. Faithful is a key.
As we learn by studying His Commandments, or requirements, it will also become very clear to us that God, being the God of expectations is also the God of grace, justice, mercy and humility, as exampled in Jesus, when He washed the feet of His disciples.
Of the acknowledged thirty-eight commandments, there is one that in the past several decades become quite unpopular to speak of, and we find that one in John 3:7 – “You must be born again” (one of those requirements.) The benefits we are told is when doing so, we receive eternal life, but not only eternal life but eternal life with God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit in a place called heaven. This is as opposed to the alternative, for it seems everyone born has an eternal life…..the difference being, where one spends it.
Do you remember the man’s reaching to Jesus when He stated this to him? John 3:4, Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born again when he is old? Can he enter back into his mother’s womb and be re-born. Well, that was rational question.
In John 3:5, Jesus replies, “Most assuredly, I say to you unless one is born of water (baptism) and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Lets. put it all together here….and this is called the “Message of the Kingdom.”
Upon repentance, (asking for the forgiveness of a person’s sins) then accepting what the Bible says about who Jesus the Christ is…(the begotten Son of God) and then turning to God in a new faith or belief in Him, for salvation. Acts 3:19. Turning from sin is NOT the definition of repentance, but it is one of the results of genuine faith-based belief.
I will try to sum it up as best I can. “Upon repentance, a new order of life opens up to the now believer in Jesus Christ. Jesus used the term “new birth” to dramatically indicate three things.
From that moment on, it is also a time to recognize that indeed God will require of you, me, and all of us that call upon God, that we begin to live out Micah 6:8, and that our new attitude and outlook, is focused on becoming like Jesus, who lived out and continues to live out humility, justice and mercy.
We are also told this beautiful revelation in Romans 8:1, “There is NOW no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus!” Nada, never, no way! God now sees us solely through the eyes of His Son. Justified and whole.
Is your place a small place?
Tend it with care!
For, He set you there.
Is our place a large place?
Guard it with care!
For He set you there.
Whatever your place,
It is not alone,
But His
Who set you there.
Tend it with care…………
Wherever we are now, is where we are supposed to be. It is here and now that God called us to be His followers, doing His will, learning His ways so that His Son is given the freedom by us, to work through us in assisting and loving others into the Kingdom of God.
A Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ…help us to learn from You, opening up our minds and spirit to your Holy Spirit…who teaches us in all things….also helping us to remember Micah 6:8. “He has told you, O mankind, what is good and what the Lord ‘requires’ of you, and that is to act with justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly…..with your God.
Amen
August 16. 2020
Requirements and Expectations
Micah 6:8
Pastor Tom Shanor
As we know by experience, life is full of requirements and expectations, it just is if, we are going to live together in community and harmony. There are realistic and applicable expectations, fundamental ones as well as unrealistic and absurd ones. When they come from God Himself though, we had better listen for our own good. His are never unrealistic, absurd, or irrelevant. They are always life-applicable and necessary for the well-being of we as individuals, and for humanity-as-a-whole.
MICAH 6:8 – “He has told you, O mankind, what is good and what the Lord ‘requires’ of you, and that is, to act with justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly….with your God.”
This verse encapsulates the heart of God, and with that my goal and our eventual destination in today’s message. Let us go over these again.
- We have been told!
- What is good in the sight of God
- What our requirements are that need to be fulfilled in being accepted by Him
- Justice
- Mercy
- Humility
We will become more intimate with this verse and these words as we go along in today’s sermon, for they are foundational to our Christian journey in making us more like Jesus.
I am now going to do a bit of what I call, ‘a weaving’ of these words into a tapestry of a good life.
A requirement is in its essence a commandment.
Here are the meanings of each in their simplest definition.
- Commandment, an important ‘rule’ given by God that tells us how to behave.
- Rule, a statement that tell us what is or is not permitted in-a-given situation as Believers.
- Requirement, something that is must be done.
- Expectation, a belief that something will happen or is likely to happen if stated clearly what is expected.
- Faithful; keeping our promises and doing what we are supposed to do, showing true and constant loyalty to God.
- Benefits, a good or helpful result or effect.
“Commandments are important rules given by God, instructing us as to how to live our lives, and these rules or commandments tell us what is or what is not expected in our daily living, requiring of us the needed musts that He instructs us in His expectations of what will be the outcome or likely to happen. As we are faithful in keeping our promise, by doing what we are supposed to do, showing Him our love and true consistent loyalty for In doing so, the results will be beneficial and both helpful and good.
In Jesus’ teaching, there have been determined to be thirty-eight actual commandments. These commandments in their totality offer to us ‘the way of life’ that if followed, will bless and enrich us that no other way offered to us can give.
My question at this point is, is this easy, and my answer is no, but it is also not impossible. This friend is the crux on which all of these and their success or failure depends. Do we want to please God or ourselves? Do we want to have full and rich lives or not? What must come about first is the desire to love and worship Him, or ourselves. When the desire of focus is settled, that is the first step toward pleasing God. These can be woven into the very fabric of our lives if we but desire them to be there, for God will enable us to become master weavers of our own lives.
Jesus said, “IF…you indeed love Me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15
These teaching will clearly tell us if we follow a form of religion or are indeed true followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.
We can be like Old Faithful in Yellowstone, or like all the rest of the geysers., for it is not the largest in the Park, but certainly the most predictable or reliable.
As Christians, if we adhere to the commandments of Jesus, desiring to follow them, we too can be relied upon to be faithful and true because of the requirement and expectation that are being fulfilled. These flowing from Him through us, as we interact with one another, with strangers and family members changes for the better not only our lives and world, but all those whom we touch every day. Faithful is a key.
As we learn by studying His Commandments, or requirements, it will also become very clear to us that God, being the God of expectations is also the God of grace, justice, mercy and humility, as exampled in Jesus, when He washed the feet of His disciples.
Of the acknowledged thirty-eight commandments, there is one that in the past several decades become quite unpopular to speak of, and we find that one in John 3:7 – “You must be born again” (one of those requirements.) The benefits we are told is when doing so, we receive eternal life, but not only eternal life but eternal life with God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit in a place called heaven. This is as opposed to the alternative, for it seems everyone born has an eternal life…..the difference being, where one spends it.
Do you remember the man’s reaching to Jesus when He stated this to him? John 3:4, Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born again when he is old? Can he enter back into his mother’s womb and be re-born. Well, that was rational question.
In John 3:5, Jesus replies, “Most assuredly, I say to you unless one is born of water (baptism) and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Lets. put it all together here….and this is called the “Message of the Kingdom.”
Upon repentance, (asking for the forgiveness of a person’s sins) then accepting what the Bible says about who Jesus the Christ is…(the begotten Son of God) and then turning to God in a new faith or belief in Him, for salvation. Acts 3:19. Turning from sin is NOT the definition of repentance, but it is one of the results of genuine faith-based belief.
I will try to sum it up as best I can. “Upon repentance, a new order of life opens up to the now believer in Jesus Christ. Jesus used the term “new birth” to dramatically indicate three things.
- Without a new birth there is no life and no relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
- In a New Birth, a new perspective is born, as we now begin to see with new eyes and hear with new ears the Kingdom of God. God’s Word becomes alive and clear, as the Holy Spirit brings us fresh revelations of truths.
- Through this new birth we are introduced literally by entering into a new realm of growing faith, where God’s place is being realized (2nd Corinthians 5:17) It is now a re-qualifying experience, opening up the possibilities of our being, to a new supernatural dimension of life, and outfitting us for our new and vital spiritual journey.
From that moment on, it is also a time to recognize that indeed God will require of you, me, and all of us that call upon God, that we begin to live out Micah 6:8, and that our new attitude and outlook, is focused on becoming like Jesus, who lived out and continues to live out humility, justice and mercy.
We are also told this beautiful revelation in Romans 8:1, “There is NOW no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus!” Nada, never, no way! God now sees us solely through the eyes of His Son. Justified and whole.
Is your place a small place?
Tend it with care!
For, He set you there.
Is our place a large place?
Guard it with care!
For He set you there.
Whatever your place,
It is not alone,
But His
Who set you there.
Tend it with care…………
Wherever we are now, is where we are supposed to be. It is here and now that God called us to be His followers, doing His will, learning His ways so that His Son is given the freedom by us, to work through us in assisting and loving others into the Kingdom of God.
A Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ…help us to learn from You, opening up our minds and spirit to your Holy Spirit…who teaches us in all things….also helping us to remember Micah 6:8. “He has told you, O mankind, what is good and what the Lord ‘requires’ of you, and that is to act with justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly…..with your God.
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
July 26, 2020
“KNOWLEDGE~ WISDOM~APPLICATION
“An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
Proverbs 18:15
Pastor Tom Shanor
Are you curious? Do you love learning new things, new facts? Does learning something new give you a rush of satisfaction? Do words, ordinary words sometimes kind of explode in your head with a sense of their meaning? Does your curiosity then drive you to know more fully what the word completely mean, clear to its root?
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 2:6 “Tor the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come both knowledge and understanding.”
Proverbs 18:15a “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let them as God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to them.”
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
I do not really know why the word popped into my mind this last week, but I could not shake it. I thought about it in relation to the Universe, in relation to God, in relation to my everyday life and how its impact on myself and all of us, exists without us being even aware of it for the most part.
The word is ABSOLUTES.
a. in Philosophy it is understood as a principle which is regarded universally factual or true.
b. it is also something that exists (tangible or unseen) without being dependent on anything else. It exists…period!
c. the ultimate reality & example is; God
Moral absolutism has sound biblical elements in it as given by God, but it is also through what has been given, been narrowed down by we humans, which never really work including compromise, which is brought about by us to attempt to state as right that which in Moral Absolutism, wrong.
You have heard… “the moral of the story” is, meaning there is or was some lesson core to the story to be understood. All else in the story, people, animals, events, etc., all revolve around a singular moral. In the Word of God, the moral is God…manifested in multiple ways, people, event, etc.….and when I say God, I am referring to the full Godhead. Father Son, and Holy Spirit, or the Triune God. Everything that exists, everything circles God. An example is the Sun in our own Solar System. All the planets revolved around the Sun.
Morality is a derivative of moral, and the word morally. At the center of this absolute there are principles concerning the distinguishing between right and wrong, or good and evil behaviorally, reactions and or consequences. Good behavior results in order, structure, and good benefits. Evil or bad behavior results in chaos, destruction, and pain. There is universal morality…absolutes that exist, given by God for the full benefit humankind, and this principle is an eternal absolute, forever unchanged and which without humankind is doomed.
There are determined by scientists, philosophers, religious leaders, seven Universal Laws or Principles by which everything in the Universe is governed. The Universe exists in perfect harmony, even though by observation may seem chaotic and random by virtue of these Laws. Ancient, mystical, esoteric, biblical and even secret teachings, dating back over 5,000 years, from Ancient Egypt to Ancient Greece and even to the Vedic tradition.... all have as their common threads, these seven Spiritual Laws of the Universe.
There are the Immutable and the Mutable: Of the seven Universal Laws, the first three are immutable, which means “unchanging over time or even unable to be changed.” (THEY are ABSOLUTES) as they have always existed and will always exist, including the MORAL Laws of God.
The Mutable Laws mean they can be transcended or improved upon to create an ideal or personal reality. (Free Will) The aim in these four is to make improvements. Something God is always attempting to do with us! Grin! It is His full-time job!
I HOPE THIS IS INTERESTING....
The three IMMUTABLE LAWS, or ABSOLUTES are these.
1. The Law of Mentalism....all began in the mind of God, and because of that we ALL collectively exist in the mind of God. We are One in the Spirit and we are One in the Lord. Everything we experience and see in our physical world has its origin in the invisible, mental/spiritual realm of God.
2. The Law of COMMUNICATION which says, “As it is above, so below, as below, so above.” This means that there is HARMONY, AGREEMENT AND COMMUNICATION” between the physical, mental and spiritual realms. There is no real separation, since everything in the Universe, including you, originated form the ONE Source. The same pattern exists throughout the Universe from the smallest electron to the largest star. All is ONE in different manifestations.
ARE YOU WITH ME.......?
3. The third immutable law is called the Law of Vibration: This law is perpetual motion, nothing rests, everything moves, everything (even when dead) is changing. It is either evolving or devolving. Science has confirmed that everything in the Universe including us is pure energy. I like that! And that we are all VIBRATING...IS AWESOME! I think it would be great if we all vibrated in unity and Harmony!
This Law is in harmony with the other two Laws....including the mental realm, where even our thoughts are vibrations. All our emotions are vibrations including “hate” which is the densest and most base, where “love” is the highest and most desirable, especially in the Law of COMMUNICATION. God through Christ proved to us the depth of His LOVE, and if we as Christians would fully believe in, adhere to, and manifest in our lives this VIBRATION OF LOVE, we could change the world....forever.
The other four laws which I will not be delving into are the Laws of:
4. The Law of Polarity
5. The Law of Rhythm
6. The Law of Cause and Effect
7. The Law of Gender
Lets look at our feelings which fall under the Law of Vibration and how much we express ourselves through our feelings. Remember the lowest and most base feeling is HATE, where the highest and most elevating feeling or vibration is LOVE.
We desire and seek harmony and unity, because brings peace, and peace brings us health, brings us happiness, brings us unity. We sleep better, we speak better, we live better, in peace. This is the ABSOLUTE PEACE that God who vibrates with love speaks of through Jesus, as Paul as His spokesman says in Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which is beyond all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds at peace through Jesus Christ.” All day, every day.
Math in both its simplicity and complexity is diffused with, or within itself contains all three of the immutable Laws of THE ABSOLUTE. Mentalism, Communication and Vibration. It is a science invented by man, given by God out of necessity.
Within the realm of math there are those who use it to help understand the Absolutes of the Universe. Numbers are almost magical in their ability to bring understanding and recognition to the existence of life, and in this case, the case of one Kurt Godel (1906-1978) Mr. Godel looked for the ‘ontological’ or the study of existence, within the realm of the Universe. It was his study in using math to determine for himself, the existence or non-existence of God.
Now remember that these men and women are well into the genius range of intellect who take on these things. The argument follows that “God, by definition, is that for which no greater being can be conceived. God exists in the understanding, mental, ABSOLUTE LAWS. If God exists, Godel said in the understanding, we could imagine Him to be greater by existing-in-reality. Therefore, God exists he says because we perceive Him.
As most brilliant people are a bit on the “different side” both behaviorally and inwardly, Godel proved to be no exception, but his research and desire to prove or disprove God’s existence, was sincere for both personal and non-personal reasons. He never became part of a congregation, but after his death his wife Adele said, that though he did not go to church he was religious and read the Bible in bed every Sunday morning. In an un-mailed answer to a questionnaire, Godel described his religion as “baptized Lutheran (but not a member of any religious congregation). My belief he said, is theistic, not pantheistic.” One God, Supreme.
In his extended and deep study, again, using math, he concluded that by a percentage of 67% out of 100%, God exists. To Him that was enough mathematical proof that he sought for and needed in his own personal life.
Einstein, though not a Believer in Jehovah God, the Biblical God, believed that behind Creation there had to be what is called “intelligent design”. An architect, because of the perfection in execution, and harmony because of the ABSOLUTES that exists in the Universe.
My desire in all of this today is for us, all of us to see, hear and understand at least to some small degree, the mystery and majesty of life....and of the Universe which God has bequeathed us to live in, take care of and then acknowledge Him, in turn give Him the worship due His name. All too often our vision is self-limited by our lack of knowledge, or even desire to acquire knowledge, taking for granted that which we have been given by God. We should repent of our lackadaisical attitude and laziness. There is so much to know and understand.
PROVERBS 5:14 “The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly”.
PROVERBS 1:29 “They hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD.”
PROVERBS 18:15 “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.”
Other scientists and mathematicians have worked on coming up with the percentage of the existence of the planet we live on. A new study estimates there are 700-Quintillion planets in the Universe and that we may be a 1-in-700-Quintillion kind of place. A 7 followed by 20 zeros – with the aid of a computer model that simulated the Universe’s Evolution following the Big Bang. Current estimates hold that there are some 100 billion galaxies containing about a billion trillion stars. That, my friends, is rather humbling and mint-boggling, and it should help us wear a blanket of humility and thankfulness.
A quintillion is a million-trillion or a billion billion. Just a little trivia here. There are estimated to be about 10 quintillion insects on earth! An unsettling thought to say the least
Further, one of the scientists, Zackrisson’s research indicates that, from a purely statistical standpoint, Earth should not even exist. How about that! But it does! We do!
To me, this knowledge, as little as it is, helps me more clearly see my place on earth, perhaps seeming like nothing but a mite in stature, but a mite placed here by God Himself. That makes my existence and yours of vital importance in the Grand Design. God wanted me here, wanted you here, and here am I and so are you. Together we are called by God to be His people, and being His people, we are to be examples to other people representing who He is. And who is He?
. ELOHIM. My Creator
. JEHOVAH. My Lord God
. EL SHADDAI. My Supplier
. ADONAI. MY Master
. JEHOVAH JIREH. My Provider
. JEHOVAH ROPHE. My Healer
. JEHOVAH NISSI. My Banner
. JEHOVAH MAKADESH. My Sanctifier
. ANCIENT OF DAYS. Eternal
. My favorite....FATHER “But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, or Israel acknowledge us; You, Lord are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is Your name” Isaiah 63:16
THE ABSOLUTENSS OF GOD IS OUR EXISTENCE, AS ALL 7 ABSOLUTE LAWS COME FROM GOD WHO ESTABLISHED THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH, AND THE VASTNESS OF THE UNIVERSE, AND ALL THAT IT CONTAINS.
Great is the Lord and Greatly to be praised
In City of our God
In the mountain of His holiness
Beautiful for situations, the joy of the whole earth,
In Mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
The city of the Great King
AMEN AND SELAH....SO BE IT~
July 26, 2020
“KNOWLEDGE~ WISDOM~APPLICATION
“An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
Proverbs 18:15
Pastor Tom Shanor
Are you curious? Do you love learning new things, new facts? Does learning something new give you a rush of satisfaction? Do words, ordinary words sometimes kind of explode in your head with a sense of their meaning? Does your curiosity then drive you to know more fully what the word completely mean, clear to its root?
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 2:6 “Tor the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come both knowledge and understanding.”
Proverbs 18:15a “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let them as God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to them.”
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
I do not really know why the word popped into my mind this last week, but I could not shake it. I thought about it in relation to the Universe, in relation to God, in relation to my everyday life and how its impact on myself and all of us, exists without us being even aware of it for the most part.
The word is ABSOLUTES.
a. in Philosophy it is understood as a principle which is regarded universally factual or true.
b. it is also something that exists (tangible or unseen) without being dependent on anything else. It exists…period!
c. the ultimate reality & example is; God
Moral absolutism has sound biblical elements in it as given by God, but it is also through what has been given, been narrowed down by we humans, which never really work including compromise, which is brought about by us to attempt to state as right that which in Moral Absolutism, wrong.
You have heard… “the moral of the story” is, meaning there is or was some lesson core to the story to be understood. All else in the story, people, animals, events, etc., all revolve around a singular moral. In the Word of God, the moral is God…manifested in multiple ways, people, event, etc.….and when I say God, I am referring to the full Godhead. Father Son, and Holy Spirit, or the Triune God. Everything that exists, everything circles God. An example is the Sun in our own Solar System. All the planets revolved around the Sun.
Morality is a derivative of moral, and the word morally. At the center of this absolute there are principles concerning the distinguishing between right and wrong, or good and evil behaviorally, reactions and or consequences. Good behavior results in order, structure, and good benefits. Evil or bad behavior results in chaos, destruction, and pain. There is universal morality…absolutes that exist, given by God for the full benefit humankind, and this principle is an eternal absolute, forever unchanged and which without humankind is doomed.
There are determined by scientists, philosophers, religious leaders, seven Universal Laws or Principles by which everything in the Universe is governed. The Universe exists in perfect harmony, even though by observation may seem chaotic and random by virtue of these Laws. Ancient, mystical, esoteric, biblical and even secret teachings, dating back over 5,000 years, from Ancient Egypt to Ancient Greece and even to the Vedic tradition.... all have as their common threads, these seven Spiritual Laws of the Universe.
There are the Immutable and the Mutable: Of the seven Universal Laws, the first three are immutable, which means “unchanging over time or even unable to be changed.” (THEY are ABSOLUTES) as they have always existed and will always exist, including the MORAL Laws of God.
The Mutable Laws mean they can be transcended or improved upon to create an ideal or personal reality. (Free Will) The aim in these four is to make improvements. Something God is always attempting to do with us! Grin! It is His full-time job!
I HOPE THIS IS INTERESTING....
The three IMMUTABLE LAWS, or ABSOLUTES are these.
1. The Law of Mentalism....all began in the mind of God, and because of that we ALL collectively exist in the mind of God. We are One in the Spirit and we are One in the Lord. Everything we experience and see in our physical world has its origin in the invisible, mental/spiritual realm of God.
2. The Law of COMMUNICATION which says, “As it is above, so below, as below, so above.” This means that there is HARMONY, AGREEMENT AND COMMUNICATION” between the physical, mental and spiritual realms. There is no real separation, since everything in the Universe, including you, originated form the ONE Source. The same pattern exists throughout the Universe from the smallest electron to the largest star. All is ONE in different manifestations.
ARE YOU WITH ME.......?
3. The third immutable law is called the Law of Vibration: This law is perpetual motion, nothing rests, everything moves, everything (even when dead) is changing. It is either evolving or devolving. Science has confirmed that everything in the Universe including us is pure energy. I like that! And that we are all VIBRATING...IS AWESOME! I think it would be great if we all vibrated in unity and Harmony!
This Law is in harmony with the other two Laws....including the mental realm, where even our thoughts are vibrations. All our emotions are vibrations including “hate” which is the densest and most base, where “love” is the highest and most desirable, especially in the Law of COMMUNICATION. God through Christ proved to us the depth of His LOVE, and if we as Christians would fully believe in, adhere to, and manifest in our lives this VIBRATION OF LOVE, we could change the world....forever.
The other four laws which I will not be delving into are the Laws of:
4. The Law of Polarity
5. The Law of Rhythm
6. The Law of Cause and Effect
7. The Law of Gender
Lets look at our feelings which fall under the Law of Vibration and how much we express ourselves through our feelings. Remember the lowest and most base feeling is HATE, where the highest and most elevating feeling or vibration is LOVE.
We desire and seek harmony and unity, because brings peace, and peace brings us health, brings us happiness, brings us unity. We sleep better, we speak better, we live better, in peace. This is the ABSOLUTE PEACE that God who vibrates with love speaks of through Jesus, as Paul as His spokesman says in Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which is beyond all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds at peace through Jesus Christ.” All day, every day.
Math in both its simplicity and complexity is diffused with, or within itself contains all three of the immutable Laws of THE ABSOLUTE. Mentalism, Communication and Vibration. It is a science invented by man, given by God out of necessity.
Within the realm of math there are those who use it to help understand the Absolutes of the Universe. Numbers are almost magical in their ability to bring understanding and recognition to the existence of life, and in this case, the case of one Kurt Godel (1906-1978) Mr. Godel looked for the ‘ontological’ or the study of existence, within the realm of the Universe. It was his study in using math to determine for himself, the existence or non-existence of God.
Now remember that these men and women are well into the genius range of intellect who take on these things. The argument follows that “God, by definition, is that for which no greater being can be conceived. God exists in the understanding, mental, ABSOLUTE LAWS. If God exists, Godel said in the understanding, we could imagine Him to be greater by existing-in-reality. Therefore, God exists he says because we perceive Him.
As most brilliant people are a bit on the “different side” both behaviorally and inwardly, Godel proved to be no exception, but his research and desire to prove or disprove God’s existence, was sincere for both personal and non-personal reasons. He never became part of a congregation, but after his death his wife Adele said, that though he did not go to church he was religious and read the Bible in bed every Sunday morning. In an un-mailed answer to a questionnaire, Godel described his religion as “baptized Lutheran (but not a member of any religious congregation). My belief he said, is theistic, not pantheistic.” One God, Supreme.
In his extended and deep study, again, using math, he concluded that by a percentage of 67% out of 100%, God exists. To Him that was enough mathematical proof that he sought for and needed in his own personal life.
Einstein, though not a Believer in Jehovah God, the Biblical God, believed that behind Creation there had to be what is called “intelligent design”. An architect, because of the perfection in execution, and harmony because of the ABSOLUTES that exists in the Universe.
My desire in all of this today is for us, all of us to see, hear and understand at least to some small degree, the mystery and majesty of life....and of the Universe which God has bequeathed us to live in, take care of and then acknowledge Him, in turn give Him the worship due His name. All too often our vision is self-limited by our lack of knowledge, or even desire to acquire knowledge, taking for granted that which we have been given by God. We should repent of our lackadaisical attitude and laziness. There is so much to know and understand.
PROVERBS 5:14 “The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly”.
PROVERBS 1:29 “They hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD.”
PROVERBS 18:15 “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.”
Other scientists and mathematicians have worked on coming up with the percentage of the existence of the planet we live on. A new study estimates there are 700-Quintillion planets in the Universe and that we may be a 1-in-700-Quintillion kind of place. A 7 followed by 20 zeros – with the aid of a computer model that simulated the Universe’s Evolution following the Big Bang. Current estimates hold that there are some 100 billion galaxies containing about a billion trillion stars. That, my friends, is rather humbling and mint-boggling, and it should help us wear a blanket of humility and thankfulness.
A quintillion is a million-trillion or a billion billion. Just a little trivia here. There are estimated to be about 10 quintillion insects on earth! An unsettling thought to say the least
Further, one of the scientists, Zackrisson’s research indicates that, from a purely statistical standpoint, Earth should not even exist. How about that! But it does! We do!
To me, this knowledge, as little as it is, helps me more clearly see my place on earth, perhaps seeming like nothing but a mite in stature, but a mite placed here by God Himself. That makes my existence and yours of vital importance in the Grand Design. God wanted me here, wanted you here, and here am I and so are you. Together we are called by God to be His people, and being His people, we are to be examples to other people representing who He is. And who is He?
. ELOHIM. My Creator
. JEHOVAH. My Lord God
. EL SHADDAI. My Supplier
. ADONAI. MY Master
. JEHOVAH JIREH. My Provider
. JEHOVAH ROPHE. My Healer
. JEHOVAH NISSI. My Banner
. JEHOVAH MAKADESH. My Sanctifier
. ANCIENT OF DAYS. Eternal
. My favorite....FATHER “But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, or Israel acknowledge us; You, Lord are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is Your name” Isaiah 63:16
THE ABSOLUTENSS OF GOD IS OUR EXISTENCE, AS ALL 7 ABSOLUTE LAWS COME FROM GOD WHO ESTABLISHED THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH, AND THE VASTNESS OF THE UNIVERSE, AND ALL THAT IT CONTAINS.
Great is the Lord and Greatly to be praised
In City of our God
In the mountain of His holiness
Beautiful for situations, the joy of the whole earth,
In Mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
The city of the Great King
AMEN AND SELAH....SO BE IT~
The Little Church in the Pines
July 19, 2020
“Whatsoever THINGS ARE !
Philippians 4:8 NSFLB
Pastor Tom Shanor
In the first seven verses of this chapter, Paul is praising the Philippian Church, while at the same time telling them to keep their focus as he states in verse 8, starting out with; “Finally, brethren, whatever things are TRUE, whatever things are NOBLE, whatever things are JUST, whatever things are PURE, whatever things are LOVELY, whatever things are of GOOD REPORT, if there is any VIRTUE and if there is anything PRAISEWORTHY….meditate on these things.”
You see, character and conduct begin in the mind. Our actions are affected by the things we dwell on in our thoughts. Paul cautions the Philippians and therefore also us to concentrate on things that will result in right thinking, hence right living, therefore obtaining in the process stability in thought, heart and emotion, no matter the circumstances that surround us…..a full measure of PEACE. The PEACE that passes all understanding. In the hurricane of events that we all currently live in, if we do this we can live in the eye of the storm, where sunshine, peace and calm exist, while the storm rages around us.
The first thing is believing this is possible, but there too we are to remember that “I can do all things through Christ who enables me.” The first step to that is also belief. Faith is under-girded by believing. Do YOU believe this, or does the circumstances we find ourselves in rule our heart, mind, spirit and emotions? Where are you in these areas of your life?
Also, in Philippians 4:6 we read this, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. In other words,. also pray, leading into prayer for your request with thanks for what you already have, and what you have is HIM. How strong is YOUR faith? I am not asking you to let reason and caution behind therefore testing God but combine what you know you need to do with the faith you have in Christ through God. By using your brain and your faith together, you truly can do all things in Christ who both strengthens and enables you. Sometimes we need an enabler!
In the Old Testament we find in Proverbs 3 these words that God encourages us with in our quest of living life as He instructs us, by saying,
My children never forget the things I have taught you.
Store my command in your heart.
If…you do this, you will live a long life,
And your life will be satisfying.
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you.
Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
Write them deep in your heart.
Then…you will find favor with God and with people,
And you will earn a good reputation.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
Do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek His will in all you do,
And He will show you which direction to go in.
My children do not lose sight of common sense and discernment.
Hang on to them, for they will refresh your soul.
They are like jewels on a necklace.
They will keep you safe on your journey of life, and your feet will not stumble.
Do not withhold “good” from those who deserve it,
When it is in your power to help them.
These words tie in beautifully with what Paul was instructing both the Philippians and us. What I just read is not a complete reading of Proverbs 3, so I would recommend that you take some time to read Philippians and these verses…. or as Paul says here to meditate on them.
To meditate is a practice where an individual uses a technique…such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable conclusion….which then can be applied to your life.
Summing it all up, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your heart and minds with the deep and wonderful life applications of thought, reason, diligence and behavior that Jesus, Paul and all the teachers that God Himself has given us in learning how to live our lives, our brief lives well.
…..Jesus courageously and faithfully both represented and taught us a deeper and fuller revelation of God, which is also of course an aspect of Himself that we come across from time to time when reading the Old Testament, because He is deeply in the Old Testament.
…..We find in the Old there is much violence representing the culture of tribalism in the time the words were written, but even then, there we those seeking and hungering for peace. The players are good and evil, just as in today, with little difference in thought and attitude, sometimes even within the ranks of Believers and followers of Christ. God often takes the rejected and turns them into heroes, and He takes the proud and turns them into the rejected. Through this circuitous route int eh history of His people, He tells them time and time again, I love you, I want the best for you, desiring simply that you love Me in return by following my commands and teachings through my Son.
…..Attitude is foundational and critical to being a follower of Jesus. Attitude is a relational state of mind critical to how we observe and react to whatever life throws at us. Our attitude can change, simply by choosing to change our focus from the negative to the positive by what we read, and what we choose to do. Our intellect, our emotions, our relationships all reflect our faith and its depth or shallowness. Where is yours?
…..Jesus in the New Testament shows us a NEW WAY, THE WAY of choices that we are to make, as He made. “THE WAY” THAT REPRESENTS THE NONVIOLENT AND LOVING HEART OF God. A radical way then….and an equally radical way today, especially as we see the result of VIOLENCE in our own culture, and what it has not and will not achieve for good. Protesting is a constitutional right given by our Founders…. but violence is to be abhorred and stopped. Protesting with ideas for needed change should be welcome when recognized that indeed changes are needed…and they are.
…..In Christ whom we are to emulate, we see and image of God who is not armed with lightning bolts but with a basin and towel. (think about that) the Son of God being the Servant of God…actually on His knees washing the dirty feel to His disciples as an example of who they, we are to be also.
…..He, who spews not threats but THE GOOD NEWS for all. He who rode not on a war horse but on a donkey, weeping in compassion for people who would choose not to accept His message of love, but instead violence, ultimately being crucified, the bearer of reconciliation, grace, forgiveness and ultimate love. He did not demote (as some thought) God to a lower, weaker status, but to a status of supremacy. A revelation of God as pure light; with no shadow of violence, conquest, exclusion, hostility or hate. The early Christians understood this and lived it, exampling to us, who we too are to be. It is not an easy path, in fact it is the most difficult path to follow for we too, if we succeed in doing so can also bring on ourselves the wrath of others who will not get it, just as those who did not in Jesus day.
…..ATTITUDE AND FOCUS again….on….”WHATSOVER THINGS ARE”….as I stated earlier was then, and still is today, THE RADICAL WAY OF LIVING, and to choose this way to live is the greatest and most profound and difficult way to show the Lord Jesus Christ that indeed we love Him.
Lord, I want to be more like You, like You.
I want to be a vessel You work through,
I, I,.. . . want to be more like you.
Not so simple is it, but if we want something deep enough, we can achieve it.
Do we?
Pope Francis said, “this moment in time calls for spiritual and social poets;: sincere and creative people who will rise on the wings of their faith to catch the Wind of the Spirit , the wind of JUSTICE, JOY and PEACE. The season is changing, and it is time for US to rise.”
…. All of us should desire to hear these words spoken to us by Jesus, “Well done good and faithful servants, well done.”
WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE GOOD…. FOCUS ON THEM! Amen
July 19, 2020
“Whatsoever THINGS ARE !
Philippians 4:8 NSFLB
Pastor Tom Shanor
In the first seven verses of this chapter, Paul is praising the Philippian Church, while at the same time telling them to keep their focus as he states in verse 8, starting out with; “Finally, brethren, whatever things are TRUE, whatever things are NOBLE, whatever things are JUST, whatever things are PURE, whatever things are LOVELY, whatever things are of GOOD REPORT, if there is any VIRTUE and if there is anything PRAISEWORTHY….meditate on these things.”
You see, character and conduct begin in the mind. Our actions are affected by the things we dwell on in our thoughts. Paul cautions the Philippians and therefore also us to concentrate on things that will result in right thinking, hence right living, therefore obtaining in the process stability in thought, heart and emotion, no matter the circumstances that surround us…..a full measure of PEACE. The PEACE that passes all understanding. In the hurricane of events that we all currently live in, if we do this we can live in the eye of the storm, where sunshine, peace and calm exist, while the storm rages around us.
The first thing is believing this is possible, but there too we are to remember that “I can do all things through Christ who enables me.” The first step to that is also belief. Faith is under-girded by believing. Do YOU believe this, or does the circumstances we find ourselves in rule our heart, mind, spirit and emotions? Where are you in these areas of your life?
Also, in Philippians 4:6 we read this, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. In other words,. also pray, leading into prayer for your request with thanks for what you already have, and what you have is HIM. How strong is YOUR faith? I am not asking you to let reason and caution behind therefore testing God but combine what you know you need to do with the faith you have in Christ through God. By using your brain and your faith together, you truly can do all things in Christ who both strengthens and enables you. Sometimes we need an enabler!
In the Old Testament we find in Proverbs 3 these words that God encourages us with in our quest of living life as He instructs us, by saying,
My children never forget the things I have taught you.
Store my command in your heart.
If…you do this, you will live a long life,
And your life will be satisfying.
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you.
Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
Write them deep in your heart.
Then…you will find favor with God and with people,
And you will earn a good reputation.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
Do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek His will in all you do,
And He will show you which direction to go in.
My children do not lose sight of common sense and discernment.
Hang on to them, for they will refresh your soul.
They are like jewels on a necklace.
They will keep you safe on your journey of life, and your feet will not stumble.
Do not withhold “good” from those who deserve it,
When it is in your power to help them.
These words tie in beautifully with what Paul was instructing both the Philippians and us. What I just read is not a complete reading of Proverbs 3, so I would recommend that you take some time to read Philippians and these verses…. or as Paul says here to meditate on them.
To meditate is a practice where an individual uses a technique…such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable conclusion….which then can be applied to your life.
Summing it all up, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your heart and minds with the deep and wonderful life applications of thought, reason, diligence and behavior that Jesus, Paul and all the teachers that God Himself has given us in learning how to live our lives, our brief lives well.
…..Jesus courageously and faithfully both represented and taught us a deeper and fuller revelation of God, which is also of course an aspect of Himself that we come across from time to time when reading the Old Testament, because He is deeply in the Old Testament.
…..We find in the Old there is much violence representing the culture of tribalism in the time the words were written, but even then, there we those seeking and hungering for peace. The players are good and evil, just as in today, with little difference in thought and attitude, sometimes even within the ranks of Believers and followers of Christ. God often takes the rejected and turns them into heroes, and He takes the proud and turns them into the rejected. Through this circuitous route int eh history of His people, He tells them time and time again, I love you, I want the best for you, desiring simply that you love Me in return by following my commands and teachings through my Son.
…..Attitude is foundational and critical to being a follower of Jesus. Attitude is a relational state of mind critical to how we observe and react to whatever life throws at us. Our attitude can change, simply by choosing to change our focus from the negative to the positive by what we read, and what we choose to do. Our intellect, our emotions, our relationships all reflect our faith and its depth or shallowness. Where is yours?
…..Jesus in the New Testament shows us a NEW WAY, THE WAY of choices that we are to make, as He made. “THE WAY” THAT REPRESENTS THE NONVIOLENT AND LOVING HEART OF God. A radical way then….and an equally radical way today, especially as we see the result of VIOLENCE in our own culture, and what it has not and will not achieve for good. Protesting is a constitutional right given by our Founders…. but violence is to be abhorred and stopped. Protesting with ideas for needed change should be welcome when recognized that indeed changes are needed…and they are.
…..In Christ whom we are to emulate, we see and image of God who is not armed with lightning bolts but with a basin and towel. (think about that) the Son of God being the Servant of God…actually on His knees washing the dirty feel to His disciples as an example of who they, we are to be also.
…..He, who spews not threats but THE GOOD NEWS for all. He who rode not on a war horse but on a donkey, weeping in compassion for people who would choose not to accept His message of love, but instead violence, ultimately being crucified, the bearer of reconciliation, grace, forgiveness and ultimate love. He did not demote (as some thought) God to a lower, weaker status, but to a status of supremacy. A revelation of God as pure light; with no shadow of violence, conquest, exclusion, hostility or hate. The early Christians understood this and lived it, exampling to us, who we too are to be. It is not an easy path, in fact it is the most difficult path to follow for we too, if we succeed in doing so can also bring on ourselves the wrath of others who will not get it, just as those who did not in Jesus day.
…..ATTITUDE AND FOCUS again….on….”WHATSOVER THINGS ARE”….as I stated earlier was then, and still is today, THE RADICAL WAY OF LIVING, and to choose this way to live is the greatest and most profound and difficult way to show the Lord Jesus Christ that indeed we love Him.
Lord, I want to be more like You, like You.
I want to be a vessel You work through,
I, I,.. . . want to be more like you.
Not so simple is it, but if we want something deep enough, we can achieve it.
Do we?
Pope Francis said, “this moment in time calls for spiritual and social poets;: sincere and creative people who will rise on the wings of their faith to catch the Wind of the Spirit , the wind of JUSTICE, JOY and PEACE. The season is changing, and it is time for US to rise.”
…. All of us should desire to hear these words spoken to us by Jesus, “Well done good and faithful servants, well done.”
WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE GOOD…. FOCUS ON THEM! Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
July 5, 2020
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
”The Breath and life of the spirit”
Genesis 2:7 “He breathed the breath of life”
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
After Marilee and I were married, the topic of the Holy Spirit came up as to the role of the Spirit in our everyday lives. She shared with me that growing up in an Evangelical denomination, and that until meeting me and attending church services with me, she had never heard any teachings on the Holy Spirit. So, her desire was to know who exactly the Spirit was and what was He all about?
“The Spirit” AND “Holy Spirit” are the most commonly used names of the Spirit of God. People sometimes use the word “it” in reference to the Spirit; but those who do so neuter and depersonalize Him. Yes, I said Him...now exactly what Him means in His case, I really do not know, but let us go on. The Spirit is not simply an influence or force. As a ‘person’ of the Godhead, the Spirit has personality, thought, presence. As such, He can be resisted, offended, or pleased and more. Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, and so do you! Sounds like the Jews are in trouble again.
About 9 years prior I had been baptized in the Spirit with the gift or evidence of speaking in other tongues. Gifts such as this one and evidence gifts as they are called, are said by more than several denominations to have died out with the Disciples, and no longer are desired or needed, since we have what is called the perfect gift, that being the Bible. Well, regarding that the Bible as we know it came about quite a while after the death of the disciples, and the evidence is that these gifts continued on and still are being dispensed. In fact, it is projected that by 2050 there will be over one billion Charismatics or Pent
I am not speaking on the Spirit to begin a debate on this issue or any other, but instead am going to talk about the Person and evidence of who this Spirit of God is. Included in this I will of course use Scripture to back it up.
Let us start with my opening verse found in Genesis 2:7. “Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” The breath of life is the breath of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit!
As we proceed, I may be extending for some of you your own boundaries, and to me this is a good thing. One of my desires is to cause you to THINK as you challenge yourself into Scriptural examination. I will back up with Scripture what I tell you.
Our Christian faith, we could say was born on a weekend between what is now known as Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Those three days were the birthplace of our faith, and later, one day following those three days, a day yet to come for the then believers, on what is known as the Day of Pentecost, the church as we have come to know it was born. The Holy Spirit played the major role in the birth of the church, bringing with Him miracle, wonders and signs, touching lives, changing lives dramatically and deeply. The Holy Spirit brought power and might unlike anything that had ever been experienced prior to that day, fulfilling the very words of Jesus when He said to His disciples, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued or filled with *power from on high.”
In these words of Jesus there was no hint given about what would happen, but clearly the evidence shows that Jesus knew what would occur and would make it abundantly clear to them, the Promise of My Father” as the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit. (3:16) It is this supernatural power that Jesus used and uses to fulfill His mission to the world through His church.
Luke `11:13 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who *ask Him.” Ask Him? In this passage He tells us that we have a choice, for the Lord wants us to have all that He has for us, but in some things He asks us to ask Him, for He is good and ever available to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. The Lord desires to pour out the Holy Spirit on those desirous of receiving.
Does this mean that when we become Christians, we do not have the Holy Spirit? No. As soon as we make a profession of faith in the Son of God as to who and what He is, this can only be done in, by, and through the Holy Spirit who draws us to His Son. We are sealed unto God by the Spirit through Jesus the Christ. This asking is for those who want more of what God has to give.
The Spirit’s major role is to open the eyes and heart of men and women to the truth of who Jesus Christ is, and He does so in a great variety of ways, including using of all things, us. Today, our faith, for many of us and the church as a whole, specifically, needs a fresh move of God’s Spirit who gives life to experience a faith that is bigger, deeper and richer to all who seek.
Young people are not buying into our faith as it exists for us, for what we offer them is a boxed in religion that has little usable air left in our box…for we, are content…and they are not interested in contentment. Our world has become to most of them spiritually irrelevant in an age of dynamic change.
It is a world that most of us have trouble understanding, let alone keep up with. We could be like the Amish, Mennonites and Hutterites, withdrawing from the modern world content with our hymns, static celebrations and “this is the way it’s always been done and it’s good enough for me. That is often the problem…it all about me.
Jesus brought dramatic change to both the religious world and human culture, never getting credit for equalizing men and women, for tearing down the veil between the alter and the Living God, opening the doorway for us to approach Him without the need of an intercessory except for Jesus Christ Himself.
What have we done with the law of Spirit, grace, mercy, forgiveness? We have imprisoned it so that in many ways it looks and acts and sounds like the Old Law that He came to set us free from. In doing so, He brought into the world a new law; the law of love, with the promise of new life and new potential for a whole new world within and without, working its way out as He hoped, to fill the world with Himself through us.
The Spirit call us to unity. The Spirit calls us to mercy. The Spirit calls us to empower us. The Spirit calls us to Grace, the most misunderstand and underused gift of all. The Spirit calls us to Peace. The Spirit call us to justice.
Jesus also said the Holly Spirit is also our Advocate or Helper (John 14:16, 16:26 and 16:7_ Jesus called the Holy Spirit alongside us to help us resist sin. We are also told the Spirit is another Helper, other than Jesus Himself.
He is also called:
The Spirit of Life) Romans 8:2)
The Spirit of Grace Hebrews 10:29
The Spirit of Prophecy (Revelation 19:10)
The Spirit of truth (John 14:17)
The Spirit of Holiness (Romans 1:4)
The Spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17)
The Spirit of justice and judgment (Isaiah 28:6)
The Spirit of glory (1 Peter 4:14)
Earlier I spoke of the three days of Good Friday through Easter Sunday, the second day represents a silence, a contemplative pause following Friday’s great loss (or so it seems). His disciples and many others in confusion and in shock, and in mourning. Wondering what comes next if anything?
If Friday represented a letting go, Saturday represents sinking to the depth of a descent into despair, only to gain perhaps a deeper vantage point if one can rise to it. The recognition of a new reality in that death is real and what comes following the death of death before there can be new life. Change….oh how we often hate change!
In coming back to our youth, today’s youth culture is demanding change, with methods that alarm us. We know that it is a small percentage doing so with violence, but there is a large percentage that are leaving us far behind. We can, and if we can, will we listen to them, or will we simply moan and groan, bemoaning without listening to what they are attempting to tell us.
Today is a dynamic time to allow the Spirit of God to come along side of us to give us wisdom and grace, instruction and power, love and mercy. Young adults are calling us out for our lack of living up to what and who we have been saying we are, by focusing our latter years in being content to live in comfort and self-centeredness. Open our eyes Lord and open our ears, that we might see, and we might hear.
We are being called out in ways that seem ugly and harsh, demanding the acceptance of all people, of all races and all cultures. The minimalized, the outcast, the very ones that Jesus Himself said He came for. It is sobering and in some ways frightening. This is a day in time we need the wisdom I just spoke of. We need the Spirit to talk to us and to hear Him we need to open our hearts.
Just because I am a minister does not mean I understand all that needs to be done and how, but I am becoming or trying to become more tuned in to His inner voice, and allowing the Scriptures to speak to me more deeply, applying new lessons and new thoughts and new directions.
I also feel a deep compulsion to push a bit here. I have told my congregation that if I can, I want to push you all to think deeper, to reason, question, discuss and shift if shifting is needed…to think and think and think and pray, and pray and pray.
We all, the Church needs a fresh breath of the Holy Spirit, the Living Spirit, the very life-giving Spirit of God Himself, and in doing so, may He give us what we need to make a difference. We need, and I mean need to unleash Christianity’s potential for healing and transforming the world, by first transforming ourselves by the Power of God, His Spirit. Amen
July 5, 2020
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
”The Breath and life of the spirit”
Genesis 2:7 “He breathed the breath of life”
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
After Marilee and I were married, the topic of the Holy Spirit came up as to the role of the Spirit in our everyday lives. She shared with me that growing up in an Evangelical denomination, and that until meeting me and attending church services with me, she had never heard any teachings on the Holy Spirit. So, her desire was to know who exactly the Spirit was and what was He all about?
“The Spirit” AND “Holy Spirit” are the most commonly used names of the Spirit of God. People sometimes use the word “it” in reference to the Spirit; but those who do so neuter and depersonalize Him. Yes, I said Him...now exactly what Him means in His case, I really do not know, but let us go on. The Spirit is not simply an influence or force. As a ‘person’ of the Godhead, the Spirit has personality, thought, presence. As such, He can be resisted, offended, or pleased and more. Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, and so do you! Sounds like the Jews are in trouble again.
About 9 years prior I had been baptized in the Spirit with the gift or evidence of speaking in other tongues. Gifts such as this one and evidence gifts as they are called, are said by more than several denominations to have died out with the Disciples, and no longer are desired or needed, since we have what is called the perfect gift, that being the Bible. Well, regarding that the Bible as we know it came about quite a while after the death of the disciples, and the evidence is that these gifts continued on and still are being dispensed. In fact, it is projected that by 2050 there will be over one billion Charismatics or Pent
I am not speaking on the Spirit to begin a debate on this issue or any other, but instead am going to talk about the Person and evidence of who this Spirit of God is. Included in this I will of course use Scripture to back it up.
Let us start with my opening verse found in Genesis 2:7. “Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” The breath of life is the breath of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit!
As we proceed, I may be extending for some of you your own boundaries, and to me this is a good thing. One of my desires is to cause you to THINK as you challenge yourself into Scriptural examination. I will back up with Scripture what I tell you.
Our Christian faith, we could say was born on a weekend between what is now known as Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Those three days were the birthplace of our faith, and later, one day following those three days, a day yet to come for the then believers, on what is known as the Day of Pentecost, the church as we have come to know it was born. The Holy Spirit played the major role in the birth of the church, bringing with Him miracle, wonders and signs, touching lives, changing lives dramatically and deeply. The Holy Spirit brought power and might unlike anything that had ever been experienced prior to that day, fulfilling the very words of Jesus when He said to His disciples, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued or filled with *power from on high.”
In these words of Jesus there was no hint given about what would happen, but clearly the evidence shows that Jesus knew what would occur and would make it abundantly clear to them, the Promise of My Father” as the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit. (3:16) It is this supernatural power that Jesus used and uses to fulfill His mission to the world through His church.
Luke `11:13 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who *ask Him.” Ask Him? In this passage He tells us that we have a choice, for the Lord wants us to have all that He has for us, but in some things He asks us to ask Him, for He is good and ever available to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. The Lord desires to pour out the Holy Spirit on those desirous of receiving.
Does this mean that when we become Christians, we do not have the Holy Spirit? No. As soon as we make a profession of faith in the Son of God as to who and what He is, this can only be done in, by, and through the Holy Spirit who draws us to His Son. We are sealed unto God by the Spirit through Jesus the Christ. This asking is for those who want more of what God has to give.
The Spirit’s major role is to open the eyes and heart of men and women to the truth of who Jesus Christ is, and He does so in a great variety of ways, including using of all things, us. Today, our faith, for many of us and the church as a whole, specifically, needs a fresh move of God’s Spirit who gives life to experience a faith that is bigger, deeper and richer to all who seek.
Young people are not buying into our faith as it exists for us, for what we offer them is a boxed in religion that has little usable air left in our box…for we, are content…and they are not interested in contentment. Our world has become to most of them spiritually irrelevant in an age of dynamic change.
It is a world that most of us have trouble understanding, let alone keep up with. We could be like the Amish, Mennonites and Hutterites, withdrawing from the modern world content with our hymns, static celebrations and “this is the way it’s always been done and it’s good enough for me. That is often the problem…it all about me.
Jesus brought dramatic change to both the religious world and human culture, never getting credit for equalizing men and women, for tearing down the veil between the alter and the Living God, opening the doorway for us to approach Him without the need of an intercessory except for Jesus Christ Himself.
What have we done with the law of Spirit, grace, mercy, forgiveness? We have imprisoned it so that in many ways it looks and acts and sounds like the Old Law that He came to set us free from. In doing so, He brought into the world a new law; the law of love, with the promise of new life and new potential for a whole new world within and without, working its way out as He hoped, to fill the world with Himself through us.
The Spirit call us to unity. The Spirit calls us to mercy. The Spirit calls us to empower us. The Spirit calls us to Grace, the most misunderstand and underused gift of all. The Spirit calls us to Peace. The Spirit call us to justice.
- He is the Good Spirit…. through whom we receive good gifts as found in Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. If we exhibited these in our everyday lives and encounters, we would change the world. Nehemiah says the “good Spirit” was given to instruct God’s people, and we by faith in Him are God’s people.
- He is the “Eternal Spirit” for in Hebrews 9:14 says, “He hovered over the face of the waters during creation (Genesis 1:1-2
- He is “the Lord.” We Christians call Jesus “Lord” and worship the “Lord God,” but the Holy Spirit is also called “Lord” in 2 Corinthians 3:17. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are aptly called “Lord” for there is no competition in the Godhead. To say the Holy Spirit is “Lord” is to affirm His personhood and divinity in the Trinity. He is worthy of worship as is the Father and Son.
- He is also named the “Paraclete” The Greek word translated as “helper” in reference to the Spirit is parakletos. There are two main ways believers experience the parakletos. The Spirit is our advocate. An advocate pleads a case before a righteous judge. Scripture teaches Jesus is our advocate before the Father (1 John 2:1) Because His sacrifice on the cross enables us to plead our case. He understands us and what we go through because having been tempted Himself, yet without sin, he represents us experientially.
Jesus also said the Holly Spirit is also our Advocate or Helper (John 14:16, 16:26 and 16:7_ Jesus called the Holy Spirit alongside us to help us resist sin. We are also told the Spirit is another Helper, other than Jesus Himself.
He is also called:
The Spirit of Life) Romans 8:2)
The Spirit of Grace Hebrews 10:29
The Spirit of Prophecy (Revelation 19:10)
The Spirit of truth (John 14:17)
The Spirit of Holiness (Romans 1:4)
The Spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17)
The Spirit of justice and judgment (Isaiah 28:6)
The Spirit of glory (1 Peter 4:14)
Earlier I spoke of the three days of Good Friday through Easter Sunday, the second day represents a silence, a contemplative pause following Friday’s great loss (or so it seems). His disciples and many others in confusion and in shock, and in mourning. Wondering what comes next if anything?
If Friday represented a letting go, Saturday represents sinking to the depth of a descent into despair, only to gain perhaps a deeper vantage point if one can rise to it. The recognition of a new reality in that death is real and what comes following the death of death before there can be new life. Change….oh how we often hate change!
In coming back to our youth, today’s youth culture is demanding change, with methods that alarm us. We know that it is a small percentage doing so with violence, but there is a large percentage that are leaving us far behind. We can, and if we can, will we listen to them, or will we simply moan and groan, bemoaning without listening to what they are attempting to tell us.
Today is a dynamic time to allow the Spirit of God to come along side of us to give us wisdom and grace, instruction and power, love and mercy. Young adults are calling us out for our lack of living up to what and who we have been saying we are, by focusing our latter years in being content to live in comfort and self-centeredness. Open our eyes Lord and open our ears, that we might see, and we might hear.
We are being called out in ways that seem ugly and harsh, demanding the acceptance of all people, of all races and all cultures. The minimalized, the outcast, the very ones that Jesus Himself said He came for. It is sobering and in some ways frightening. This is a day in time we need the wisdom I just spoke of. We need the Spirit to talk to us and to hear Him we need to open our hearts.
Just because I am a minister does not mean I understand all that needs to be done and how, but I am becoming or trying to become more tuned in to His inner voice, and allowing the Scriptures to speak to me more deeply, applying new lessons and new thoughts and new directions.
I also feel a deep compulsion to push a bit here. I have told my congregation that if I can, I want to push you all to think deeper, to reason, question, discuss and shift if shifting is needed…to think and think and think and pray, and pray and pray.
We all, the Church needs a fresh breath of the Holy Spirit, the Living Spirit, the very life-giving Spirit of God Himself, and in doing so, may He give us what we need to make a difference. We need, and I mean need to unleash Christianity’s potential for healing and transforming the world, by first transforming ourselves by the Power of God, His Spirit. Amen
The LITTLE CHURCH in the PINES
MACKS INN ~ ISLAND PARK, IDAHO
June 28, 2020
Pastor Tom Shanor
“The Man Who Feared Everything - but the Right Thing – GOD
PROVERBS 9:10 says to us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Basically, this verse teaches those who care, that the fear of God is foundational to true wisdom in the spiritual realm, and all other types of learning would be greatly enhanced if the person who recognizes this truth has that true wisdom on which to build.
He considered himself bigger than God. After his classmates made fun of him, Howie threw away his hearing aids. He lived the rest of his life with an incessant ringing in his ears. It nearly drove him insane. When his prayers for relief went unanswered, he set his credo for life: if you can’t depend on God, you have to be your own God.
Fearing the bacteria (the entrance of fear) the bacteria that bred in the dampness of Houston, Howie’s hypochondriac mother sent him to live in dry Southern California. There, he discovered the two real loves of his life; Hollywood and aviation. Lost in the magic of a movie, he forgot the ringing in his ears. Soaring high in an airplane, it stopped altogether.
Then his parents died, making him the world’s wealthiest orphan. Howie boasted. “I’m richer than God!” He became king of Hollywood, producing a string of films. Along the way, he engaged in sexual affairs that led him to contract incurable syphilis. But that didn’t stop him from becoming king of the skies or from building history’s largest airplane, called what? “Spruce Goose”
The world was stunned when he flew to Paris in half the time it took Charles Limberg....and then flew around the world in three days. He made a fortune in World War II as the biggest supplier of airplane part. After he purchased shares in Trans World Airlines, he became the first multi-billionaire in history. Howard Hughes now bragged that he was more powerful than God. A-O...bad things usually happen when people say this!
So, on we go. Yet his bravado masked his spreading syphilis. His old fear of germs returned with a vengeance. He moved to Las Vegas for the clean air, purchased a hotel and casino, and lived like a hermit in a sanitary bubble on the top floor. His agents then bought up for him the surrounding casinos to extend his so called safe-zone. He spent millions bribing the president of the United States to stop nuclear testing in Nevada lest he be exposed to radiation.
He funneled a fortune to the CIA stop Russian from unleashing biological warfare. Howard Hughes had become the ultimate control freak, and freak he was becoming more and more every day.
Towards the end, he was downing hundreds of pills every day. He would eat little besides green peas, and he had each one measured so he wouldn’t choke to death. He kept a team of doctors on full-time alert, wore surgical gowns only, used Kleenex boxes for shoes, and would not allow anything to touch his exposed skin. If a flu or cold epidemic hit Las Vegas, a private jet would quickly whisk him away.
In spite of all his precautions, he fell into a coma when he was seventy and died in transit to the hospital on April 5, 1976. He was the richest man in the world, but his six-foot four frame had been starved down to ninety pounds, his body covered by filth and his arms riddled with hole. X-rays showed broken needles lodged under his skin. The autopsy revealed a brain eaten by syphilis. He was so unrecognizable that the FBI took fingerprints to conform his identity. The story of a man who thought he was bigger and richer than God screams a warning to all of us who try to control our world. We might relax more if we remember this:
“Fear and worries don’t come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it.”
Today...many of us live-in constant fear of that which we cannot control. Yes, we can take precautions using good sense, using what tools are available to us, but to not be able to take a step without fear is letting that fear control us and stifling our lives directly. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge God....and He will take care of you.”
Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. Psalm 55:22
85% of the world’s population professes a belief in God. At one time along with that profession, there was with that belief, both a love and fear of God. Today, we hear most often of God’s all-embracing love, but seldom fear of God. This fear that has been left behind helped keep sin in check, and helped us as a society sustain a modicum of behavior, that gave us a better balance of law and order.
Many other Scriptures speak on the fear of God: Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; 14:27; 15:33 just to name a few. Before we can understand how the fear of the Lord leads to wisdom, we need to define what the Bible means by “fear” in this context.
In our Bibles, the word translated “fear” can mean several things. It can refer to the terror one feels in a frightening situation (Deuteronomy 2:25) “Today, I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.” Now that’s cool if you are a Jew at that time, but if an enemy of the Jews, very frightening. God has been known to cause some rather intense repercussions to those who upset Him.
It can mean “respect” in the way a servant fears his master and serves him faithfully. Things have turned around in this next situation as Joshua is speaking to a rebellious Jewish people. “you are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.” O,k, ...I would not want to be a Jew at this time.
Now we come to Isaiah in Isaiah 6:5, where he is sensing deeply his own smallness in the presence of God, as he is being asked directly to do something for God. He has a good sense of his place. “Woe is me for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. In the real presence of God, he finally sees who he is and is humbled.
~ THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS A COMBINATION OF ALL OF THESE ~
Without the fear of God....the God who loves us and gave us life, whether it’s terror, respect or humility....we are in trouble. There today is a whole generation unaware of the love, power and fear of God. That is, if they even believe in God, which most no longer do. It is not a matter of who is at fault for this, but all of us wear some of the responsibility, and some of us a lot of the responsibility. We are right in preaching, talking and educating about the LOVE of God, but forgetting that He is can be jealous, angry at unrighteousness and misrepresentation of who He is in His fullness or completeness! He is a “HOLY” God.
This generation in the broad stroke, not believing in or fearing God, believe self-righteously that there is no accountability for their actions, for they are right and can do no wrong in their own eyes....hence the confusion, anger and rebellion that exists across our land and the world. I am trying not to broad-brush a whole generation, but a significant portion of it that has little real-life experience; yet telling us what is permissible and acceptable to get what they want, not caring about or understanding the consequences of their actions fully.
Without that reverential fear no holds are barred.
Fear of the Lord can be defined as “the continual awareness that our loving heavenly Father is watching and evaluating everything we think, say and do.
Matthew 12:36 “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word...and work.
Revelation 1-2. “I know what you do, for nothing escapes My attention.”
In order to develop the fear of the Lord, we must recognize God for who He is, not looking just at the aspects of Him that we want to acknowledge and think that is His totality. We must glimpse with our spirits the POWER, MIGHT, BEAUTY, AND BRILLIANCE of the Lord God, the ALMIGHTY! Those who fear God have a continual awareness of Him, a deep reverence for Him, and a sincere commitment to OBEY Him....as the Lord Himself through His life and teachings has shown and taught us how to do.
Romans 1:21-22 speaks of those who “neither glorified Him as God no gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” This is a description of people who try to obtain wisdom while ignoring God....in all His manifestation and requirements of us.
The link between the FEAR of God and WISDOM means we cannot possess wisdom if we attempt to RECREATE God in our own image or imagination. It cannot be done for the simple reason that God is God and cannot be changed by us in any way. I AM THAT I AM....for both He and Jesus used that phrase describing who they are....beyond question or imagination.
Too many people want to “tame” God into a non-threatening nobody, neutered and kumbaya, If we redefine the Lord as a god that makes us feel comfortable, a permissive “buddy” who exists simply to bless us and give us what we want, we will not fear Him in the way He deserves to be feared. The Lord God ALMIGHTY, who is the SAME, YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER.
Until our hearts are in a right relationship with God, in harmony with who He is and who we are in relationship to Him, we are worshiping a different god. One of our own making. This is basically idol worship.
Without the fear of the Lord, our decisions are made on faulty human understanding. When we incorporate the healthy fear of the Lord into every moment of our lives, we make decisions based upon His approval and live with the knowledge that the CREATOR of the Universe is intimately involved in our every thought and action. He sees, knows, and evaluate all our choices, for we will one day answer to Him.
Our then respect for God in all His Majesty, causes us to honor Him with our words, actions and thoughts.....every day, all day. Our gratitude for His mercy causes us to serve Him well. Psalm 2:11 “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.” Therefore, the understanding that our God of love is also a God of accountability should inspire in us enough healthy fear, to walk in truth and righteousness....or right living.
This.....is Wisdom. Howard Hughes and others like him stand at the pinnacle of both human achievement and failure.
“Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord and HE will lift you up.
Amen
MACKS INN ~ ISLAND PARK, IDAHO
June 28, 2020
Pastor Tom Shanor
“The Man Who Feared Everything - but the Right Thing – GOD
PROVERBS 9:10 says to us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Basically, this verse teaches those who care, that the fear of God is foundational to true wisdom in the spiritual realm, and all other types of learning would be greatly enhanced if the person who recognizes this truth has that true wisdom on which to build.
He considered himself bigger than God. After his classmates made fun of him, Howie threw away his hearing aids. He lived the rest of his life with an incessant ringing in his ears. It nearly drove him insane. When his prayers for relief went unanswered, he set his credo for life: if you can’t depend on God, you have to be your own God.
Fearing the bacteria (the entrance of fear) the bacteria that bred in the dampness of Houston, Howie’s hypochondriac mother sent him to live in dry Southern California. There, he discovered the two real loves of his life; Hollywood and aviation. Lost in the magic of a movie, he forgot the ringing in his ears. Soaring high in an airplane, it stopped altogether.
Then his parents died, making him the world’s wealthiest orphan. Howie boasted. “I’m richer than God!” He became king of Hollywood, producing a string of films. Along the way, he engaged in sexual affairs that led him to contract incurable syphilis. But that didn’t stop him from becoming king of the skies or from building history’s largest airplane, called what? “Spruce Goose”
The world was stunned when he flew to Paris in half the time it took Charles Limberg....and then flew around the world in three days. He made a fortune in World War II as the biggest supplier of airplane part. After he purchased shares in Trans World Airlines, he became the first multi-billionaire in history. Howard Hughes now bragged that he was more powerful than God. A-O...bad things usually happen when people say this!
So, on we go. Yet his bravado masked his spreading syphilis. His old fear of germs returned with a vengeance. He moved to Las Vegas for the clean air, purchased a hotel and casino, and lived like a hermit in a sanitary bubble on the top floor. His agents then bought up for him the surrounding casinos to extend his so called safe-zone. He spent millions bribing the president of the United States to stop nuclear testing in Nevada lest he be exposed to radiation.
He funneled a fortune to the CIA stop Russian from unleashing biological warfare. Howard Hughes had become the ultimate control freak, and freak he was becoming more and more every day.
Towards the end, he was downing hundreds of pills every day. He would eat little besides green peas, and he had each one measured so he wouldn’t choke to death. He kept a team of doctors on full-time alert, wore surgical gowns only, used Kleenex boxes for shoes, and would not allow anything to touch his exposed skin. If a flu or cold epidemic hit Las Vegas, a private jet would quickly whisk him away.
In spite of all his precautions, he fell into a coma when he was seventy and died in transit to the hospital on April 5, 1976. He was the richest man in the world, but his six-foot four frame had been starved down to ninety pounds, his body covered by filth and his arms riddled with hole. X-rays showed broken needles lodged under his skin. The autopsy revealed a brain eaten by syphilis. He was so unrecognizable that the FBI took fingerprints to conform his identity. The story of a man who thought he was bigger and richer than God screams a warning to all of us who try to control our world. We might relax more if we remember this:
“Fear and worries don’t come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it.”
Today...many of us live-in constant fear of that which we cannot control. Yes, we can take precautions using good sense, using what tools are available to us, but to not be able to take a step without fear is letting that fear control us and stifling our lives directly. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge God....and He will take care of you.”
Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. Psalm 55:22
85% of the world’s population professes a belief in God. At one time along with that profession, there was with that belief, both a love and fear of God. Today, we hear most often of God’s all-embracing love, but seldom fear of God. This fear that has been left behind helped keep sin in check, and helped us as a society sustain a modicum of behavior, that gave us a better balance of law and order.
Many other Scriptures speak on the fear of God: Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; 14:27; 15:33 just to name a few. Before we can understand how the fear of the Lord leads to wisdom, we need to define what the Bible means by “fear” in this context.
In our Bibles, the word translated “fear” can mean several things. It can refer to the terror one feels in a frightening situation (Deuteronomy 2:25) “Today, I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.” Now that’s cool if you are a Jew at that time, but if an enemy of the Jews, very frightening. God has been known to cause some rather intense repercussions to those who upset Him.
It can mean “respect” in the way a servant fears his master and serves him faithfully. Things have turned around in this next situation as Joshua is speaking to a rebellious Jewish people. “you are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.” O,k, ...I would not want to be a Jew at this time.
Now we come to Isaiah in Isaiah 6:5, where he is sensing deeply his own smallness in the presence of God, as he is being asked directly to do something for God. He has a good sense of his place. “Woe is me for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. In the real presence of God, he finally sees who he is and is humbled.
~ THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS A COMBINATION OF ALL OF THESE ~
Without the fear of God....the God who loves us and gave us life, whether it’s terror, respect or humility....we are in trouble. There today is a whole generation unaware of the love, power and fear of God. That is, if they even believe in God, which most no longer do. It is not a matter of who is at fault for this, but all of us wear some of the responsibility, and some of us a lot of the responsibility. We are right in preaching, talking and educating about the LOVE of God, but forgetting that He is can be jealous, angry at unrighteousness and misrepresentation of who He is in His fullness or completeness! He is a “HOLY” God.
This generation in the broad stroke, not believing in or fearing God, believe self-righteously that there is no accountability for their actions, for they are right and can do no wrong in their own eyes....hence the confusion, anger and rebellion that exists across our land and the world. I am trying not to broad-brush a whole generation, but a significant portion of it that has little real-life experience; yet telling us what is permissible and acceptable to get what they want, not caring about or understanding the consequences of their actions fully.
Without that reverential fear no holds are barred.
Fear of the Lord can be defined as “the continual awareness that our loving heavenly Father is watching and evaluating everything we think, say and do.
Matthew 12:36 “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word...and work.
Revelation 1-2. “I know what you do, for nothing escapes My attention.”
In order to develop the fear of the Lord, we must recognize God for who He is, not looking just at the aspects of Him that we want to acknowledge and think that is His totality. We must glimpse with our spirits the POWER, MIGHT, BEAUTY, AND BRILLIANCE of the Lord God, the ALMIGHTY! Those who fear God have a continual awareness of Him, a deep reverence for Him, and a sincere commitment to OBEY Him....as the Lord Himself through His life and teachings has shown and taught us how to do.
Romans 1:21-22 speaks of those who “neither glorified Him as God no gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” This is a description of people who try to obtain wisdom while ignoring God....in all His manifestation and requirements of us.
The link between the FEAR of God and WISDOM means we cannot possess wisdom if we attempt to RECREATE God in our own image or imagination. It cannot be done for the simple reason that God is God and cannot be changed by us in any way. I AM THAT I AM....for both He and Jesus used that phrase describing who they are....beyond question or imagination.
Too many people want to “tame” God into a non-threatening nobody, neutered and kumbaya, If we redefine the Lord as a god that makes us feel comfortable, a permissive “buddy” who exists simply to bless us and give us what we want, we will not fear Him in the way He deserves to be feared. The Lord God ALMIGHTY, who is the SAME, YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER.
Until our hearts are in a right relationship with God, in harmony with who He is and who we are in relationship to Him, we are worshiping a different god. One of our own making. This is basically idol worship.
Without the fear of the Lord, our decisions are made on faulty human understanding. When we incorporate the healthy fear of the Lord into every moment of our lives, we make decisions based upon His approval and live with the knowledge that the CREATOR of the Universe is intimately involved in our every thought and action. He sees, knows, and evaluate all our choices, for we will one day answer to Him.
Our then respect for God in all His Majesty, causes us to honor Him with our words, actions and thoughts.....every day, all day. Our gratitude for His mercy causes us to serve Him well. Psalm 2:11 “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.” Therefore, the understanding that our God of love is also a God of accountability should inspire in us enough healthy fear, to walk in truth and righteousness....or right living.
This.....is Wisdom. Howard Hughes and others like him stand at the pinnacle of both human achievement and failure.
“Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord and HE will lift you up.
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
Compassion, both receiving and giving!
Pastor Tom Shanor
June 21, 2020
Compassion....sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. Example: “the victims should be treated with compassion”
Our Lord was steeped in compassion, and as an example I will read from Luke 7:11-7 READ Matthew 14:13-21 READ
These are just two examples of the many times Jesus showed compassion. Usually to the poorer, least educated and needy people He worked with and encountered every day of His ministry.
On a bit of a lighter nonetheless a deep need, in the life of a child, a needy child, here is a real-life example of compassion.
One morning before coming to my office, I happened to catch a video clip on NBC of the need of a little girl who had difficulty identifying with other children of her age, and therefore also had difficulty in forming any friendships.
Andrea was 8, it was Christmas Day and she was opening the few presents that lay under the Christmas tree just for her. The box, a rather large one was the last one she was opening....in the box was by brand name an ‘American Girl Doll’, that looked a lot like Andrea. That alone surprised her a great deal, and (American Dolls are not inexpensive) but as she continued to unwrap the doll, she suddenly started crying then sobbing. My own thoughts were, “how sweet” but as she exposed the rest of the doll to the camera, I could see it was fitted with a prosthesis on its leg.....just like hers, which I had not seen. She cried and cried...holding on tightly to the doll which was somewhat of a replica of herself, loving with all she had within her this amazing gift.
Through her tears, she said to her mother, “you have no idea how much this means to me.” (though of course her mother did). Her bond with that doll changed her life. Being able to hold, identify with and love the doll as she did, opened her heart to feelings other than rejection and loneliness.
The American Doll Company which is large, volunteered to fill that loving mother’s unique request at no cost to the family, going out of their way to show compassion to one little broken hearted and lonely eight-year-old who needed some deep identification and acceptance that was able to identify with her own condition.
Some of the synonyms associated with the word ‘compassion’ are mercy, tenderness, heart and clemency. This is what Jesus felt towards the crowd, which is mentioned as 5000 whom He fed miraculously by multiplication, with the little boy’s fish and bread.
In Biblical times (as a side note) only men were counted when counting took place, and women and children were not. My reason for bringing this up is that the true count would have been closer to 20,000 people, which ties into verse 14, for in the middle of all of these events, Jesus also received word that John the Baptist had been beheaded, and all Jesus wanted to do was get away to think, mourn and pray. Yet, He put aside His own desires and as Scripture says, “when Jesus went out, He saw a great multitude, and he was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
Part of compassion as illustrated here, is putting one’s own desires ahead of our own, and doing just as He did no matter how He personally felt. A beautiful thing!
Question…..how would you rate yourself in this arena, let’s say 1 out of 10? I too had to ask myself the same question. In reading the story that I read on Friday, and will read to you at some point, again on compassion where immediately I felt the rush of tears….tears of compassion, but also with those came a quickening of my spirit, that I need to be more open to doing, instead of congratulating myself on my ability to feel compassion. It is good to know that I do feel, thereby proving to myself I am at least not a sociopath or psychopath, but Lord I asked, show me what I can do, so called sacrificing some of my time to do unto others as you have them do unto me.
We are to be a giving people, just as Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brother and sisters of mine, you did for Me!” So, compassion given as a Christian to anyone has a double blessing. The blessing coming to us from giving and a blessing to the Lord, for whatever we do in deeds such as this, also bless Him.
Most of us know that it was Christianity brought about the conquest of the Roman Empire, but it did not come through the power of the sword, but the power of the Gospel…. joined with Christian acts of compassion.
Here is the story.
In the middle of the 3rd century AD, there was a terrible plague in the Roman empire, bringing with its overwhelming death. Citizens and physicians (as such) left the cities in droves, getting as far away as possible from the dreaded disease. However,…. many Christians stayed behind to help those who were ill and dying, many of them dying themselves. Eusebius, a church historian, states that because of the compassion of the Christians in the midst of the pandemic, the Christians, and this is a direct historical quote) “the Christians deeds were on everyone’s lips, and they glorified the God the Christians, for such acts of compassion, convinced the pagans that these Christians were devoutly religious and truly reverent to God.” End of quote.
So…after all that being said, we now understand the deep compassion in the heart of our Lord, that when suddenly, instead of a quiet time alone with the Father, He finds Himself thrust compassionately into being the “Servant” He was…..and is, setting an example for us as how to be more like Him.
There is a simple praise song that speaks to this, and it goes as such:
Lord, I want to be more like You
Lord I want to be more like You
I want to be a vessel You work through
I want to be more like You……………….
There is a key word in this chorus that is critical to the outworking of the deed, and that word is “want.” He will never, never, never force us to do anything, but His desire is for us to want to do for Him by being like Him.
Time for that story I was talking about……
The story is called “From Libya with Love”
Mohammed Bzeek is one of the many immigrants who make America better. This bearded gentle giant who hails from Libya is one amazing story. His wife to be, Dawn, was already taking in foster children when he met her, and they continued to care for foster children after they married. But lots of folks open their homes to foster kids. (though not enough) Mohammed and Dawn were different. In the mid-1990’s, they began taking in kids who were not only desperate for a home, but desperately terminally ill children who could not see, hear or talk. This couple had a simple vision that they could fill the short lives of these dying children with as much love as it was possible to give. Since taking in these children, they have buried ten. But his heart never broke more than when he watched the love of his life, his wife Dawn die from blood clots in her lungs in 2015.
Bzeek was determined to continue her vision to care for the most vulnerable. Nothing demonstrates that commitment more than watching him care for his then most severely disabled foster child, Renea, a six-year-old tiny girl who was born with microcephaly. She is unable to see, hear or talk. She lies helpless for twenty-four house a day, hooked to breathing tubes and wires. When no one else was willing to care for her, this man from Libra took her in. He recently told a People Magazine reporter, “The only way I can communicate with Renea is by touch. So I hold her. “ I want her to know that someone is here for her. Somebody loves her. She is not alone.” Because Mohammed sleeps on a sofa next to her at night, she is never alone.
A lesser man might have said, “It was Dawn’s vision” and walk away.” When folks ask him why he still does it, Mohammed replies. “Even if these children cannot communicate, see, or hear, they still have a soul. They need somebody to love them. I tell them, ‘It’s okay, I’m her for you. We’ll go through this together.”
Mr. Bzeek would surely agree with something Mother Teresa said: “One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.’
1 THESSALONIANS 5:14 says to us, “Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.” Everyone? Everyone.
What Mohammed Bzeek recognized, was that the greatest miracle of all to him, and to all of us alive, is life itself. The fact that we can walk, touch, feel, think, love, see, smell, interact, have food to eat, air to breathe, sky to experience, beauty to grasp and hold in wonder…..the sound of waves washing ashore. Holding a newborn baby, a love, a dad, a mom, brother, sister, friend….and so much more. That our every-day experiences are tangible, real and touchable ‘miracles.’ Life is a miracle and how we choose, and we do choose to give and live this great and astounding gift….is mostly up to us.
Choose this day….this day, not only whom we will serve, but how we will live out our lives. Self-centered or giving? Showing compassion or judgment? Reaching out as Jesus did, as American Doll did, as Mohammed Bzeek did….or as you have the opportunity to choose.
Our Lord, Savior and Friend, Jesus the Christ….one man born of God and woman…a lone figure crying the wilderness…. changed the course of history in a multitude of ways for the entire world, if only, if only. His miracle message of love, hope, compassion, forgiveness, grace, faith and so much more…. reaches out beyond our world into the universe with a universal message unlike any other…and we are blessed. May we remember daily…. WE ARE BLESSED. X2
Amen
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
Compassion, both receiving and giving!
Pastor Tom Shanor
June 21, 2020
Compassion....sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. Example: “the victims should be treated with compassion”
Our Lord was steeped in compassion, and as an example I will read from Luke 7:11-7 READ Matthew 14:13-21 READ
These are just two examples of the many times Jesus showed compassion. Usually to the poorer, least educated and needy people He worked with and encountered every day of His ministry.
On a bit of a lighter nonetheless a deep need, in the life of a child, a needy child, here is a real-life example of compassion.
One morning before coming to my office, I happened to catch a video clip on NBC of the need of a little girl who had difficulty identifying with other children of her age, and therefore also had difficulty in forming any friendships.
Andrea was 8, it was Christmas Day and she was opening the few presents that lay under the Christmas tree just for her. The box, a rather large one was the last one she was opening....in the box was by brand name an ‘American Girl Doll’, that looked a lot like Andrea. That alone surprised her a great deal, and (American Dolls are not inexpensive) but as she continued to unwrap the doll, she suddenly started crying then sobbing. My own thoughts were, “how sweet” but as she exposed the rest of the doll to the camera, I could see it was fitted with a prosthesis on its leg.....just like hers, which I had not seen. She cried and cried...holding on tightly to the doll which was somewhat of a replica of herself, loving with all she had within her this amazing gift.
Through her tears, she said to her mother, “you have no idea how much this means to me.” (though of course her mother did). Her bond with that doll changed her life. Being able to hold, identify with and love the doll as she did, opened her heart to feelings other than rejection and loneliness.
The American Doll Company which is large, volunteered to fill that loving mother’s unique request at no cost to the family, going out of their way to show compassion to one little broken hearted and lonely eight-year-old who needed some deep identification and acceptance that was able to identify with her own condition.
Some of the synonyms associated with the word ‘compassion’ are mercy, tenderness, heart and clemency. This is what Jesus felt towards the crowd, which is mentioned as 5000 whom He fed miraculously by multiplication, with the little boy’s fish and bread.
In Biblical times (as a side note) only men were counted when counting took place, and women and children were not. My reason for bringing this up is that the true count would have been closer to 20,000 people, which ties into verse 14, for in the middle of all of these events, Jesus also received word that John the Baptist had been beheaded, and all Jesus wanted to do was get away to think, mourn and pray. Yet, He put aside His own desires and as Scripture says, “when Jesus went out, He saw a great multitude, and he was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
Part of compassion as illustrated here, is putting one’s own desires ahead of our own, and doing just as He did no matter how He personally felt. A beautiful thing!
Question…..how would you rate yourself in this arena, let’s say 1 out of 10? I too had to ask myself the same question. In reading the story that I read on Friday, and will read to you at some point, again on compassion where immediately I felt the rush of tears….tears of compassion, but also with those came a quickening of my spirit, that I need to be more open to doing, instead of congratulating myself on my ability to feel compassion. It is good to know that I do feel, thereby proving to myself I am at least not a sociopath or psychopath, but Lord I asked, show me what I can do, so called sacrificing some of my time to do unto others as you have them do unto me.
We are to be a giving people, just as Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brother and sisters of mine, you did for Me!” So, compassion given as a Christian to anyone has a double blessing. The blessing coming to us from giving and a blessing to the Lord, for whatever we do in deeds such as this, also bless Him.
Most of us know that it was Christianity brought about the conquest of the Roman Empire, but it did not come through the power of the sword, but the power of the Gospel…. joined with Christian acts of compassion.
Here is the story.
In the middle of the 3rd century AD, there was a terrible plague in the Roman empire, bringing with its overwhelming death. Citizens and physicians (as such) left the cities in droves, getting as far away as possible from the dreaded disease. However,…. many Christians stayed behind to help those who were ill and dying, many of them dying themselves. Eusebius, a church historian, states that because of the compassion of the Christians in the midst of the pandemic, the Christians, and this is a direct historical quote) “the Christians deeds were on everyone’s lips, and they glorified the God the Christians, for such acts of compassion, convinced the pagans that these Christians were devoutly religious and truly reverent to God.” End of quote.
So…after all that being said, we now understand the deep compassion in the heart of our Lord, that when suddenly, instead of a quiet time alone with the Father, He finds Himself thrust compassionately into being the “Servant” He was…..and is, setting an example for us as how to be more like Him.
There is a simple praise song that speaks to this, and it goes as such:
Lord, I want to be more like You
Lord I want to be more like You
I want to be a vessel You work through
I want to be more like You……………….
There is a key word in this chorus that is critical to the outworking of the deed, and that word is “want.” He will never, never, never force us to do anything, but His desire is for us to want to do for Him by being like Him.
Time for that story I was talking about……
The story is called “From Libya with Love”
Mohammed Bzeek is one of the many immigrants who make America better. This bearded gentle giant who hails from Libya is one amazing story. His wife to be, Dawn, was already taking in foster children when he met her, and they continued to care for foster children after they married. But lots of folks open their homes to foster kids. (though not enough) Mohammed and Dawn were different. In the mid-1990’s, they began taking in kids who were not only desperate for a home, but desperately terminally ill children who could not see, hear or talk. This couple had a simple vision that they could fill the short lives of these dying children with as much love as it was possible to give. Since taking in these children, they have buried ten. But his heart never broke more than when he watched the love of his life, his wife Dawn die from blood clots in her lungs in 2015.
Bzeek was determined to continue her vision to care for the most vulnerable. Nothing demonstrates that commitment more than watching him care for his then most severely disabled foster child, Renea, a six-year-old tiny girl who was born with microcephaly. She is unable to see, hear or talk. She lies helpless for twenty-four house a day, hooked to breathing tubes and wires. When no one else was willing to care for her, this man from Libra took her in. He recently told a People Magazine reporter, “The only way I can communicate with Renea is by touch. So I hold her. “ I want her to know that someone is here for her. Somebody loves her. She is not alone.” Because Mohammed sleeps on a sofa next to her at night, she is never alone.
A lesser man might have said, “It was Dawn’s vision” and walk away.” When folks ask him why he still does it, Mohammed replies. “Even if these children cannot communicate, see, or hear, they still have a soul. They need somebody to love them. I tell them, ‘It’s okay, I’m her for you. We’ll go through this together.”
Mr. Bzeek would surely agree with something Mother Teresa said: “One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.’
1 THESSALONIANS 5:14 says to us, “Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.” Everyone? Everyone.
What Mohammed Bzeek recognized, was that the greatest miracle of all to him, and to all of us alive, is life itself. The fact that we can walk, touch, feel, think, love, see, smell, interact, have food to eat, air to breathe, sky to experience, beauty to grasp and hold in wonder…..the sound of waves washing ashore. Holding a newborn baby, a love, a dad, a mom, brother, sister, friend….and so much more. That our every-day experiences are tangible, real and touchable ‘miracles.’ Life is a miracle and how we choose, and we do choose to give and live this great and astounding gift….is mostly up to us.
Choose this day….this day, not only whom we will serve, but how we will live out our lives. Self-centered or giving? Showing compassion or judgment? Reaching out as Jesus did, as American Doll did, as Mohammed Bzeek did….or as you have the opportunity to choose.
Our Lord, Savior and Friend, Jesus the Christ….one man born of God and woman…a lone figure crying the wilderness…. changed the course of history in a multitude of ways for the entire world, if only, if only. His miracle message of love, hope, compassion, forgiveness, grace, faith and so much more…. reaches out beyond our world into the universe with a universal message unlike any other…and we are blessed. May we remember daily…. WE ARE BLESSED. X2
Amen
** Adapting, Change, Transitions, Patience, Stewardship, Peace **
Message by; Connie Funkhouser
subbing for Pastor Tom
posted per requests
June 07, 2020
Most of us are not good at juggling tennis balls or bowling pins. Now imagine trying to juggle while jumping backwards … and wearing high heels.
This perhaps illustrates what it is like trying to live a “new normal,” where life is drastically different than what we have been accustomed to and will not change for some time or may never will change. Our heart and mind are still in the life we just left, yet our present beckons. This new normal could be life after a loved one had major surgery & never fully recovers, the passing of a spouse, bad news about our health, or prolonged unemployment. It could be re-locating to a new city or learning new skills @ an advanced age. Some of these circumstances are planned and others come without notice, but all result in a forced change/or an unexpected transition.
Sometimes “new” can be desired and exciting, but other times it is not. James 1:vs2 & 3 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing the testing of your faith produces patience.” Most of us want to live out James 1:2 & 3 and persevere through trials, but day-to-day living can instead be a roller coaster of pining for the past, trying to live in an unfamiliar present, doing our best to establishing new comfort zones, praying for patience, all while trying to maintain our peaceful spirits.
Why is adapting to change so hard? How do we walk through these canyons of life?
A new normal pose various challenges:
Ultimately, adapting, change, and transitions dramatically alters foundations of our life. So, what can we do?
Amidst all the questions, emotions, and feeling out of sorts, there is something that can provide us with the space needed to process our questions and emotions yet provide wisdom for practicalities. It lies in approaching our new normal as a matter of stewardship—not in just a financial sense, but stewardship on a broader level. When all is said and done God will ask, “What did you do with the people, talents, places, resources, and yes, hardships, I placed before you? How have you reflected my character and loved others through all this?” (Matt. 25:14-30; 2 Cor. 1:3-5).
Approaching a difficult transition as a matter of stewardship helps us to be deliberate, careful, and realistic. More specifically, by viewing our transition as a matter of stewardship, we can enlist into our trial:
At what point does all this processing become unhelpful to us and others? Time will give us more clarity on that question and answers will vary with each person. But for now, some potential ways we can steward our thoughts, emotions, and actions in a world of unforeseen circumstances are to:
How foreign, how uncomfortable, and how disorienting it must have been for the Son of God to become man, to bear the weight of our sin, and subsequently face His father’s rejection on our behalf (Is. 53:1-12; Phil. 2:5-8)!
Yet, Jesus Christ willingly experienced a new normal for over 30 years.
And therein lies the rationale, example, and hope for walking through a difficult new life. The story of the Gospel is the story of a new normal—a relationship with God through the work of Christ. A relationship that came at a heavy price.
And so, can be with our new transition/altered existence. Out of the ashes can arise beauty. Out of the groaning comes the payoff of being a display of God’s splendor (Isa. 61:3). Out of the longing for the comforts of the past comes the chance to testify to a watching world that Jesus is our Lord and that His love is better than life (Rom. 12:1; Ps. 63:3). Not just through our words, but through our mourning, our hoping, our service, and yes, even our new normal.
Read Romans 12:1-2 . . . . .
Paul is calling believers to consider their whole life as a sacrifice dedicated to God and His purposes, a “living” sacrifice, both holy and single-minded.
How has God worked through hard life transitions in the past? How might that encourage us right now?
We cannot walk this road alone. If we do not have deep relationships with people at church, at our workplace, within community, and most importantly with our immediate families. What can we do to cultivate such relationships? Or how can we help facilitate relationships for those who do not have them?
Living wisely with the love of Jesus, impacting each relationship we have. The Grace of Jesus is what reaches those who do not believe. We can make the most of every opportunity to share His love without hesitation. Live the change Christ has made in our life’s and speak His promise of new life. Ppl are hungry for acceptance, stability, love, not constant reminders of how unworthy they are. Hearing that Jesus forgives them and accepts them right where they are is life changing.
In the 6 yrs. @ the JCC I cannot remember how many times that was the foundation of our Sunday messages - elaborate. . . .
When the world is trying to regain an economic footing, the only peace is in Christ. When evil smears disease throughout the world, He is the only peace. To experience His peace continually, we remain in Him. Waking each morning with the determination that living in the Presence of God is our priority. We pray. We digest His word. We train our thoughts not to listen to the enemy, but to believe as Jesus has spoken, as He has promised.
I read about this dear old lady who for years had boasted about her trust and faith in God’s promises and assurance of Heaven.
When she was close to her final hours, she had been talking about how sweet it was to trust the Lord, how wonderful His promises were.
An unbelieving neighbor came by to see her and said, “I want to ask you a question. Suppose after you die, you find that the promises of God are not true, that you are not really saved after all, that you have lost your soul?”
The dear lady said, “Well, I may lose my soul, but God would lose much more.”
He said, “Oh really. . .what would God lose.”
She said, “God would lose His Honor.”
When God makes a promise, He puts His very character and reputation on the line. Far too many ppl are sitting on the premises when they ought to be standing on His promises.
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can
be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23, NLT).
There are going to be times when we find ourselves in the midst of life’s dark storms, of change, transitions, adapting, testing our patience, and certainly disrupting our peace. God is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. He provides sustenance in our desert place. A revelation in His Word to give us hope – a friend to encourage us. The Lord gives us just what we need to inspire us that He is doing something new. Life can cloud our ability to recognize His provision. We must open our spiritual eyes, and fortunately ask to see His promise of something new.
Fortunately, as believers we can rally back to the peace from within. To the residence of the Holy Spirit in our very soul. When we tap into His peace we are not @ the mercy of the world around us, but can continue to navigate through change, transitions, with a confident heart that trusts. When we are in control, we have no definite answers. When God is @ the helm, we are not responsible for the outcome. He is.
As faithful Stewards we are His disciples. We do not carry the problems of the world. He does. Continuously living in His presence, is peace. Peace believes in His promises. We have no time for what we can accomplish anymore. May we yearn for what He can accomplish through us. Our confidence in our Lord can be our motivation.
Friends believe Him and yield to the Holy Spirit’s peace. We are over-comers in Christ. We are His beloved. Remain in Him. Be His instrument, His apprentice. By doing so you will bring joy to Our Father, Our Creator, and a sincere peace to those who you cherish most.
Amen
Message by; Connie Funkhouser
subbing for Pastor Tom
posted per requests
June 07, 2020
Most of us are not good at juggling tennis balls or bowling pins. Now imagine trying to juggle while jumping backwards … and wearing high heels.
This perhaps illustrates what it is like trying to live a “new normal,” where life is drastically different than what we have been accustomed to and will not change for some time or may never will change. Our heart and mind are still in the life we just left, yet our present beckons. This new normal could be life after a loved one had major surgery & never fully recovers, the passing of a spouse, bad news about our health, or prolonged unemployment. It could be re-locating to a new city or learning new skills @ an advanced age. Some of these circumstances are planned and others come without notice, but all result in a forced change/or an unexpected transition.
Sometimes “new” can be desired and exciting, but other times it is not. James 1:vs2 & 3 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing the testing of your faith produces patience.” Most of us want to live out James 1:2 & 3 and persevere through trials, but day-to-day living can instead be a roller coaster of pining for the past, trying to live in an unfamiliar present, doing our best to establishing new comfort zones, praying for patience, all while trying to maintain our peaceful spirits.
Why is adapting to change so hard? How do we walk through these canyons of life?
A new normal pose various challenges:
- Theological questions – Questions can abound when trying to reconcile what we believe with our experience. If God is good, why did my spouse or child die? Am I not a good Christian if I do not rejoice always? Am I being punished for something I did?
- Emotional strain – We are made to know and be known. When close relationships end and new ones are not as deep, it hurts. Work and functional independence give us some sense of value, dignity, and self-respect, and when those are taken away, we might feel worthless or question our purpose. Whether what we have lost is regarding relationships, work, familiar routines, or health, we simply do not feel like ourselves let alone complete.
- Practicalities – New is scary, and if we are not careful, we make unfair comparisons between the known past and the unfamiliar present. So how do we move forward while honoring what we have lost? Who can we talk to, especially when what we lost is so much a part of how we think and live?
Ultimately, adapting, change, and transitions dramatically alters foundations of our life. So, what can we do?
Amidst all the questions, emotions, and feeling out of sorts, there is something that can provide us with the space needed to process our questions and emotions yet provide wisdom for practicalities. It lies in approaching our new normal as a matter of stewardship—not in just a financial sense, but stewardship on a broader level. When all is said and done God will ask, “What did you do with the people, talents, places, resources, and yes, hardships, I placed before you? How have you reflected my character and loved others through all this?” (Matt. 25:14-30; 2 Cor. 1:3-5).
Approaching a difficult transition as a matter of stewardship helps us to be deliberate, careful, and realistic. More specifically, by viewing our transition as a matter of stewardship, we can enlist into our trial:
- Direction, structure, and guard rails – Our mind goes places while adapting/changing and we do need space to process and mourn. But we do not get to think, feel, or do whatever we want. All of life is lived before God (Ps. 139).
At what point does all this processing become unhelpful to us and others? Time will give us more clarity on that question and answers will vary with each person. But for now, some potential ways we can steward our thoughts, emotions, and actions in a world of unforeseen circumstances are to:
- Think biblically and accurately about the past and the present.
- Cultivate gratitude for past and present good gifts, rather than demand them or harbor resentment for the new.
- Think and speak about what is helpful for building others up in the faith—there can be a way to talk about loss which offers a portrait of godly grief mixed with hope and faith (no matter how small).
- Grace, nuance, and patience – Viewing a new normal as a matter of stewardship pushes us towards spiritual aspirations of growth in godliness while also being realistic about what life will be like. Whether for ourselves or as we help others, stewardship offers a lens to work through the nuance and gradual nature of trying to live out black and white truth . . . because:
- Transitions take time. We will slip up and idolize the past. We will make unfair comparisons and place our identity and security in something that was never meant to bear that weight (Ps. 103:15-18). That does not mean we are not trying to pursue godliness.
- Sanctification is a matter of degrees. Where we derive our worth and security is rarely an all-or-nothing proposition. Yes, it needs to be foundationally based on the person and work of Christ, but we still find value and comfort in our relationships, work, and routines. It is about gradually holding more and more tightly to identity in Christ.
How foreign, how uncomfortable, and how disorienting it must have been for the Son of God to become man, to bear the weight of our sin, and subsequently face His father’s rejection on our behalf (Is. 53:1-12; Phil. 2:5-8)!
Yet, Jesus Christ willingly experienced a new normal for over 30 years.
And therein lies the rationale, example, and hope for walking through a difficult new life. The story of the Gospel is the story of a new normal—a relationship with God through the work of Christ. A relationship that came at a heavy price.
And so, can be with our new transition/altered existence. Out of the ashes can arise beauty. Out of the groaning comes the payoff of being a display of God’s splendor (Isa. 61:3). Out of the longing for the comforts of the past comes the chance to testify to a watching world that Jesus is our Lord and that His love is better than life (Rom. 12:1; Ps. 63:3). Not just through our words, but through our mourning, our hoping, our service, and yes, even our new normal.
Read Romans 12:1-2 . . . . .
Paul is calling believers to consider their whole life as a sacrifice dedicated to God and His purposes, a “living” sacrifice, both holy and single-minded.
How has God worked through hard life transitions in the past? How might that encourage us right now?
We cannot walk this road alone. If we do not have deep relationships with people at church, at our workplace, within community, and most importantly with our immediate families. What can we do to cultivate such relationships? Or how can we help facilitate relationships for those who do not have them?
Living wisely with the love of Jesus, impacting each relationship we have. The Grace of Jesus is what reaches those who do not believe. We can make the most of every opportunity to share His love without hesitation. Live the change Christ has made in our life’s and speak His promise of new life. Ppl are hungry for acceptance, stability, love, not constant reminders of how unworthy they are. Hearing that Jesus forgives them and accepts them right where they are is life changing.
In the 6 yrs. @ the JCC I cannot remember how many times that was the foundation of our Sunday messages - elaborate. . . .
When the world is trying to regain an economic footing, the only peace is in Christ. When evil smears disease throughout the world, He is the only peace. To experience His peace continually, we remain in Him. Waking each morning with the determination that living in the Presence of God is our priority. We pray. We digest His word. We train our thoughts not to listen to the enemy, but to believe as Jesus has spoken, as He has promised.
I read about this dear old lady who for years had boasted about her trust and faith in God’s promises and assurance of Heaven.
When she was close to her final hours, she had been talking about how sweet it was to trust the Lord, how wonderful His promises were.
An unbelieving neighbor came by to see her and said, “I want to ask you a question. Suppose after you die, you find that the promises of God are not true, that you are not really saved after all, that you have lost your soul?”
The dear lady said, “Well, I may lose my soul, but God would lose much more.”
He said, “Oh really. . .what would God lose.”
She said, “God would lose His Honor.”
When God makes a promise, He puts His very character and reputation on the line. Far too many ppl are sitting on the premises when they ought to be standing on His promises.
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can
be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23, NLT).
There are going to be times when we find ourselves in the midst of life’s dark storms, of change, transitions, adapting, testing our patience, and certainly disrupting our peace. God is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. He provides sustenance in our desert place. A revelation in His Word to give us hope – a friend to encourage us. The Lord gives us just what we need to inspire us that He is doing something new. Life can cloud our ability to recognize His provision. We must open our spiritual eyes, and fortunately ask to see His promise of something new.
Fortunately, as believers we can rally back to the peace from within. To the residence of the Holy Spirit in our very soul. When we tap into His peace we are not @ the mercy of the world around us, but can continue to navigate through change, transitions, with a confident heart that trusts. When we are in control, we have no definite answers. When God is @ the helm, we are not responsible for the outcome. He is.
As faithful Stewards we are His disciples. We do not carry the problems of the world. He does. Continuously living in His presence, is peace. Peace believes in His promises. We have no time for what we can accomplish anymore. May we yearn for what He can accomplish through us. Our confidence in our Lord can be our motivation.
Friends believe Him and yield to the Holy Spirit’s peace. We are over-comers in Christ. We are His beloved. Remain in Him. Be His instrument, His apprentice. By doing so you will bring joy to Our Father, Our Creator, and a sincere peace to those who you cherish most.
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
May 31, 2020
SERMON ~ Are you CONTAGIOUS?
Pastor Tom Shanor
EPHESIANS 1:17-18
I ask….the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of glory to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do…………..
Mark 1:17 tells us ONE of these things He is calling us to do………………….
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said,
and I will send you out to fish for people.”
~ Fish for people! Lets’ put it this way……if you are going to fish, really fish, your intent is to catch. Some you catch, and some you lose. If you are new to fishing, you have a lot to learn. You need to be intelligent about it, perhaps having the right equipment will help, but most of all, along with a good instructor, comes experience….and an intuitive sense grows by grasping what is important and what is not. Along with this (once caught up, your-self that is, in the magic of fishing) grows the desire to fish more, which then can become an obsession and even contagious, as you want good friends to feel what you feel, although some may never feel what you feel.
~ The same can be said in “fishing for people,” in bringing them to the knowledge of the Lord. Even in doing this there are right ways and wrong ways. This ability could also be intuitive (as the Holy Spirit draws people to Christ) and we have the privilege of reeling them in. The emotion that comes from having so called, reeled one in can be rather addictive, but not for the sole purpose of a long string of people (so to speak), but for the purpose, unlike with fish once caught ,in our catching them, we are actually setting them up to set them free from, as Scripture says, “sin and death,” and into a deep and personal relationship with Him.
~Of course, I am speaking about evangelism, (that is what it is called) and in the case of most of us who are not ministers or evangelists by calling, all of us are called to share our faith in an everyday manner. This is called ‘lifestyle evangelism’. Now the Apostle Paul was called to at least six, what are called the church then and today, offices, or official positions in The Faith. Those six Paul was called to, are Apostle, Evangelist, Missionary, Teacher, Prophet and Pastor. Being called means that He literally was chosen by God and anointed by the Holy Spirit to fulfill these and more roles.
~ You, for the most part being extra-ordinary, everyday people, fulfilling our variety of roles on this planet, for someone(s) has to take care of we who are called to ministry, (someone has to pay the bills so to speak) in other words support those who are called, to go into all the world preaching the Gospel. You though are also called to lifestyle evangelism. Lifestyle evangelism simply means just that. You talk, walk and act like Him, thereby, by what non-believers observe in us, are drawn to Jesus through us. We are to be examples in our lives of who He is.
~ When our lifestyles are different (and in the eyes of some, better) than perhaps our neighbors, (not our intention) two responses might happen. One is they should be drawn to who, and what we are and have. The second option they have is they become upset, do not like us because, subliminally we come across as better than they, and that makes them angry. It is not our intention, but it can be an outflow of who we are in Christ. Therefore, sometimes we become a focus of derision and even a backlash.
~ We must therefore keep our eyes and ears open to see if, and when either of these responses occur, because both responses are an opportunity to witness about the Lord to them. I see them as set-ups by God Himself, and how we respond or do not respond is important.
~ Where does the word “evangelism” comes from? ‘ev’ means Good, and the ‘angel’ means messenger. So together, the word means ‘good-message-ing,’ and what we are sharing in evangelizing is The Gospel. The word ‘Gospel’ comes down to us from the Anglo-Saxon word, ‘God-spell’, which itself signifies “Gods-spell,’ or ‘God’s story.’
~ In the 70’s there was a musical named “God-spell,” and within in it was a short little chorus I remember to this day.
O dear Lord
Three things I pray,
To see Thee more clearly,
Love Thee more dearly,
Follow Thee more nearly,
Day by day, by day………………….
~ That little chorus says it so clearly and simply.
~ In evangelizing we are witnesses to and adherents of the Gospel. The word ‘witness’ is a translation for the Greek word ‘martus’, from which we get our English word ‘martyr,’ or ‘one who witnesses with his or her life…circling around again to the term, ‘Lifestyle Evangelism.’
~ There is a legend that has been around for quite a while, about when Jesus returned to Heaven following His death and resurrection. Upon His arrival the angels gathered around Him in amazement. They gazed at the wounds in his hands and feet, shuddering as they recalled his suffering and death.
~ After a lengthy time, Gabriel finally and tentatively spoke: “Master, you suffered terribly, beyond belief by the hands of your oppressors on earth. Do those who did this to you, now understand the extent and meaning of Your great sacrifice for them?
~ “No,” said Jesus, “not yet. Right now, only a handful of my closest followers know and understand, yet even they not fully, but the time will soon come when they do. Then, what will they do to help others everywhere fully understand?
“Peter, James, John and the others will spread the word. They will tell others, who will tell others, until My message spreads to the end of the earth.”
But Gabriel, knowing well the nature of we human beings, asked, Lord, “what is plan B?”
~ “I have no plan B.” replied Jesus, there is not alternative strategy. I am counting on them and them alone! and those who follow them.”
Twenty centuries later…. this is still His plan, plan A. Yes, there are evangelists, missionaries, pastors, but most of all,\ He still is counting on you, by what you say and how you live to draw the majority of people to Him, and that’s the truth, plain and simple.
~ Will others come to Him because of both yours and my lifestyle of living by helping others, reaching out to the hurting, the hungry (both physically and spiritually) because we fix our thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure and lovely and admirable. Putting into our minds that which is excellent and worthy. Whatever we put into ourselves church family, is what others will see flowing from us. In doing so we become contagious in the good sense of the word’s meaning.
CAN AND WILL OTHERS CATCH WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE? WILL THEY? DO YOU WANT THEM TO? IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU? LIKE A VIRUS, MOST CONTAGIONS ARE CAUGHT BY BEING AIRBORNE….AS ARE OUR WORDS.
It does us good on occasion to hear an actual account of what the emphasis in this sermon is speaking of.
~ There was Alice, crotchety, and angry ‘old’ Alice. Quite a piece of work, and mean it seemed to the core. She was a terror to the entire neighborhood, especially the children who dared step on her property, or God forbid, a ball or etc. would end up in her yard, not that it was much of a yard, though she thought it was.
~ Her face was sour and surly, and she would wave her garden trowel and hedge-clippers like weapons in the face of anyone, who for whatever reason might by chance or choice try to stop by.
~ When James and Jean Mader moved next door, they mustered their courage (hearing of her reputation) to speak to Alice one day about the Lord, but she cut them off. “I’ve been a member of my church all my life,” she snorted, and I do not need anyone quoting the Bible to me!
~ The Mader’s prayed and looked for ways of befriending Alice, and slowly the relationship thawed just a little. Still, Alice wanted nothing to do with hearing what they wanted to share with her.
~ During a community evangelistic campaign put on by their church, they became involved in a ministry called “Operation Andrew,” (ever heard of it?) based on John 1:42 about Andrew the Disciple, introducing his brother Simon to Christ. The Maders listed ten people (practical planning) to pray for, and then to invite them to meetings held in their home. Of course, Alice’s name was at the top of their list, but she continually spurned their every attempt to have her attend.
~ One summer evening, returning from their vacation, the Maders found Alice’s house empty. She was in a nursing home, having suffered a stroke. They visited her regularly, bringing flowers and sharing news from the neighborhood. Alice was unable to speak, but one day when Jim asked if he could read the 23rd Psalm to her, she nodded her agreement.
~ Visiting her regularly, always reading Scripture to her, Jim and his wife Jean noticed that Alice began fixing her gaze on him as he read, instead of staring straight ahead as she had previously done. One day Jim asked her straight out, but gently, “do you want to ask the Lord for forgiveness of your sins and “give you peace with God, and thereby peace within your heart, mind and spirit? Alice indicated by nodding slightly that she did want to, and bowing her head as much as she could, prayed silently as Jim led her.
~ When she raised her head, her eyes were wet with tears. Alice, for the first time in her entire life…. was bathed in peace, as it appeared in her eyes which shone with joy. It had taken perseverance, acceptance, love, and prayer…. then forgiveness through the faithful and loving care from Jim and Jean…. twelve years of simply being there with and for Alice. Twelve years of never giving up.
~ There are many Alice’s, both men and women all around us who NEED their bottled-up pain of multiple kinds released, freed from, and the resultant anger will go. I know, because at one time I was one of them.
~ We should believe this is so….and if we do not, we need to reevaluate our faith. Are we a follower, a disciple of Christ, or are we simply religious, finding a measure of comfort in our religion through ceremony and ritual?
~ Either He is real and personal to you as revealed in the New Testament, or He is just an iconic religious figure that gives you in some ways a measure of, as I stated above, comfort.
` My own faith at times is up and down…….I have high moments and low ones, sometimes very low, where I question my personal depth, but I keep coming back to the One to whom I cannot seem to get far away from, even when I try, and I have at times tried. Having been an agnostic, also a disciple of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for several years, then turning to astrology and numerology, coming this close to accepting some others that I am not going to mention, as I said above, I kept coming back to the One who walked on water….and the One who would just not let me have peace, except in Him, where I found and find unconditional grace, acceptance, love and forgiveness, compassion and understanding….arms always open, GRACE UPON GRACE.
~ There is a gift that the Lord gives us while we live out our lives in this world, and whether we accept it or not is in our hands. That gift is found in John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift, “Jesus says, “peace of mind and heart, and the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give you. So, don’t be afraid.”
~Whether it is a pandemic, an illness, a car accident and a myriad of all the things that can happen to us and those we love….Jesus says, we can (after the initial encounter) walk with peace in our minds and hearts. When a gift is given, we have the choice to accept or reject it. Accept it and pay it forward because bringing peace can be contagious. Amen
May 31, 2020
SERMON ~ Are you CONTAGIOUS?
Pastor Tom Shanor
EPHESIANS 1:17-18
I ask….the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of glory to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do…………..
Mark 1:17 tells us ONE of these things He is calling us to do………………….
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said,
and I will send you out to fish for people.”
~ Fish for people! Lets’ put it this way……if you are going to fish, really fish, your intent is to catch. Some you catch, and some you lose. If you are new to fishing, you have a lot to learn. You need to be intelligent about it, perhaps having the right equipment will help, but most of all, along with a good instructor, comes experience….and an intuitive sense grows by grasping what is important and what is not. Along with this (once caught up, your-self that is, in the magic of fishing) grows the desire to fish more, which then can become an obsession and even contagious, as you want good friends to feel what you feel, although some may never feel what you feel.
~ The same can be said in “fishing for people,” in bringing them to the knowledge of the Lord. Even in doing this there are right ways and wrong ways. This ability could also be intuitive (as the Holy Spirit draws people to Christ) and we have the privilege of reeling them in. The emotion that comes from having so called, reeled one in can be rather addictive, but not for the sole purpose of a long string of people (so to speak), but for the purpose, unlike with fish once caught ,in our catching them, we are actually setting them up to set them free from, as Scripture says, “sin and death,” and into a deep and personal relationship with Him.
~Of course, I am speaking about evangelism, (that is what it is called) and in the case of most of us who are not ministers or evangelists by calling, all of us are called to share our faith in an everyday manner. This is called ‘lifestyle evangelism’. Now the Apostle Paul was called to at least six, what are called the church then and today, offices, or official positions in The Faith. Those six Paul was called to, are Apostle, Evangelist, Missionary, Teacher, Prophet and Pastor. Being called means that He literally was chosen by God and anointed by the Holy Spirit to fulfill these and more roles.
~ You, for the most part being extra-ordinary, everyday people, fulfilling our variety of roles on this planet, for someone(s) has to take care of we who are called to ministry, (someone has to pay the bills so to speak) in other words support those who are called, to go into all the world preaching the Gospel. You though are also called to lifestyle evangelism. Lifestyle evangelism simply means just that. You talk, walk and act like Him, thereby, by what non-believers observe in us, are drawn to Jesus through us. We are to be examples in our lives of who He is.
~ When our lifestyles are different (and in the eyes of some, better) than perhaps our neighbors, (not our intention) two responses might happen. One is they should be drawn to who, and what we are and have. The second option they have is they become upset, do not like us because, subliminally we come across as better than they, and that makes them angry. It is not our intention, but it can be an outflow of who we are in Christ. Therefore, sometimes we become a focus of derision and even a backlash.
~ We must therefore keep our eyes and ears open to see if, and when either of these responses occur, because both responses are an opportunity to witness about the Lord to them. I see them as set-ups by God Himself, and how we respond or do not respond is important.
~ Where does the word “evangelism” comes from? ‘ev’ means Good, and the ‘angel’ means messenger. So together, the word means ‘good-message-ing,’ and what we are sharing in evangelizing is The Gospel. The word ‘Gospel’ comes down to us from the Anglo-Saxon word, ‘God-spell’, which itself signifies “Gods-spell,’ or ‘God’s story.’
~ In the 70’s there was a musical named “God-spell,” and within in it was a short little chorus I remember to this day.
O dear Lord
Three things I pray,
To see Thee more clearly,
Love Thee more dearly,
Follow Thee more nearly,
Day by day, by day………………….
~ That little chorus says it so clearly and simply.
~ In evangelizing we are witnesses to and adherents of the Gospel. The word ‘witness’ is a translation for the Greek word ‘martus’, from which we get our English word ‘martyr,’ or ‘one who witnesses with his or her life…circling around again to the term, ‘Lifestyle Evangelism.’
~ There is a legend that has been around for quite a while, about when Jesus returned to Heaven following His death and resurrection. Upon His arrival the angels gathered around Him in amazement. They gazed at the wounds in his hands and feet, shuddering as they recalled his suffering and death.
~ After a lengthy time, Gabriel finally and tentatively spoke: “Master, you suffered terribly, beyond belief by the hands of your oppressors on earth. Do those who did this to you, now understand the extent and meaning of Your great sacrifice for them?
~ “No,” said Jesus, “not yet. Right now, only a handful of my closest followers know and understand, yet even they not fully, but the time will soon come when they do. Then, what will they do to help others everywhere fully understand?
“Peter, James, John and the others will spread the word. They will tell others, who will tell others, until My message spreads to the end of the earth.”
But Gabriel, knowing well the nature of we human beings, asked, Lord, “what is plan B?”
~ “I have no plan B.” replied Jesus, there is not alternative strategy. I am counting on them and them alone! and those who follow them.”
Twenty centuries later…. this is still His plan, plan A. Yes, there are evangelists, missionaries, pastors, but most of all,\ He still is counting on you, by what you say and how you live to draw the majority of people to Him, and that’s the truth, plain and simple.
~ Will others come to Him because of both yours and my lifestyle of living by helping others, reaching out to the hurting, the hungry (both physically and spiritually) because we fix our thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure and lovely and admirable. Putting into our minds that which is excellent and worthy. Whatever we put into ourselves church family, is what others will see flowing from us. In doing so we become contagious in the good sense of the word’s meaning.
CAN AND WILL OTHERS CATCH WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE? WILL THEY? DO YOU WANT THEM TO? IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU? LIKE A VIRUS, MOST CONTAGIONS ARE CAUGHT BY BEING AIRBORNE….AS ARE OUR WORDS.
It does us good on occasion to hear an actual account of what the emphasis in this sermon is speaking of.
~ There was Alice, crotchety, and angry ‘old’ Alice. Quite a piece of work, and mean it seemed to the core. She was a terror to the entire neighborhood, especially the children who dared step on her property, or God forbid, a ball or etc. would end up in her yard, not that it was much of a yard, though she thought it was.
~ Her face was sour and surly, and she would wave her garden trowel and hedge-clippers like weapons in the face of anyone, who for whatever reason might by chance or choice try to stop by.
~ When James and Jean Mader moved next door, they mustered their courage (hearing of her reputation) to speak to Alice one day about the Lord, but she cut them off. “I’ve been a member of my church all my life,” she snorted, and I do not need anyone quoting the Bible to me!
~ The Mader’s prayed and looked for ways of befriending Alice, and slowly the relationship thawed just a little. Still, Alice wanted nothing to do with hearing what they wanted to share with her.
~ During a community evangelistic campaign put on by their church, they became involved in a ministry called “Operation Andrew,” (ever heard of it?) based on John 1:42 about Andrew the Disciple, introducing his brother Simon to Christ. The Maders listed ten people (practical planning) to pray for, and then to invite them to meetings held in their home. Of course, Alice’s name was at the top of their list, but she continually spurned their every attempt to have her attend.
~ One summer evening, returning from their vacation, the Maders found Alice’s house empty. She was in a nursing home, having suffered a stroke. They visited her regularly, bringing flowers and sharing news from the neighborhood. Alice was unable to speak, but one day when Jim asked if he could read the 23rd Psalm to her, she nodded her agreement.
~ Visiting her regularly, always reading Scripture to her, Jim and his wife Jean noticed that Alice began fixing her gaze on him as he read, instead of staring straight ahead as she had previously done. One day Jim asked her straight out, but gently, “do you want to ask the Lord for forgiveness of your sins and “give you peace with God, and thereby peace within your heart, mind and spirit? Alice indicated by nodding slightly that she did want to, and bowing her head as much as she could, prayed silently as Jim led her.
~ When she raised her head, her eyes were wet with tears. Alice, for the first time in her entire life…. was bathed in peace, as it appeared in her eyes which shone with joy. It had taken perseverance, acceptance, love, and prayer…. then forgiveness through the faithful and loving care from Jim and Jean…. twelve years of simply being there with and for Alice. Twelve years of never giving up.
~ There are many Alice’s, both men and women all around us who NEED their bottled-up pain of multiple kinds released, freed from, and the resultant anger will go. I know, because at one time I was one of them.
~ We should believe this is so….and if we do not, we need to reevaluate our faith. Are we a follower, a disciple of Christ, or are we simply religious, finding a measure of comfort in our religion through ceremony and ritual?
~ Either He is real and personal to you as revealed in the New Testament, or He is just an iconic religious figure that gives you in some ways a measure of, as I stated above, comfort.
` My own faith at times is up and down…….I have high moments and low ones, sometimes very low, where I question my personal depth, but I keep coming back to the One to whom I cannot seem to get far away from, even when I try, and I have at times tried. Having been an agnostic, also a disciple of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for several years, then turning to astrology and numerology, coming this close to accepting some others that I am not going to mention, as I said above, I kept coming back to the One who walked on water….and the One who would just not let me have peace, except in Him, where I found and find unconditional grace, acceptance, love and forgiveness, compassion and understanding….arms always open, GRACE UPON GRACE.
~ There is a gift that the Lord gives us while we live out our lives in this world, and whether we accept it or not is in our hands. That gift is found in John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift, “Jesus says, “peace of mind and heart, and the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give you. So, don’t be afraid.”
~Whether it is a pandemic, an illness, a car accident and a myriad of all the things that can happen to us and those we love….Jesus says, we can (after the initial encounter) walk with peace in our minds and hearts. When a gift is given, we have the choice to accept or reject it. Accept it and pay it forward because bringing peace can be contagious. Amen
The LITTLE CHURCH IN THE PINES
MACKS INN, ISLAND PARK, IDAHO
MAY 24, 2020
“SHAME ON SHAME” (used as manipulation)
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
ROMANS 8:1
“There is now….no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Confess whatever is making you feel shame, guilt and regret.
How many of us sitting here this morning have ever been shamed, felt shamed or made someone else feel shamed? And, how does it feel? Is shame ever justified?
How many of us have been shamed by someone in the church because that by their standards, we had failed to live up to their expectations of behavior, thereby in their eyes sinning?
What was their intent in attempting to shame you or even someone you knew and cared for?
Was it to restore you, make you a better person, or just to show you that they were the last word on the way the truth and the life, and in following their standards or expectations, shaming you was a way to bring you around to what they considered was right, and also for the pleasure of seeing you and perhaps others seeing you in your potential embarrassment.
Shame can be a terribly debilitating and controlling emotion, and in the skilled hands of the so-called superior being, damming. Strong people who have a sense of value of themselves as sons and daughters of God, along with knowledge of Scripture, cannot and will not succumb to such manipulations. They are aware of the scheme of lies and desire for control that a person who is a “shamer,” is attempting to do, knowing that wrongful shaming is not of God and that being sons and daughters of God, “there is therefore now (at that moment) no condemnation for those who truly are in Christ Jesus!”
Can shame be legitimately used? Yes, but never with the intention of negative shaming, but perhaps of correctional, and helping someone turn around from going in the wrong direction after having done something they should not have done….and there is a difference.
I will later give you an example of how to get someone turned around from damaging or damming behavior without shaming. This and others were done by Jesus in several examples in the New Testament.
Shame, having experienced it myself on too many occasions, is an unpleasant to say the least, with self-exposure, typically associated with a negative evaluation of the self by someone else, or even ourselves; withdrawal; and feelings of distress, exposure, mistrust, powerlessness and even worthlessness, are just a few of the descriptive words used here. (BODY POSTURE OF SHAME)
Shame naturally, especially in whatever way it is delivered has a negative bearing on us, but if we (even when wrongly put on us) the experience can help to define for us boundaries of positive pursuits in some cases.
Whether we like it or not, our world, our culture, organizations, families and churches of course, all influence how we perceive God, often giving us false images of who God is.
One of the greatest and deepest idols of certain large numbers of American Christianity, is the abiding and maintenance of shame/guilt inducing narratives. CONTROL BY GUILT! For many of us who grew up in a church culture, the reason shame is so pervasive is that we grew up with lists of spiritual behaviors and musts that defined us by our following or rejection thereof of who and what is right or wrong. If ruled wrong (for there is no deviation permitted) out you go, and not gently, being called backslid-den or second-rate but REJECTS! That is something that once stamped on an individual’s forehead, it is like in our forefather’s pilgrim days, we are deemed anathema! Excommunicated!
So, a great number of Christians spend their time feeling shameful about who they are, even after years following their initial rejection, coloring their lives forever. This is a terrible and wrong approach to faith by control and subjection.
Christianity professes to be the religion that preaches, and supposedly lives and gives grace, unlike any other religion on the planet. The tragedy is that so many of us live more in shame than in grace, never understanding what grace is, (though we hear the word being used often)
“for it is by grace you (all) have been saved, through faith---and this is not from yourselves for it is the gift of God, not by works of good, so that no one can boast.”
Here are six tips the next time (however it comes) you find shame in your lives.
Bring shame into the light, thereby examining it through the gift of grace.
Untangle what you are feeling and ask Jesus to come through for you.
Unhitch what you do from who you are.
Recognize your triggers.
Make trusting helpful connections with at least one other person you can talk to honestly and openly.
Lastly but in hope, believing, pray.
The example I spoke of in the beginning can be found in the narration of Jesus talking to the woman at the well, a cursed Samaritan to boot. John 4:4-26
This story is a perfect one to remember, both when someone attempts to shame you or you feel tempted to shame someone else.
READ…… John 4:4-26 (those of you reading this on our website or at home)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
What I am about to narrate takes place before the return of Jesus to Galilee. Some Jews regarded the Samaritans as foreigners and their attitude was often hostile, although they shared most beliefs, but some did call them Samaritan Israelites. These two though at one time were one people group, they had drifted apart noting their differences instead of their likeness.
As I read this, keep in mind where the possibility of shaming could have, but did not come in. It is not the way Jesus worked and works to this day, though unfortunately many Christians and their leaders (having been taught to) do.
On His way back to Jerusalem Jesus had to go through Samaria. He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by His journey, was sitting by the well but had no bucket that could reach the water below. It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.” The Samaritan women said to Him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews share nothing with the Samaritans, nothing.
Keep in mind first, that this is a woman and therefore the Jews deemed her as little more than property, and in her case an intensely disliked Samaritan. Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is asking you, ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked me, and I would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?”
Jesus said to her, “Everyone wo drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water. (this at this time, was beyond her understanding) but she would come to believe.
This continued discourse suddenly becomes very personal, and I have tried to imagine what and how many Christians today would have approached her with shame and guilt if they knew her lifestyle, but not the Lord who knew all about her already.
Jesus says to her, gently confronting her with her sin, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered Him, (truthfully) “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for the man you are living with is not your husband. What you say is true!” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but You say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. (but in your life and heart)
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. BUT (daughter) the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in sprit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship Him, for God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (acknowledging her truthfulness with Him by her confession.) Later we can read where the disciples themselves arriving back were astounded that He was talking one on one with this Samaritan woman, and not only that, revealing to her the keys to the Kingdom of God.
The woman said to Him, “I know that the Messiah is coming” (who is called the Christ). “When He comes, He will proclaim all things to us.”
Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One who is speaking to you.
Here…He has approached this woman as an equal, speaking to her as He would both as to a man and to a Jew. This, I’m sure, was astounding to her in itself…that He continued to dialogue with her, telling her without condemnation where she was in life, also astounding her. Then He proceeds to open-up to her, not only knowledge of the Kingdom, but who He Himself was by telling her quite clearly who He was.
The end-result, (hoping He finally got His drink of water) was that not only she, but the entire town who upon hearing her, came out to meet this man, asking Him to stay, and the whole town became believers.
No condemnation…but love, acceptance and forgiveness.
Her culture influenced her picture of the Messiah, as our church culture influences both for right and wrong, our picture of who Jesus is. Do we always do it right? That depends on how well we know the Scriptures, to know when we aren’t and when we are.
Many Christians today are ashamed to be called Christians. Why? Often because both the professional and social medias take the worst examples of who some of are by manifesting intolerance in a mean and hateful manner, and they put them forth as the norm. Sometimes they get it right (sadly so) but most often get us wrong. For many of them, it is because we colored their lives with a bigoted Jesus, an angry and vengeful God, some from their own childhood. I hear it from Christians I know, who hold and proclaim biases and prejudices that Jesus does not have and never will.
We live now in a globalized world whether we like it or not, and what we think we say and do in the dark, can go around the world in a moment, showing aspects of who we are that we all too often have no legitimate right (according to the Gospel) to proclaim. This does not mean we capitulate to cultures, our own include, in areas and things we should not, but HOW we respond in word and in deed is indeed so especially important. Hate, shame, condemnation, but the greatest of biases should be the bias of love, acceptance and forgiveness, love, yes love….just as Jesus responded. Yes…just like Him.
So, when we have an opportunity to shame or lead by the examples Jesus set for us. Which will we choose? Please….when too often, we lead by our biases and prejudices and religion, it is heartbreaking that many will walk away still in their pain and personal rejection and where there was a chance to find wholeness, love and acceptance, we failed them. I’m not shaming you here, I am desperately trying to get you to see all people as Jesus sees them, as He look through the heart of the cross.
We should think about this as we encounter the world and its people, His people, every day just as Jesus did.
Selah, pause and think about it….
MACKS INN, ISLAND PARK, IDAHO
MAY 24, 2020
“SHAME ON SHAME” (used as manipulation)
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
ROMANS 8:1
“There is now….no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Confess whatever is making you feel shame, guilt and regret.
How many of us sitting here this morning have ever been shamed, felt shamed or made someone else feel shamed? And, how does it feel? Is shame ever justified?
How many of us have been shamed by someone in the church because that by their standards, we had failed to live up to their expectations of behavior, thereby in their eyes sinning?
What was their intent in attempting to shame you or even someone you knew and cared for?
Was it to restore you, make you a better person, or just to show you that they were the last word on the way the truth and the life, and in following their standards or expectations, shaming you was a way to bring you around to what they considered was right, and also for the pleasure of seeing you and perhaps others seeing you in your potential embarrassment.
Shame can be a terribly debilitating and controlling emotion, and in the skilled hands of the so-called superior being, damming. Strong people who have a sense of value of themselves as sons and daughters of God, along with knowledge of Scripture, cannot and will not succumb to such manipulations. They are aware of the scheme of lies and desire for control that a person who is a “shamer,” is attempting to do, knowing that wrongful shaming is not of God and that being sons and daughters of God, “there is therefore now (at that moment) no condemnation for those who truly are in Christ Jesus!”
Can shame be legitimately used? Yes, but never with the intention of negative shaming, but perhaps of correctional, and helping someone turn around from going in the wrong direction after having done something they should not have done….and there is a difference.
I will later give you an example of how to get someone turned around from damaging or damming behavior without shaming. This and others were done by Jesus in several examples in the New Testament.
Shame, having experienced it myself on too many occasions, is an unpleasant to say the least, with self-exposure, typically associated with a negative evaluation of the self by someone else, or even ourselves; withdrawal; and feelings of distress, exposure, mistrust, powerlessness and even worthlessness, are just a few of the descriptive words used here. (BODY POSTURE OF SHAME)
Shame naturally, especially in whatever way it is delivered has a negative bearing on us, but if we (even when wrongly put on us) the experience can help to define for us boundaries of positive pursuits in some cases.
- The definition of shame is, it is a basic emotion, described as a moral or social emotion that because of potential social or even family and or church relational consequences, can drive us to hide or deny real wrongdoings and even perceived wrongdoing…sometimes called sin.
- The focus of shame is on the self or the individual; it is the only emotion that is dysfunctional for the individual, but functional by necessity within a group if well hidden.
- In different cultures and even in different churches, where behaviors that are shamed by some may be acceptable in others. Within cultures and countries over periods of time, social progress (as it is called) will change its definition and standards of what is acceptable and what is not, though often there is an overlap period full of discourse and struggle, sometimes reaching a pinnacle of great conflict, but, CHANGE WILL COME.
Whether we like it or not, our world, our culture, organizations, families and churches of course, all influence how we perceive God, often giving us false images of who God is.
One of the greatest and deepest idols of certain large numbers of American Christianity, is the abiding and maintenance of shame/guilt inducing narratives. CONTROL BY GUILT! For many of us who grew up in a church culture, the reason shame is so pervasive is that we grew up with lists of spiritual behaviors and musts that defined us by our following or rejection thereof of who and what is right or wrong. If ruled wrong (for there is no deviation permitted) out you go, and not gently, being called backslid-den or second-rate but REJECTS! That is something that once stamped on an individual’s forehead, it is like in our forefather’s pilgrim days, we are deemed anathema! Excommunicated!
So, a great number of Christians spend their time feeling shameful about who they are, even after years following their initial rejection, coloring their lives forever. This is a terrible and wrong approach to faith by control and subjection.
Christianity professes to be the religion that preaches, and supposedly lives and gives grace, unlike any other religion on the planet. The tragedy is that so many of us live more in shame than in grace, never understanding what grace is, (though we hear the word being used often)
“for it is by grace you (all) have been saved, through faith---and this is not from yourselves for it is the gift of God, not by works of good, so that no one can boast.”
Here are six tips the next time (however it comes) you find shame in your lives.
Bring shame into the light, thereby examining it through the gift of grace.
Untangle what you are feeling and ask Jesus to come through for you.
Unhitch what you do from who you are.
Recognize your triggers.
Make trusting helpful connections with at least one other person you can talk to honestly and openly.
Lastly but in hope, believing, pray.
The example I spoke of in the beginning can be found in the narration of Jesus talking to the woman at the well, a cursed Samaritan to boot. John 4:4-26
This story is a perfect one to remember, both when someone attempts to shame you or you feel tempted to shame someone else.
READ…… John 4:4-26 (those of you reading this on our website or at home)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
What I am about to narrate takes place before the return of Jesus to Galilee. Some Jews regarded the Samaritans as foreigners and their attitude was often hostile, although they shared most beliefs, but some did call them Samaritan Israelites. These two though at one time were one people group, they had drifted apart noting their differences instead of their likeness.
As I read this, keep in mind where the possibility of shaming could have, but did not come in. It is not the way Jesus worked and works to this day, though unfortunately many Christians and their leaders (having been taught to) do.
On His way back to Jerusalem Jesus had to go through Samaria. He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by His journey, was sitting by the well but had no bucket that could reach the water below. It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.” The Samaritan women said to Him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews share nothing with the Samaritans, nothing.
Keep in mind first, that this is a woman and therefore the Jews deemed her as little more than property, and in her case an intensely disliked Samaritan. Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is asking you, ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked me, and I would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?”
Jesus said to her, “Everyone wo drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water. (this at this time, was beyond her understanding) but she would come to believe.
This continued discourse suddenly becomes very personal, and I have tried to imagine what and how many Christians today would have approached her with shame and guilt if they knew her lifestyle, but not the Lord who knew all about her already.
Jesus says to her, gently confronting her with her sin, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered Him, (truthfully) “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for the man you are living with is not your husband. What you say is true!” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but You say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. (but in your life and heart)
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. BUT (daughter) the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in sprit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship Him, for God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (acknowledging her truthfulness with Him by her confession.) Later we can read where the disciples themselves arriving back were astounded that He was talking one on one with this Samaritan woman, and not only that, revealing to her the keys to the Kingdom of God.
The woman said to Him, “I know that the Messiah is coming” (who is called the Christ). “When He comes, He will proclaim all things to us.”
Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One who is speaking to you.
Here…He has approached this woman as an equal, speaking to her as He would both as to a man and to a Jew. This, I’m sure, was astounding to her in itself…that He continued to dialogue with her, telling her without condemnation where she was in life, also astounding her. Then He proceeds to open-up to her, not only knowledge of the Kingdom, but who He Himself was by telling her quite clearly who He was.
The end-result, (hoping He finally got His drink of water) was that not only she, but the entire town who upon hearing her, came out to meet this man, asking Him to stay, and the whole town became believers.
No condemnation…but love, acceptance and forgiveness.
Her culture influenced her picture of the Messiah, as our church culture influences both for right and wrong, our picture of who Jesus is. Do we always do it right? That depends on how well we know the Scriptures, to know when we aren’t and when we are.
Many Christians today are ashamed to be called Christians. Why? Often because both the professional and social medias take the worst examples of who some of are by manifesting intolerance in a mean and hateful manner, and they put them forth as the norm. Sometimes they get it right (sadly so) but most often get us wrong. For many of them, it is because we colored their lives with a bigoted Jesus, an angry and vengeful God, some from their own childhood. I hear it from Christians I know, who hold and proclaim biases and prejudices that Jesus does not have and never will.
We live now in a globalized world whether we like it or not, and what we think we say and do in the dark, can go around the world in a moment, showing aspects of who we are that we all too often have no legitimate right (according to the Gospel) to proclaim. This does not mean we capitulate to cultures, our own include, in areas and things we should not, but HOW we respond in word and in deed is indeed so especially important. Hate, shame, condemnation, but the greatest of biases should be the bias of love, acceptance and forgiveness, love, yes love….just as Jesus responded. Yes…just like Him.
So, when we have an opportunity to shame or lead by the examples Jesus set for us. Which will we choose? Please….when too often, we lead by our biases and prejudices and religion, it is heartbreaking that many will walk away still in their pain and personal rejection and where there was a chance to find wholeness, love and acceptance, we failed them. I’m not shaming you here, I am desperately trying to get you to see all people as Jesus sees them, as He look through the heart of the cross.
We should think about this as we encounter the world and its people, His people, every day just as Jesus did.
Selah, pause and think about it….
The Little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
“END TIMES”
May 17, 2020
Good Morning again all of you awesome friends. Well, I do not know how to exactly say this, but you are in for it today. I have taken it upon myself to sort through some difficult Scriptures today and am not quite sure I will have accomplished what I have set out to do.
For the first time in over 20 years of preaching/teaching, I am attempting to give to you a reasonable, thoughtful and sensible understanding of Matthew 24, where Jesus is speaking on then current and end-time events, that directly pertain to two events in the life of both the church (you and I) and the world as a whole.
Every time there is a major earth event such as a larger than normal hurricane as an example, an earthquake where there hasn’t been one before, or such an event as we are currently and sadly going through, there are those “Christian” spokespersons who rise up out of nowhere or even somewhere and some we know, that manage to attempt to scare the hell out of those who will listen to them, as they claim, and therefore blame God because of His deep displeasure of people and cultural/moral, or any number of things that they themselves conjure up. Not always, that God is perhaps not pleased with some of these things, people, and events, but to, as in the case of earthquakes, hurricanes and volcanos exploding, tsunamis and much more. But…to say that all of these things are the result of sin, and therefore the hand of God will wipe out the innocent along with the sinners, and claim every time that these are the sign of the end of the world has ticked me off.
Some of these things are spoken of in Matthew 24, and I am going to attempt, and I say, attempt to sort through just a small portion of this on-going assault on our understanding of Scripture in context and even spirit.
Our world is experiencing a rash of what could be called biblically birth pangs these days. It is not up to me to declare the day the Lord will return. Scripture tells me that quite clearly, but over the millenniums many have tried, and all they spoke of happening failed to bring about the second coming of the Lord. We do know this much: it is the beginning of the end and the beginning of new beginnings with the beginnings having begun on the day of Christ’s resurrection and then ascension. Jesus tells us that Calamities and catastrophes must occur before the birth of the new world, yet calamities and catastrophes have been with us since the beginning of both the world and with humanity.
The idea that natural disasters are THE “signs” of the end times is nothing new; for you will find many claiming (false prophets) this that we are going through even today is one of those signs, and after each natural disaster or even local disaster, no matter when or where they occur around the globe is the beginning of The End.
When we combine the frequency of these end-times claims, with the general biblical illiteracy of the church in America, especially the evangelical and Pentecostal, it is understandable…yet horribly tragic - that so many
Christians blindly believe it…no matter who or what pastor or so-called prophet says so.
History is replete with pastors and self-proclaimed prophets who both blame and claim whatever bad things happen to us and the world, are directly from God, because of our state of personal and social sin. God gets blamed often and deeply for most bad things that happen. I do not know how He feels about that.
My question today for these so-called prophets is; if God is good, why do so very many of the innocent suffer alongside the sinners who allegedly are responsible for all these things that are occurring in the world today?
The truth? Natural disasters are not the signs that we are in the “end-times.” as they are called, yet there is partial truth in these words that I will get into.
In fairness, the belief that natural disasters and other events will proceed the “end” is not something pulled out of thin air, but it is an idea that comes from a very specific passages in Scripture: the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24. In this passage Jesus is quoted in part, as saying the following: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come. For nations will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginning of birth pains.” There we are again, in the birth-pangs and the beginning of something God is up to.
For those of us who were raised within an end-times framework, it’s easy to read into the Olivet Discourse, especially quoting isolated parts such as what I just quoted above, and to ignore the context entirely, in order to make it fit with what we who again were brought up biblically in this mind-set, were taught about the future of the world ending. It is also easy to read into these words things that are not there, while ignoring some important things that are there.
Like a horoscope that is written so general, it can apply to anyone when we isolate statements such as “there will be wars and rumors of wars” it’s quite natural to say, “aha! I can see that now” but, those two things have always been with us.
So…here are the critical things you need to know about Matthew 24, and here’s why modern natural disasters are NOT, THE “signs” of the end of the world.
I will say that in this discourse….as on other occasions, Jesus mixes two or more event into one in his dialogue. In this time and place He is doing so, and it takes some study and understanding to separate them. Not being a Rhoads Scholar or a member of Mensa, I had to take some real time to make sense of the sequence.
The first question applied to the destruction of the Temple, while the second applied to the second coming of Christ, and the end of the world as we know it.
When Jesus answers he moves from the first to the second, and back to the first on more than several occasions.
Everything Jesus says in this passage is a direct answer to these disciples who with their specific questions want to know.
The prediction of war, famine and earthquakes would be pointless predictions if talking about the far-away future, because there would be no way to know which famines or earthquakes would be “the” ones, for there has always been famine, always been earthquakes and always been wars and rumors of wars. Furthermore, the people Jesus was talking to were not concerned with the end of the world so much as the more imminent destruction of the Temple, which at that time directly affected their lives.
Jesus did tell them to “stay alert’ to these signs – but there would be no point in telling them to stay alert to events that were not scheduled to occur for thousands of years. However, thee signs become both helpful and relevant if (and he was) speaking about the immediate or near future. In verse 16, Jesus, tells them why they should be alert, for when they were to witness some specific signs, they were to run to the mountains and wilderness in order to survive what was about to happen.
The question(s) for us today is, when will the end come, and will there be a host of wars and natural disasters before the “end of the world”? Well, we know that everything is finite, and if we believe everything Jesus says, everything, we therefore believe it will, and are given some indications and signs as to when and how. It is likely that two things will be present, for humanity in some areas having made great progress, while in others its’ quest for power and domination only seems to increase, as our population dramatically expands.
Having said that, I believe that only by the Second Arrival of Jesus, will we survive as a people, so intent are we by our fallen nature bent it seems, for self-destruction. Humanity has proven over and over, and over again, that on our own, we cannot achieve peace on earth and good-will toward man, with literally millions, many millions, and those mostly innocent have been killed and slaughtered.
Look at the 20th Century alone….
We entered the 20th Century with the Second Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902
World War 1, the war to end all wars - 1914-1918
World War 2, 1939 – 1945
Korean War – 1950-1953
Vietnam War – 1960-1975
Bay of Pigs invasion = 1961
Grenada – 1983
US Invasion of Panama – 1989
Persian Gulf War – 1990 – 1991
Intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina = 1995-1996
Invasion of Afghanistan – 2001 to Present
Invasion of Iraq – 2003-2011
War in Northwest Pakistan – 2004 – present
Somalia and Northeastern Kenya intervention – 2007 – present
Operation Ocean Shield – 2009 – 2016
Libra – Syria – Iraq - Yemeni and those are just wars and rumors of wars that we as a nation have been involved in, not mentioning all the other nations and their wars and skirmishes. Peace like a river…. I wish!
Wars and rumors of wars…. always. Natural disasters…. always. Earthquakes…. always! In various and unexpected places…always.
So…what are we to look for as THE signs as to the coming of the end of the world?
The real key is this, after all that…we are to be ready for His arrival at any given moment, meaning that we are to live today as our Lord would have us live. Good and right-living lives. Honest, moral, doing good, not holding grudges, forgiving others, not seeking vengeance, giving God in Christ his due…and his due is simply our lives lived for him and for each other, and that my friends is TRUE WORSHIP.
Matthew 24-36-44
Jesus finishes with these words……………
“Whenever you hear of all these things do not worry, “for concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, not even the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be at work, one will be taken and one left. Two women will be also working; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Therefore, you MUST be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
We hear ministers and so-called prophets today, yesterday and tomorrow, blaming this and blaming that for this and that. We hear that all these things and events are pointing to these days as the end of the world. There are false so-called prophets, usually after the fact, stating that this happened because that happened…etc., etc., etc. Most of these, mostly men, are simply looking for recognition and power having not heard from the Lord but using their own status to be seen and heard as prophetic. This has been going on for over 2000 years and will perhaps go on for 2000 or more years to come or will end tomorrow.
Here is what Jesus said we are to be aware of and on guard about, also found in Matthew 24, which I believe He found painful to speak of. Starting in verse 10, “And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end (as I spoke of above) will be saved. And the Good News about the kingdom will have been preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, the end will come.”
There are those today and have been for centuries who have focused so deeply on the end-times that they have lost the gift of living in today. Obsessed with signs, wonders and events that have caused unhealthy and erroneous thinking and actions. It is almost like a form of possession, causing peril to their souls,
and even peril to the souls of those who listen to and believe them.
We are to seek balance in our lives with healthy thinking, reasonable living, loving and caring for one another, even the strangers in our lives. God desires we be people of mercy and justice and grace. Forgiving and restoring and therefore following the footsteps of our Lord and Savior. Being like Him. If we do that simple thing…we will have accomplished all that we are here on earth for.
Amen
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
“END TIMES”
May 17, 2020
Good Morning again all of you awesome friends. Well, I do not know how to exactly say this, but you are in for it today. I have taken it upon myself to sort through some difficult Scriptures today and am not quite sure I will have accomplished what I have set out to do.
For the first time in over 20 years of preaching/teaching, I am attempting to give to you a reasonable, thoughtful and sensible understanding of Matthew 24, where Jesus is speaking on then current and end-time events, that directly pertain to two events in the life of both the church (you and I) and the world as a whole.
Every time there is a major earth event such as a larger than normal hurricane as an example, an earthquake where there hasn’t been one before, or such an event as we are currently and sadly going through, there are those “Christian” spokespersons who rise up out of nowhere or even somewhere and some we know, that manage to attempt to scare the hell out of those who will listen to them, as they claim, and therefore blame God because of His deep displeasure of people and cultural/moral, or any number of things that they themselves conjure up. Not always, that God is perhaps not pleased with some of these things, people, and events, but to, as in the case of earthquakes, hurricanes and volcanos exploding, tsunamis and much more. But…to say that all of these things are the result of sin, and therefore the hand of God will wipe out the innocent along with the sinners, and claim every time that these are the sign of the end of the world has ticked me off.
Some of these things are spoken of in Matthew 24, and I am going to attempt, and I say, attempt to sort through just a small portion of this on-going assault on our understanding of Scripture in context and even spirit.
Our world is experiencing a rash of what could be called biblically birth pangs these days. It is not up to me to declare the day the Lord will return. Scripture tells me that quite clearly, but over the millenniums many have tried, and all they spoke of happening failed to bring about the second coming of the Lord. We do know this much: it is the beginning of the end and the beginning of new beginnings with the beginnings having begun on the day of Christ’s resurrection and then ascension. Jesus tells us that Calamities and catastrophes must occur before the birth of the new world, yet calamities and catastrophes have been with us since the beginning of both the world and with humanity.
The idea that natural disasters are THE “signs” of the end times is nothing new; for you will find many claiming (false prophets) this that we are going through even today is one of those signs, and after each natural disaster or even local disaster, no matter when or where they occur around the globe is the beginning of The End.
When we combine the frequency of these end-times claims, with the general biblical illiteracy of the church in America, especially the evangelical and Pentecostal, it is understandable…yet horribly tragic - that so many
Christians blindly believe it…no matter who or what pastor or so-called prophet says so.
History is replete with pastors and self-proclaimed prophets who both blame and claim whatever bad things happen to us and the world, are directly from God, because of our state of personal and social sin. God gets blamed often and deeply for most bad things that happen. I do not know how He feels about that.
My question today for these so-called prophets is; if God is good, why do so very many of the innocent suffer alongside the sinners who allegedly are responsible for all these things that are occurring in the world today?
The truth? Natural disasters are not the signs that we are in the “end-times.” as they are called, yet there is partial truth in these words that I will get into.
In fairness, the belief that natural disasters and other events will proceed the “end” is not something pulled out of thin air, but it is an idea that comes from a very specific passages in Scripture: the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24. In this passage Jesus is quoted in part, as saying the following: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come. For nations will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginning of birth pains.” There we are again, in the birth-pangs and the beginning of something God is up to.
For those of us who were raised within an end-times framework, it’s easy to read into the Olivet Discourse, especially quoting isolated parts such as what I just quoted above, and to ignore the context entirely, in order to make it fit with what we who again were brought up biblically in this mind-set, were taught about the future of the world ending. It is also easy to read into these words things that are not there, while ignoring some important things that are there.
Like a horoscope that is written so general, it can apply to anyone when we isolate statements such as “there will be wars and rumors of wars” it’s quite natural to say, “aha! I can see that now” but, those two things have always been with us.
So…here are the critical things you need to know about Matthew 24, and here’s why modern natural disasters are NOT, THE “signs” of the end of the world.
I will say that in this discourse….as on other occasions, Jesus mixes two or more event into one in his dialogue. In this time and place He is doing so, and it takes some study and understanding to separate them. Not being a Rhoads Scholar or a member of Mensa, I had to take some real time to make sense of the sequence.
- Jesus is not predicting the end of the world, as he responds to the first question the Disciples put forth to him in the very first verse. As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished with not one stone left atop another!”
The first question applied to the destruction of the Temple, while the second applied to the second coming of Christ, and the end of the world as we know it.
When Jesus answers he moves from the first to the second, and back to the first on more than several occasions.
Everything Jesus says in this passage is a direct answer to these disciples who with their specific questions want to know.
The prediction of war, famine and earthquakes would be pointless predictions if talking about the far-away future, because there would be no way to know which famines or earthquakes would be “the” ones, for there has always been famine, always been earthquakes and always been wars and rumors of wars. Furthermore, the people Jesus was talking to were not concerned with the end of the world so much as the more imminent destruction of the Temple, which at that time directly affected their lives.
Jesus did tell them to “stay alert’ to these signs – but there would be no point in telling them to stay alert to events that were not scheduled to occur for thousands of years. However, thee signs become both helpful and relevant if (and he was) speaking about the immediate or near future. In verse 16, Jesus, tells them why they should be alert, for when they were to witness some specific signs, they were to run to the mountains and wilderness in order to survive what was about to happen.
- He claimed these events specifically were related to the destruction of the Temple and NOT the end of the world, saying in verse 34, “This generation will not pass away or die (a generation is 40 years) until all these things take place.”
The question(s) for us today is, when will the end come, and will there be a host of wars and natural disasters before the “end of the world”? Well, we know that everything is finite, and if we believe everything Jesus says, everything, we therefore believe it will, and are given some indications and signs as to when and how. It is likely that two things will be present, for humanity in some areas having made great progress, while in others its’ quest for power and domination only seems to increase, as our population dramatically expands.
Having said that, I believe that only by the Second Arrival of Jesus, will we survive as a people, so intent are we by our fallen nature bent it seems, for self-destruction. Humanity has proven over and over, and over again, that on our own, we cannot achieve peace on earth and good-will toward man, with literally millions, many millions, and those mostly innocent have been killed and slaughtered.
Look at the 20th Century alone….
We entered the 20th Century with the Second Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902
World War 1, the war to end all wars - 1914-1918
World War 2, 1939 – 1945
Korean War – 1950-1953
Vietnam War – 1960-1975
Bay of Pigs invasion = 1961
Grenada – 1983
US Invasion of Panama – 1989
Persian Gulf War – 1990 – 1991
Intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina = 1995-1996
Invasion of Afghanistan – 2001 to Present
Invasion of Iraq – 2003-2011
War in Northwest Pakistan – 2004 – present
Somalia and Northeastern Kenya intervention – 2007 – present
Operation Ocean Shield – 2009 – 2016
Libra – Syria – Iraq - Yemeni and those are just wars and rumors of wars that we as a nation have been involved in, not mentioning all the other nations and their wars and skirmishes. Peace like a river…. I wish!
Wars and rumors of wars…. always. Natural disasters…. always. Earthquakes…. always! In various and unexpected places…always.
So…what are we to look for as THE signs as to the coming of the end of the world?
The real key is this, after all that…we are to be ready for His arrival at any given moment, meaning that we are to live today as our Lord would have us live. Good and right-living lives. Honest, moral, doing good, not holding grudges, forgiving others, not seeking vengeance, giving God in Christ his due…and his due is simply our lives lived for him and for each other, and that my friends is TRUE WORSHIP.
Matthew 24-36-44
Jesus finishes with these words……………
“Whenever you hear of all these things do not worry, “for concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, not even the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be at work, one will be taken and one left. Two women will be also working; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Therefore, you MUST be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
We hear ministers and so-called prophets today, yesterday and tomorrow, blaming this and blaming that for this and that. We hear that all these things and events are pointing to these days as the end of the world. There are false so-called prophets, usually after the fact, stating that this happened because that happened…etc., etc., etc. Most of these, mostly men, are simply looking for recognition and power having not heard from the Lord but using their own status to be seen and heard as prophetic. This has been going on for over 2000 years and will perhaps go on for 2000 or more years to come or will end tomorrow.
Here is what Jesus said we are to be aware of and on guard about, also found in Matthew 24, which I believe He found painful to speak of. Starting in verse 10, “And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end (as I spoke of above) will be saved. And the Good News about the kingdom will have been preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, the end will come.”
There are those today and have been for centuries who have focused so deeply on the end-times that they have lost the gift of living in today. Obsessed with signs, wonders and events that have caused unhealthy and erroneous thinking and actions. It is almost like a form of possession, causing peril to their souls,
and even peril to the souls of those who listen to and believe them.
We are to seek balance in our lives with healthy thinking, reasonable living, loving and caring for one another, even the strangers in our lives. God desires we be people of mercy and justice and grace. Forgiving and restoring and therefore following the footsteps of our Lord and Savior. Being like Him. If we do that simple thing…we will have accomplished all that we are here on earth for.
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
May 10, 2020
Sermon ~ In “everything” give thanks!
Tom Shanor, Pastor
Pandemic 2020 has filled and changed our lives, to the extent we will know only as time goes forward. As for now it fills the news, fuels rumors, causes divisions and strife, bringing out both the good and ugly in people. Paranoia reigns amidst all of this and more.
AND YET…these words of Paul’s resonate through it all. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Our joy, our prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with our circumstances. I have heard and experienced many examples of ordinary people who through their belief/faith came through some horrendous and even extraordinary circumstances, managing to be and do all three of these. Doing so often goes against or very natural inclinations. When we make a conscious decision to do what God in Christ tells us to, is always for our benefit and often the benefit of others. In being obedient, however, we will begin to see not only our circumstances, but people in those circumstances with a new perspective. A spiritual and godly perspective. Not that we are joyful in the suffering of others and our own….but joyful in that God knows our pain, our fears, our hopes and even dreams, but avoid circumstances such as we are in now, we can’t, and our attitude through it all will often influence and even determine our outcome.
A well-known stress researcher named Hans Seyle claims though his research results, that two attitudes more than any other, influence the quality of everyday life, and on those two emotions “depend our peace of mind. Our feelings of security or insecurity. Of fulfillment or frustration, in short, the way we make our way through life.
The most destructive emotion is revenge but in contrast, deep contrast, among ALL emotions, there is one which more than any other, accounts for the absence of stress in human relations; and that is the choice accompanied by feelings of gratitude.
Speaking of a different person here, Victor Frankl, a researcher who studies the history of the Nazi death-camps, discovered writings of many of the Jewish prisoners to be uplifting, where they spoke of taking the time to be thankful…. and to count their blessings. He wrote that these prisoners dreamed at night about a certain set of things more than other things, and those things were from the everyday common things in their lives prior to their imprisonment. Bread, cakes, warm baths, beds, feelings of comfort and relationships, etc.
Frankl said that the prisoners appreciated beauty in the ordinary as never before. In one especially poignant paragraph he wrote: “if someone had seen our faces on the journey from Auschwitz to a Bavarian camp, as we beheld the mountains of Salzburg,” no one would have believed our faces were those of men and women who had given up all hope of life and liberty. Despite this, or maybe because of it, we were carried away by the natural beauty we were beholding which we had missed for such an exceedingly long time.”
~ In the devotional “Springs in the Valley” the author tells of men who found a barn where Satan kept his seeds ready to be sown in the human heart. He found that the seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. But when Satan was questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there was one place in which he could never get them to thrive. “And where is that? Asked the man. Satan replied in anger, “In the heart of a grateful person”
In everything give thanks,
In everything give thanks,
For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus,
Concerning you….
1st Thessalonians 5:18 (again)
~ Please note that this verse does not say for everything but in everything.
~ To give Him thanks, in the midst of this very real situation we are living every day, shows that we are reaching out and up, simply saying and asking….God, I need you now, perhaps more or equal to (though different) any situation I have ever been through. I may not understand, but that is because my understanding is limited and finite, and Yours is seeing the beginning to the finish. Infinite!
~ Living this life that we have been given, comes with risks, daily risks both great and small. Since the fall of mankind, sin and its consequences have pervaded, yet not overwhelmed the earth and all that is on it. In my opinion, it has broken down the walls of purity that once had been established in the beginning, and the results were and are Illness, disease, disagreements, wars, pollution and as you know, so much more. The unexpected can and will continue to happen and as a result, often painful and distressful….sometimes to the point of death events occur. That is the reality we live in and with.
~ In my understanding and opinion, God does not point His finger at you and say, “I am giving you cancer, or I am going to cause you to be in a deadly accident. Or, I am going to bring about this hurricane, killing both the innocent and guilty together because of Gay marriage, or any number of social changes. That is not the God I have come to know these past 74 years. That is life in its sometimes-stark reality. Bad things happen to “so-called good people,” and good things happen to “so-called bad people.” But what He does do….is allow (for now) the earth and all who inhabit it to live in and under the consequences of how the natural world functions.
~ Yet…in those, and the circumstances of today, as difficult and even awful as they may be….He desires that we call on Him in those, so that He being invited by us to walk with us through these things and we, then know that we do not walk alone. That His strength can be our strength, His wisdom our wisdom, His patience our patience and so much more.
~ We can join in prayer, giving thanks for what we do have, and where we have been that brought us to where we are today. Together, when we suffer sorrow, together we can find comfort and even a measure of Joy. The literal touch of His hand…through one another’s hands.
~ If we start our day with the Lord in an attitude of giving thanks our day will be so much better, in every way……like giving thanks for a warm bed, food in the cupboards, heat, clothing, bathrooms, showers, friends and family to interact with, perhaps a job (especially today) or retirement that allows us to live without stress….how about the magnitude of medical facilities and physicians, nurses, etc. A place where mountains, forests, lakes and wildlife all come together in one area in which we can find joy during anytime of the year.
~ We…are blessed!
~ A woman named Gerta Weissman was among the prisoners in Auschwitz. She recalled an episode one spring morning when she and her fellow inmates stood at rollcall for hours on end, nearly collapsing with hunger and fatigue. One woman noticed in the corner of that bleak, horrid, gray place, that the concrete had broken, and a single flower had poked its head through. One by one those thousands of women took great pains to avoid stepping on it, as it was the only spot of beauty in their ugly and heinous world. They drank it in, and it nourished their souls.
~ Though I do not know the circumstances of your lives, I do know some things that for some of you are very difficult and your heart aches. Please, instead of continual worry, offer up words of thanksgiving and words of prayer, trusting that all things will work together for the good for you.
~ We all know that life itself unexpectedly can change in a moment. A month ago, our economy was full steam ahead, vibrant, expanding, people were traveling, planning vacations, buying things, enjoying for the most part a very real prosperity. In one month look at our world today. It has been shaken to the core. During this time, we (I hope) once again realize what we had and now have. Fear could be what we move and live and have our being in…. but instead, using of course caution and common sense, we can move in thankfulness, joy and prayer. Loving, supporting and encouraging one another in the Lord every day and during this time of uncertainty.
~ Please….as you leave today, leave with a grateful heart.
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son
And now,
Let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son
Amen
May 10, 2020
Sermon ~ In “everything” give thanks!
Tom Shanor, Pastor
Pandemic 2020 has filled and changed our lives, to the extent we will know only as time goes forward. As for now it fills the news, fuels rumors, causes divisions and strife, bringing out both the good and ugly in people. Paranoia reigns amidst all of this and more.
AND YET…these words of Paul’s resonate through it all. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Our joy, our prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with our circumstances. I have heard and experienced many examples of ordinary people who through their belief/faith came through some horrendous and even extraordinary circumstances, managing to be and do all three of these. Doing so often goes against or very natural inclinations. When we make a conscious decision to do what God in Christ tells us to, is always for our benefit and often the benefit of others. In being obedient, however, we will begin to see not only our circumstances, but people in those circumstances with a new perspective. A spiritual and godly perspective. Not that we are joyful in the suffering of others and our own….but joyful in that God knows our pain, our fears, our hopes and even dreams, but avoid circumstances such as we are in now, we can’t, and our attitude through it all will often influence and even determine our outcome.
A well-known stress researcher named Hans Seyle claims though his research results, that two attitudes more than any other, influence the quality of everyday life, and on those two emotions “depend our peace of mind. Our feelings of security or insecurity. Of fulfillment or frustration, in short, the way we make our way through life.
The most destructive emotion is revenge but in contrast, deep contrast, among ALL emotions, there is one which more than any other, accounts for the absence of stress in human relations; and that is the choice accompanied by feelings of gratitude.
Speaking of a different person here, Victor Frankl, a researcher who studies the history of the Nazi death-camps, discovered writings of many of the Jewish prisoners to be uplifting, where they spoke of taking the time to be thankful…. and to count their blessings. He wrote that these prisoners dreamed at night about a certain set of things more than other things, and those things were from the everyday common things in their lives prior to their imprisonment. Bread, cakes, warm baths, beds, feelings of comfort and relationships, etc.
Frankl said that the prisoners appreciated beauty in the ordinary as never before. In one especially poignant paragraph he wrote: “if someone had seen our faces on the journey from Auschwitz to a Bavarian camp, as we beheld the mountains of Salzburg,” no one would have believed our faces were those of men and women who had given up all hope of life and liberty. Despite this, or maybe because of it, we were carried away by the natural beauty we were beholding which we had missed for such an exceedingly long time.”
~ In the devotional “Springs in the Valley” the author tells of men who found a barn where Satan kept his seeds ready to be sown in the human heart. He found that the seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. But when Satan was questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there was one place in which he could never get them to thrive. “And where is that? Asked the man. Satan replied in anger, “In the heart of a grateful person”
In everything give thanks,
In everything give thanks,
For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus,
Concerning you….
1st Thessalonians 5:18 (again)
~ Please note that this verse does not say for everything but in everything.
~ To give Him thanks, in the midst of this very real situation we are living every day, shows that we are reaching out and up, simply saying and asking….God, I need you now, perhaps more or equal to (though different) any situation I have ever been through. I may not understand, but that is because my understanding is limited and finite, and Yours is seeing the beginning to the finish. Infinite!
~ Living this life that we have been given, comes with risks, daily risks both great and small. Since the fall of mankind, sin and its consequences have pervaded, yet not overwhelmed the earth and all that is on it. In my opinion, it has broken down the walls of purity that once had been established in the beginning, and the results were and are Illness, disease, disagreements, wars, pollution and as you know, so much more. The unexpected can and will continue to happen and as a result, often painful and distressful….sometimes to the point of death events occur. That is the reality we live in and with.
~ In my understanding and opinion, God does not point His finger at you and say, “I am giving you cancer, or I am going to cause you to be in a deadly accident. Or, I am going to bring about this hurricane, killing both the innocent and guilty together because of Gay marriage, or any number of social changes. That is not the God I have come to know these past 74 years. That is life in its sometimes-stark reality. Bad things happen to “so-called good people,” and good things happen to “so-called bad people.” But what He does do….is allow (for now) the earth and all who inhabit it to live in and under the consequences of how the natural world functions.
~ Yet…in those, and the circumstances of today, as difficult and even awful as they may be….He desires that we call on Him in those, so that He being invited by us to walk with us through these things and we, then know that we do not walk alone. That His strength can be our strength, His wisdom our wisdom, His patience our patience and so much more.
~ We can join in prayer, giving thanks for what we do have, and where we have been that brought us to where we are today. Together, when we suffer sorrow, together we can find comfort and even a measure of Joy. The literal touch of His hand…through one another’s hands.
~ If we start our day with the Lord in an attitude of giving thanks our day will be so much better, in every way……like giving thanks for a warm bed, food in the cupboards, heat, clothing, bathrooms, showers, friends and family to interact with, perhaps a job (especially today) or retirement that allows us to live without stress….how about the magnitude of medical facilities and physicians, nurses, etc. A place where mountains, forests, lakes and wildlife all come together in one area in which we can find joy during anytime of the year.
~ We…are blessed!
~ A woman named Gerta Weissman was among the prisoners in Auschwitz. She recalled an episode one spring morning when she and her fellow inmates stood at rollcall for hours on end, nearly collapsing with hunger and fatigue. One woman noticed in the corner of that bleak, horrid, gray place, that the concrete had broken, and a single flower had poked its head through. One by one those thousands of women took great pains to avoid stepping on it, as it was the only spot of beauty in their ugly and heinous world. They drank it in, and it nourished their souls.
~ Though I do not know the circumstances of your lives, I do know some things that for some of you are very difficult and your heart aches. Please, instead of continual worry, offer up words of thanksgiving and words of prayer, trusting that all things will work together for the good for you.
~ We all know that life itself unexpectedly can change in a moment. A month ago, our economy was full steam ahead, vibrant, expanding, people were traveling, planning vacations, buying things, enjoying for the most part a very real prosperity. In one month look at our world today. It has been shaken to the core. During this time, we (I hope) once again realize what we had and now have. Fear could be what we move and live and have our being in…. but instead, using of course caution and common sense, we can move in thankfulness, joy and prayer. Loving, supporting and encouraging one another in the Lord every day and during this time of uncertainty.
~ Please….as you leave today, leave with a grateful heart.
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son
And now,
Let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
MACK’S INN, ISLAND PARK, IDAHO
May 3, 2020
SERMON – “HOPE”
“a vital part of our lives”
Pastor Tom Shanor
Romans 15:13
“I pray that God, the source of HOPE, will fill you completely with joy and peace, because you trust in Him. Then…. you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
In time of uncertainty…..and this is certainly one of those times, HOPE, depending on our given state of mind and faith, can be difficult to grasp because we are so deeply invested in the circumstances that surround us, but….since, as Romans 15:13 says, God is the source of HOPE, our first directive is to go to God for what we need, asking Him through our Lord Jesus to give and extend to us this gift of HOPE. How?…..by and through the power of the Holy Spirit!
What we must do is pray, quietly, introspectively seeking. Take some time apart when our emotions are not running rampant…. but in quiet thoughtful sincerity ask Him specifically what you (we) are to HOPE for specifically, and He will tell you. HOPE carries with it optimism, that God will give you what you are seeking. It is based on an expectation of a positive outcome, with respect to the events and circumstances in our lives….be they deeply personal or as big as the world.
There is a brief song written by Hillsong that has these lyrics.
My life is in you Lord,
My strength is in you Lord,
My hope is in you Lord,
In you, it’s in you.
I will praise you with all of my life
I praise you with all of my strength,
With all of my life,
With all of my strength,
All of my life is in you, it’s in you!
~.~
That church….is the answer to all our questions and needs!
A life totally submerged in Him.
This morning perhaps you came with a measure of HOPE that God would watch over and protect us all, given the circumstances that we are by choice making just to be here. Along with that hope comes the responsibility of doing what we have been told to do, and for good reason. HOPE is not blind HOPE, it is thoughtful HOPE. That is why I said what I did above, that we are to seek the Lord Himself in seeking HOPE.
You see, we humans have been given by God the ability to reason, think and weigh the benefits or the consequences of our choices. We are unique in that way of all living beings on this planet. The fact that we can even entertain HOPE is distinctly human.
In the New International Bible, the word HOPE is used 180 times. In its everyday usage, its depth is measured by the emotions that lie beneath it.
There are many kinds of HOPE…such as:
1. Desired HOPE
2. Christian HOPE
3. False HOPE
4. Fulfilled HOPE
5. Many others
HOPE is not an excuse for making bad choices, but sometimes in our lives, our desires or needs are a vital part of our faith in making choices that we would otherwise not pursue. Again, that is why we need to seek the Lord in those choices. It is true, that let us say two people seeking an answer for the same question may come up with two totally different responses. Is God behind both? I have found the answer to that at times is yes. The whys I cannot say, but I have seen it happen and have also seen that in both instances, each has been blessed.
Today, we HOPE and PRAY for a cure not only for this Covid-19 virus, but for so many others, diseases that can decimate us. In some ways the world is more at peace now than it has been for years. Why? Because we are united in fighting a common enemy. We are ALL HOPING, and HOPEFULLY all praying for science to (by hard research) find a cure. What would help (in my opinion) is that we would ALL pray, not just a little throw it up to heaven prayer, but a united, authentic, deep intercessory prayer. If we desire and HOPE deep enough, I believe we will have positive results, and that goes for many other of our HOPES as well.
On the downside in any given moment----I may have had HOPES that have not been fulfilled, some because of my own doing, and others due to the doings of others. Those unfulfilled hopes have often been difficult to deal with, but not having the ability to see down the road, my HOPE has been that it was in the long run for the best. That is where my faith fills the gap, and for that I am incredibly grateful.
There are also HOPES that have been a part of my life for many years, which are unfulfilled to this day, and (by God) I am not giving up HOPE on those, they are that important to me. Through the fulfilled HOPES and the unfulfilled HOPES I have never blamed God, but have instead held onto HIM as my continual source of solace and grace, and goodness and mercy, and kindness and most of all HIS LOVE…..that through it all He ENDURES FOREVER. Amen
I have HOPE, Hope for us here in LCIP….that God will watch over and protect us….and will accomplish here in us, and in this chapel….a deepening of our walk with Him, brighten our light in this community…..and in each of us individually….transforming us into a special people of God…by humbly taking on the role of servants to one another and beyond, in this place where we live and move and have our being….and in doing so will bring Joy to Him and honor to His name.
Can you say amen?
C.S. Lewis, who wrote so m any wonderful book, including the Narnia Chronicles, Screwtape Letters and so many more said about HOPE: “HOPE, is a continual looking forward to the eternal world to come.” X2
Dale Carnegie said: “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying, while there seemed to be no HOPE.”
Cicero wrote: “While there is life, there is HOPE.”
G.F. Watt has a famous painting entitled “HOPE.” It pictures a woman going through deep and difficult times. Her eyes are bandaged so that she cannot see ahead. In her hands lay a harp, and all the strings are broken but one. Those broken strings represent to her, her shattered HOPES, her bitter disappointments. She named the last unbroken string, her last HOPE. She strokes the string and instead of a singular sound, comes a glorious melody that floats out over her life, filling her dark skies with stars, taking away the darkness and filling her heart and life with JOY. Her outward circumstances had not yet changed…. but her heart now sang instead of despair…. now, with newborn HOPE.
Psalm 42:11 “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disillusioned within me? HOPE IN GOD, (FOR IN THE MIDST OF MY DESPAIR) I shall yet PRAISE HIM…the help of my countenance and my God.”
Psalm 31:24, “Be strong and let your heart take courage, all of you who HOPE in the Lord.”
We all…at times need New Beginnings under-girded with HOPE. To do so, we need to keep our faith alive, real and growing. That my friends, takes at times an act of our wills, based on our love and HOPE in God. An act of our wills in that we actively pursue our relationship with God in Christ.
THE ATTITUDE AND HOPE OF A LITTLE BOY……………………………………
A man was out for a walk one afternoon and seeing a baseball game going on stopped to watch the young boys play. He asked one of the boys in the dugout what the score was? The boy responded enthusiastically, “eighteen to nothing and we’re behind.’
The man said to the little guy, “I’ll bet you are very discouraged, aren’t you?”
The boy responded, “why would I be discouraged?” We haven’t even been up to bat yet!”
So…let’s pick up our bat and join in with the attitude of that little guy…though right now things look very bad…..In HOPE and PRAYER and FAITH and TRUST and anticipation….look forward to what the Lord will do.
That is my HOPE, backed with prayer….”this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it….not forgetting or pretending the situation is not as bad as it seems….but let HOPE and all those other descriptive attitudes become paramount in our HOPE for good things to come.
Hallelujah…Amen!
MACK’S INN, ISLAND PARK, IDAHO
May 3, 2020
SERMON – “HOPE”
“a vital part of our lives”
Pastor Tom Shanor
Romans 15:13
“I pray that God, the source of HOPE, will fill you completely with joy and peace, because you trust in Him. Then…. you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
In time of uncertainty…..and this is certainly one of those times, HOPE, depending on our given state of mind and faith, can be difficult to grasp because we are so deeply invested in the circumstances that surround us, but….since, as Romans 15:13 says, God is the source of HOPE, our first directive is to go to God for what we need, asking Him through our Lord Jesus to give and extend to us this gift of HOPE. How?…..by and through the power of the Holy Spirit!
What we must do is pray, quietly, introspectively seeking. Take some time apart when our emotions are not running rampant…. but in quiet thoughtful sincerity ask Him specifically what you (we) are to HOPE for specifically, and He will tell you. HOPE carries with it optimism, that God will give you what you are seeking. It is based on an expectation of a positive outcome, with respect to the events and circumstances in our lives….be they deeply personal or as big as the world.
There is a brief song written by Hillsong that has these lyrics.
My life is in you Lord,
My strength is in you Lord,
My hope is in you Lord,
In you, it’s in you.
I will praise you with all of my life
I praise you with all of my strength,
With all of my life,
With all of my strength,
All of my life is in you, it’s in you!
~.~
That church….is the answer to all our questions and needs!
A life totally submerged in Him.
This morning perhaps you came with a measure of HOPE that God would watch over and protect us all, given the circumstances that we are by choice making just to be here. Along with that hope comes the responsibility of doing what we have been told to do, and for good reason. HOPE is not blind HOPE, it is thoughtful HOPE. That is why I said what I did above, that we are to seek the Lord Himself in seeking HOPE.
You see, we humans have been given by God the ability to reason, think and weigh the benefits or the consequences of our choices. We are unique in that way of all living beings on this planet. The fact that we can even entertain HOPE is distinctly human.
In the New International Bible, the word HOPE is used 180 times. In its everyday usage, its depth is measured by the emotions that lie beneath it.
There are many kinds of HOPE…such as:
1. Desired HOPE
2. Christian HOPE
3. False HOPE
4. Fulfilled HOPE
5. Many others
HOPE is not an excuse for making bad choices, but sometimes in our lives, our desires or needs are a vital part of our faith in making choices that we would otherwise not pursue. Again, that is why we need to seek the Lord in those choices. It is true, that let us say two people seeking an answer for the same question may come up with two totally different responses. Is God behind both? I have found the answer to that at times is yes. The whys I cannot say, but I have seen it happen and have also seen that in both instances, each has been blessed.
Today, we HOPE and PRAY for a cure not only for this Covid-19 virus, but for so many others, diseases that can decimate us. In some ways the world is more at peace now than it has been for years. Why? Because we are united in fighting a common enemy. We are ALL HOPING, and HOPEFULLY all praying for science to (by hard research) find a cure. What would help (in my opinion) is that we would ALL pray, not just a little throw it up to heaven prayer, but a united, authentic, deep intercessory prayer. If we desire and HOPE deep enough, I believe we will have positive results, and that goes for many other of our HOPES as well.
On the downside in any given moment----I may have had HOPES that have not been fulfilled, some because of my own doing, and others due to the doings of others. Those unfulfilled hopes have often been difficult to deal with, but not having the ability to see down the road, my HOPE has been that it was in the long run for the best. That is where my faith fills the gap, and for that I am incredibly grateful.
There are also HOPES that have been a part of my life for many years, which are unfulfilled to this day, and (by God) I am not giving up HOPE on those, they are that important to me. Through the fulfilled HOPES and the unfulfilled HOPES I have never blamed God, but have instead held onto HIM as my continual source of solace and grace, and goodness and mercy, and kindness and most of all HIS LOVE…..that through it all He ENDURES FOREVER. Amen
I have HOPE, Hope for us here in LCIP….that God will watch over and protect us….and will accomplish here in us, and in this chapel….a deepening of our walk with Him, brighten our light in this community…..and in each of us individually….transforming us into a special people of God…by humbly taking on the role of servants to one another and beyond, in this place where we live and move and have our being….and in doing so will bring Joy to Him and honor to His name.
Can you say amen?
C.S. Lewis, who wrote so m any wonderful book, including the Narnia Chronicles, Screwtape Letters and so many more said about HOPE: “HOPE, is a continual looking forward to the eternal world to come.” X2
Dale Carnegie said: “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying, while there seemed to be no HOPE.”
Cicero wrote: “While there is life, there is HOPE.”
G.F. Watt has a famous painting entitled “HOPE.” It pictures a woman going through deep and difficult times. Her eyes are bandaged so that she cannot see ahead. In her hands lay a harp, and all the strings are broken but one. Those broken strings represent to her, her shattered HOPES, her bitter disappointments. She named the last unbroken string, her last HOPE. She strokes the string and instead of a singular sound, comes a glorious melody that floats out over her life, filling her dark skies with stars, taking away the darkness and filling her heart and life with JOY. Her outward circumstances had not yet changed…. but her heart now sang instead of despair…. now, with newborn HOPE.
Psalm 42:11 “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disillusioned within me? HOPE IN GOD, (FOR IN THE MIDST OF MY DESPAIR) I shall yet PRAISE HIM…the help of my countenance and my God.”
Psalm 31:24, “Be strong and let your heart take courage, all of you who HOPE in the Lord.”
We all…at times need New Beginnings under-girded with HOPE. To do so, we need to keep our faith alive, real and growing. That my friends, takes at times an act of our wills, based on our love and HOPE in God. An act of our wills in that we actively pursue our relationship with God in Christ.
THE ATTITUDE AND HOPE OF A LITTLE BOY……………………………………
A man was out for a walk one afternoon and seeing a baseball game going on stopped to watch the young boys play. He asked one of the boys in the dugout what the score was? The boy responded enthusiastically, “eighteen to nothing and we’re behind.’
The man said to the little guy, “I’ll bet you are very discouraged, aren’t you?”
The boy responded, “why would I be discouraged?” We haven’t even been up to bat yet!”
So…let’s pick up our bat and join in with the attitude of that little guy…though right now things look very bad…..In HOPE and PRAYER and FAITH and TRUST and anticipation….look forward to what the Lord will do.
That is my HOPE, backed with prayer….”this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it….not forgetting or pretending the situation is not as bad as it seems….but let HOPE and all those other descriptive attitudes become paramount in our HOPE for good things to come.
Hallelujah…Amen!
Little Church in the Pines
From the Office of Pastor Tom
Macks Inn, Idaho 83433
April 26, 2020
"The Birth and the Life of the Church (part II)"
Good morning and welcome to the continuation of “The Birth and Life of The Church.” You are in for a bit of an unusual ride, not that you have not heard or read the Scripture stating the events that unfolded that power-packed day. Being obedient to Christ they were in gathering-together, to wait for the Power from on high, not knowing what Jesus meant. Still, they did not passively sit in a circle talking and visiting, but instead were earnestly praying, being of one accord in their desires to seek what Jesus told them.
The Lord recently, well, here is what we are told happened. Having given his last directions to them…He led them to Bethany, and lifting His hands to heaven, He blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them….and was taken up to heaven. They then returned (you can imagine the excited conversations that they were having on the way) to Jerusalem as He said. With great JOY they spent most of their time in the Temple, praying and not knowing what was about to happen to them.
Ok…so, what we are about to hear is way beyond what most of us have experienced…way beyond. So much so that it seems myth-like and possibly (as some scholars have stated) they were so hyped up, that they saw things and heard things that really did not happen. Me, I believe they did, and why do I believe they did? Because I have experienced two of the same manifestations of the Spirit myself. It is hard to argue against something that has been experienced by someone at least with that person. Such as me.
Those two are tongues (speaking a language with observable (syntax) which is the arrangements of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. The other is prophecy. I have not personally prophesied but have been the recipient of prophecy spoken to me, that came to be borne out as true as time passed. A pretty-cool thing, really!
Let us take a break for a moment…………………………… a moment.
Now, if you have the time and desire, please read the narration from Acts 2:1-21, and then later through verse 41.
Another sign of this infilling of the Power of the Holy Spirit takes visible place in the personage of Peter, a man proven impetuous, speaking out of turn, often letting his bravado be his downfall, even denying that he knows this Jesus, just a short time before. Now, a new bold and powerful speaker, his confidence again, coming from the Spirit, who made him in that moment and beyond, a dynamic speaker, concise, factual, and focused. So much so that at his first public speaking Scripture reads as such; “those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to The CHURCH that day…about 3000 in all. Now that is some power-filled preaching!!
If you care to read it…. because it is rather remarkable, you will find it his message in Acts 1:14-41.
Before Peter spoke, many drawn to the noise and excitement of what was happening thought these men and women were drunk. Seems logical, except Scripture says that these disciples were speaking human languages that they themselves did not know. The reason for this was that this was the Festival of Pentecost, that had drawn men and women from all over who spoke Greek, Egyptian and other regional known languages, and they were hearing in their own language about this Jesus and about God.
Is a baptism such as this with all these manifestations a necessity for salvation or as a sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit? NO, although there are some denominations that say yes, it is. I say, no it is not but, if the Holy Spirit chooses to manifest His power in the same manner as this on an individual or group it is totally up to Him. I believe that He at times, and to this day, still chooses to do so, and there is always a legitimate reason for doing so.
Now this is my opinion; that the surest way to determine that a Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit is manifest first and foremost by his or her love of Christ in God, and his or her love shown to the world. Love is the ‘modus operandi’ of your or my life. Another sign for me as to the validity of a Spirit filled life we find in Galatians 5:22-23. “But the Holy Spirit (in you) produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Yeppers…that is my opinion!
I have seen and heard false prophecies, false tongues and other manifestations that were totally from the flesh because the lives of those claiming to be of God….were not manifested in the actions and words of their lives when not on stage. In religion…. there is always the genuine and the false. People often get trapped in the false because of the charisma of the person and because of the seeming power being manifested.
1st. Corinthians 12:11 reads, “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts” He alone decides which gift or gifts each person should have, if any.
Many cults, sects and possibly some denominations and independent churches, have singled out Scriptures to use them to isolate themselves and make themselves out to be the ‘one true church’ through false leaders. This has happened from the very beginning of The Church. I have said before though, that churches, denominations and even sects, as well as independent churches that have adopted and believe in the Apostle’s Creed, can be called true Christians, and therefore across denominations and sects we can call one another brothers and sisters in Christ.
The manifestations as recorded were a real kick-start to the birth and life of The Church of Jesus the Christ……. amazing, wonderful and just the right thing for just the right time.
Here is a brief breakdown of the history of The Church as manifested in the past up to today….
There are currently 2.24 Billion Believers in the world today, which are legitimate, (according to doctrinal beliefs) Christians.
From the early church to the Council of Ephesus……………. year 431
From the council of Ephesus to the Council of Chalcedon…. year 451
Then came the Great Schism……………………………………11th century
From Council of Ephesus to the “Great Schism”, there was formed the
1. Restorationism
2. Anabaptism
3. Protestantism
4. Anglicanism
5. Catholic Church (still organized) since the 11th Century
6. Eastern Orthodoxy (still organized)
7. Oriental Orthodoxy (still organized)
8. Assyrian Church (still organized)
I truly hope you are interested in this, as it gives us a quick overview of The Church today….and where each of us individually stand.
Good old Martin Luther would never have believed or understood what would happen when he nailed his 95 theses on the door of a church in Wittenberg. These theses written in Latin, were points that Luther wanted to debate. His goal was not to leave the Catholic Church or to create a new religion; he wanted to reform the Catholic Church…well, we know what happened.
From Protestantism……today, including all our mainline churches, Catholic, Orthodox etc., there are known to be 41,000 denominations in the world today. 41,000!!!!
THE CHURCH….as ‘I’ think about it, in all its manifestations, doctrines, similarities and differences, has grown and has powerfully affected the world both for the good and all too often, the bad. Yet, overall, individual lives are what count. Christ came for the good, the bad and all in between. Us.
I do not look at all the differences for the purposes of division which causes more division, but instead I look at the similarities and I desire to build unity with those among us (even with some of our differences). The birth of The Church was and still is, a goal of the Lord, as He said He came to build it. I will let Him discern and decide that which is legitimate and illegitimate, because I believe He looks at the hearts of all the individuals who make IT what it is.
The Little Church in the Pines, being an inter-denominational Christian Church, I am thrilled by the cross-section of Christians and perhaps non-Christians that come through our doors to worship our Lord, and to fellowship with us. We are The Church in Island Park, or at least a part of The Church of Jesus Christ in the world today. The one He descended from heaven, who was born, lived, died, resurrected, and ascended again, to be with the Father and who will one day come again to rule and reign forever. Amen
From the Office of Pastor Tom
Macks Inn, Idaho 83433
April 26, 2020
"The Birth and the Life of the Church (part II)"
Good morning and welcome to the continuation of “The Birth and Life of The Church.” You are in for a bit of an unusual ride, not that you have not heard or read the Scripture stating the events that unfolded that power-packed day. Being obedient to Christ they were in gathering-together, to wait for the Power from on high, not knowing what Jesus meant. Still, they did not passively sit in a circle talking and visiting, but instead were earnestly praying, being of one accord in their desires to seek what Jesus told them.
The Lord recently, well, here is what we are told happened. Having given his last directions to them…He led them to Bethany, and lifting His hands to heaven, He blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them….and was taken up to heaven. They then returned (you can imagine the excited conversations that they were having on the way) to Jerusalem as He said. With great JOY they spent most of their time in the Temple, praying and not knowing what was about to happen to them.
Ok…so, what we are about to hear is way beyond what most of us have experienced…way beyond. So much so that it seems myth-like and possibly (as some scholars have stated) they were so hyped up, that they saw things and heard things that really did not happen. Me, I believe they did, and why do I believe they did? Because I have experienced two of the same manifestations of the Spirit myself. It is hard to argue against something that has been experienced by someone at least with that person. Such as me.
Those two are tongues (speaking a language with observable (syntax) which is the arrangements of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. The other is prophecy. I have not personally prophesied but have been the recipient of prophecy spoken to me, that came to be borne out as true as time passed. A pretty-cool thing, really!
Let us take a break for a moment…………………………… a moment.
Now, if you have the time and desire, please read the narration from Acts 2:1-21, and then later through verse 41.
Another sign of this infilling of the Power of the Holy Spirit takes visible place in the personage of Peter, a man proven impetuous, speaking out of turn, often letting his bravado be his downfall, even denying that he knows this Jesus, just a short time before. Now, a new bold and powerful speaker, his confidence again, coming from the Spirit, who made him in that moment and beyond, a dynamic speaker, concise, factual, and focused. So much so that at his first public speaking Scripture reads as such; “those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to The CHURCH that day…about 3000 in all. Now that is some power-filled preaching!!
If you care to read it…. because it is rather remarkable, you will find it his message in Acts 1:14-41.
Before Peter spoke, many drawn to the noise and excitement of what was happening thought these men and women were drunk. Seems logical, except Scripture says that these disciples were speaking human languages that they themselves did not know. The reason for this was that this was the Festival of Pentecost, that had drawn men and women from all over who spoke Greek, Egyptian and other regional known languages, and they were hearing in their own language about this Jesus and about God.
- So…we have not only tongues of flames, prophecy, tongues of different languages and the sound surrounding them like the roaring of a mighty wind, and it filled the house (the sound that is) as there was not actual wind,” but that sound must have made everyone deeply unsettled and frightened, even without being physically impacted.
- Then this one, very visual. “Then what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared, and actually settled on them,” apparently not burning them. And everyone present was filled or as described in baptism, immersed in the Holy Spirit…and then,
- Again, they began to speak in other tongues or languages.
Is a baptism such as this with all these manifestations a necessity for salvation or as a sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit? NO, although there are some denominations that say yes, it is. I say, no it is not but, if the Holy Spirit chooses to manifest His power in the same manner as this on an individual or group it is totally up to Him. I believe that He at times, and to this day, still chooses to do so, and there is always a legitimate reason for doing so.
Now this is my opinion; that the surest way to determine that a Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit is manifest first and foremost by his or her love of Christ in God, and his or her love shown to the world. Love is the ‘modus operandi’ of your or my life. Another sign for me as to the validity of a Spirit filled life we find in Galatians 5:22-23. “But the Holy Spirit (in you) produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Yeppers…that is my opinion!
I have seen and heard false prophecies, false tongues and other manifestations that were totally from the flesh because the lives of those claiming to be of God….were not manifested in the actions and words of their lives when not on stage. In religion…. there is always the genuine and the false. People often get trapped in the false because of the charisma of the person and because of the seeming power being manifested.
1st. Corinthians 12:11 reads, “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts” He alone decides which gift or gifts each person should have, if any.
Many cults, sects and possibly some denominations and independent churches, have singled out Scriptures to use them to isolate themselves and make themselves out to be the ‘one true church’ through false leaders. This has happened from the very beginning of The Church. I have said before though, that churches, denominations and even sects, as well as independent churches that have adopted and believe in the Apostle’s Creed, can be called true Christians, and therefore across denominations and sects we can call one another brothers and sisters in Christ.
The manifestations as recorded were a real kick-start to the birth and life of The Church of Jesus the Christ……. amazing, wonderful and just the right thing for just the right time.
Here is a brief breakdown of the history of The Church as manifested in the past up to today….
There are currently 2.24 Billion Believers in the world today, which are legitimate, (according to doctrinal beliefs) Christians.
From the early church to the Council of Ephesus……………. year 431
From the council of Ephesus to the Council of Chalcedon…. year 451
Then came the Great Schism……………………………………11th century
From Council of Ephesus to the “Great Schism”, there was formed the
- Catholic Church, both the Western Rites and Eastern Rites
- Eastern Orthodoxy
- Oriental Orthodoxy
- Assyrian Church
1. Restorationism
2. Anabaptism
3. Protestantism
4. Anglicanism
5. Catholic Church (still organized) since the 11th Century
6. Eastern Orthodoxy (still organized)
7. Oriental Orthodoxy (still organized)
8. Assyrian Church (still organized)
I truly hope you are interested in this, as it gives us a quick overview of The Church today….and where each of us individually stand.
Good old Martin Luther would never have believed or understood what would happen when he nailed his 95 theses on the door of a church in Wittenberg. These theses written in Latin, were points that Luther wanted to debate. His goal was not to leave the Catholic Church or to create a new religion; he wanted to reform the Catholic Church…well, we know what happened.
From Protestantism……today, including all our mainline churches, Catholic, Orthodox etc., there are known to be 41,000 denominations in the world today. 41,000!!!!
THE CHURCH….as ‘I’ think about it, in all its manifestations, doctrines, similarities and differences, has grown and has powerfully affected the world both for the good and all too often, the bad. Yet, overall, individual lives are what count. Christ came for the good, the bad and all in between. Us.
I do not look at all the differences for the purposes of division which causes more division, but instead I look at the similarities and I desire to build unity with those among us (even with some of our differences). The birth of The Church was and still is, a goal of the Lord, as He said He came to build it. I will let Him discern and decide that which is legitimate and illegitimate, because I believe He looks at the hearts of all the individuals who make IT what it is.
The Little Church in the Pines, being an inter-denominational Christian Church, I am thrilled by the cross-section of Christians and perhaps non-Christians that come through our doors to worship our Lord, and to fellowship with us. We are The Church in Island Park, or at least a part of The Church of Jesus Christ in the world today. The one He descended from heaven, who was born, lived, died, resurrected, and ascended again, to be with the Father and who will one day come again to rule and reign forever. Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
FROM DEATH TO LIFE TO BIRTH – The Church
April 19, 2020
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
In Jesus’ discourse with Peter found in Matthew 16:13-20 Jesus asks Peter and the others, whom do you say that I AM? Peter says in response, “you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus then answered him, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock, and upon this rock I will BUILD MY CHUCH, and the gates of hell will not conquer it! (in the next phrase Christ used petra (upon this rock) not a person. Christ used a play on words. He does not say “upon you, Peter” or “upon your successors,” but “upon this rock” ……upon this divine revelation, and profession of faith in Christ will He build His Church!
With the flick of a match, friction occurs, and a spark leaps up from which to start a fire. Starting with that first spark, tinder is used to grow larger and hotter, moving on to burn wood, and depending on the fuel added, again to grow larger and larger. Such was and is the Church of Christ.
Nearly 2000 years ago, a match was struck in Palestine. At first, just a few in that corner of the world were touched and warmed, but the fire soon spread beyond Jerusalem and Judea to the entire world, encapsulating all races, all people. The Book of Acts tells of that dramatic beginning, the likes of which have not been seen or experienced again with that kind of impact.
The disciples were gathered together, praying, seeking the Lord just as He had told them to do in Luke 24:49 (NLT) “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as My Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
That day is known as Pentecost…. which in all its manifestations of power took place 7 weeks, or 50 days following the resurrection. The term Pentecost comes from the Greek, meaning “fiftieth”. It refers to the Jewish festival celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover, also know as the “Feast of Weeks”. This is the day known as the birth of the Christian Church. This Feast of Weeks celebrates the revelation of the Five Books of the Torah by God to Moses and to the Israelites at biblical Mount Sinai, 7 weeks for 50 days after their Exodus from Egypt. A perfect time for the New Revelation to be brought to the New Church.
Some Biblical Scholars are of the opinion that the events on that day are merely a narrative, overblown and hyped up by the writers of the events that happened at 9 o’clock in the morning on that remarkable day. Not so. The events are clearly recorded in Acts 2. (you just might want to read the whole event) as it is clearly written. Intellectualism will always try and explain away events and occurrences that are difficult to prove and explain, but other than in their minds cannot prove that they did not happen. More on that later.
We can take a brief journey back into the Old Testament, where we read that this event was a long-standing promise of God, that would one day be fulfilled as it is written. During the time of Joel, God’s Spirit seemed to be available only to kings, prophets, and judges, but Joel saw a time to come when the Spirit would be available to every believer. This chapter in Joel revolves around the theme of “The Lord’s Promise of Restoration, followed by the Lord’s Promise of His Spirit given to All People.”
Joel 2:28-29 “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out My Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visons. In those day I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, men and women alike.”
If…. we are going to call ourselves Christians, Believers, Disciples, etc., it behooves us to know the fulness of our history, which includes the history of the early church and the church down through the ages. We can choose to embrace or discard portions that bother us, but even if you do individually, we cannot negate their place and importance in the birth of the Church. Things are what they are, because of what they were.
The Church in its original meaning comes from the word ek-klay-see-ah, spelled today, ‘ekklesia,’ which means a gathering of Believers…. not a building but a living breathing Spirit led people in on accord. Through our unified belief in Jesus Christ, we are the representation of His body here on earth. Because we do believe in Him, we are also brothers and sisters in Christ, part of the Universal Body of Christ on earth.
Now back to Pentecost…..the narrative of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is found in all four Gospels, starting in Matthew 3:11, as John speaks to those coming to be baptized by him in the Jordan River, for the repentance of their sins. He says, “I baptize with water those who repent of their sin and turn to God, but someone is coming soon (Jesus Christ) who is greater than I am. So much so that I am not worthy even to be His slave and carry His sandals. He… will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (again, in recognition of Pentecost)
Before Pentecost, following the death and resurrection of Jesus, (though at this point His resurrection is not known widely) two of His disciples are on the road to Emmaus and are encountered by Jesus, though they do not know it is Him. Their conversation is solely about all the events surrounding Jesus and the happenings in Jerusalem. Jesus upbraids them for their lack of faith and then leaves them without revealing Himself. He next then appears in the midst of the disciples where they are hiding for fear of the Jews. He says to them, “peace be with you,” scaring them out of their wits, showing them the holes in His hands and feet. Startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost, He then sits down with them and eats some of the fish they were cooking. They could not move, but stood there almost frozen in place, unbelief in their amazement, but filled with joy and wonder.
Then He said, “when I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the prophets, and in the Psalms must be fulfilled. He then opened their minds to understand His fulfillment of those Scriptures concerning Him. He talked further with them, leaving them with these words. “And now I will send the Holy Spirit just as My Father promised.” Now comes His directive to them, “but stay in the city until the Holy Spirit comes….and fills you…. with power from heaven.”
Next week we will pick it up from here, where we will learn of the events as they dramatically unfolded that day and 9 o’clock in the morning, and with it the birth of the Church, as well as the major players involved.
Have a wonderful week…. filled with the grace and love of our Lord who gave and gives us more and above than we can ever ask for.
His Mercy Endures Forever……Amen
P. Tom
p.s. to be continued next week…………..
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
FROM DEATH TO LIFE TO BIRTH – The Church
April 19, 2020
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
In Jesus’ discourse with Peter found in Matthew 16:13-20 Jesus asks Peter and the others, whom do you say that I AM? Peter says in response, “you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus then answered him, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock, and upon this rock I will BUILD MY CHUCH, and the gates of hell will not conquer it! (in the next phrase Christ used petra (upon this rock) not a person. Christ used a play on words. He does not say “upon you, Peter” or “upon your successors,” but “upon this rock” ……upon this divine revelation, and profession of faith in Christ will He build His Church!
With the flick of a match, friction occurs, and a spark leaps up from which to start a fire. Starting with that first spark, tinder is used to grow larger and hotter, moving on to burn wood, and depending on the fuel added, again to grow larger and larger. Such was and is the Church of Christ.
Nearly 2000 years ago, a match was struck in Palestine. At first, just a few in that corner of the world were touched and warmed, but the fire soon spread beyond Jerusalem and Judea to the entire world, encapsulating all races, all people. The Book of Acts tells of that dramatic beginning, the likes of which have not been seen or experienced again with that kind of impact.
The disciples were gathered together, praying, seeking the Lord just as He had told them to do in Luke 24:49 (NLT) “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as My Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
That day is known as Pentecost…. which in all its manifestations of power took place 7 weeks, or 50 days following the resurrection. The term Pentecost comes from the Greek, meaning “fiftieth”. It refers to the Jewish festival celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover, also know as the “Feast of Weeks”. This is the day known as the birth of the Christian Church. This Feast of Weeks celebrates the revelation of the Five Books of the Torah by God to Moses and to the Israelites at biblical Mount Sinai, 7 weeks for 50 days after their Exodus from Egypt. A perfect time for the New Revelation to be brought to the New Church.
Some Biblical Scholars are of the opinion that the events on that day are merely a narrative, overblown and hyped up by the writers of the events that happened at 9 o’clock in the morning on that remarkable day. Not so. The events are clearly recorded in Acts 2. (you just might want to read the whole event) as it is clearly written. Intellectualism will always try and explain away events and occurrences that are difficult to prove and explain, but other than in their minds cannot prove that they did not happen. More on that later.
We can take a brief journey back into the Old Testament, where we read that this event was a long-standing promise of God, that would one day be fulfilled as it is written. During the time of Joel, God’s Spirit seemed to be available only to kings, prophets, and judges, but Joel saw a time to come when the Spirit would be available to every believer. This chapter in Joel revolves around the theme of “The Lord’s Promise of Restoration, followed by the Lord’s Promise of His Spirit given to All People.”
Joel 2:28-29 “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out My Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visons. In those day I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, men and women alike.”
If…. we are going to call ourselves Christians, Believers, Disciples, etc., it behooves us to know the fulness of our history, which includes the history of the early church and the church down through the ages. We can choose to embrace or discard portions that bother us, but even if you do individually, we cannot negate their place and importance in the birth of the Church. Things are what they are, because of what they were.
The Church in its original meaning comes from the word ek-klay-see-ah, spelled today, ‘ekklesia,’ which means a gathering of Believers…. not a building but a living breathing Spirit led people in on accord. Through our unified belief in Jesus Christ, we are the representation of His body here on earth. Because we do believe in Him, we are also brothers and sisters in Christ, part of the Universal Body of Christ on earth.
Now back to Pentecost…..the narrative of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is found in all four Gospels, starting in Matthew 3:11, as John speaks to those coming to be baptized by him in the Jordan River, for the repentance of their sins. He says, “I baptize with water those who repent of their sin and turn to God, but someone is coming soon (Jesus Christ) who is greater than I am. So much so that I am not worthy even to be His slave and carry His sandals. He… will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (again, in recognition of Pentecost)
Before Pentecost, following the death and resurrection of Jesus, (though at this point His resurrection is not known widely) two of His disciples are on the road to Emmaus and are encountered by Jesus, though they do not know it is Him. Their conversation is solely about all the events surrounding Jesus and the happenings in Jerusalem. Jesus upbraids them for their lack of faith and then leaves them without revealing Himself. He next then appears in the midst of the disciples where they are hiding for fear of the Jews. He says to them, “peace be with you,” scaring them out of their wits, showing them the holes in His hands and feet. Startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost, He then sits down with them and eats some of the fish they were cooking. They could not move, but stood there almost frozen in place, unbelief in their amazement, but filled with joy and wonder.
Then He said, “when I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the prophets, and in the Psalms must be fulfilled. He then opened their minds to understand His fulfillment of those Scriptures concerning Him. He talked further with them, leaving them with these words. “And now I will send the Holy Spirit just as My Father promised.” Now comes His directive to them, “but stay in the city until the Holy Spirit comes….and fills you…. with power from heaven.”
Next week we will pick it up from here, where we will learn of the events as they dramatically unfolded that day and 9 o’clock in the morning, and with it the birth of the Church, as well as the major players involved.
Have a wonderful week…. filled with the grace and love of our Lord who gave and gives us more and above than we can ever ask for.
His Mercy Endures Forever……Amen
P. Tom
p.s. to be continued next week…………..
Easter Sunday
April 12, 2020
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
John 11:25 “I AM the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never die.” Do you believe this Martha?
My attempt this morning in bringing this message is singular in motive, but multiple in co-ersion. You see, we, you and I, have a tendency to gloss over words, sentences, paragraphs, perhaps even whole books, because we have become so familiar with them. They often just go phhhhhhhhhhhhht, without giving them the scrutiny and thought they deserve. We all too often miss the subtle, which at times is the most important.
I will be breaking this up a bit by speaking intellectually, as well as spiritually and experimentally……hopefully with both practical and spiritual application.
Let’s start out with the first two words of the declaration made in John 11:25, “I AM!” The first place we hear those words is when Moses is speaking with God, asking His Name. God’s answer is both singular and multiple in meaning and in intent. They are two of the most sacred and well-known words in both the Torah and the Christian Bible. They are past, present and future tense. Putting the two together, His answer reads clearly, “I AM who I AM.” In the King James Bible, it reads, “I In the King James Bible it reads, “I AM that I AM, and therefore nothing more needs to be said. In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Amharic Bible, it is written as (I AM that exists and will exist.)
There are several other instances where Jesus uses the same introduction in regard to Himself, not so subtly stating who He is, for He too is the I AM. I am sure we remember John 14:9, “he who has seen Me has seen the Father, and why then do you ask, show us the Father.” They are the Great I Am. This Divine Name is mysterious, just as God is mysterious. It is at once a name revealed and at the same time He is (infinitely more than everything that we can understand or say.) He is the ‘hidden’ God, who NOT SO SUBTLY reveals Himself more fully through His Only Begotten Son, Jesus.
This is a revelation of God that the Hebrews had not seen before Jesus; at least to this degree, and they do not like what they see and hear, and this, is why they rejected Him. They did not want a suffering, loving, miracle working, healing, grace-filled God! They wanted a warrior God on a majestic horse, riding over their conquers, the Romans, and He who would then ride over the known world, subjugating it to Himself and them.
So…He Jesus, in the first part of this declarative statement is declaring Himself to be God!
Having established that, let’s move on. I AM, He says, The Resurrection and the Life. This establishes before His crucifixion as to what will occur after His death. He will be raised up! Coming back to life is one of the central core beliefs of our faith, for without it, He is just an ordinary man. A good one no doubt, if He was just a man, but HE WASN’T an ordinary man…. for He was and is the GREAT I AM!
Was He the first to be raised from the dead? No. In fact, He Himself had brought two, perhaps three others back from the dead. Lazarus had been dead several days and his body had begun to deteriorate. Smelled. We who subscribe to the Nicene Creed, firmly and with JOY believe in and adhere to the truth of His Resurrection!
Paul said, “if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all people, but if Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, we are blessed and REJOICE in the Lord of our salvation.’’
During the ministry of Jesus on earth, before His death, He commissioned His twelve apostles to, among other things, raise the dead. There are accounts of this happening, but without specific names, places, etc. I have read over the years, viable accounts of this work of miracles still happens to this day. He is the same yesterday, today and forever, so why not?
If you do not believe in the Resurrection of Jesus, I would ask you to consider today these words you are reading. For once you ask, and then believe in the lord Jesus Christ, resurrected as the Son of God, you are from that moment on a member of the household of God, His family.
I have offered up to you His own words, and the testimony of those who gave and still give their lives for Him. Literally, and, also figuratively. Look at His ministry, and how His teachings over the last two thousand years has influenced our cultures, our judicial systems, our governments, (when functioning as they should) also, the arts, and so much more, but mostly the lives of individuals who follow Him ever so closely and dearly.
There are countless men, women and children from all walks of life, all educational levels, all races, from the very poor to the very rich whose lives have been dramatically changed. The degree to which any one of us changes when we ask the Lord to be Lord of our lives, will be equal to the degree that we choose to get to know just who this “I AM” is, and how much we allow Him to have His way with and in us. It is just that simple.
I now will finish this simple message with His words. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV)
Do you believe this?
For we all will die, but like Him and in Him, we…. have life after this life!
THAT IS THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION WE CELEBRATE TODAY!!!!!
Amen…
April 12, 2020
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
John 11:25 “I AM the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never die.” Do you believe this Martha?
My attempt this morning in bringing this message is singular in motive, but multiple in co-ersion. You see, we, you and I, have a tendency to gloss over words, sentences, paragraphs, perhaps even whole books, because we have become so familiar with them. They often just go phhhhhhhhhhhhht, without giving them the scrutiny and thought they deserve. We all too often miss the subtle, which at times is the most important.
I will be breaking this up a bit by speaking intellectually, as well as spiritually and experimentally……hopefully with both practical and spiritual application.
Let’s start out with the first two words of the declaration made in John 11:25, “I AM!” The first place we hear those words is when Moses is speaking with God, asking His Name. God’s answer is both singular and multiple in meaning and in intent. They are two of the most sacred and well-known words in both the Torah and the Christian Bible. They are past, present and future tense. Putting the two together, His answer reads clearly, “I AM who I AM.” In the King James Bible, it reads, “I In the King James Bible it reads, “I AM that I AM, and therefore nothing more needs to be said. In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Amharic Bible, it is written as (I AM that exists and will exist.)
There are several other instances where Jesus uses the same introduction in regard to Himself, not so subtly stating who He is, for He too is the I AM. I am sure we remember John 14:9, “he who has seen Me has seen the Father, and why then do you ask, show us the Father.” They are the Great I Am. This Divine Name is mysterious, just as God is mysterious. It is at once a name revealed and at the same time He is (infinitely more than everything that we can understand or say.) He is the ‘hidden’ God, who NOT SO SUBTLY reveals Himself more fully through His Only Begotten Son, Jesus.
This is a revelation of God that the Hebrews had not seen before Jesus; at least to this degree, and they do not like what they see and hear, and this, is why they rejected Him. They did not want a suffering, loving, miracle working, healing, grace-filled God! They wanted a warrior God on a majestic horse, riding over their conquers, the Romans, and He who would then ride over the known world, subjugating it to Himself and them.
So…He Jesus, in the first part of this declarative statement is declaring Himself to be God!
Having established that, let’s move on. I AM, He says, The Resurrection and the Life. This establishes before His crucifixion as to what will occur after His death. He will be raised up! Coming back to life is one of the central core beliefs of our faith, for without it, He is just an ordinary man. A good one no doubt, if He was just a man, but HE WASN’T an ordinary man…. for He was and is the GREAT I AM!
Was He the first to be raised from the dead? No. In fact, He Himself had brought two, perhaps three others back from the dead. Lazarus had been dead several days and his body had begun to deteriorate. Smelled. We who subscribe to the Nicene Creed, firmly and with JOY believe in and adhere to the truth of His Resurrection!
Paul said, “if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all people, but if Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, we are blessed and REJOICE in the Lord of our salvation.’’
During the ministry of Jesus on earth, before His death, He commissioned His twelve apostles to, among other things, raise the dead. There are accounts of this happening, but without specific names, places, etc. I have read over the years, viable accounts of this work of miracles still happens to this day. He is the same yesterday, today and forever, so why not?
If you do not believe in the Resurrection of Jesus, I would ask you to consider today these words you are reading. For once you ask, and then believe in the lord Jesus Christ, resurrected as the Son of God, you are from that moment on a member of the household of God, His family.
I have offered up to you His own words, and the testimony of those who gave and still give their lives for Him. Literally, and, also figuratively. Look at His ministry, and how His teachings over the last two thousand years has influenced our cultures, our judicial systems, our governments, (when functioning as they should) also, the arts, and so much more, but mostly the lives of individuals who follow Him ever so closely and dearly.
There are countless men, women and children from all walks of life, all educational levels, all races, from the very poor to the very rich whose lives have been dramatically changed. The degree to which any one of us changes when we ask the Lord to be Lord of our lives, will be equal to the degree that we choose to get to know just who this “I AM” is, and how much we allow Him to have His way with and in us. It is just that simple.
I now will finish this simple message with His words. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV)
Do you believe this?
For we all will die, but like Him and in Him, we…. have life after this life!
THAT IS THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION WE CELEBRATE TODAY!!!!!
Amen…
Good? Friday
Pre-Good Friday Greetings................
That terrible Friday, which is called "Good Friday "is named as such because it led to the Resurrection of Jesus and his VICTORY over sin and death......leading us to Easter, the very pinnacle of our Christian celebrations.
There is no joy in that day, which begins with the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, but it will lead us in time to where we can say JOY comes in the morning! That great and wonderful morning, on the third day following His death, we find the early morning sun shining on an empty tomb. Birds are singing, insects humming, as the sunlight touches and warms the earth, and all that is upon it.
As in the hymn "Morning Has Broken"....like the first morning, now with a new and fresh approach.....the Way has been paved through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and that way is paved with love, forgiveness, grace and mercy!
Sweet the rain's new fall
Sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall
On the first grass
Praise for the sweetness
Of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness
Where His feet pass.................Amen
Starting with Good Friday morning (if you choose to) throughout the day, we will be reading at specific times, specific Scriptures starting with the Last Supper the timeline leading up to His death. To gain a fuller understanding of what Jesus endured, we will be reading the same events from the perspectives of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
6 AM.....Jesus Stands Trial Before Pilate (Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:1-5 and John 18:28-37)
Jesus Sent to Herod (Luke 23:6-12)
7 AM.....Jesus Returned to Pilate (Luke 23:11)
Jesus Sentenced to Death (Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; Luke 23:23-24; John 19:16)
+ JESUS IS SCOURGED
Jesus scourged on the face, after being tied to a pillar and whipped.
8 AM.....Jesus is Led Away to Calvary (Matthew 27:32-34: Mark 15:21-24; Luke 23:26-31; John 19:16-17)
THE CRUCIFIXION
Soldiers drove stake-like nails through Jesus' wrists and ankles, fixing Him to the Cross, after His long and horrible walk, after carrying His Cross...then it being carried by an onlooker, at the insistence of the soldiers. During all this time being jeered at, spat at and more. Some in this crowd, being the same who during His triumphal entry were shouting Hosannas and waving palm branches.
At one-point Jesus poke to Mary and John after an unnatural darkness covered the land, asking John to take care of His Beloved Mother.
9 AM.....The Third Hour and Jesus is Crucified - Mark 15:25 - The third hour would have been 9 am, Jewish time.
(Luke 23:34; Mark 15:24)
10 AM....Jesus is Insulted and Mocked (Matthew 27:39-40; Mark 15:31; Luke 23:36-37; Luke 23:39)
11 AM.....Jesus and the Criminal (Luke 23:40-43 John 19:26-27)
NOON - THE 6TH HOUR
(Mark 15:33)
1 PM.....Jesus Cries Out to the Father (Matthew 27:46; John 19:28-29)
At any time during reading these...discuss any thoughts you might have
2 PM.....It is Finished - (John 19:30a; Luke 23:46)
+Jesus is taken down from the Cross
3 PM.....The Ninth Hour & THE EVENTS AFTER JESUS DEATH
The Centurion (Matthew 27:54; Mark15:38; Luke 23:47)
The Soldiers (John 19:31-34)
Jesus (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42)
As we have read.....there was a large earthquake and the Temple Veil is torn in two....the symbolism of this veil being torn in half, meaning that through Jesus we can now approach God directly, as the Father and the Son are ONE! There is no longer anyone or anything that can separate us from the Love of God! Halleluiah!
I hope you found yourselves enriched as you followed throughout the day.... these singular and incredible events in the life of Jesus?
I will be sending to you either tomorrow or Saturday, our Sunday Easter Service....and hope you can join us. God bless you and keep you safe and well!
P.Tom
P.S. Please keep praying and trusting....and staying in touch by reaching out to each
Pre-Good Friday Greetings................
That terrible Friday, which is called "Good Friday "is named as such because it led to the Resurrection of Jesus and his VICTORY over sin and death......leading us to Easter, the very pinnacle of our Christian celebrations.
There is no joy in that day, which begins with the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, but it will lead us in time to where we can say JOY comes in the morning! That great and wonderful morning, on the third day following His death, we find the early morning sun shining on an empty tomb. Birds are singing, insects humming, as the sunlight touches and warms the earth, and all that is upon it.
As in the hymn "Morning Has Broken"....like the first morning, now with a new and fresh approach.....the Way has been paved through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and that way is paved with love, forgiveness, grace and mercy!
Sweet the rain's new fall
Sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall
On the first grass
Praise for the sweetness
Of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness
Where His feet pass.................Amen
Starting with Good Friday morning (if you choose to) throughout the day, we will be reading at specific times, specific Scriptures starting with the Last Supper the timeline leading up to His death. To gain a fuller understanding of what Jesus endured, we will be reading the same events from the perspectives of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
6 AM.....Jesus Stands Trial Before Pilate (Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:1-5 and John 18:28-37)
Jesus Sent to Herod (Luke 23:6-12)
7 AM.....Jesus Returned to Pilate (Luke 23:11)
Jesus Sentenced to Death (Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; Luke 23:23-24; John 19:16)
+ JESUS IS SCOURGED
Jesus scourged on the face, after being tied to a pillar and whipped.
8 AM.....Jesus is Led Away to Calvary (Matthew 27:32-34: Mark 15:21-24; Luke 23:26-31; John 19:16-17)
THE CRUCIFIXION
Soldiers drove stake-like nails through Jesus' wrists and ankles, fixing Him to the Cross, after His long and horrible walk, after carrying His Cross...then it being carried by an onlooker, at the insistence of the soldiers. During all this time being jeered at, spat at and more. Some in this crowd, being the same who during His triumphal entry were shouting Hosannas and waving palm branches.
At one-point Jesus poke to Mary and John after an unnatural darkness covered the land, asking John to take care of His Beloved Mother.
9 AM.....The Third Hour and Jesus is Crucified - Mark 15:25 - The third hour would have been 9 am, Jewish time.
(Luke 23:34; Mark 15:24)
10 AM....Jesus is Insulted and Mocked (Matthew 27:39-40; Mark 15:31; Luke 23:36-37; Luke 23:39)
11 AM.....Jesus and the Criminal (Luke 23:40-43 John 19:26-27)
NOON - THE 6TH HOUR
(Mark 15:33)
1 PM.....Jesus Cries Out to the Father (Matthew 27:46; John 19:28-29)
At any time during reading these...discuss any thoughts you might have
2 PM.....It is Finished - (John 19:30a; Luke 23:46)
+Jesus is taken down from the Cross
3 PM.....The Ninth Hour & THE EVENTS AFTER JESUS DEATH
The Centurion (Matthew 27:54; Mark15:38; Luke 23:47)
The Soldiers (John 19:31-34)
Jesus (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42)
As we have read.....there was a large earthquake and the Temple Veil is torn in two....the symbolism of this veil being torn in half, meaning that through Jesus we can now approach God directly, as the Father and the Son are ONE! There is no longer anyone or anything that can separate us from the Love of God! Halleluiah!
I hope you found yourselves enriched as you followed throughout the day.... these singular and incredible events in the life of Jesus?
I will be sending to you either tomorrow or Saturday, our Sunday Easter Service....and hope you can join us. God bless you and keep you safe and well!
P.Tom
P.S. Please keep praying and trusting....and staying in touch by reaching out to each
~ Palm Sunday ~
April 5th, 2020
The Little Church in the Pines
"From Joy to Despair"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
~ This Palm Sunday I am going to closely follow tradition in relating the story and events of that day……………………
But first….we are going to have a history lesson of Palm Sunday’s secondary origin…. “The Church having endured almost 400 years of persecution of many kinds and from many sources, but mostly from Rome, obtained her freedom in the fourth century when Constantine became Emperor and embraced Christianity. Shortly after this event….the faithful in Jerusalem re-enacted the solemn entry of Christ into their city on the Sunday before Easter, holding a procession in which they carried and waved Palm branches, singing Hosanna, Hosanna, which literally means “to save now” and was more than a cry of acclamation, as it was a plea from an oppressed people to their Savior for deliverance….and because it is Messianic in origin…the people that day were publicly acknowledging Jesus as ‘The Messiah.’
The earliest mention of this ceremony is found in the Sacramentary of the Abbey of Bobbio in Northern Italy, in the eighth century. The rite was soon accepted in Rome and incorporated into the liturgy, changed and celebrated in many ways and times, in various cultures with cultural adaptations. Ours today is fairly ‘cultured’ or even ‘tame’ in comparison to the early church celebrations.
~ Something about Jesus we need to remember through the so called, "Triumphal Entry" is that He, from the beginning knew His destiny, and knew events what would bring Him to the point of no return…to the Cross. This singular event, though in a cloak of celebration and joy was the beginning of the end of both His ministry, and His life.....on earth. He also knew the New Beginning.....that would follow all the pain and horror that was coming His way in a very short amount of time.
~ Just prior to this event He had been teaching the disciples and those who would listen exactly who He was and what was to come…but they did not understand. In some of those teachings he declared He was the True Shepherd, the Good Shepherd....the One who would take care of them in the troubled times ahead. He spoke of what it meant to live an Abundant Life. In the midst of these teachings, the Jewish leaders, despising Him, began to seriously put together a plot to kill Him.
~ During this time Mary showed her deep love and respect of Him, by anointing His feet at a gathering with very costly oil...which then got both she and Jesus in deeper trouble. Lazarus, as we know, had previously died and was a few days later raised from the dead...and because of, also getting the newly resurrected Lazarus and again Jesus in even deeper trouble. Now the leaders were plotting to kill both of them.....and at this time He states clearly what is shortly to happen...which we find in John 12:7 where Jesus said in Mary's defense, "let her alone, she has kept this oil for the day of My burial. "For the poor you have with you always, but Me, you do not have always." He said this because, the priests were finding fault with her generosity, as they said the oil could have been sold and the money distributed to the poor. Such big-hearted guys……….!
~ The enemy is stamping mad and afoot behind the scenes, working in the minds and hearts of those who hate Jesus.
~ John 12:9-11..."The next day, Friday, a great multitude had some to the feast of The Passover from all over the known world, and when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, (his notoriety had grown to enormous proportions) they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying out: "Hosanna! Hosanna!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'
‘The King of Israel!’"
~ Their usage of the word “Name…..of the Lord”....signified a person of rank and authority.....which the population over time had come to see Jesus as such due to his teachings, which often contradicted the Sadducees and Pharisees…..and of course His astonishing miracles.
~ Remember that Jesus knew full well what was ahead of Him, and to fulfill Scripture, Jesus told the disciples ahead of time where they would find a young donkey for Him to ride upon…A donkey signified in tradition, especially riding on one…...(humility) in contrast to that of a conquering military leader, fulfilling once again Scripture found in Zechariah 9:9. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold…Your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
~ Like a cannon ball being shot out of a cannon...the story of His having raised Lazarus from the dead went throughout Jerusalem.....therefore this crowd was both loud and huge, and also filled with expectation of more to come....and Oh, those Pharisees...the conniving, jealous, self-righteous guys they were, we read in verse 19, said to one another...."you see that we are accomplishing nothing! LOOK....the world has gone after Him!
~ Because of the great noise, the adulation He was publicly receiving...quoting here. "and because the people were throwing their clothing on the colt.....and spreading their clothes on the road in front of where the colt would tread...and they continued to rejoice"....as He was now nearing the descent of the Mount of Olives....again, the people crying out,
"Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!
~ Then some of the Pharisees called out to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones themselves would immediately cry out." The clock is ticking…. these leaders now are really, really ticked.
~ As He descended the slope into Jerusalem....His heart was both full and breaking....three long arduous years of ministry, healing, restoring, teaching, miracle after miracle....touching hearts, lives and spirits....seeing the city spread before him....He Wept....feeling the full impact of all those days and nights, all the people...still so many to reach....so many obstacles and so much hatred, to the One who spoke mostly of love and goodness, and mercy, and justice.
~ He says quietly to Himself and those close enough to hear Him...."If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace, but now....they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you, one stone upon another, because YOU DID NOT KNOW THE TIME OF YOUR VISITATION! (This was a prophecy that would in time be fulfilled...and Jerusalem would fall, and never be the same, until He, Jesus Christ the Messiah, Scripture tells us, would triumphantly return.....coming as “KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.”
~ Next, is what He says about that future event....."And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's and women’s hearts failing them from fear, and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heaven's will be shaken.....THEN they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
Interesting events that we are living in today, in many ways parallel the emotions and thoughts we are having in relation to these words.
Now...when these things being to happen, He says.... look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
Now, let’s take a moment....to reflect and think about what we just heard Him say......It all sounds so surreal in our pragmatic, every-day lives....yet, Scripture is Scripture, and His words are the most true and valuable words ever spoken.
Selah....which means (to pause and think)
~ As Jesus continues to teach and infuriate the priests and leaders, they continue to plot His arrest and death, now planning with Judas, His disciple and betrayer....exactly how to bring this about in the most non-public way, because they (the Priests and leaders feared the public's reaction) knowing that angry crowds take on a life of their own once aroused, and especially here, where Jesus is so revered and loved....but, later we will see, when many of those who praised and revered Him....turn on Him, shouting for His death as they once had shouted His praise.
~ He knew it was time to take that next and final step, and once again He quotes Old Testament Scripture, saying in Luke 22:37, "For I say to you ,that his which is written must still be accomplished in Me:" And He was numbered with the transgressors,' For the things concerning Me have an end."
~ And Coming out of where they were gathered together, "He went to the Mount of Olives, the "Garden of Gethsemane' as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him, and when they had come to the place, He said to them, "stop here and stay awake." He then withdrew from them about a stone's throw and became deeply distressed and troubled. Horror and dismay came over Him, and he said to them. "My heart is ready to break with grief. He then prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me, nevertheless,' and here in this next statement is the ultimate and great depth of His obedience and willingness to give Himself for you and me.' "Not My will, but Yours be done."
~ Does this look like in these words, the picture of a peaceful Jesus at total rest in the palm of Gods hand? Hardly, for the writer of this account used black paint to describe this scene. We see an agonizing, straining, and struggling Jesus. We see and hear a "Man of Sorrows." We see a 'man' struggling with fear, wrestling with commitments and yearning, praying for another way to accomplish what must be done.
~ We see Jesus in the fog of a broken heart.
~ The writer of Hebrews would later pen. "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death" (Hebrews 5:7) but did not.
~ What a portrait! Jesus in pain and Jesus on the stage of fear. Jesus, cloaked, not in majesty, but in humanity!
~ The next time you find yourself in a difficult fog producing situation, which is beyond your ability to endure, you might do well to remember Jesus in the garden. The next time you think that no one understands, reread the fourteenth chapter of Mark. The next time your self-pity convinces you that no one cares, pay a visit to Gethsemane. And the next time you wonder 'if God really perceives the pain that prevails on this planet, listen to Him pleading there among the twisted, gnarled trees in the garden.
~ Seeing God like this can-do wonders for our own suffering. God was never more human that at this hour. God was never nearer to us than when He was in pain beyond His own natural ability to endure…as a man/God in the flesh. The Incarnation was never so fulfilled as in that garden at that time.
~ As a result, time spent in the sometimes fog of our own pain, could be God's greatest gift, an opportunity to find ourselves becoming closer to Him. It could be the hour that we finally see OUR Maker for who He is and what He offers us. If it is true that in suffering, God is most like mankind, just maybe in our suffering God we can and will see God like never before.
~ Watch closely....it could very well be that the hand that extends itself to lead you out of the fog....is a pierced one.
Selah....(pause and think about it)
And remember JOY comes in the morning, there is that Promise!
Song…Morning Has Broken…
God bless each of you….may he make His face to shine upon you and give you peace in these troubled day. You are loved!!!!
Pastor Tom
April 5th, 2020
The Little Church in the Pines
"From Joy to Despair"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
~ This Palm Sunday I am going to closely follow tradition in relating the story and events of that day……………………
But first….we are going to have a history lesson of Palm Sunday’s secondary origin…. “The Church having endured almost 400 years of persecution of many kinds and from many sources, but mostly from Rome, obtained her freedom in the fourth century when Constantine became Emperor and embraced Christianity. Shortly after this event….the faithful in Jerusalem re-enacted the solemn entry of Christ into their city on the Sunday before Easter, holding a procession in which they carried and waved Palm branches, singing Hosanna, Hosanna, which literally means “to save now” and was more than a cry of acclamation, as it was a plea from an oppressed people to their Savior for deliverance….and because it is Messianic in origin…the people that day were publicly acknowledging Jesus as ‘The Messiah.’
The earliest mention of this ceremony is found in the Sacramentary of the Abbey of Bobbio in Northern Italy, in the eighth century. The rite was soon accepted in Rome and incorporated into the liturgy, changed and celebrated in many ways and times, in various cultures with cultural adaptations. Ours today is fairly ‘cultured’ or even ‘tame’ in comparison to the early church celebrations.
~ Something about Jesus we need to remember through the so called, "Triumphal Entry" is that He, from the beginning knew His destiny, and knew events what would bring Him to the point of no return…to the Cross. This singular event, though in a cloak of celebration and joy was the beginning of the end of both His ministry, and His life.....on earth. He also knew the New Beginning.....that would follow all the pain and horror that was coming His way in a very short amount of time.
~ Just prior to this event He had been teaching the disciples and those who would listen exactly who He was and what was to come…but they did not understand. In some of those teachings he declared He was the True Shepherd, the Good Shepherd....the One who would take care of them in the troubled times ahead. He spoke of what it meant to live an Abundant Life. In the midst of these teachings, the Jewish leaders, despising Him, began to seriously put together a plot to kill Him.
~ During this time Mary showed her deep love and respect of Him, by anointing His feet at a gathering with very costly oil...which then got both she and Jesus in deeper trouble. Lazarus, as we know, had previously died and was a few days later raised from the dead...and because of, also getting the newly resurrected Lazarus and again Jesus in even deeper trouble. Now the leaders were plotting to kill both of them.....and at this time He states clearly what is shortly to happen...which we find in John 12:7 where Jesus said in Mary's defense, "let her alone, she has kept this oil for the day of My burial. "For the poor you have with you always, but Me, you do not have always." He said this because, the priests were finding fault with her generosity, as they said the oil could have been sold and the money distributed to the poor. Such big-hearted guys……….!
~ The enemy is stamping mad and afoot behind the scenes, working in the minds and hearts of those who hate Jesus.
~ John 12:9-11..."The next day, Friday, a great multitude had some to the feast of The Passover from all over the known world, and when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, (his notoriety had grown to enormous proportions) they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying out: "Hosanna! Hosanna!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'
‘The King of Israel!’"
~ Their usage of the word “Name…..of the Lord”....signified a person of rank and authority.....which the population over time had come to see Jesus as such due to his teachings, which often contradicted the Sadducees and Pharisees…..and of course His astonishing miracles.
~ Remember that Jesus knew full well what was ahead of Him, and to fulfill Scripture, Jesus told the disciples ahead of time where they would find a young donkey for Him to ride upon…A donkey signified in tradition, especially riding on one…...(humility) in contrast to that of a conquering military leader, fulfilling once again Scripture found in Zechariah 9:9. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold…Your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
~ Like a cannon ball being shot out of a cannon...the story of His having raised Lazarus from the dead went throughout Jerusalem.....therefore this crowd was both loud and huge, and also filled with expectation of more to come....and Oh, those Pharisees...the conniving, jealous, self-righteous guys they were, we read in verse 19, said to one another...."you see that we are accomplishing nothing! LOOK....the world has gone after Him!
~ Because of the great noise, the adulation He was publicly receiving...quoting here. "and because the people were throwing their clothing on the colt.....and spreading their clothes on the road in front of where the colt would tread...and they continued to rejoice"....as He was now nearing the descent of the Mount of Olives....again, the people crying out,
"Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!
~ Then some of the Pharisees called out to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones themselves would immediately cry out." The clock is ticking…. these leaders now are really, really ticked.
~ As He descended the slope into Jerusalem....His heart was both full and breaking....three long arduous years of ministry, healing, restoring, teaching, miracle after miracle....touching hearts, lives and spirits....seeing the city spread before him....He Wept....feeling the full impact of all those days and nights, all the people...still so many to reach....so many obstacles and so much hatred, to the One who spoke mostly of love and goodness, and mercy, and justice.
~ He says quietly to Himself and those close enough to hear Him...."If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace, but now....they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you, one stone upon another, because YOU DID NOT KNOW THE TIME OF YOUR VISITATION! (This was a prophecy that would in time be fulfilled...and Jerusalem would fall, and never be the same, until He, Jesus Christ the Messiah, Scripture tells us, would triumphantly return.....coming as “KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.”
~ Next, is what He says about that future event....."And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's and women’s hearts failing them from fear, and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heaven's will be shaken.....THEN they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
Interesting events that we are living in today, in many ways parallel the emotions and thoughts we are having in relation to these words.
Now...when these things being to happen, He says.... look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
Now, let’s take a moment....to reflect and think about what we just heard Him say......It all sounds so surreal in our pragmatic, every-day lives....yet, Scripture is Scripture, and His words are the most true and valuable words ever spoken.
Selah....which means (to pause and think)
~ As Jesus continues to teach and infuriate the priests and leaders, they continue to plot His arrest and death, now planning with Judas, His disciple and betrayer....exactly how to bring this about in the most non-public way, because they (the Priests and leaders feared the public's reaction) knowing that angry crowds take on a life of their own once aroused, and especially here, where Jesus is so revered and loved....but, later we will see, when many of those who praised and revered Him....turn on Him, shouting for His death as they once had shouted His praise.
~ He knew it was time to take that next and final step, and once again He quotes Old Testament Scripture, saying in Luke 22:37, "For I say to you ,that his which is written must still be accomplished in Me:" And He was numbered with the transgressors,' For the things concerning Me have an end."
~ And Coming out of where they were gathered together, "He went to the Mount of Olives, the "Garden of Gethsemane' as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him, and when they had come to the place, He said to them, "stop here and stay awake." He then withdrew from them about a stone's throw and became deeply distressed and troubled. Horror and dismay came over Him, and he said to them. "My heart is ready to break with grief. He then prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me, nevertheless,' and here in this next statement is the ultimate and great depth of His obedience and willingness to give Himself for you and me.' "Not My will, but Yours be done."
~ Does this look like in these words, the picture of a peaceful Jesus at total rest in the palm of Gods hand? Hardly, for the writer of this account used black paint to describe this scene. We see an agonizing, straining, and struggling Jesus. We see and hear a "Man of Sorrows." We see a 'man' struggling with fear, wrestling with commitments and yearning, praying for another way to accomplish what must be done.
~ We see Jesus in the fog of a broken heart.
~ The writer of Hebrews would later pen. "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death" (Hebrews 5:7) but did not.
~ What a portrait! Jesus in pain and Jesus on the stage of fear. Jesus, cloaked, not in majesty, but in humanity!
~ The next time you find yourself in a difficult fog producing situation, which is beyond your ability to endure, you might do well to remember Jesus in the garden. The next time you think that no one understands, reread the fourteenth chapter of Mark. The next time your self-pity convinces you that no one cares, pay a visit to Gethsemane. And the next time you wonder 'if God really perceives the pain that prevails on this planet, listen to Him pleading there among the twisted, gnarled trees in the garden.
~ Seeing God like this can-do wonders for our own suffering. God was never more human that at this hour. God was never nearer to us than when He was in pain beyond His own natural ability to endure…as a man/God in the flesh. The Incarnation was never so fulfilled as in that garden at that time.
~ As a result, time spent in the sometimes fog of our own pain, could be God's greatest gift, an opportunity to find ourselves becoming closer to Him. It could be the hour that we finally see OUR Maker for who He is and what He offers us. If it is true that in suffering, God is most like mankind, just maybe in our suffering God we can and will see God like never before.
~ Watch closely....it could very well be that the hand that extends itself to lead you out of the fog....is a pierced one.
Selah....(pause and think about it)
And remember JOY comes in the morning, there is that Promise!
Song…Morning Has Broken…
God bless each of you….may he make His face to shine upon you and give you peace in these troubled day. You are loved!!!!
Pastor Tom
The Little Church in the Pines
mack's inn, island park, idaho
March 15, 2020
"Assurance of our Faith as a Journey.”
(Hebrews 11:1-13) Read
by; Tom Shanor, Pastor
The only fully human-being I can recall being born with faith (being filled with the Spirit from inception) was John the Baptist…destined to walk out his faith in God, where we find in Luke, an angel of the Lord speaking to Zacharias, saying, Chapter 1 vs.(14) And you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth. (15) For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” For, all of we other human-beings, Faith is a journey with a beginning. A lifetime journey of faith can be represented symbolically by mountains, valleys, green pastures, swamps, thistles and briars, poison ivy, calm waters and so many more descriptive words that brings to our mind, pictures of places, events and people who represent firsthand our journey of faith, be they times of difficulty, weakness or strength.
When “I” find it difficult to live by my faith, I all too often have asked myself why? Life is of full of whys, and I often don’t find the answers to my whys, at least quick enough from my way of thinking and other times not at all! I wish otherwise…that there were no times of deep dark valleys, no briars or thistles, poison ivy or violent storms, but instead that all were lush green valleys, attainable high beautiful mountain tops, gentle warm rains and soft summer breezes. I wish! It is in all those other difficult places and times that causes me to cry out to the Lord in faith, believing (because I do) that He indeed will walk with, and even carry me when He deems it lovingly necessary.
We heard read to us at the opening of the service, from the Book of Exodus where the Jews are in the “Wilderness of Sin.” Some say there were three million, others 5,000, and yet one scholar, having studied existing written records, counting the number of people recorded at that time in each of the 12 tribes, then coming up with 603,000 men, excluding all women and children under 20. Hence….it is one huge number of people to be wandering around in the desert for 40 years.
These people had left behind all they had ever known for 400 years of their history of generations tying their roots to Egypt. It was home. By all accounts though slaves, they still had communities, families, enough to eat, etc., etc. Here they were, following this man who once was a member of the court of Pharaoh, now a man crying in the wilderness, saying He was chosen by God to lead them to a land of plenty, wandering through new territory and a desert at that. Moses, though a charismatic leader, chosen God, (whom they saw evidence of in signs, wonders and miracles) attempting to form them into a spiritual cohesiveness, one nation under God. Many of them held different beliefs, having adopted the Egyptian gods as their own. They were both confused and frightened, being led by a pillar of fire by night, and a cloud by day? How unsettling and crazy could things get? Well, there is more was to follow….
This was a time of high stress, little assurance and fear, and truly a lack of cohesive faith. In time through events, the death of a whole generation of these wanderers, and the establishment of guidelines, more miracles, spiritual and moral laws; their journey of faith had begun.
In Exodus 17:1-7, Scriptures speaks of an incident while camping at a place called Rephidim, for there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses and said, “give us water to drink!” By the way, I’d be pretty upset myself, if journeying in the desert, exhausted, thirsty and now a dry-camp where I had nothing with which to quench my thirst, to replace all the moisture in my body sweated out of me through exertion and heat. Let alone the crying and weeping of the children.
Moses, not very sympathetically says, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted for water; and they complained against Moses (since he was the spokesman for God) and said, “why did you bring us out of Egypt, only to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses, being a compassionate man of sorts, cried out to the Lord. “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
God heard both Moses and the people, all this time having a plan that would give them once again, assurance in Moses as God’s leader for them, and as their spokesman for God. This most assuredly would also build their faith through a very observable and powerful event.
The Lord said to Moses, “go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go, for I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.”
Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He calls the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Let's more fully understand (though we peripherally know what assurance is) that in its spiritual meaning, carries with it a deeper understanding that is good for us to know and put into practice.
Our faith begins when we accept and believe that Christ is indeed who He says He is. Then and there we pick up our staff and move forward.
It truly is a term exceptionally rich when it comes to our faith and spiritual application. It signifies the unwavering confidence of an intelligent faith, as applied in trust by our adherence to it in our daily lives.
The original words have to do with the heart of a vital religion. One, which supports, carries us through and lifts us up when we have seemingly every reason to doubt. Jesus repeatedly used the word "amen" to express the trust-worthiness and truthfulness of His sayings and His teachings, in full assurance that they were truths to live by and trust in, and in doing so, we are assured once again, that we are on the right pathway in life, both temporal and eternal.
Amen, by the way, that Jesus used so often means “so be it.” It is what it is and cannot be changed.
Selah, which I use on occasion means, “pause and think about it, by meditating, pondering and thinking deeply.
Back to assurance……..Genuine assurance by its nature, leads those who believe fully in His truths and teachings, to an internal place of understanding, peace, joy, love, thankfulness and much more, no matter the circumstances as difficult as they may be, or become. We are told to "count it all joy when we are going through difficult times," for it is in those times that we not only learn who we are, but who we can become, by making the right choices and adhering to the Lord through them.
Our assurance may in various ways be shaken, diminished and even sometimes fail us, because we are human, but the principle or foundation on which faith being built up in our journey by us, our beliefs therefore cannot be taken away.
Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the 'assurance' of what we 'hope' for, the conviction of things we cannot see." That
Getting ready in the morning to come here to the church, with assurance and without thinking, I assume my car will start and I will arrive without a problem, but we all know….as an example, one of the squirrels living above my car in the carport roof just may decide to chew on a few wires and it won’t start. Or a packrat will construct a nest in the engine, which actually did happen to me. My assurance, an assumption will have been misplaced. In Christ my assurance is never misplaced, though circumstances may attempt to tell me it is. My now long experience in life of having faith…. I believe it is not and will not be misplaced…..I say that with assurance. I have seen faith at work in myself and others far too often and deeply, to shake my foundation.
Assurance hope and conviction, three words here in tandem that we hold and adhere to, that make our faith work for us. Where would we be in our faith without conviction and hope? They are deeply a part of our assurance, that Christ is the Son of God, and that Christ, God and the Holy Spirit work together in making our lives both a blessing to ourselves and to others, whom we encounter every day, be they family, friends or strangers.
Taking a strong hold of our faith, and living it out as we are given instructions as how to do so is vital, why choose to be a peripheral Christian when we can be a manifest destiny Christian? Why live a ho-hum spiritual life, when we can live a full and rich one where our life that has purpose, meaning, vibrancy and much more. Even here in Island Park, Idaho...in this ancient caldera that in itself speaks of the vibrant roots of creation......every place we look, and smell and touch speaks of power and might.
I found myself fully awake early this morning, thinking about today's sermon and the word "insurance" came to me and I thought "insurance" (what?) Then I asked myself; are there similarities not only in sound, but in meaning? And by George there are. Assurance is like having insurance, for insurance is a vehicle and document that protects a person from incurring future losses from damage, theft, illness or even death. It is a contract that transfers the risk of a specified loss benefits to self or another party, in exchange for the payment of a premium to the insurer.
Jesus Christ is our insurance policy, that when damage, theft, illness or even death come, we are assured by Him because we have belief in Him, that "all things work together for good, to those who love Him and are called through Him to a new and better life. He paid the premium and we reap the benefits of our policy, written in His name as the beneficiaries. Pretty cool.... though it cost Him a lot! Well, only His life.........................................
Knowing and believing in God's written word, Holy Scripture is vital to establish the inner workings of this policy. Along with Scripture comes prayer...for the most praying people are the most assured people, because prayer is direct communication with God. It is through communication in any relationship, be it natural or spiritual, that we come to know one another intimately. That intimacy comes through discipline and work. For anything to have value it came about through knowing something deeply and through work, sometimes hard work.
We can only speak for ourselves though....as to how our journey develops and how our assurance is deepened. Not only can we not read the minds of others, we cannot read the Bible and understand and adhere to its truths for others, but only to and for ourselves, and by doing so take God at His word.
Suppose someone says to you, "there was a person in our church who died last week and left five million dollars to his housekeeper. "Well," I say in return, "I have heard of such a thing happening before, and she was exceptional," and then I forget about it because it had nothing to do with me. But...suppose he says instead, to me, "he left the money to you." Then I will definitely pay close attention; I say, "to me?" Yes, he left it to you!" I certainly now want to know everything. So, it is in regards to salvation. Scripture also says Jesus died for everyone, but no one in particular. But...the truth is He did die for everyone, including you and me in particular. In knowing and believing that, suddenly He becomes very personal and very real to us. That....is just a part of the Good News.
HYMN....Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine......we almost all know and love that hymn. Let's sing it Acapella!
In the midst of a world more and more it seems, losing its foundation of assurance, as it is filled today with uneasiness, insecurity, its moral compass changing and more....assurance of a man or woman's security in God can be the strength that keep us from losing hope, faith, and even direction. We can and should lead authentic Christian lives, based not only on human resources, abilities (though these are good things) including ingenuity, but for us, included in those who are Believers, confidence in the caring power of God.
Divine direction sought in the lives of we as individuals, or our community of faith is not to be likened to some superficial good luck anecdote, or magical talisman, that supposedly protects a person or place against the traumas and tragedies of human existence. "Instead, assurance in God provides our anchor of confidence and hope". (Hebrews 6:18) "Especially In the midst of pain and sometimes sorrow, because we believers have learned the secret of casting all worries and cares on God who in genuinely concerned for us. (1 Peter 5:7).
St. Augustine said, "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of assured faith is to see what you believe." Yes, assured faith is a journey with a beginning….and all that we can learn, and practice assures us we are on the right path, following the right leader to the end, which is assuredly the real beginning.
SELAH…. which means?
mack's inn, island park, idaho
March 15, 2020
"Assurance of our Faith as a Journey.”
(Hebrews 11:1-13) Read
by; Tom Shanor, Pastor
The only fully human-being I can recall being born with faith (being filled with the Spirit from inception) was John the Baptist…destined to walk out his faith in God, where we find in Luke, an angel of the Lord speaking to Zacharias, saying, Chapter 1 vs.(14) And you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth. (15) For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” For, all of we other human-beings, Faith is a journey with a beginning. A lifetime journey of faith can be represented symbolically by mountains, valleys, green pastures, swamps, thistles and briars, poison ivy, calm waters and so many more descriptive words that brings to our mind, pictures of places, events and people who represent firsthand our journey of faith, be they times of difficulty, weakness or strength.
When “I” find it difficult to live by my faith, I all too often have asked myself why? Life is of full of whys, and I often don’t find the answers to my whys, at least quick enough from my way of thinking and other times not at all! I wish otherwise…that there were no times of deep dark valleys, no briars or thistles, poison ivy or violent storms, but instead that all were lush green valleys, attainable high beautiful mountain tops, gentle warm rains and soft summer breezes. I wish! It is in all those other difficult places and times that causes me to cry out to the Lord in faith, believing (because I do) that He indeed will walk with, and even carry me when He deems it lovingly necessary.
We heard read to us at the opening of the service, from the Book of Exodus where the Jews are in the “Wilderness of Sin.” Some say there were three million, others 5,000, and yet one scholar, having studied existing written records, counting the number of people recorded at that time in each of the 12 tribes, then coming up with 603,000 men, excluding all women and children under 20. Hence….it is one huge number of people to be wandering around in the desert for 40 years.
These people had left behind all they had ever known for 400 years of their history of generations tying their roots to Egypt. It was home. By all accounts though slaves, they still had communities, families, enough to eat, etc., etc. Here they were, following this man who once was a member of the court of Pharaoh, now a man crying in the wilderness, saying He was chosen by God to lead them to a land of plenty, wandering through new territory and a desert at that. Moses, though a charismatic leader, chosen God, (whom they saw evidence of in signs, wonders and miracles) attempting to form them into a spiritual cohesiveness, one nation under God. Many of them held different beliefs, having adopted the Egyptian gods as their own. They were both confused and frightened, being led by a pillar of fire by night, and a cloud by day? How unsettling and crazy could things get? Well, there is more was to follow….
This was a time of high stress, little assurance and fear, and truly a lack of cohesive faith. In time through events, the death of a whole generation of these wanderers, and the establishment of guidelines, more miracles, spiritual and moral laws; their journey of faith had begun.
In Exodus 17:1-7, Scriptures speaks of an incident while camping at a place called Rephidim, for there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses and said, “give us water to drink!” By the way, I’d be pretty upset myself, if journeying in the desert, exhausted, thirsty and now a dry-camp where I had nothing with which to quench my thirst, to replace all the moisture in my body sweated out of me through exertion and heat. Let alone the crying and weeping of the children.
Moses, not very sympathetically says, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted for water; and they complained against Moses (since he was the spokesman for God) and said, “why did you bring us out of Egypt, only to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses, being a compassionate man of sorts, cried out to the Lord. “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
God heard both Moses and the people, all this time having a plan that would give them once again, assurance in Moses as God’s leader for them, and as their spokesman for God. This most assuredly would also build their faith through a very observable and powerful event.
The Lord said to Moses, “go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go, for I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.”
Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He calls the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Let's more fully understand (though we peripherally know what assurance is) that in its spiritual meaning, carries with it a deeper understanding that is good for us to know and put into practice.
Our faith begins when we accept and believe that Christ is indeed who He says He is. Then and there we pick up our staff and move forward.
It truly is a term exceptionally rich when it comes to our faith and spiritual application. It signifies the unwavering confidence of an intelligent faith, as applied in trust by our adherence to it in our daily lives.
The original words have to do with the heart of a vital religion. One, which supports, carries us through and lifts us up when we have seemingly every reason to doubt. Jesus repeatedly used the word "amen" to express the trust-worthiness and truthfulness of His sayings and His teachings, in full assurance that they were truths to live by and trust in, and in doing so, we are assured once again, that we are on the right pathway in life, both temporal and eternal.
Amen, by the way, that Jesus used so often means “so be it.” It is what it is and cannot be changed.
Selah, which I use on occasion means, “pause and think about it, by meditating, pondering and thinking deeply.
Back to assurance……..Genuine assurance by its nature, leads those who believe fully in His truths and teachings, to an internal place of understanding, peace, joy, love, thankfulness and much more, no matter the circumstances as difficult as they may be, or become. We are told to "count it all joy when we are going through difficult times," for it is in those times that we not only learn who we are, but who we can become, by making the right choices and adhering to the Lord through them.
Our assurance may in various ways be shaken, diminished and even sometimes fail us, because we are human, but the principle or foundation on which faith being built up in our journey by us, our beliefs therefore cannot be taken away.
Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the 'assurance' of what we 'hope' for, the conviction of things we cannot see." That
Getting ready in the morning to come here to the church, with assurance and without thinking, I assume my car will start and I will arrive without a problem, but we all know….as an example, one of the squirrels living above my car in the carport roof just may decide to chew on a few wires and it won’t start. Or a packrat will construct a nest in the engine, which actually did happen to me. My assurance, an assumption will have been misplaced. In Christ my assurance is never misplaced, though circumstances may attempt to tell me it is. My now long experience in life of having faith…. I believe it is not and will not be misplaced…..I say that with assurance. I have seen faith at work in myself and others far too often and deeply, to shake my foundation.
Assurance hope and conviction, three words here in tandem that we hold and adhere to, that make our faith work for us. Where would we be in our faith without conviction and hope? They are deeply a part of our assurance, that Christ is the Son of God, and that Christ, God and the Holy Spirit work together in making our lives both a blessing to ourselves and to others, whom we encounter every day, be they family, friends or strangers.
Taking a strong hold of our faith, and living it out as we are given instructions as how to do so is vital, why choose to be a peripheral Christian when we can be a manifest destiny Christian? Why live a ho-hum spiritual life, when we can live a full and rich one where our life that has purpose, meaning, vibrancy and much more. Even here in Island Park, Idaho...in this ancient caldera that in itself speaks of the vibrant roots of creation......every place we look, and smell and touch speaks of power and might.
I found myself fully awake early this morning, thinking about today's sermon and the word "insurance" came to me and I thought "insurance" (what?) Then I asked myself; are there similarities not only in sound, but in meaning? And by George there are. Assurance is like having insurance, for insurance is a vehicle and document that protects a person from incurring future losses from damage, theft, illness or even death. It is a contract that transfers the risk of a specified loss benefits to self or another party, in exchange for the payment of a premium to the insurer.
Jesus Christ is our insurance policy, that when damage, theft, illness or even death come, we are assured by Him because we have belief in Him, that "all things work together for good, to those who love Him and are called through Him to a new and better life. He paid the premium and we reap the benefits of our policy, written in His name as the beneficiaries. Pretty cool.... though it cost Him a lot! Well, only His life.........................................
Knowing and believing in God's written word, Holy Scripture is vital to establish the inner workings of this policy. Along with Scripture comes prayer...for the most praying people are the most assured people, because prayer is direct communication with God. It is through communication in any relationship, be it natural or spiritual, that we come to know one another intimately. That intimacy comes through discipline and work. For anything to have value it came about through knowing something deeply and through work, sometimes hard work.
We can only speak for ourselves though....as to how our journey develops and how our assurance is deepened. Not only can we not read the minds of others, we cannot read the Bible and understand and adhere to its truths for others, but only to and for ourselves, and by doing so take God at His word.
Suppose someone says to you, "there was a person in our church who died last week and left five million dollars to his housekeeper. "Well," I say in return, "I have heard of such a thing happening before, and she was exceptional," and then I forget about it because it had nothing to do with me. But...suppose he says instead, to me, "he left the money to you." Then I will definitely pay close attention; I say, "to me?" Yes, he left it to you!" I certainly now want to know everything. So, it is in regards to salvation. Scripture also says Jesus died for everyone, but no one in particular. But...the truth is He did die for everyone, including you and me in particular. In knowing and believing that, suddenly He becomes very personal and very real to us. That....is just a part of the Good News.
HYMN....Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine......we almost all know and love that hymn. Let's sing it Acapella!
In the midst of a world more and more it seems, losing its foundation of assurance, as it is filled today with uneasiness, insecurity, its moral compass changing and more....assurance of a man or woman's security in God can be the strength that keep us from losing hope, faith, and even direction. We can and should lead authentic Christian lives, based not only on human resources, abilities (though these are good things) including ingenuity, but for us, included in those who are Believers, confidence in the caring power of God.
Divine direction sought in the lives of we as individuals, or our community of faith is not to be likened to some superficial good luck anecdote, or magical talisman, that supposedly protects a person or place against the traumas and tragedies of human existence. "Instead, assurance in God provides our anchor of confidence and hope". (Hebrews 6:18) "Especially In the midst of pain and sometimes sorrow, because we believers have learned the secret of casting all worries and cares on God who in genuinely concerned for us. (1 Peter 5:7).
St. Augustine said, "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of assured faith is to see what you believe." Yes, assured faith is a journey with a beginning….and all that we can learn, and practice assures us we are on the right path, following the right leader to the end, which is assuredly the real beginning.
SELAH…. which means?
The LITTLE CHURCH in the PINES
MACKS INN, IDAHO
March 8, 2020
"Majesty in the Ordinary"
1 Chronicles 1:29:11 (read)
Pastor Tom Shanor
"Blessed are you, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the MAJESTY; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all."
I was sitting at the high-table I always sit at in the Trout Hunter (my favorite breakfast restaurant) and eating my favorite breakfast, (the Zeeker,) looking at one of my favorite views in the Caldera, of my very favorite river, the Snake. Watching the Swans, Geese, Ducks and Coots, all busy working away at talking to each other in bird language of course, and finding what treasures they could, beneath the surface of the water to munch on.
From there my eyes moved up to that huge expansive meadow, across it to the tree covered mountains, and then of course upward to the majestic clouds. I stared at them for a while, my eyes following their trajectory across what is always (when showing) also, our caldera majestic blue sky, that ascends from pale blue at the distant horizon, to a gorgeous lively cerulean blue. Then I found myself coming back in particular to those ducks. There happened to be a larger than usual covey of them and watching their antics with one another was so much fun. They were as busy as beaver, but not accomplishing near as much, with wings flapping, dipping and bobbing in and around each other, making those mostly hilarious and sometimes even annoying quacks.
They were, as we once were, totally ignorant of the majesty in the world surrounding them and of course the Universe that they live in. Things that exist, such as massive black holes swallowing whole galaxies, and where suns are dying and where suns are being born. Where planets are colliding and the Universe expanding....get this; at 3.3 million light years per second, except where it is contracting, and stars are continually exploding, casting debris across the galaxies……and oh so much more.
And yet.... here those ducks were, acting out their simple lives in the ordinary, carrying on as if they were going to live forever, delightfully so, and sometimes hilariously so.
Myself, still watching and gazing, marveling at the wonder of it all while thinking that how in our daily lives up here in the Caldera, in all its beauty can for some people become ordinary. We often lose that drawing which brought us to this place. In its ordinary presentation, everything we see really is extraordinary and even majestic. I relish in the ordinary extraordinary in God, in nature, in people, In you and in me.
Oh very young, what will you leave us this time.
You're only dancin’ on this earth for a short while.
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now,
They will vanish away like your dad's best jeans.
Denim blue, faded up to the sky,
And though you want them to last forever
You know they never will, you know they never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still.
I've always loved Cat Steven's songs.... because he sees the ordinary as extraordinary. He also sees wonder and majesty in the ordinary, because of the memories that he expressed from an old faded pair of jeans.
Just the fact that indeed we are here.....(if only for a short while) we should never take for granted the ordinarily majesty that is around us every day, if choose to see and feel it at all.
.....On the spiritual side of life…..and in reflecting as beings who are 'Believers' in God, if indeed we all are, do we have a problem picturing God, in any way, but especially in his Majesty. We use the pronoun ‘Him’, assigning gender to a majestic and powerful force….by using the word Him we can attach personality and some sort of vague human like qualities. This makes God more fearful, lovable, approachable and in awe of. There is Majesty in the ordinary and then there is Majesty in the extraordinary......the extraordinary being God, as a being that can be seen and heard through His Son. Not as in a photograph, but in who He says He is, as God's word describes Him, and in the way He lived His brief life, in His teachings and as we see Him through Peter's eyes during what is called the "transfiguration" and also as we read of in the book of Revelation.
We also see in the Majesty of the so called ordinary, that what we see and hear and feel is not ordinary at all, but truly extraordinary, for His Creation is but a reflection of Himself. As Christ was clothed in the ordinary as a baby, child and man, His life and ministry as well as His ultimate death, only to be followed by His resurrection and ascension.
In coming as He did, He changed for us, for the world, the image of God that exists in the Old Testament and changed for us (radically changed) our image of Him in the New Testament. We read in Mark 9:2-3, "And he was transfigured before them," Mark says quite simply, going on to add somewhat awkwardly, as if stammering before what he is seeing: "and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as on Earth should bleach them.
Revelation to the three of His supernatural being…also revealed His majesty. Majesty meaning…. impressive stateliness, dignity, beauty, divinity and royal power.
Then Matthew speaking of the same event known at the Transfiguration, has chosen rather more elevated words at his command: "His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light." (Matthew 17:2)
John's vision of the Son of Man is described in Scripture, in the Book of Revelation 1:9-20. John sees a vison of the risen, ascended and glorified Jesus Christ, whom he describes as one "like the Son of man"( verse 13) Jesus is portrayed in this vision as wearing a robe with a golden sash, white hair, eyes like blazing fire, feet like bronze and a voice like rushing waters. He holds seven stats in his right hand, and has a double-edged sword coming out of his mouth. Each of those are powerful in symbolism, fully telling of His Majesty, Divinity and Royal Power.
As a minister I sometimes see the royal spark of divinity in we human beings, when we are ministering, praying, worshiping and being endowed with the capability we have, to see, feel and comprehend the Majesty that is all around us.
If indeed we are living sparks of Creation…..we should fan those sparks into flames of spiritual fire, working to become the best of who and what God through Creation, using the gifts He has given each of us through His Spirit and Son, push inward and upward to become the best of what has been bestowed on us.
In this world we have the capacity to comprehend, to ponder, but to also have JOY, laughter, sorrow and sadness, each one a gift from God to express all that we are and all that we feel, and to live good and decent lives in the shadow of His Majesty, and in the shadow of His Son.
Majesty, worship His Majesty Song by Jack Hayford
Unto Jesus be all glory power and praise
Majesty, kingdom authority flow from his throne
Unto His own, his anthem raise
So exalt, lift up the name of Jesus
Magnify, come glorify, Christ Jesus the King
Majesty, worship his Majesty
Jesus who died, now glorified
King of all Kings
Remember…that towering Sequoia, the external and internal make up of a mite…the ocean in its power, beauty and depth,…the cry of a newborn child, the hilarity of the form of a Moose…the jaws of a Crocodile and the love and devotion of our chosen companions/pets….our children, grandchildren, spouses and friends…all reflections of the beauty, power, creativity, might and Majesty of our God…..our Lord, Savior and Friend, Jesus the Christ.
Majesty clothed in the ordinary……………. for all who will hear and believe!
Amen
MACKS INN, IDAHO
March 8, 2020
"Majesty in the Ordinary"
1 Chronicles 1:29:11 (read)
Pastor Tom Shanor
"Blessed are you, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the MAJESTY; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all."
I was sitting at the high-table I always sit at in the Trout Hunter (my favorite breakfast restaurant) and eating my favorite breakfast, (the Zeeker,) looking at one of my favorite views in the Caldera, of my very favorite river, the Snake. Watching the Swans, Geese, Ducks and Coots, all busy working away at talking to each other in bird language of course, and finding what treasures they could, beneath the surface of the water to munch on.
From there my eyes moved up to that huge expansive meadow, across it to the tree covered mountains, and then of course upward to the majestic clouds. I stared at them for a while, my eyes following their trajectory across what is always (when showing) also, our caldera majestic blue sky, that ascends from pale blue at the distant horizon, to a gorgeous lively cerulean blue. Then I found myself coming back in particular to those ducks. There happened to be a larger than usual covey of them and watching their antics with one another was so much fun. They were as busy as beaver, but not accomplishing near as much, with wings flapping, dipping and bobbing in and around each other, making those mostly hilarious and sometimes even annoying quacks.
They were, as we once were, totally ignorant of the majesty in the world surrounding them and of course the Universe that they live in. Things that exist, such as massive black holes swallowing whole galaxies, and where suns are dying and where suns are being born. Where planets are colliding and the Universe expanding....get this; at 3.3 million light years per second, except where it is contracting, and stars are continually exploding, casting debris across the galaxies……and oh so much more.
And yet.... here those ducks were, acting out their simple lives in the ordinary, carrying on as if they were going to live forever, delightfully so, and sometimes hilariously so.
Myself, still watching and gazing, marveling at the wonder of it all while thinking that how in our daily lives up here in the Caldera, in all its beauty can for some people become ordinary. We often lose that drawing which brought us to this place. In its ordinary presentation, everything we see really is extraordinary and even majestic. I relish in the ordinary extraordinary in God, in nature, in people, In you and in me.
Oh very young, what will you leave us this time.
You're only dancin’ on this earth for a short while.
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now,
They will vanish away like your dad's best jeans.
Denim blue, faded up to the sky,
And though you want them to last forever
You know they never will, you know they never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still.
I've always loved Cat Steven's songs.... because he sees the ordinary as extraordinary. He also sees wonder and majesty in the ordinary, because of the memories that he expressed from an old faded pair of jeans.
Just the fact that indeed we are here.....(if only for a short while) we should never take for granted the ordinarily majesty that is around us every day, if choose to see and feel it at all.
.....On the spiritual side of life…..and in reflecting as beings who are 'Believers' in God, if indeed we all are, do we have a problem picturing God, in any way, but especially in his Majesty. We use the pronoun ‘Him’, assigning gender to a majestic and powerful force….by using the word Him we can attach personality and some sort of vague human like qualities. This makes God more fearful, lovable, approachable and in awe of. There is Majesty in the ordinary and then there is Majesty in the extraordinary......the extraordinary being God, as a being that can be seen and heard through His Son. Not as in a photograph, but in who He says He is, as God's word describes Him, and in the way He lived His brief life, in His teachings and as we see Him through Peter's eyes during what is called the "transfiguration" and also as we read of in the book of Revelation.
We also see in the Majesty of the so called ordinary, that what we see and hear and feel is not ordinary at all, but truly extraordinary, for His Creation is but a reflection of Himself. As Christ was clothed in the ordinary as a baby, child and man, His life and ministry as well as His ultimate death, only to be followed by His resurrection and ascension.
In coming as He did, He changed for us, for the world, the image of God that exists in the Old Testament and changed for us (radically changed) our image of Him in the New Testament. We read in Mark 9:2-3, "And he was transfigured before them," Mark says quite simply, going on to add somewhat awkwardly, as if stammering before what he is seeing: "and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as on Earth should bleach them.
Revelation to the three of His supernatural being…also revealed His majesty. Majesty meaning…. impressive stateliness, dignity, beauty, divinity and royal power.
Then Matthew speaking of the same event known at the Transfiguration, has chosen rather more elevated words at his command: "His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light." (Matthew 17:2)
John's vision of the Son of Man is described in Scripture, in the Book of Revelation 1:9-20. John sees a vison of the risen, ascended and glorified Jesus Christ, whom he describes as one "like the Son of man"( verse 13) Jesus is portrayed in this vision as wearing a robe with a golden sash, white hair, eyes like blazing fire, feet like bronze and a voice like rushing waters. He holds seven stats in his right hand, and has a double-edged sword coming out of his mouth. Each of those are powerful in symbolism, fully telling of His Majesty, Divinity and Royal Power.
As a minister I sometimes see the royal spark of divinity in we human beings, when we are ministering, praying, worshiping and being endowed with the capability we have, to see, feel and comprehend the Majesty that is all around us.
If indeed we are living sparks of Creation…..we should fan those sparks into flames of spiritual fire, working to become the best of who and what God through Creation, using the gifts He has given each of us through His Spirit and Son, push inward and upward to become the best of what has been bestowed on us.
In this world we have the capacity to comprehend, to ponder, but to also have JOY, laughter, sorrow and sadness, each one a gift from God to express all that we are and all that we feel, and to live good and decent lives in the shadow of His Majesty, and in the shadow of His Son.
Majesty, worship His Majesty Song by Jack Hayford
Unto Jesus be all glory power and praise
Majesty, kingdom authority flow from his throne
Unto His own, his anthem raise
So exalt, lift up the name of Jesus
Magnify, come glorify, Christ Jesus the King
Majesty, worship his Majesty
Jesus who died, now glorified
King of all Kings
Remember…that towering Sequoia, the external and internal make up of a mite…the ocean in its power, beauty and depth,…the cry of a newborn child, the hilarity of the form of a Moose…the jaws of a Crocodile and the love and devotion of our chosen companions/pets….our children, grandchildren, spouses and friends…all reflections of the beauty, power, creativity, might and Majesty of our God…..our Lord, Savior and Friend, Jesus the Christ.
Majesty clothed in the ordinary……………. for all who will hear and believe!
Amen
The little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
"Joy comes in the Morning"
Pastor Tom Shanor
March 1, 2020
Sing "JOYFUL - JOYFUL"!
Ok....that is probably a little more than either you expected or would ask for, but I wanted to get across to you the importance and effects of JOY in our lives, both in our every-day lives and in our spiritual lives. Music is for me one of the vehicles we can ride to experience JOY, and though I may disagree vehemently with Whoopie Goldberg on most everything she says and stands for, she did a bang-up job in Sisters Act with the young choir singing JOYFUL, JOYFUL. Hers and theirs is my absolute favorite rendition of that Hymn.
Wiktionary has this to say about the meaning of JOY. "JOY is a FEELING of GREAT HAPPINESS and PLEASURE. An example in a sentence is "The Lord will be the source of strength and JOY in your life," for JOY is something that CAUSES an outward expression of JOY. An example: "seeing and holding your newborn child is perhaps the greatest JOY a parent can experience in the natural."
Associated with the word JOY is REJOICE, which is a verb, for IF you REJOICE, you express your feelings by acting in a way that shows that you are very, very happy about something, and you therefore have a reason to REJOICE and CELEBRATE!"
I now am going to quote myself from the article I wrote for the Island Park News almost a year ago, under REFLECTIONS, on the spiritual side of life.
Religion....is serious business! There has been a saying out there that has been around for years, and with it an element of truth. "He (or she) is too religious to be of any earthly good." On the positive side of that, there are those I believe, who are called by God to a deep walk, and who spend their lives in prayer and solitude for that very purpose, praying for the state of the world, the church and us, and that brings them JOY.
Then there are those who are 'religious' in the negative sense of the word. These are those who need to feel superior to others, and have little, authentic self-esteem, or true understanding of faith and its true value. These folks live in a black and white world of rules and requirements, focusing most often on the negative, being critical and not knowing the value and meaning of grace and or JOY.
You see....there is in faith a place for humor, merriment, joy, happiness and yes, laughter. As you know having been here long enough, like this morning prior to our tithes and offerings, I offer up, or at least try to, a little humor. The potential for humor doesn't stop just because the bell is rung or Pam plays the piano, and we all take a seat, putting on our stern religious hats that impress no one, especially the Lord Himself. Well…that is in some churches, as I have seldom seen a stern look…unless I had done something that I was given a look for!
I have mentioned this before, but a couple of summers ago, I had someone in the congregation text me, telling me that I was NOT, definitely NOT a stand-up comic, and basically needed to stop my little jokes and stories. I texted back that I was not going to stop, and that it took me too many years to allow myself to both know and live out who I am and was going to simply continue to be my-self. It didn't go over very well, but then I already knew it wouldn't. Also, deciding years ago to not get upset by words and even actions that tried to put me in their place, not mine, but theirs. Well, that too has been somewhat true, because some folks have the ability to get to that place (but not for long) which by words and looks can affect me and upset me.
Last Wednesday began our Lenten Season, culminating as we know in the death and resurrection of our Lord, with all its sorrow, tragedy and darkness, we now are to embrace the radiant life of the Lord through His resurrection from the dead. With these observations we know that the time for Hallelujah! JOY comes in the morning will arrive. That morning reminds me of the Morning of Creation in Genesis 1:3, "Then God said, "let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." And evening passed....and morning came, marking the first day.
I find JOY every morning as the darkness turns to light with all its revelation of the heretofore unseen. At times it feels like I am seeing all His Creation for the first time. In the hymn Morning Has Broken (one of my favorites) always brings me hope and reminds me of that first morning, and the morning of Jesus' resurrection. This song mirrors to me that morning. Hymn, page 5/ sing
Morning has broken, like the first morning.
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird,
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
God's re-creation.......of the new day!
Sweet the rain's new fall, Sunlit from Heaven
Like the first dew-fall, on the first grass,
Praise for the sweetness, of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness.....Where His feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning,
Born of the one light, Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, Praise every morning,
God's re-creation......of the New Day!
As a Christian, I am aware that JOY is supposed to be one of the nine components of what is called the Fruit of the Spirit. In other words, all believers are to exhibit JOY, the more we walk with the Lord.
I started out with this message, not realizing how often the Spirit would bring to my mind songs and Hymns that express the JOY I am attempting to explain to you. So... here is another, this one expressing walking with Him.
When we walk with the Lord, in the light of His Word,
What glory He sheds on our way! while we do His good will,
He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey,
Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His SMILE quickly drives it away; not a doubt or a fear,
Not a sigh or a tear can remain....when we trust and obey.
His anger when He has reason for anger, is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may last through the night, but JOY comes with the morning.
Also, as Christians, we have heard countless times that JOY is not to be contingent on our present circumstances, whatever they are, but a certain knowledge that everything will work out for good in the end. Though I do believe this.....I also know that I am fully human, and that there will be times when overwhelmed by either circumstances, events and people, pets passing that are dear to us, that sorrow and tears will be a part of my life. In those times I can have a certain deep JOY in knowing the truth of those words in those songs and in other verses, that all things work out for good in the end, but I also know God gave me the ability to feel other emotions, and it is right to express those also. Tears can be healing....a sense of loss can in time be filled by new people, new events, etc., but I also know there will always in this lifetime, a special place in my heart, mind, spirit and soul, for the memory of my loss, and those I cherish and cherished, and that ability to do so, that is a gift, straight from God through His Son….empowered and given by His Spirit.
We can pick up even more on JOY by reading, knowing that in the International version of the Bible, JOY is used 245 times. RE-JOICE is used 154 times, telling us over and over that therefore, JOY is a vital component of one of the themes in God's Word.
In the Old Testament, worship expressing JOY, REJOICING, HAPPINESS & CELEBRATION was a vital part of the way the people showed God their love and respect for Him. David danced before the Lord without shame or fear of what others thought of him.
The words I am now going to share with you comes in part from a sermon by Vance Havner.
The Church suffers today from a saddening lack of simple-hearted, overflowing, Christian JOY. We have plenty of knowledge, plenty of enthusiasm and denominational zeal, but Christians and churches that started out in revival fires are living in the smoke.
Although the New Testament centers on the Cross....its note from beginning to end is one of triumphant JOY. It begins with an angelic celebrating in song the birth of the Christ Child and ends with rejoicing around the throne of God.
The same church members who yell with great enthusiasm in a sports arena or in their own home.... often sit like a stone statue in an outdoor garden, in the service on Sunday.
Charles Spurgeon said...."There is a marvelous medicinal power in JOY. Most medicines are distasteful; but his, which is the best of all medicines, is sweet to the taste, and comforting to the heart.
I was talking to a Presbyterian the other day, who described himself and most (now this was him saying this, not me) as the Frozen Chosen. All I could do was chuckle....
Listen please.... I am not up here telling you to be any way in particular. I am telling you, that in this congregation and any other, never make a spectacle of yourself, I can’t imagine that anyway, but you should feel free, if in your genuineness you want to raise your hands, or express in another way that again which is genuine....your JOY in the Lord as your strength and happiness.
This summer, we will have people from all over, perhaps the world, each coming from a spiritual background both different, and some the same as ours. In our times of worship, they should feel welcome and comfortable, being themselves, and expressing in worship what they bring with them from their own worship practices. There have been on occasion, (in other churches I have pastored) where I have had to stop people from their particular expression, and a few I even had to have removed from the service. Why? Because in the Spirit, I could discern what they were doing was not of God, but of drawing attention to them-selves.
Here are a few verses I want to close with.
Ecclesiastes 9:7, "Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a Joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do."
Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
1 Peter 1:8-9, "Though you have not seen Him, but you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious JOY, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Psalm 47:1 "Clap your hands all you people; shout unto God with cries of JOY!
I will close with this, titled "This is the day"
James Guthrie of Scotland went to the scaffold because of his faith in Christ. In telling his story, Jock Purves, writes, "James Guthrie, through his full and busy life, kept his own personal relationship with Christ in the fresh bloom of when he turned his life over to Christ.
Waking about 4 a.m. on the day he was to be executed, Guthrie spent time in personal worship and prayer, and was asked by his friend James Cowie how he felt. "Very well," replied Guthrie. "This is the day that the Lord has made; I will REJOICE and be glad in it!'"
AMEN
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
"Joy comes in the Morning"
Pastor Tom Shanor
March 1, 2020
Sing "JOYFUL - JOYFUL"!
Ok....that is probably a little more than either you expected or would ask for, but I wanted to get across to you the importance and effects of JOY in our lives, both in our every-day lives and in our spiritual lives. Music is for me one of the vehicles we can ride to experience JOY, and though I may disagree vehemently with Whoopie Goldberg on most everything she says and stands for, she did a bang-up job in Sisters Act with the young choir singing JOYFUL, JOYFUL. Hers and theirs is my absolute favorite rendition of that Hymn.
Wiktionary has this to say about the meaning of JOY. "JOY is a FEELING of GREAT HAPPINESS and PLEASURE. An example in a sentence is "The Lord will be the source of strength and JOY in your life," for JOY is something that CAUSES an outward expression of JOY. An example: "seeing and holding your newborn child is perhaps the greatest JOY a parent can experience in the natural."
Associated with the word JOY is REJOICE, which is a verb, for IF you REJOICE, you express your feelings by acting in a way that shows that you are very, very happy about something, and you therefore have a reason to REJOICE and CELEBRATE!"
I now am going to quote myself from the article I wrote for the Island Park News almost a year ago, under REFLECTIONS, on the spiritual side of life.
Religion....is serious business! There has been a saying out there that has been around for years, and with it an element of truth. "He (or she) is too religious to be of any earthly good." On the positive side of that, there are those I believe, who are called by God to a deep walk, and who spend their lives in prayer and solitude for that very purpose, praying for the state of the world, the church and us, and that brings them JOY.
Then there are those who are 'religious' in the negative sense of the word. These are those who need to feel superior to others, and have little, authentic self-esteem, or true understanding of faith and its true value. These folks live in a black and white world of rules and requirements, focusing most often on the negative, being critical and not knowing the value and meaning of grace and or JOY.
You see....there is in faith a place for humor, merriment, joy, happiness and yes, laughter. As you know having been here long enough, like this morning prior to our tithes and offerings, I offer up, or at least try to, a little humor. The potential for humor doesn't stop just because the bell is rung or Pam plays the piano, and we all take a seat, putting on our stern religious hats that impress no one, especially the Lord Himself. Well…that is in some churches, as I have seldom seen a stern look…unless I had done something that I was given a look for!
I have mentioned this before, but a couple of summers ago, I had someone in the congregation text me, telling me that I was NOT, definitely NOT a stand-up comic, and basically needed to stop my little jokes and stories. I texted back that I was not going to stop, and that it took me too many years to allow myself to both know and live out who I am and was going to simply continue to be my-self. It didn't go over very well, but then I already knew it wouldn't. Also, deciding years ago to not get upset by words and even actions that tried to put me in their place, not mine, but theirs. Well, that too has been somewhat true, because some folks have the ability to get to that place (but not for long) which by words and looks can affect me and upset me.
Last Wednesday began our Lenten Season, culminating as we know in the death and resurrection of our Lord, with all its sorrow, tragedy and darkness, we now are to embrace the radiant life of the Lord through His resurrection from the dead. With these observations we know that the time for Hallelujah! JOY comes in the morning will arrive. That morning reminds me of the Morning of Creation in Genesis 1:3, "Then God said, "let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." And evening passed....and morning came, marking the first day.
I find JOY every morning as the darkness turns to light with all its revelation of the heretofore unseen. At times it feels like I am seeing all His Creation for the first time. In the hymn Morning Has Broken (one of my favorites) always brings me hope and reminds me of that first morning, and the morning of Jesus' resurrection. This song mirrors to me that morning. Hymn, page 5/ sing
Morning has broken, like the first morning.
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird,
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
God's re-creation.......of the new day!
Sweet the rain's new fall, Sunlit from Heaven
Like the first dew-fall, on the first grass,
Praise for the sweetness, of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness.....Where His feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning,
Born of the one light, Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, Praise every morning,
God's re-creation......of the New Day!
As a Christian, I am aware that JOY is supposed to be one of the nine components of what is called the Fruit of the Spirit. In other words, all believers are to exhibit JOY, the more we walk with the Lord.
I started out with this message, not realizing how often the Spirit would bring to my mind songs and Hymns that express the JOY I am attempting to explain to you. So... here is another, this one expressing walking with Him.
When we walk with the Lord, in the light of His Word,
What glory He sheds on our way! while we do His good will,
He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey,
Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His SMILE quickly drives it away; not a doubt or a fear,
Not a sigh or a tear can remain....when we trust and obey.
His anger when He has reason for anger, is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may last through the night, but JOY comes with the morning.
Also, as Christians, we have heard countless times that JOY is not to be contingent on our present circumstances, whatever they are, but a certain knowledge that everything will work out for good in the end. Though I do believe this.....I also know that I am fully human, and that there will be times when overwhelmed by either circumstances, events and people, pets passing that are dear to us, that sorrow and tears will be a part of my life. In those times I can have a certain deep JOY in knowing the truth of those words in those songs and in other verses, that all things work out for good in the end, but I also know God gave me the ability to feel other emotions, and it is right to express those also. Tears can be healing....a sense of loss can in time be filled by new people, new events, etc., but I also know there will always in this lifetime, a special place in my heart, mind, spirit and soul, for the memory of my loss, and those I cherish and cherished, and that ability to do so, that is a gift, straight from God through His Son….empowered and given by His Spirit.
We can pick up even more on JOY by reading, knowing that in the International version of the Bible, JOY is used 245 times. RE-JOICE is used 154 times, telling us over and over that therefore, JOY is a vital component of one of the themes in God's Word.
In the Old Testament, worship expressing JOY, REJOICING, HAPPINESS & CELEBRATION was a vital part of the way the people showed God their love and respect for Him. David danced before the Lord without shame or fear of what others thought of him.
The words I am now going to share with you comes in part from a sermon by Vance Havner.
The Church suffers today from a saddening lack of simple-hearted, overflowing, Christian JOY. We have plenty of knowledge, plenty of enthusiasm and denominational zeal, but Christians and churches that started out in revival fires are living in the smoke.
Although the New Testament centers on the Cross....its note from beginning to end is one of triumphant JOY. It begins with an angelic celebrating in song the birth of the Christ Child and ends with rejoicing around the throne of God.
The same church members who yell with great enthusiasm in a sports arena or in their own home.... often sit like a stone statue in an outdoor garden, in the service on Sunday.
Charles Spurgeon said...."There is a marvelous medicinal power in JOY. Most medicines are distasteful; but his, which is the best of all medicines, is sweet to the taste, and comforting to the heart.
I was talking to a Presbyterian the other day, who described himself and most (now this was him saying this, not me) as the Frozen Chosen. All I could do was chuckle....
Listen please.... I am not up here telling you to be any way in particular. I am telling you, that in this congregation and any other, never make a spectacle of yourself, I can’t imagine that anyway, but you should feel free, if in your genuineness you want to raise your hands, or express in another way that again which is genuine....your JOY in the Lord as your strength and happiness.
This summer, we will have people from all over, perhaps the world, each coming from a spiritual background both different, and some the same as ours. In our times of worship, they should feel welcome and comfortable, being themselves, and expressing in worship what they bring with them from their own worship practices. There have been on occasion, (in other churches I have pastored) where I have had to stop people from their particular expression, and a few I even had to have removed from the service. Why? Because in the Spirit, I could discern what they were doing was not of God, but of drawing attention to them-selves.
Here are a few verses I want to close with.
Ecclesiastes 9:7, "Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a Joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do."
Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
1 Peter 1:8-9, "Though you have not seen Him, but you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious JOY, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Psalm 47:1 "Clap your hands all you people; shout unto God with cries of JOY!
I will close with this, titled "This is the day"
James Guthrie of Scotland went to the scaffold because of his faith in Christ. In telling his story, Jock Purves, writes, "James Guthrie, through his full and busy life, kept his own personal relationship with Christ in the fresh bloom of when he turned his life over to Christ.
Waking about 4 a.m. on the day he was to be executed, Guthrie spent time in personal worship and prayer, and was asked by his friend James Cowie how he felt. "Very well," replied Guthrie. "This is the day that the Lord has made; I will REJOICE and be glad in it!'"
AMEN
The Little Church in the Pines
February 23, 2020
"Is This That or is That This"
"Scripture"
II Timothy 3:16
"All Scripture is God-inspired and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."
Pastor Tom Shanor
.....My topic this morning, Scripture....is this that or is that this, started out as I was reading I Corinthians 14. Laying the groundwork, Paul is speaking in this chapter of keeping order in The Church Services, especially when the Gifts of the Spirit were in full operation, such as speaking prophetically, (foretelling the future) also in the use of tongues, exhortations, etc., up to verse 33, writing these words, "for God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."
.....As sometimes men have done, and do, especially in the Jewish Synagogues where men and women are together (well, sort of) in a service. The women of course are sitting behind a screen or scrim, separate from the men. In other words, relegated to the back of the room, he, Paul, beings in verse 34 with, "Let 'your women' keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law says.
….Paul, dear Paul is, because of his Jewish background patterning the new and growing churches after the traditions of the Jews, (also using the Law to validate what he is saying, when, in fact, Jesus came to set us free of such laws as these….(the Jewish Laws of decorum) and these next words I am about to quote, words coming by, again, Paul seems contradictory, as he writes to the Galatians in Chapter 3:28, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, "male nor female, "for you are all one in Christ Jesus." So why make the differentiation here? Equality seems to be spoken not as generic, but specifically that all barriers of separation of the Law are broken down in Christ Jesus. A succinct commentary in my Bible says this", "In Christ, distinctions of race rank and sex, neither hinder fellowship, nor grant special privileges to male or female, Jew or Greek, etc., etc. We are all One in Christ. If….we are seen as equal and accepted as equal, why would Paul continue to raise up such a barrier, instead of tearing them down….this one included? TRADITION, such as __________sings in fiddler on the roof. Yet, I was talking with Pastor Connie about these very Scriptures and she said: Pastor Connie?
.....Continuing on in 1 Corinthians 14: 35, "And if they (the women want to learn something? (as if they can’t on their own) let them ask their own husbands, at home; for it is shameful, shameful for women to speak in church." Think about that!
…..We have in Christianity and had…….. women, who became famous through their teachings (in the Church) as Evangelists, Ministers and Missionaries.
…..One example here….my own prior denomination that I was with for almost 20 years, not without controversy, a woman who started out as the wife of a missionary, moved to China back in the 20’s. Her name, Amie-Semple- McPherson. Her husband died in China of influenza, so she and her young son moved back to Canada, expecting to lead a quiet widow’s life. God had other plans for her, who being asked to speak on she and her husband’s time in China, was so captivating and charismatic, that her status grew into that as a woman evangelist, forbidden and unheard of in those days, receiving a call from God to become an Evangelist, where whole cities such as Denver, Oakland, California and many others shut down their entire city government, so that all their employees could go to listen to this young widow preach in public places and in churches. Thousands turned out to hear her, where during those city-wide services, people would be healed and thousands come to Christ. Eventually, Amie through the inspiration of the Spirit started a denomination that would grow and thrive….led again by this woman, that today it is the fastest growing Protestant denomination in the world, with over 40,000 churches, and more coming into being to this day.
…..Here are the names of other women from the past, and currently, whose lives have been spent preaching and teaching the Gospel, bringing both men and women into a deeper walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Beloved of God…servants, and cherished examples of Himself.
…..Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-20 (READ)
…..I have had several men come to me and say to me during the summer months, I can attend here now, because the church no-longer has a woman (Pastor Connie) (Rheba) (Others) Pastor. One man, whom I actually like, every time he comes gives me this brother to brother knowing look, of thankfulness and acceptance.
….Submissive, not permitted and shameful…..I think not. Too many of our own man pastors continue to shame the name of Jesus by affairs, accumulated wealth and arrogance….thinking more highly of themselves than they should. That is shameful.
.....Interestingly enough, through the Old Testament and into and including The New Church, there were and are women prophetesses. Ann being, well, let me read to you from LUKE 2:36-38. IN THE TEMPLE! We also find Paul (this same Paul) the Apostle Paul, stating in Ephesians 4:11 there are apostles. Apostles were and are, people sent initially by Jesus (Mark 6:7; Gal. 1:1, and later by the Church (Acts 13:1-3) to pioneer a new work, in other words a new church, which facilitated the spread of the gospel. Several people, apart from the Twelve, are mentioned as being Apostles. One of those, Paul himself, and, one of these is a woman named Junia, and Junia was a member of the church in Rome, she and her husband having possibly started the church. If women were not to speak in and to the church, who were they as deaconesses, apostles and prophetesses to speak to?
....I found myself quite upset with Paul, then remembered his long and wothy history as a teacher, then Apostle and Evangelist, which along the way caused him to become softer and more loving a accepting, himself being ministered to by yes, women who he came to respect and cherish.
…..with my understanding of what Scripture actually is, means, and is understood, and also how to apply it, and to see if there were other times that both religious culture and secular culture influenced and therefore became part of Scripture, canonized Scripture, and then to try and understand the how and why, but still hold Scripture as Holy. God inspired!!! These specific words of Paul’s have been a source of strife and division for a very long time, and so this sermon is the partial result of where I am today in talking with you….for, is this that or is that this, and does it make a difference?
NEXT WEEK AND MAYBE SEVERAL FOLLOWING I WILL ATTEMPT TO IN SOME WAY VINDICATE PAUL…..and make an attempt to delve deeper into what Scripture really is, how to read it and how to live it.
I will talk about the history, inspiration, validation, accuracy and application of Scripture. History also of those involved in writing and such gatherings of men who’s desire was to accurately preserve what we have today.
Have verses been deleted in some cases from the King James Bible through new translations? Have verses been added. Is there other Scripture accepted as Scripture but not canonized. What does canonized mean?
My hope is that you will find this interesting enough to look at more closely the beliefs we have and how we got them, especially with fallible man involved, and those who specifically set out to change and add to.
Well…think about that, will you?
….This is the specific Scripture that has me treading very carefully in regards to this message and specifically my conclusions. It comes from 2nd Timothy 16: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.”
…..So…I looked up (though I knew) the word inspiration in its application to Scripture, and here is what I found.
…..Inspiration…is
Where do I want to go with this, already having brought up Paul’s take on women in the church, for which I highly disagree. My reason for disagreeing is the fruit (you will know them by their fruit) that has been harvested in particular this last century.
…..Before I moved on to Scripture being canonized, I want again, but in a different way that women’s role in the church was my inspiration, but not my only reason for researching and speaking.
…..When words (Scripture) have been canonized, as in the Bible as we know it today, it means this.
…..The cannon of the New Testament is ‘the’ set of books Christians regard as divinely inspired and constituting the New Testament of the Christian Bible. For most, it is an agreed-upon list of twenty-seven books that includes the Canonical Gospels, Acts, letter of the Apostles and Revelation. The books of the canon of the New Testament were written before 120 AD.
…..For the Orthodox, the recognition of these writings as authoritative was formalized in the Second Council of Trullan of 692. The Catholic Church provided a conciliar definition of its Biblical Cannon in 382 at the Council of Rome, as well as the Council of Trent of 1545, reaffirming the Canons of Florence of 1442, and North African Councils of 393-419. For the Church of England, it was made dogmatic in the Thirty-Nine Articles of 1563, for Calvinism, on the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647.
…..The reason I put you through all of that is to show you the process of its importance and necessity of keeping Scripture accurate and inspired at the same time.
…..Inspiration and accuracy….are critical to our so called being on the same page when it comes to reading, following, understanding, and living what we so deeply and thoroughly have been given.
Take a breath and thank you for your staying with me (at least I think you have) thus far.
At this time let’s turn to the back of our bulletins, stand and read as one the Apostles’ Creed, which binds our beliefs and faith together, which the majority of Christians adhere to today. (please stand) (read)
…..Though canonized and accepted, is there even a remote possibility that man can change, rewrite while still inspired, or slip purposefully or inadvertently in some of his or her personal biases and opinions? Yes…but yet, in a way that opens the proverbial can of worms as to the inspiration of Scripture. So, much thought and prayer. My own opinion is that in using the personality of the inspired person, he or she and their personal biases can inadvertently slip in, and that God, as He uses us (me) permits me to in my sermons a measure of freedom.
…..Also, personal opinion, I believe that will all my being, that the teachings of Jesus have come to us exactly as they should…..protected and preserved.
February 23, 2020
"Is This That or is That This"
"Scripture"
II Timothy 3:16
"All Scripture is God-inspired and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."
Pastor Tom Shanor
.....My topic this morning, Scripture....is this that or is that this, started out as I was reading I Corinthians 14. Laying the groundwork, Paul is speaking in this chapter of keeping order in The Church Services, especially when the Gifts of the Spirit were in full operation, such as speaking prophetically, (foretelling the future) also in the use of tongues, exhortations, etc., up to verse 33, writing these words, "for God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."
.....As sometimes men have done, and do, especially in the Jewish Synagogues where men and women are together (well, sort of) in a service. The women of course are sitting behind a screen or scrim, separate from the men. In other words, relegated to the back of the room, he, Paul, beings in verse 34 with, "Let 'your women' keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law says.
….Paul, dear Paul is, because of his Jewish background patterning the new and growing churches after the traditions of the Jews, (also using the Law to validate what he is saying, when, in fact, Jesus came to set us free of such laws as these….(the Jewish Laws of decorum) and these next words I am about to quote, words coming by, again, Paul seems contradictory, as he writes to the Galatians in Chapter 3:28, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, "male nor female, "for you are all one in Christ Jesus." So why make the differentiation here? Equality seems to be spoken not as generic, but specifically that all barriers of separation of the Law are broken down in Christ Jesus. A succinct commentary in my Bible says this", "In Christ, distinctions of race rank and sex, neither hinder fellowship, nor grant special privileges to male or female, Jew or Greek, etc., etc. We are all One in Christ. If….we are seen as equal and accepted as equal, why would Paul continue to raise up such a barrier, instead of tearing them down….this one included? TRADITION, such as __________sings in fiddler on the roof. Yet, I was talking with Pastor Connie about these very Scriptures and she said: Pastor Connie?
.....Continuing on in 1 Corinthians 14: 35, "And if they (the women want to learn something? (as if they can’t on their own) let them ask their own husbands, at home; for it is shameful, shameful for women to speak in church." Think about that!
…..We have in Christianity and had…….. women, who became famous through their teachings (in the Church) as Evangelists, Ministers and Missionaries.
…..One example here….my own prior denomination that I was with for almost 20 years, not without controversy, a woman who started out as the wife of a missionary, moved to China back in the 20’s. Her name, Amie-Semple- McPherson. Her husband died in China of influenza, so she and her young son moved back to Canada, expecting to lead a quiet widow’s life. God had other plans for her, who being asked to speak on she and her husband’s time in China, was so captivating and charismatic, that her status grew into that as a woman evangelist, forbidden and unheard of in those days, receiving a call from God to become an Evangelist, where whole cities such as Denver, Oakland, California and many others shut down their entire city government, so that all their employees could go to listen to this young widow preach in public places and in churches. Thousands turned out to hear her, where during those city-wide services, people would be healed and thousands come to Christ. Eventually, Amie through the inspiration of the Spirit started a denomination that would grow and thrive….led again by this woman, that today it is the fastest growing Protestant denomination in the world, with over 40,000 churches, and more coming into being to this day.
…..Here are the names of other women from the past, and currently, whose lives have been spent preaching and teaching the Gospel, bringing both men and women into a deeper walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Paula White….(read brief bio)
- Joyce Meyer….(read brief bio)
- Ida B. Robinson (read brie bio)
- Brenda Sein (friend)
Beloved of God…servants, and cherished examples of Himself.
…..Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-20 (READ)
…..I have had several men come to me and say to me during the summer months, I can attend here now, because the church no-longer has a woman (Pastor Connie) (Rheba) (Others) Pastor. One man, whom I actually like, every time he comes gives me this brother to brother knowing look, of thankfulness and acceptance.
….Submissive, not permitted and shameful…..I think not. Too many of our own man pastors continue to shame the name of Jesus by affairs, accumulated wealth and arrogance….thinking more highly of themselves than they should. That is shameful.
.....Interestingly enough, through the Old Testament and into and including The New Church, there were and are women prophetesses. Ann being, well, let me read to you from LUKE 2:36-38. IN THE TEMPLE! We also find Paul (this same Paul) the Apostle Paul, stating in Ephesians 4:11 there are apostles. Apostles were and are, people sent initially by Jesus (Mark 6:7; Gal. 1:1, and later by the Church (Acts 13:1-3) to pioneer a new work, in other words a new church, which facilitated the spread of the gospel. Several people, apart from the Twelve, are mentioned as being Apostles. One of those, Paul himself, and, one of these is a woman named Junia, and Junia was a member of the church in Rome, she and her husband having possibly started the church. If women were not to speak in and to the church, who were they as deaconesses, apostles and prophetesses to speak to?
....I found myself quite upset with Paul, then remembered his long and wothy history as a teacher, then Apostle and Evangelist, which along the way caused him to become softer and more loving a accepting, himself being ministered to by yes, women who he came to respect and cherish.
…..with my understanding of what Scripture actually is, means, and is understood, and also how to apply it, and to see if there were other times that both religious culture and secular culture influenced and therefore became part of Scripture, canonized Scripture, and then to try and understand the how and why, but still hold Scripture as Holy. God inspired!!! These specific words of Paul’s have been a source of strife and division for a very long time, and so this sermon is the partial result of where I am today in talking with you….for, is this that or is that this, and does it make a difference?
NEXT WEEK AND MAYBE SEVERAL FOLLOWING I WILL ATTEMPT TO IN SOME WAY VINDICATE PAUL…..and make an attempt to delve deeper into what Scripture really is, how to read it and how to live it.
I will talk about the history, inspiration, validation, accuracy and application of Scripture. History also of those involved in writing and such gatherings of men who’s desire was to accurately preserve what we have today.
Have verses been deleted in some cases from the King James Bible through new translations? Have verses been added. Is there other Scripture accepted as Scripture but not canonized. What does canonized mean?
My hope is that you will find this interesting enough to look at more closely the beliefs we have and how we got them, especially with fallible man involved, and those who specifically set out to change and add to.
Well…think about that, will you?
….This is the specific Scripture that has me treading very carefully in regards to this message and specifically my conclusions. It comes from 2nd Timothy 16: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.”
…..So…I looked up (though I knew) the word inspiration in its application to Scripture, and here is what I found.
…..Inspiration…is
- The doctrine in Judeo-Christian theology concerned with the Divine origin of Scripture given to man, or men at one time or throughout a long period time and involving many persons who receive inspiration. And what is Scripture? A Scripture is a subset of religious texts considered to be “especially authoritative”, revered as “holy writ”, sacred, canonical, or of “supreme authority” to a religious community.
- Inspiration can be short lived or last a life time. It is a feeling of being led, but not puppet like. A person’s own personality is called upon to write (if writing is this inspiration) so that what comes-forth are not specific words, but inspired words.
- This sets it apart from (prophecy) where a prophet or prophetess speaks word for word directly from the Divine and the words spoken or written in this manner, will take place again, word for word.
- As I said it was Paul’s writings on women in the church that inspired me to go down this path this morning. I have spent a lot of time attempting to ask my own questions that have come up because of it. I am not here to denigrate Scripture but to have a deeper understanding of our own faith.
- As a note….I have recognized often that Paul’s writing’s also often reflect the religious culture of his time. Does this make them any less inspired or any less valid, but, and I use this but carefully, how much of what he shares in this area specifically is culturally inspired, verses divinely inspired.
- To get myself off the hook so to speak, I will leave the conclusions up to you.
- What exactly is Scripture, which I have just explained, hopefully to where you better understand.
- What does ‘canonized’ Scripture mean?
- What, when, why and where did the Nicene Council meet to decide what was and, is to be considered legitimate Scripture?
- From the Nicene council’s decisions, has Scripture been changed, left out, by the hands of man?
- Are there accepted teachings other than canonized Scripture that are considered equal to, for exhorting, teaching and as a guide to how to live our lives?
- Are there Bibles that exist that man has changed, added to or deleted from, Scripture accepted by the Nicene Council?
- How can even all canonized Scripture be used to divide rather than unite, bringing about thousands of so-called sects, denominations and even cults. What is a sect and what is a cult?
- What does it means when Scripture itself says, “all Scripture is God breathed and inspired, yet we at times pick and choose what we want to follow, and what we choose to ignore?
- As in Paul’s writings in 1 Corinthians 14, should we consider some to be the result of a religious culture over God breathed?
- In our own culture today, are we adding, deleting and changing Scripture, making some of it more palatable to living our daily
Where do I want to go with this, already having brought up Paul’s take on women in the church, for which I highly disagree. My reason for disagreeing is the fruit (you will know them by their fruit) that has been harvested in particular this last century.
…..Before I moved on to Scripture being canonized, I want again, but in a different way that women’s role in the church was my inspiration, but not my only reason for researching and speaking.
…..When words (Scripture) have been canonized, as in the Bible as we know it today, it means this.
…..The cannon of the New Testament is ‘the’ set of books Christians regard as divinely inspired and constituting the New Testament of the Christian Bible. For most, it is an agreed-upon list of twenty-seven books that includes the Canonical Gospels, Acts, letter of the Apostles and Revelation. The books of the canon of the New Testament were written before 120 AD.
…..For the Orthodox, the recognition of these writings as authoritative was formalized in the Second Council of Trullan of 692. The Catholic Church provided a conciliar definition of its Biblical Cannon in 382 at the Council of Rome, as well as the Council of Trent of 1545, reaffirming the Canons of Florence of 1442, and North African Councils of 393-419. For the Church of England, it was made dogmatic in the Thirty-Nine Articles of 1563, for Calvinism, on the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647.
…..The reason I put you through all of that is to show you the process of its importance and necessity of keeping Scripture accurate and inspired at the same time.
…..Inspiration and accuracy….are critical to our so called being on the same page when it comes to reading, following, understanding, and living what we so deeply and thoroughly have been given.
Take a breath and thank you for your staying with me (at least I think you have) thus far.
At this time let’s turn to the back of our bulletins, stand and read as one the Apostles’ Creed, which binds our beliefs and faith together, which the majority of Christians adhere to today. (please stand) (read)
…..Though canonized and accepted, is there even a remote possibility that man can change, rewrite while still inspired, or slip purposefully or inadvertently in some of his or her personal biases and opinions? Yes…but yet, in a way that opens the proverbial can of worms as to the inspiration of Scripture. So, much thought and prayer. My own opinion is that in using the personality of the inspired person, he or she and their personal biases can inadvertently slip in, and that God, as He uses us (me) permits me to in my sermons a measure of freedom.
…..Also, personal opinion, I believe that will all my being, that the teachings of Jesus have come to us exactly as they should…..protected and preserved.
The Little Church in the Pines
February 16, 2020
From the Book of Solomon
“What it is to be Blessed and Beloved”
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
…..Since we just celebrated a secular holiday….VALENTINES DAY, I am going to speak of love….both human and spiritual, as found in the Song of Solomon, a holiday, sadly, that not everyone is able to celebrate…not having a Valentine myself….I celebrate those of you who do.
(Framed Page from an original leaf of the First Edition of the 1611 King James Bible…. printed before 1650 AD.)
…..The Song of Solomon is a fairly graphic and intimate love song, and is noted by historians to be in actuality, a parallel illustration of the intimacy to be developed between Christ and His Church, and Christ and you, and I individually.
…..It is also used as an illustration of the love between a man and a woman, and the love between God and His people. “Love” is the key word in the Song. The Song itself is considered to be the best of all songs, a literary work of art and a theological masterpiece. Unlike any other Biblical books, its merits make it a special consideration as a biblical archetype, which presents anew…the basic realities of a man and a woman’s relationship, both in the natural and in the spiritual. The Song employs symbolic language to express ‘timeless truths.’
…..The verse, Solomon 6:3 reads, “I am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine, He feeds his flock among the Lilies. (We belong to each other equally)
Sing……….I am my Beloved’s and He is mine,
His banner of me is love, His banner of me is love.
…..This is a short chorus that I can remember singing when I first rededicated my life to Christ….in the 70’s, which is based on this verse….
…..After all that…and in the simplest of terms, Beloved is to ‘Be-Loved.’
Now save that, and let’s move on to the next descriptive word in the verse and sermon title. “Blessed”
…..”Blessed, Blessing, Bless, Blesses, all derive from the Latin word ‘benedicere. or(Be-Sincere’ The word benediction that is used in many churches means literally: speaking (dictio) well (bene) or saying “good things” about, to and over someone. That speaks to all of us, for we all need to hear good things said of us.
2.
…..We often hear “We have to affirm each other.” Without affirmation, it is hard to live well. To give someone a ‘blessing’ is the most significant affirmation we can offer. It is more than a word of praise or appreciation; it is more than pointing out someone’s talents or good deeds; it is more than putting someone in the light. To give a ‘blessing’ is to affirm, to say “yes” to a man, woman or child’s ‘Beloved-ness.’ Telling them…they are Be-loved.
…..To have this kind of blessedness in our lives is also ‘healing’ to us. This blessed business is the only real counterpoint to, often times negative words, hurt and news, that affects us every day.
…..You Kelley, are blessed and you often bless, our friend Larry is a blessing and are blessed, you Connie, Drew, Pam, Chuck, Greg, are also blessed and a blessing…as are each and every one of you sitting here today.
…..Here is an illustration of what it means to be blessed. This is from a book I am reading during my early morning devotional at home.
A young man was to be welcomed into adulthood during his bar mitzvah, in his Synagogue. At 13, he was declared adult by his congregation. For the first time, he was given leadership in the service. He read from the Book of Genesis and gave a short sermon about the importance of caring for our environment. He was affirmed by his rabbi and his friends and ‘blessed’ by his parents. His father saying to him: “Son, whatever will happen to you in your life, whether you will have success or not, become important or not, will be healthy or not, always remember….how much your mother and I love you.”
…..This brought tears to my eyes, and a yearning deep in my soul for something I felt I had never received from my father…but had I, I KNOW it would have made a major difference in my life had I known I was loved by him. …..To have also been affirmed….just such as this truly would have been monumental had I know, but found out only after dad had died as I accidentally come across a large envelope that dad had put things about me in over my growing up years. Pictures, articles, achievement, etc.…finding that envelope contained a healing to my mind, soul and spirit.
…..I can remember tucking my little boy David in at bedtime, and telling him that I loved him….and that he was the best boy in the world. The event of the last week that happened to him brought back both old and fresh love and thoughts. Today, my police officer/SWAT son, tells me often he loves me, and the continual blessings of him saying that stands as a bridge in our relationship, as I hear him doing the same with his own children is wonderful. My girls too were affirmed in the same way, and the result is the same as in return today, that always tells me that I am loved. Even being divorced…. Marilee and I stand as good and accepting friend, where once in a while, saying goodbye, slips out “love you.! With all the difficulties we had during their childhoods…..they knew, we knew and know to this day…they were “be-loved.”
…..As a minister I have realized over the years, how much we human beings are fearful, anxious, insecure and decidedly human….and how much all of us are in need of a blessing, but when we think of it…how much we too are blessed. Children need to be blessed by their parents and parents by their children. We, the Body of Christ….also need each other’s blessings and affirmations…..even though we may deny that we do, our lives are so much better, richer when we KNOW we mean something to others….and others to us.
…..To give a blessing….is to affirm, to say “yes” to the person’s Be-loved-ness.
…..To give a blessing is characterized by happiness or good fortune. It means we are favored and have worth, are fortunate, glad, merry, heartened, joyous and fulfilled.
…..There are over 80 times the word “Blessed” is spoken in the New-Testament and that is not counting the words ‘blessing or bless.’
…..I AM GOING TO READ JUST A HANDFUL OF SOME OF THE VERSES WHERE THE WORD IS USED……………………………………………………………
….Jesus himself was affirmed by His Father, as he was being baptized by John in the Jordan River….when a ‘voice,’ one that everyone around heard, though some recounted it as thunder. The voice of Jesus’ Father’s voice, came down from heaven saying: “You…are my “Be-loved” Son, on you my favor rests.” This…was a blessing that sustained Jesus through all the praise and verbal attacks, admiration and condemnation that followed him, up to and through His being crucified. Jesus never lost the intimacy of that blessing, KNOWING that His Father affirmed Him as the ‘blessed one.”
…..In our lives….one day we feel great, the next we feel miserable. One day we are full of new ideas, things to do, and the next EVERYTHING looks bleak and dull. One day we think we can take on the whole world, but the next even a little request seems too much for us. These mood swings show that we are not hearing the blessings….we have forgotten them in the midst of our sometimes, mundane and sometimes difficult ordinary lives…..
…..When we are thrown up and down by the little or big waves on the surface of our existence, we become easy victims of our manipulative world, but, when we choose to remember and hear the deep gentle voice that blesses us….spending time in prayer, meditation and reading God’s affirming Word, we can walk through life with a stable sense of well-being and true belonging.
…..Praying for others…is also a good way to recognize our blessings…and by praying for them…we not only bless them, but ourselves and feel better for having done so. Often you may feel that nothing happens in your prayer time. You may say: “I am just sitting here and getting distracted.” But…if you ‘develop’ the ‘discipline’ of spending a certain amount of time praying and also listening to God…you will gradually discover that something IS happening of which heretofore you were not aware of. After a while, you will miss these times if you don’t do them.
…..This…my brothers and sisters in Christ, depends on our choices that we are faced with early in the morning and throughout the day. Take some time in the morning, early, set-apart, just a few minutes to recount the ways in which you are blessed….for at times there is actual warfare going on in our minds. A battle for our minds and hearts/
…..2nd Corinthians 10: 4-5 reads. “For the weapons of our warfare are NOT physical (weapons of flesh and blood), but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds (which by the way do exist in our minds) In as much, as we refute arguments and theories, and ways of thinking, and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the (true) knowledge of God; and we are to take ‘every thought captive’ into the obedience of Christ, the Anointed One.
…..Well, we know how difficult it is taking captive our thoughts, but by taking that time in the morning before we enter fully into our day…can and will make ALL the difference in how we react to that day.
…..The greatest thing about recognizing and affirming being blessed is, “that from that position, you are then able to bless others.” Instead of being snarky, or a curmudgeon, or at some of our age, a “cranky old man or woman,” we are instead known as a ‘nice old man or woman.” Maybe even getting a pat on the head once in a while! LOL
…..Also, don’t think someone is more blessed than you are….we are all blessed, but often in different ways. We know we have too many flaws to be perfect, but we are too blessed to be ungrateful…or should recognize this.
…..Here is one more thing….not the last, but one more. Often people say good things to us, about us, and we brush them aside with remarks such as, “Oh, don’t mention it, forget about it, it’s nothing….” and so on. These remarks may seem to be expressions of humility, but they are, in fact signs that we have a hard time receiving a blessing. The very best thing you can do is, say “Thank you….I appreciate that” because when you don’t accept the affirmation from them…you are rejecting them and their blessing. They say it because they mean it….and you should accept it because they mean it, and you choose not to feed your ego….but fuel your spirit and well-being. Then in turn…you will choose to bless someone else….because you have been lifted up and Be-loved.
…..There is little or no neutral territory between the land of the ‘blessed’ and the land of the cursed. You have to CHOOSE where it is that you want to live, and that CHOICE is one that at times you make from one moment to the next.
…..Accepting your own blessedness always leads to the deep desire to bless others. The ‘characteristic’ of “the Blessed” and “Be-loved” is that, wherever we go, we always speak words of blessing. It is remarkable how easy it is to bless others, to speak good things to and about them, to speak of their good and godly qualities. Another good thing…..is that people then will want you around.
…..No one…is affirmed or given a boost of life through curses, gossip, accusations, or blaming. All these verbal actions do is bring darkness, destruction and death. As the “blessed and Be-loved” of God in Christ, we CAN walk through this world and offer the best that is in us, for it will naturally flow from our hearts….our Christ.
…..There definitely is darkness, and we know where it comes from. God’s enemy. We see it (not so much here) but in larger communities and cities, such as homelessness, loneliness, addiction, prostitution and violence. Know this…that each and every one of these lonely people….are deeply desiring a blessing, to be affirmed and to be ‘be-loved.’ Every one of them….and some NEVER receive it. It is a tragedy……
…..Our job is to allow ourselves to be blessed. and to give blessings in every opportunity and way we can….when we have the opportunity to do so, right where we live and move, and have our being. In small or large ways…in ways that are life-giving and sustaining….so much fear, so much pain….so much rejection….and Jesus in you and in me….wants to show the world around us what it means to be a son or daughter of God, by being blessed and by blessing.
…..You….each of you has blessed me, in many ways, and affirmed me in many ways…and I want to thank you for doing so. I have been enriched….and I hope in turn, I have blessed you as well…..and I desire that we stay on this pathway…..to do and to be. GOD BLESS YOU ALL….Be-Loved! amen!
February 16, 2020
From the Book of Solomon
“What it is to be Blessed and Beloved”
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
…..Since we just celebrated a secular holiday….VALENTINES DAY, I am going to speak of love….both human and spiritual, as found in the Song of Solomon, a holiday, sadly, that not everyone is able to celebrate…not having a Valentine myself….I celebrate those of you who do.
(Framed Page from an original leaf of the First Edition of the 1611 King James Bible…. printed before 1650 AD.)
…..The Song of Solomon is a fairly graphic and intimate love song, and is noted by historians to be in actuality, a parallel illustration of the intimacy to be developed between Christ and His Church, and Christ and you, and I individually.
…..It is also used as an illustration of the love between a man and a woman, and the love between God and His people. “Love” is the key word in the Song. The Song itself is considered to be the best of all songs, a literary work of art and a theological masterpiece. Unlike any other Biblical books, its merits make it a special consideration as a biblical archetype, which presents anew…the basic realities of a man and a woman’s relationship, both in the natural and in the spiritual. The Song employs symbolic language to express ‘timeless truths.’
…..The verse, Solomon 6:3 reads, “I am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine, He feeds his flock among the Lilies. (We belong to each other equally)
Sing……….I am my Beloved’s and He is mine,
His banner of me is love, His banner of me is love.
…..This is a short chorus that I can remember singing when I first rededicated my life to Christ….in the 70’s, which is based on this verse….
…..After all that…and in the simplest of terms, Beloved is to ‘Be-Loved.’
Now save that, and let’s move on to the next descriptive word in the verse and sermon title. “Blessed”
…..”Blessed, Blessing, Bless, Blesses, all derive from the Latin word ‘benedicere. or(Be-Sincere’ The word benediction that is used in many churches means literally: speaking (dictio) well (bene) or saying “good things” about, to and over someone. That speaks to all of us, for we all need to hear good things said of us.
2.
…..We often hear “We have to affirm each other.” Without affirmation, it is hard to live well. To give someone a ‘blessing’ is the most significant affirmation we can offer. It is more than a word of praise or appreciation; it is more than pointing out someone’s talents or good deeds; it is more than putting someone in the light. To give a ‘blessing’ is to affirm, to say “yes” to a man, woman or child’s ‘Beloved-ness.’ Telling them…they are Be-loved.
…..To have this kind of blessedness in our lives is also ‘healing’ to us. This blessed business is the only real counterpoint to, often times negative words, hurt and news, that affects us every day.
…..You Kelley, are blessed and you often bless, our friend Larry is a blessing and are blessed, you Connie, Drew, Pam, Chuck, Greg, are also blessed and a blessing…as are each and every one of you sitting here today.
…..Here is an illustration of what it means to be blessed. This is from a book I am reading during my early morning devotional at home.
A young man was to be welcomed into adulthood during his bar mitzvah, in his Synagogue. At 13, he was declared adult by his congregation. For the first time, he was given leadership in the service. He read from the Book of Genesis and gave a short sermon about the importance of caring for our environment. He was affirmed by his rabbi and his friends and ‘blessed’ by his parents. His father saying to him: “Son, whatever will happen to you in your life, whether you will have success or not, become important or not, will be healthy or not, always remember….how much your mother and I love you.”
…..This brought tears to my eyes, and a yearning deep in my soul for something I felt I had never received from my father…but had I, I KNOW it would have made a major difference in my life had I known I was loved by him. …..To have also been affirmed….just such as this truly would have been monumental had I know, but found out only after dad had died as I accidentally come across a large envelope that dad had put things about me in over my growing up years. Pictures, articles, achievement, etc.…finding that envelope contained a healing to my mind, soul and spirit.
…..I can remember tucking my little boy David in at bedtime, and telling him that I loved him….and that he was the best boy in the world. The event of the last week that happened to him brought back both old and fresh love and thoughts. Today, my police officer/SWAT son, tells me often he loves me, and the continual blessings of him saying that stands as a bridge in our relationship, as I hear him doing the same with his own children is wonderful. My girls too were affirmed in the same way, and the result is the same as in return today, that always tells me that I am loved. Even being divorced…. Marilee and I stand as good and accepting friend, where once in a while, saying goodbye, slips out “love you.! With all the difficulties we had during their childhoods…..they knew, we knew and know to this day…they were “be-loved.”
…..As a minister I have realized over the years, how much we human beings are fearful, anxious, insecure and decidedly human….and how much all of us are in need of a blessing, but when we think of it…how much we too are blessed. Children need to be blessed by their parents and parents by their children. We, the Body of Christ….also need each other’s blessings and affirmations…..even though we may deny that we do, our lives are so much better, richer when we KNOW we mean something to others….and others to us.
…..To give a blessing….is to affirm, to say “yes” to the person’s Be-loved-ness.
…..To give a blessing is characterized by happiness or good fortune. It means we are favored and have worth, are fortunate, glad, merry, heartened, joyous and fulfilled.
…..There are over 80 times the word “Blessed” is spoken in the New-Testament and that is not counting the words ‘blessing or bless.’
…..I AM GOING TO READ JUST A HANDFUL OF SOME OF THE VERSES WHERE THE WORD IS USED……………………………………………………………
….Jesus himself was affirmed by His Father, as he was being baptized by John in the Jordan River….when a ‘voice,’ one that everyone around heard, though some recounted it as thunder. The voice of Jesus’ Father’s voice, came down from heaven saying: “You…are my “Be-loved” Son, on you my favor rests.” This…was a blessing that sustained Jesus through all the praise and verbal attacks, admiration and condemnation that followed him, up to and through His being crucified. Jesus never lost the intimacy of that blessing, KNOWING that His Father affirmed Him as the ‘blessed one.”
…..In our lives….one day we feel great, the next we feel miserable. One day we are full of new ideas, things to do, and the next EVERYTHING looks bleak and dull. One day we think we can take on the whole world, but the next even a little request seems too much for us. These mood swings show that we are not hearing the blessings….we have forgotten them in the midst of our sometimes, mundane and sometimes difficult ordinary lives…..
…..When we are thrown up and down by the little or big waves on the surface of our existence, we become easy victims of our manipulative world, but, when we choose to remember and hear the deep gentle voice that blesses us….spending time in prayer, meditation and reading God’s affirming Word, we can walk through life with a stable sense of well-being and true belonging.
…..Praying for others…is also a good way to recognize our blessings…and by praying for them…we not only bless them, but ourselves and feel better for having done so. Often you may feel that nothing happens in your prayer time. You may say: “I am just sitting here and getting distracted.” But…if you ‘develop’ the ‘discipline’ of spending a certain amount of time praying and also listening to God…you will gradually discover that something IS happening of which heretofore you were not aware of. After a while, you will miss these times if you don’t do them.
…..This…my brothers and sisters in Christ, depends on our choices that we are faced with early in the morning and throughout the day. Take some time in the morning, early, set-apart, just a few minutes to recount the ways in which you are blessed….for at times there is actual warfare going on in our minds. A battle for our minds and hearts/
…..2nd Corinthians 10: 4-5 reads. “For the weapons of our warfare are NOT physical (weapons of flesh and blood), but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds (which by the way do exist in our minds) In as much, as we refute arguments and theories, and ways of thinking, and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the (true) knowledge of God; and we are to take ‘every thought captive’ into the obedience of Christ, the Anointed One.
…..Well, we know how difficult it is taking captive our thoughts, but by taking that time in the morning before we enter fully into our day…can and will make ALL the difference in how we react to that day.
…..The greatest thing about recognizing and affirming being blessed is, “that from that position, you are then able to bless others.” Instead of being snarky, or a curmudgeon, or at some of our age, a “cranky old man or woman,” we are instead known as a ‘nice old man or woman.” Maybe even getting a pat on the head once in a while! LOL
…..Also, don’t think someone is more blessed than you are….we are all blessed, but often in different ways. We know we have too many flaws to be perfect, but we are too blessed to be ungrateful…or should recognize this.
…..Here is one more thing….not the last, but one more. Often people say good things to us, about us, and we brush them aside with remarks such as, “Oh, don’t mention it, forget about it, it’s nothing….” and so on. These remarks may seem to be expressions of humility, but they are, in fact signs that we have a hard time receiving a blessing. The very best thing you can do is, say “Thank you….I appreciate that” because when you don’t accept the affirmation from them…you are rejecting them and their blessing. They say it because they mean it….and you should accept it because they mean it, and you choose not to feed your ego….but fuel your spirit and well-being. Then in turn…you will choose to bless someone else….because you have been lifted up and Be-loved.
…..There is little or no neutral territory between the land of the ‘blessed’ and the land of the cursed. You have to CHOOSE where it is that you want to live, and that CHOICE is one that at times you make from one moment to the next.
…..Accepting your own blessedness always leads to the deep desire to bless others. The ‘characteristic’ of “the Blessed” and “Be-loved” is that, wherever we go, we always speak words of blessing. It is remarkable how easy it is to bless others, to speak good things to and about them, to speak of their good and godly qualities. Another good thing…..is that people then will want you around.
…..No one…is affirmed or given a boost of life through curses, gossip, accusations, or blaming. All these verbal actions do is bring darkness, destruction and death. As the “blessed and Be-loved” of God in Christ, we CAN walk through this world and offer the best that is in us, for it will naturally flow from our hearts….our Christ.
…..There definitely is darkness, and we know where it comes from. God’s enemy. We see it (not so much here) but in larger communities and cities, such as homelessness, loneliness, addiction, prostitution and violence. Know this…that each and every one of these lonely people….are deeply desiring a blessing, to be affirmed and to be ‘be-loved.’ Every one of them….and some NEVER receive it. It is a tragedy……
…..Our job is to allow ourselves to be blessed. and to give blessings in every opportunity and way we can….when we have the opportunity to do so, right where we live and move, and have our being. In small or large ways…in ways that are life-giving and sustaining….so much fear, so much pain….so much rejection….and Jesus in you and in me….wants to show the world around us what it means to be a son or daughter of God, by being blessed and by blessing.
…..You….each of you has blessed me, in many ways, and affirmed me in many ways…and I want to thank you for doing so. I have been enriched….and I hope in turn, I have blessed you as well…..and I desire that we stay on this pathway…..to do and to be. GOD BLESS YOU ALL….Be-Loved! amen!
The Little Church in the Pines
MACK'S INN, ISLAND PARK, ID
FEBRUARY 2, 2020
".the cost of pride and the benefits of humility"
Proverbs 16:~32
Pastor Tom Shanor
Do you know there are both a negative and positive expression of PRIDE? On the negative side of pride, I will read to you an Allegory from Milton's Paradise Lost, called Fallen Faith. On the positive side you will come to learn that healthy pride and humility can and do exist together.
To start with I will first read from the Book of Proverbs from Chapter 16:18-32. READ
Later, on the positive side of healthy pride and humility, I will read you a story of a woman named Susanna.
Again, verse 18 & 19, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoils with the proud."
PRIDE ~ with a negative connotation, refers to a foolishly and irrationally corrupt sense of one's personal value, status or accomplishments, used synonymous with hubris, hubris meaning "excessive pride or self-confidence enveloped by narcissism, meaning Excessive self-centered love. In Greek-tragedy, it means excessive pride toward or defiance of God.
A haughty spirit comes before a fall, and a fall will come.
The Allegory begins in Paradise Lost, where Satan falls from the heavenly spheres, plunging through nightmarish limbo for nine days, and landing in the depths of Hell. Yet, prior to his descent into Hell, Satan belonged in Heaven, an Archangel named Lucifer, a rational and perfect being created by God. John Milton depicts him as a powerful Angelic being; as Archangel Raphael tells Adam, Lucier is "of the first, /if not the first Arch-Angel, great in Power, /in favor and preeminence".
Lucifer dwells in Heavenly Paradise, where angels dance and sing, drink "Rubied Nectar" and eat "Angels' Food” and live on verdant lands covered with flowers and "delicious Vines, the growth of Heav'n". So why would this favored Angel choose to deny his Creator?
In Raphael's elucidation to Adam about Satan's fall, we learn that God favors His mighty Archangel Lucifer but not as much as His begotten Son, whom God anoints as Messiah. God decrees that all Heavenly beings must bow before His Son "and shall confess Him Lord"
Milton continuing in this allegory renders Lucifer as envious, with a hardened heart, one who refuses to bow before the Son, and by extension, God himself, his Creator. By denying God, Lucifer seals his doom and is cast from Heaven, "Ordained without redemption, and with an end". While it may appear that the Satan of Paradise Lost is destined to be banished from Heaven...to be used by God as a tool, if you will, to bring about the salvation of the world in Christ...another conception of Satan's role exists, thus making Satan an allegory for those who once had faith and lost it due to their oversized and self-importance. Ego & Pride.
The allegory states that God's favor was upon Satan, where with this knowledge, instead of rejoicing in this fact, humbly being grateful, having been given the choice of freewill, (as mankind also has) chose to think more highly of himself than he should have. An ego is a tricky thing to own and own one, all of us do. What we do and how we express it, whether in thanksgiving or narcissism, depending on our spirituality, whether deep or shallow, self-focused or humbly thankful depends on us, and on us alone.
There is a simple chorus that goes like this.
Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord....X2
And He will lift you up, higher and higher,
And He will lift you up.
We need be sure to give God thanks for all our accomplishments, for without him they will in the end be as trash, burned up, turned to ashes if we take full credit for them.
Give thanks with a grateful heart,
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks, because He's given Jesus Christ His Son
And now, let the weak say I am strong,
Let the poor say I am rich,
For what the Lord has done in me!
HUMILITY....1st Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves, then under God's mighty hand, so the He will lift you up in His own Good time. Leave all your worries with Him, because He cares for you."
We know from God's Word that He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. How can we know that we are living in humility and ready to receive God's blessings? Humility is the ability to be without negative, self-focused pride. where we build ourselves up to be better than others by our accomplishments. Humility should be seen by others who know and even don't know that we are followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the best example, who humble followed God's plan for His life.
Proverbs and other verses are filled with the ramifications of those who refuse to humble them-selves., and the New Testament is full of blessings for those who put others before themselves. You may have a good life as you see and live it, but you will miss out on the abundant life that God wants for you if you refuse to let go of negative pride and follow Him every day of your life in thankfulness.
READ FROM THE NEXT THREE PAGES....................................................
COLOSSIANS 3:12
EPHESIANS 4:2
JAMES 4:6
JAMES 4:10
1 PETER 5:10
LUKE 14:11
2 CHRONICLES 7:14
MICAH 6:8
These are just a few of the promises of God in living the life, the every-day life that He has given us.
There was woman, a young woman who at one time had high hopes of what her life was to be. More educated than most other girls of her age and time....fueled by her father encouragement and surroundings, she had hoped....well, let me read you her story, for to me she reminds me of Mary the mother of Jesus, who said these words to the Angel when told of her role in the unfolding drama of her life....one of humble acceptance and faith. "Behold the maid servant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your *word." This woman too had to bury her hopes and desires while fully accepting a role she never anticipated in her young life.
READ, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle......................................
A healthy ego is one that knows the source of all that is good, and all that is represented by a number of virtues, some of those being simply steadfastness, a good and loving parent, friend, by creativity in the arts, creativity in the ability to work through difficult equations, in being a parent, in being simply a good and decent human being, helping others, giving of one's self. A pauper or a billionaire......
Giving God the thanks and the glory for all He has done and will do in you, and through you. Acknowledging His role and place in those accomplishments, first and foremost. Thankful pride....is healthy pride. It's just that simple.....................................................................................
Amen
MACK'S INN, ISLAND PARK, ID
FEBRUARY 2, 2020
".the cost of pride and the benefits of humility"
Proverbs 16:~32
Pastor Tom Shanor
Do you know there are both a negative and positive expression of PRIDE? On the negative side of pride, I will read to you an Allegory from Milton's Paradise Lost, called Fallen Faith. On the positive side you will come to learn that healthy pride and humility can and do exist together.
To start with I will first read from the Book of Proverbs from Chapter 16:18-32. READ
Later, on the positive side of healthy pride and humility, I will read you a story of a woman named Susanna.
Again, verse 18 & 19, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoils with the proud."
PRIDE ~ with a negative connotation, refers to a foolishly and irrationally corrupt sense of one's personal value, status or accomplishments, used synonymous with hubris, hubris meaning "excessive pride or self-confidence enveloped by narcissism, meaning Excessive self-centered love. In Greek-tragedy, it means excessive pride toward or defiance of God.
A haughty spirit comes before a fall, and a fall will come.
The Allegory begins in Paradise Lost, where Satan falls from the heavenly spheres, plunging through nightmarish limbo for nine days, and landing in the depths of Hell. Yet, prior to his descent into Hell, Satan belonged in Heaven, an Archangel named Lucifer, a rational and perfect being created by God. John Milton depicts him as a powerful Angelic being; as Archangel Raphael tells Adam, Lucier is "of the first, /if not the first Arch-Angel, great in Power, /in favor and preeminence".
Lucifer dwells in Heavenly Paradise, where angels dance and sing, drink "Rubied Nectar" and eat "Angels' Food” and live on verdant lands covered with flowers and "delicious Vines, the growth of Heav'n". So why would this favored Angel choose to deny his Creator?
In Raphael's elucidation to Adam about Satan's fall, we learn that God favors His mighty Archangel Lucifer but not as much as His begotten Son, whom God anoints as Messiah. God decrees that all Heavenly beings must bow before His Son "and shall confess Him Lord"
Milton continuing in this allegory renders Lucifer as envious, with a hardened heart, one who refuses to bow before the Son, and by extension, God himself, his Creator. By denying God, Lucifer seals his doom and is cast from Heaven, "Ordained without redemption, and with an end". While it may appear that the Satan of Paradise Lost is destined to be banished from Heaven...to be used by God as a tool, if you will, to bring about the salvation of the world in Christ...another conception of Satan's role exists, thus making Satan an allegory for those who once had faith and lost it due to their oversized and self-importance. Ego & Pride.
The allegory states that God's favor was upon Satan, where with this knowledge, instead of rejoicing in this fact, humbly being grateful, having been given the choice of freewill, (as mankind also has) chose to think more highly of himself than he should have. An ego is a tricky thing to own and own one, all of us do. What we do and how we express it, whether in thanksgiving or narcissism, depending on our spirituality, whether deep or shallow, self-focused or humbly thankful depends on us, and on us alone.
There is a simple chorus that goes like this.
Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord....X2
And He will lift you up, higher and higher,
And He will lift you up.
We need be sure to give God thanks for all our accomplishments, for without him they will in the end be as trash, burned up, turned to ashes if we take full credit for them.
Give thanks with a grateful heart,
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks, because He's given Jesus Christ His Son
And now, let the weak say I am strong,
Let the poor say I am rich,
For what the Lord has done in me!
HUMILITY....1st Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves, then under God's mighty hand, so the He will lift you up in His own Good time. Leave all your worries with Him, because He cares for you."
We know from God's Word that He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. How can we know that we are living in humility and ready to receive God's blessings? Humility is the ability to be without negative, self-focused pride. where we build ourselves up to be better than others by our accomplishments. Humility should be seen by others who know and even don't know that we are followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the best example, who humble followed God's plan for His life.
Proverbs and other verses are filled with the ramifications of those who refuse to humble them-selves., and the New Testament is full of blessings for those who put others before themselves. You may have a good life as you see and live it, but you will miss out on the abundant life that God wants for you if you refuse to let go of negative pride and follow Him every day of your life in thankfulness.
READ FROM THE NEXT THREE PAGES....................................................
COLOSSIANS 3:12
EPHESIANS 4:2
JAMES 4:6
JAMES 4:10
1 PETER 5:10
LUKE 14:11
2 CHRONICLES 7:14
MICAH 6:8
These are just a few of the promises of God in living the life, the every-day life that He has given us.
There was woman, a young woman who at one time had high hopes of what her life was to be. More educated than most other girls of her age and time....fueled by her father encouragement and surroundings, she had hoped....well, let me read you her story, for to me she reminds me of Mary the mother of Jesus, who said these words to the Angel when told of her role in the unfolding drama of her life....one of humble acceptance and faith. "Behold the maid servant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your *word." This woman too had to bury her hopes and desires while fully accepting a role she never anticipated in her young life.
READ, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle......................................
A healthy ego is one that knows the source of all that is good, and all that is represented by a number of virtues, some of those being simply steadfastness, a good and loving parent, friend, by creativity in the arts, creativity in the ability to work through difficult equations, in being a parent, in being simply a good and decent human being, helping others, giving of one's self. A pauper or a billionaire......
Giving God the thanks and the glory for all He has done and will do in you, and through you. Acknowledging His role and place in those accomplishments, first and foremost. Thankful pride....is healthy pride. It's just that simple.....................................................................................
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
Island Park, Idaho
January 18, 2020
"Is it well.... with your soul?"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
John 12:27 Jesus speaking; "Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say?
Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour."
3rd John 2
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health,
just as your 'soul' prospers"
> Jesus, speaking of His soul prior to His torture and death....was, as He stated. Troubled...deeply, so deeply He feared what lay ahead.
> In 3rd John 2...we hear of the soul prospering.... hence the condition of the soul speaks deeply of the place and condition of our lives. So, let us delve into an understanding of what the soul is and what the spirit is.....for we certainly know what the body is.
The Triune Spirit, Soul and Body
> In the triune Godhead.....we have the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit....God, ever present in the fullness of the three, and we have Jesus of course, known as the Son God who came to us in a human body to bring us not only life but salvation, giving us also by believing in Him the Person of the Godhead, known as the Holy Spirit. This is of course basic, foundational Christian theology.
> In reflecting a part of God's creation, us. We too are a trilogy.... made in the image of God. Genesis 1:26. “On the last day of Creation, God said, "Let us (the fullness of God or Trinity) make man in our image, in our likeness." Thus, He finished His work with a "personal touch." Accordingly, humanity is unique among all God's Creation, having both a material body, and an immaterial soul/spirit. Image literally means – a visual representation or reflection of something or someone. “Body-mind-spirit”
> Genesis 2:7, “And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground" This refers to the human body, giving us tangible, touchable, visual substance. "And breathed into his lungs the breath of life." This describes how God gave spiritual life and physical life to both woman and man; the first recorded humans, Adam and Eve." The spirit, the soul and body now established preserved in our completeness." (1 Thess. 5:23). The spirit is God-given, the soul is a living and eternal creation; and the body temporarily made to house the sou.
> According to common Christian understanding by most, the soul houses our personality. How we think, act, respond, etc. and what others see us as. When the spirit and the body were joined, man became a 'living soul."
> The characteristics of angels are also spirit and body, but bodies of different substances than we are familiar with. There is nowhere in the Bible that it is stated that any other creation is like us, made up of spirit, soul and body.
> So..moving on....it is our soul/spirit that is eternal....and yet, we are told we get new bodies that are the image of this one, though different because they are eternal. I personally can verify that by the waking vision I had of both my parents looking young and glowingly healthy in Heaven with the Lord.
> A little later.... we will be singing the Hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul" and that is what started today's sermon, when I for the first time heard the background of Horation Spadfford in writing this hymn. Let me tell you the story. Which I I may have told you this before.
> The hymn was written after traumatic events in Spafford's life, and that of his wife and family. The first was the death of their son at the age of 2, and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 which ruined him financially, (he had been a successful lawyer and had invested significantly in property in the area of Chicago that was extensively damaged by the Great Fire." His business interests were then further hit by the economic downturn of 1873, at which time he had planned to travel to England with his family but sent them on ahead while delayed on business.
> While crossing the Atlantic, (if you remember) the ship sank rapidly after a collision with another sea vessel, the Loch Earn....and all four of their daughters drowned. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved but alone...". Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled on another ship to meet his grieving wife in England, the captain told him when they were passing over the spot where their four daughters drowned and perished. In the midst of grieving.... he was inspired to write these words, which later music was put to, creating a deeply moving hymn that we sing today.
> The state of Horatio's soul was sound, that in the deepest grief one could experience, he (though we don't know what battles internally he fought to arrive there) he did arrive at a place where he believed, and trusted completely, in His Lord/God. To experience such depth of pain and loss and survive, not only survive...but to handle the tragedy in such a beautiful way....to me, shows me what is possible. To think what it would be like to go through such a measure of pain without the Lord....how terrible it would be.
> As I look and listen to the news, (not nearly as often as I used to) and see the pain and the agony of those in war ravaged countries, holding their dead children, spouses, mothers and fathers and I grieve for them. Where do they go for comfort and solace for the loved ones of those who served in the military, on a police force, those ordinary citizens who too lose their lives to crime, or even mistakenly….with God, where do they go inside themselves?
I ask you this question...."Is it well with.... your soul?'
> The responsibility for and the condition of "your soul" is totally dependent on you....and no one else, no matter what someone or someone(s) have done to or said about you.
> What you feed your soul with will reflect who you are.
1. No one can tell you how to feed your soul.....better than your own soul. Listen to it.
2. Your soul is the power and core of who you are....feed it well, choose what you feed it with.
3. Know the difference between those who feed your ego, and those who feed your soul. Choose your teachers, and your company.
4. Feed your soul....by feeding the souls of others, with acceptance, love, kindness and compassion...and in turn...your soul will be fed.
This verse parallels this last statement and is found in Luke 6:31. "Do to others as you would have them do to you."
Make this your mantra...memorize it, speak it, live it, and not only will your life be changed...but also those whom you encounter in your ever -day life.
5. You can't dig yourself out of the pit of despair...you have to feed your soul and grow yourself out of it.
6. Don't wait for someone to bring you flowers....plant your own garden and watch the beauty of that garden grow, and others will come to gaze on it...enjoy it...and ask you how you did it.
There is a term, mostly in the south that refers to "soul food"...which actually did not become common until the 60's. With the rise of the civil rights movement, many African-Americans sought to re-claim their part of the African-American cultural legacy. As terms like "soul-brother, "soul-sister" and "soul music" were taking hold, it was only natural that the term soul-food would be used to describe the recipes that African-Americans had been cooking with little for generations. Here is the bottom line of meaning. Soul-food is cooking with what they had available to them...and making it as delicious as possible with that little....and then sharing it with family and friends....and even strangers. It was about 'bonding' 'belonging' with the next bottom line.... being about Love.
> Now...let's transfer this last paragraph to "spiritual soul food" the ingredients that go into what we have on hand, and we have a lot to feed and nourish our souls.
#1 ingredient....the triune God....the Father, the Son and the Spirit
That's kind of like an everything bagel to start with!
#2. ingredient....we have Holy Scripture and in those Scriptures, we have the teachings and examples of our Lord....who broke the barriers of hatred, prejudice, culture, race, age, male and female...for us if we but follow Him.
#3. ingredient.....each other. We should be able to share the difficulties, the joys, prayers, laughter....and even help in meeting emotional and physical needs when appropriate.
#4. ingredient.....and this is a great and wonderful ingredient that we have been given....and that is to also give. That is the ingredient of GRACE. As we have been given it freely and without cost, just by believing in our Lord. With that GRACE comes forgiveness, mercy, justice, compassion and so much more.....and with receiving, we are under obligation, no matter the consequences or circumstances to give the same to others, even those who in our minds don't deserve it.....for neither did we, and yet, it was given to us.
#5. I saved the last for the best.....and that ingredient we find of in 1 Corinthians 13:13...."And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But...the greatest of these is LOVE.
> What's on your daily menu.....what 'soul' food are you feeding on?
> Is Sunday...the only day you eat spiritual soul food?......Taking a bit of time in the morning, or whatever time works for you....to sit, take some time apart to feed your soul and spirit. Perhaps something as simple as reading the daily reading from a booklet like "Our Daily Bread"
> Desire is the key.....discipline is the road.
> One day....and perhaps you have already experienced, "When sea billows roll, whatever your lot....he has taught you to know...."it is well, it is well, with your soul."
Only you know...."is it well....with "your' soul?"
Amen.................................
Island Park, Idaho
January 18, 2020
"Is it well.... with your soul?"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
John 12:27 Jesus speaking; "Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say?
Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour."
3rd John 2
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health,
just as your 'soul' prospers"
> Jesus, speaking of His soul prior to His torture and death....was, as He stated. Troubled...deeply, so deeply He feared what lay ahead.
> In 3rd John 2...we hear of the soul prospering.... hence the condition of the soul speaks deeply of the place and condition of our lives. So, let us delve into an understanding of what the soul is and what the spirit is.....for we certainly know what the body is.
The Triune Spirit, Soul and Body
> In the triune Godhead.....we have the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit....God, ever present in the fullness of the three, and we have Jesus of course, known as the Son God who came to us in a human body to bring us not only life but salvation, giving us also by believing in Him the Person of the Godhead, known as the Holy Spirit. This is of course basic, foundational Christian theology.
> In reflecting a part of God's creation, us. We too are a trilogy.... made in the image of God. Genesis 1:26. “On the last day of Creation, God said, "Let us (the fullness of God or Trinity) make man in our image, in our likeness." Thus, He finished His work with a "personal touch." Accordingly, humanity is unique among all God's Creation, having both a material body, and an immaterial soul/spirit. Image literally means – a visual representation or reflection of something or someone. “Body-mind-spirit”
> Genesis 2:7, “And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground" This refers to the human body, giving us tangible, touchable, visual substance. "And breathed into his lungs the breath of life." This describes how God gave spiritual life and physical life to both woman and man; the first recorded humans, Adam and Eve." The spirit, the soul and body now established preserved in our completeness." (1 Thess. 5:23). The spirit is God-given, the soul is a living and eternal creation; and the body temporarily made to house the sou.
> According to common Christian understanding by most, the soul houses our personality. How we think, act, respond, etc. and what others see us as. When the spirit and the body were joined, man became a 'living soul."
> The characteristics of angels are also spirit and body, but bodies of different substances than we are familiar with. There is nowhere in the Bible that it is stated that any other creation is like us, made up of spirit, soul and body.
> So..moving on....it is our soul/spirit that is eternal....and yet, we are told we get new bodies that are the image of this one, though different because they are eternal. I personally can verify that by the waking vision I had of both my parents looking young and glowingly healthy in Heaven with the Lord.
> A little later.... we will be singing the Hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul" and that is what started today's sermon, when I for the first time heard the background of Horation Spadfford in writing this hymn. Let me tell you the story. Which I I may have told you this before.
> The hymn was written after traumatic events in Spafford's life, and that of his wife and family. The first was the death of their son at the age of 2, and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 which ruined him financially, (he had been a successful lawyer and had invested significantly in property in the area of Chicago that was extensively damaged by the Great Fire." His business interests were then further hit by the economic downturn of 1873, at which time he had planned to travel to England with his family but sent them on ahead while delayed on business.
> While crossing the Atlantic, (if you remember) the ship sank rapidly after a collision with another sea vessel, the Loch Earn....and all four of their daughters drowned. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved but alone...". Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled on another ship to meet his grieving wife in England, the captain told him when they were passing over the spot where their four daughters drowned and perished. In the midst of grieving.... he was inspired to write these words, which later music was put to, creating a deeply moving hymn that we sing today.
> The state of Horatio's soul was sound, that in the deepest grief one could experience, he (though we don't know what battles internally he fought to arrive there) he did arrive at a place where he believed, and trusted completely, in His Lord/God. To experience such depth of pain and loss and survive, not only survive...but to handle the tragedy in such a beautiful way....to me, shows me what is possible. To think what it would be like to go through such a measure of pain without the Lord....how terrible it would be.
> As I look and listen to the news, (not nearly as often as I used to) and see the pain and the agony of those in war ravaged countries, holding their dead children, spouses, mothers and fathers and I grieve for them. Where do they go for comfort and solace for the loved ones of those who served in the military, on a police force, those ordinary citizens who too lose their lives to crime, or even mistakenly….with God, where do they go inside themselves?
I ask you this question...."Is it well with.... your soul?'
> The responsibility for and the condition of "your soul" is totally dependent on you....and no one else, no matter what someone or someone(s) have done to or said about you.
> What you feed your soul with will reflect who you are.
1. No one can tell you how to feed your soul.....better than your own soul. Listen to it.
2. Your soul is the power and core of who you are....feed it well, choose what you feed it with.
3. Know the difference between those who feed your ego, and those who feed your soul. Choose your teachers, and your company.
4. Feed your soul....by feeding the souls of others, with acceptance, love, kindness and compassion...and in turn...your soul will be fed.
This verse parallels this last statement and is found in Luke 6:31. "Do to others as you would have them do to you."
Make this your mantra...memorize it, speak it, live it, and not only will your life be changed...but also those whom you encounter in your ever -day life.
5. You can't dig yourself out of the pit of despair...you have to feed your soul and grow yourself out of it.
6. Don't wait for someone to bring you flowers....plant your own garden and watch the beauty of that garden grow, and others will come to gaze on it...enjoy it...and ask you how you did it.
There is a term, mostly in the south that refers to "soul food"...which actually did not become common until the 60's. With the rise of the civil rights movement, many African-Americans sought to re-claim their part of the African-American cultural legacy. As terms like "soul-brother, "soul-sister" and "soul music" were taking hold, it was only natural that the term soul-food would be used to describe the recipes that African-Americans had been cooking with little for generations. Here is the bottom line of meaning. Soul-food is cooking with what they had available to them...and making it as delicious as possible with that little....and then sharing it with family and friends....and even strangers. It was about 'bonding' 'belonging' with the next bottom line.... being about Love.
> Now...let's transfer this last paragraph to "spiritual soul food" the ingredients that go into what we have on hand, and we have a lot to feed and nourish our souls.
#1 ingredient....the triune God....the Father, the Son and the Spirit
That's kind of like an everything bagel to start with!
#2. ingredient....we have Holy Scripture and in those Scriptures, we have the teachings and examples of our Lord....who broke the barriers of hatred, prejudice, culture, race, age, male and female...for us if we but follow Him.
#3. ingredient.....each other. We should be able to share the difficulties, the joys, prayers, laughter....and even help in meeting emotional and physical needs when appropriate.
#4. ingredient.....and this is a great and wonderful ingredient that we have been given....and that is to also give. That is the ingredient of GRACE. As we have been given it freely and without cost, just by believing in our Lord. With that GRACE comes forgiveness, mercy, justice, compassion and so much more.....and with receiving, we are under obligation, no matter the consequences or circumstances to give the same to others, even those who in our minds don't deserve it.....for neither did we, and yet, it was given to us.
#5. I saved the last for the best.....and that ingredient we find of in 1 Corinthians 13:13...."And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But...the greatest of these is LOVE.
> What's on your daily menu.....what 'soul' food are you feeding on?
> Is Sunday...the only day you eat spiritual soul food?......Taking a bit of time in the morning, or whatever time works for you....to sit, take some time apart to feed your soul and spirit. Perhaps something as simple as reading the daily reading from a booklet like "Our Daily Bread"
> Desire is the key.....discipline is the road.
> One day....and perhaps you have already experienced, "When sea billows roll, whatever your lot....he has taught you to know...."it is well, it is well, with your soul."
Only you know...."is it well....with "your' soul?"
Amen.................................
Little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn, Idaho
January 11, 2020
THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME
Tom Shanor, Pastor
We are Human…..we are a part of Humanity, with all our various skin colors, languages, walking upright as our main means of moving from here to there, being self-aware, thinking as we do by way of observation, reason, meditation (though seldom) reflection, able to remember, think about the future, express emotion and sometimes using logic, based on all the above we can make choices also based on our accumulation of data. We, unlike other thinking animals have the ability to measure time. Time is our measuring stick for living as noted in a song called Time Passages, and a song by The Association called “Time for Living”.
…..We live by using the word “Time,” time and time again. Thousands of times!
…..When our human ancestors became aware of time passages we don’t know, because there is no record, written or otherwise but there are some discoveries recently that give us a little more insight into time. British archaeology experts have discovered what they believe to be the world’s oldest ‘calendar’, created by hunter-gatherer societies and dating back to around 8,000 BC, predating the next known calendar by 5000 years, found in the middle east.
……The Mesolithic monument discovered was originally excavated in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by the National Trust for Scotland in 20034 AD. It is a luni, or lunar-solar devices built into a hillside following the movements of both the sun and the moon using excavation and an arch to build the world’s oldest known calendar.
……The capacity to measure time was 'created' by humankind and is critical in understanding how society has developed.
.....The Bible says without using the word time, that there was a beginning and is an ending. Eternity as we understand, though barely comprehend is measured by this "beginning" and "ending." Genesis 1, verse 1. "In the beginning (of the measurement of time) God created the heavens and the earth."
.....Numbers of course which are crucial to time measurement, developed along with language, were essential in the development of our calendars as to another way we measure time.
……How many of you are wearing a watch, or today carry your I-phone which often today takes place of a watch. You awoke knowing that our service started at ten, and so between the time of getting up to arriving here you were watching your time to try and get here on time. Time as it is measured by us also includes numbers. Some of you had two hours to get here, and others maybe a half hour.
.....The mystery and almost magical quality of numbers and their place in human history, science, theory, religion and etc. is simply amazing, amazing. Counting began out of necessity when let’s say there was a realization that two animals to kill to eat was far better than just one. Whether this was done strictly in their head or using pebbles, or notches on a bone or stick it was recognized that there must be a way to create equalization.
…..There was a lot of thinking, meditating, reasoning, etc., in the development of both time and numbers, ever growing more and more important as society developed.
.....Most of us here in this building, have arrived at what is called sunset years. We can look back... when at one time the years we are now at looked a long-time away. And yet, here we are, wondering where time went so very quickly it seems, though its pace never changed as the passage of time goes at the same pace for everyone.
.....Al Stewart wrote and sang a song called Time Passages which most of you can remember. It goes like this.
It was late in December, the sky turned to snow
all round the day was going slow
Night like a river beginning to flow
I felt the beat of my mind go
Drifting into time passages
Years go falling in the fading light
Time passages
Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight
Well I'm not the kind to live in the past
The years run too short and days too fast
The things you lean on are the things that don't last
Well it's just now and then my line gets cast into these
Time passages...................
The choices we make within our limited time too often are based on the "things that don't last."
I am not in the process of this recognition, going to condemn myself or anyone for what choices we have, do and will make in the limited time we have here, but I believe it is vital to our spiritual, physical and mental/emotional well-being that we set 'time' aside to REFLECT and MEDITATE. Reflect on the past, as it has been the foundation, we have built our present. Then meditate on the present while there is yet time to work towards the future, we might have for we don’t know how much time we have left. Being time aware can cause us to make better choices.
....If we are unhappy, happy, bored, busy, angry, kind, and even compassionate, it is not due to anyone else, no matter what they have done, but how we have taken what we have experienced in life....and built our life as we know ourselves and are known by others to be. Our opinions and other opinions may be quite divergent.
.....I was raised by a man who was liked by many, but feared and sometime hated in his own home by both his wife and his children. Some of us have the ability to be, as was a popular saying several years ago, a poser. What you see...may not be who and what you really are. Sometimes I actually 'feel' that is me, and that is when something has happened that shows me how much I need the Lord in my life, because my personal failure or failures disappointed me so deeply, and at times, others. In the memories of the minds of the people I will someday leave behind, what will their thoughts be of me. And then, once they are no longer here, no one will think of me, unless they come across a photograph on the wall of a Cracker Barrel Restaurant while traveling.
.....Psalm 19:12. "How can I handle all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don't let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin."
.... Psalm 19:14. "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you......O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer."
.... We need to establish honestly by deeply knowingly within ourselves who we really are. Jesus said, in order to love God and others, we must first love ourselves, and we can only do so by knowing ourselves.
Mark 12:31..."The second is equally important: "Love your neighbor; 'as yourself'' no other commandment is greater than these."
.... Loving oneself.
.... Time passages.... brings us to today, just past the first week of a new year. Most people I believe do not make resolutions, and those of us who do, most often do not follow through in keeping them. I admire those who do and laud those who at least attempt to bring changes into their lives they deem important.
....I do think it is important to reflect, and this time of year when we have more time, because of fewer activities, is a good time. The origin of the word ‘reflect’ in English is from Old French reflecter "(to bend back, turn back"), from Latin reflecto "I reflect"), from re ("again") ("I bend, I curve").
.....I like the ‘I curve’ illustration, and I am reminded of many of my train travels. On some of the sharper curves looking back through the widow, being able to see both the engine, and the very last car of the train at the same time. We can do that in or lives and the older we are, the longer the train.
.....It would be good for you and I do, and is something I am going to try to do more and more ....to even write down categories of my life this past year and even back further, to see how I have changed, how my circumstances have changed, how my mind and heart have changed. What my main focus has been (me) (or others) and where I could have made better decisions. Not being too critical, because what is past in time is past.
.....Once I do this...then I am going to meditate on the results....and upon meditation, pray...and ask the Lord about the coming year as to what my focus should be, my goals and how to change my desires if I need to.
So... what is ‘meditation’? It is a practice when an individual use perhaps a technique, focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity, to gain deeper awareness, and perhaps achieve a mental clarity and even a better emotional understanding. With these together perhaps gain new direction that until that time had been causing a state of confusion or unrest.
.....Anxiety steals one's ability to make sound decisions and conclusions. Time set apart, prayer, along with reflection and meditation, stilling those emotions can bring us the understanding and insight we need.
Have you spent any time recently.....reflecting and meditating? I again, suggest that you do and see what good things the Lord has done and will do."
Romans 12:2. "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person....by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
Regarding judging or thinking of others if that is something you need to do. Matthew 7:4 speaks directly to this in your reflections. "Or how can you say to your brother, 'let me remove the speck from your eyes.' and look...a plank is in your own.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 READ!
There are so many wonderful Scriptures to also meditate on, from which we can make decisions, adjustments and find help in our ordinary everyday lives.
As long as we have time.... let us use it in a way that benefits ourselves and others. Prayer, doing good, thinking and meditating deeply, showing kindness, sowing love, learning to be humble.
Luke 14:28 bring us a practical aspect of meditation too. "But don't begin until you count the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it." This speaks not only of projects and money...but of almost all that we are attempting to accomplish.
Something bothering you.... something you need to come to some conclusion about? Listen, pray and wait, listening for what you choose today will affect your tomorrow.
......................That's all folks, now the rest is up to you!
Amen
Macks Inn, Idaho
January 11, 2020
THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME
Tom Shanor, Pastor
We are Human…..we are a part of Humanity, with all our various skin colors, languages, walking upright as our main means of moving from here to there, being self-aware, thinking as we do by way of observation, reason, meditation (though seldom) reflection, able to remember, think about the future, express emotion and sometimes using logic, based on all the above we can make choices also based on our accumulation of data. We, unlike other thinking animals have the ability to measure time. Time is our measuring stick for living as noted in a song called Time Passages, and a song by The Association called “Time for Living”.
…..We live by using the word “Time,” time and time again. Thousands of times!
…..When our human ancestors became aware of time passages we don’t know, because there is no record, written or otherwise but there are some discoveries recently that give us a little more insight into time. British archaeology experts have discovered what they believe to be the world’s oldest ‘calendar’, created by hunter-gatherer societies and dating back to around 8,000 BC, predating the next known calendar by 5000 years, found in the middle east.
……The Mesolithic monument discovered was originally excavated in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by the National Trust for Scotland in 20034 AD. It is a luni, or lunar-solar devices built into a hillside following the movements of both the sun and the moon using excavation and an arch to build the world’s oldest known calendar.
……The capacity to measure time was 'created' by humankind and is critical in understanding how society has developed.
.....The Bible says without using the word time, that there was a beginning and is an ending. Eternity as we understand, though barely comprehend is measured by this "beginning" and "ending." Genesis 1, verse 1. "In the beginning (of the measurement of time) God created the heavens and the earth."
.....Numbers of course which are crucial to time measurement, developed along with language, were essential in the development of our calendars as to another way we measure time.
……How many of you are wearing a watch, or today carry your I-phone which often today takes place of a watch. You awoke knowing that our service started at ten, and so between the time of getting up to arriving here you were watching your time to try and get here on time. Time as it is measured by us also includes numbers. Some of you had two hours to get here, and others maybe a half hour.
.....The mystery and almost magical quality of numbers and their place in human history, science, theory, religion and etc. is simply amazing, amazing. Counting began out of necessity when let’s say there was a realization that two animals to kill to eat was far better than just one. Whether this was done strictly in their head or using pebbles, or notches on a bone or stick it was recognized that there must be a way to create equalization.
…..There was a lot of thinking, meditating, reasoning, etc., in the development of both time and numbers, ever growing more and more important as society developed.
.....Most of us here in this building, have arrived at what is called sunset years. We can look back... when at one time the years we are now at looked a long-time away. And yet, here we are, wondering where time went so very quickly it seems, though its pace never changed as the passage of time goes at the same pace for everyone.
.....Al Stewart wrote and sang a song called Time Passages which most of you can remember. It goes like this.
It was late in December, the sky turned to snow
all round the day was going slow
Night like a river beginning to flow
I felt the beat of my mind go
Drifting into time passages
Years go falling in the fading light
Time passages
Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight
Well I'm not the kind to live in the past
The years run too short and days too fast
The things you lean on are the things that don't last
Well it's just now and then my line gets cast into these
Time passages...................
The choices we make within our limited time too often are based on the "things that don't last."
I am not in the process of this recognition, going to condemn myself or anyone for what choices we have, do and will make in the limited time we have here, but I believe it is vital to our spiritual, physical and mental/emotional well-being that we set 'time' aside to REFLECT and MEDITATE. Reflect on the past, as it has been the foundation, we have built our present. Then meditate on the present while there is yet time to work towards the future, we might have for we don’t know how much time we have left. Being time aware can cause us to make better choices.
....If we are unhappy, happy, bored, busy, angry, kind, and even compassionate, it is not due to anyone else, no matter what they have done, but how we have taken what we have experienced in life....and built our life as we know ourselves and are known by others to be. Our opinions and other opinions may be quite divergent.
.....I was raised by a man who was liked by many, but feared and sometime hated in his own home by both his wife and his children. Some of us have the ability to be, as was a popular saying several years ago, a poser. What you see...may not be who and what you really are. Sometimes I actually 'feel' that is me, and that is when something has happened that shows me how much I need the Lord in my life, because my personal failure or failures disappointed me so deeply, and at times, others. In the memories of the minds of the people I will someday leave behind, what will their thoughts be of me. And then, once they are no longer here, no one will think of me, unless they come across a photograph on the wall of a Cracker Barrel Restaurant while traveling.
.....Psalm 19:12. "How can I handle all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don't let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin."
.... Psalm 19:14. "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you......O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer."
.... We need to establish honestly by deeply knowingly within ourselves who we really are. Jesus said, in order to love God and others, we must first love ourselves, and we can only do so by knowing ourselves.
Mark 12:31..."The second is equally important: "Love your neighbor; 'as yourself'' no other commandment is greater than these."
.... Loving oneself.
.... Time passages.... brings us to today, just past the first week of a new year. Most people I believe do not make resolutions, and those of us who do, most often do not follow through in keeping them. I admire those who do and laud those who at least attempt to bring changes into their lives they deem important.
....I do think it is important to reflect, and this time of year when we have more time, because of fewer activities, is a good time. The origin of the word ‘reflect’ in English is from Old French reflecter "(to bend back, turn back"), from Latin reflecto "I reflect"), from re ("again") ("I bend, I curve").
.....I like the ‘I curve’ illustration, and I am reminded of many of my train travels. On some of the sharper curves looking back through the widow, being able to see both the engine, and the very last car of the train at the same time. We can do that in or lives and the older we are, the longer the train.
.....It would be good for you and I do, and is something I am going to try to do more and more ....to even write down categories of my life this past year and even back further, to see how I have changed, how my circumstances have changed, how my mind and heart have changed. What my main focus has been (me) (or others) and where I could have made better decisions. Not being too critical, because what is past in time is past.
.....Once I do this...then I am going to meditate on the results....and upon meditation, pray...and ask the Lord about the coming year as to what my focus should be, my goals and how to change my desires if I need to.
So... what is ‘meditation’? It is a practice when an individual use perhaps a technique, focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity, to gain deeper awareness, and perhaps achieve a mental clarity and even a better emotional understanding. With these together perhaps gain new direction that until that time had been causing a state of confusion or unrest.
.....Anxiety steals one's ability to make sound decisions and conclusions. Time set apart, prayer, along with reflection and meditation, stilling those emotions can bring us the understanding and insight we need.
Have you spent any time recently.....reflecting and meditating? I again, suggest that you do and see what good things the Lord has done and will do."
Romans 12:2. "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person....by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
Regarding judging or thinking of others if that is something you need to do. Matthew 7:4 speaks directly to this in your reflections. "Or how can you say to your brother, 'let me remove the speck from your eyes.' and look...a plank is in your own.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 READ!
There are so many wonderful Scriptures to also meditate on, from which we can make decisions, adjustments and find help in our ordinary everyday lives.
As long as we have time.... let us use it in a way that benefits ourselves and others. Prayer, doing good, thinking and meditating deeply, showing kindness, sowing love, learning to be humble.
Luke 14:28 bring us a practical aspect of meditation too. "But don't begin until you count the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it." This speaks not only of projects and money...but of almost all that we are attempting to accomplish.
Something bothering you.... something you need to come to some conclusion about? Listen, pray and wait, listening for what you choose today will affect your tomorrow.
......................That's all folks, now the rest is up to you!
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
PART II of Advent
December 15, 2019
by Pastor Tom Shanor
The second part of the narrative of the Advent story continues today, where we left off last Sunday with the mysterious and somewhat confusing at times called, the Wise Men or Magi or Scholars, etc.. From here we will move on to several other of the more interesting people involved. To do so I will have to go back and forth a bit, though again, last week I moved chronologically from the start to the birth of Jesus.
Since you are here (those of you who were here last week) I asked you to stay tuned to this channel for the answers to the 'rest of the story', that of course being the most wonderful story ever told.
Matthew 2:1-12 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born King of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophets: 'And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called for the Wise Men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out and there, ahead of them, when the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream 'not' to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another way.
Who exactly were these so-called Wise men, where did they come from and since they were not Jews, why were they chosen by God to be involved in this narrative? Did they follow a different religion, and if so, what was it? Is is even important? My opinion is; that indeed it is important to know as much as humanly possible about every aspect available to us. Knowing more both advances our knowledge and more fully rounds out truths we come to cherish and believe in.
The phrase "from the East," more literally "from the rising of the sun", is the only information Matthew provides about the region from which they came. The Parthian Empire, centered in Persia, occupied virtually all of the land east of Judea and Syria (except for the deserts of Arabia to the southeast). Though the empire was tolerant of other religions, its dominant religion was Zoroastrianism, with its priestly so called 'magos class,' which would be similar to the Priestly Class of the Jews in their standing in Judaism.
In seeing 'The Star' rise in the east, a star that had never been seen before, they were of the knowledge of a prophecy from their Prophet Zoroaster; that its arrival meant that a King, the Messiah had arrived and their role was to pay him homage by taking gifts and bowing down before him. It mattered not that he was born of humble parents in an average household. What mattered was acknowledging both the new KING and the fulfillment of their-own Prophets prophecy.
Too, it was known by the Jewish priests from those who converted to Judaism from Zoroasterism, of this prophecy, developed around the Magi of the Gospels prior.
1. The Wise Men then were from Persia
2. They were Persian 'Scholars' of a highly respected class of people
3. They were of another religion, yet respectful of Judaism
4. They were also both astronomers and astrologers, astrology itself being a respected science, and very real part of many religions of those days.
Although the Magi are commonly called "King," there is nothing in the account from the Gospel of Matthew that implies that they were rulers of any kind, let alone kings.
Now, how about this religion Zoroasterism? I hope you are somewhat curious because I am going to tell you a bit about it.
It is one of the most ancient religions in the world, and at one time it was the dominant religion of Iran and all adjoining regions. Therefore, it was also at one time the largest formal religion in the world, far exceeding Judaism in number, competing with Christianity on an equal par as well at one point in time. The Arabs growing in strength and numbers by sheer force and battle conquered Persia....again, with forced conversions nearly wiped it out, where today they still exist, but only approximately 200,000 still remaining. mostly in India and in the United States.
Being curious about their personal beliefs, these Wise Men from the East I learned this. 1. Belief in the Supreme and Universal God
2. Belief in the duality of existence. That the world is a battle ground between good and evil forces, and that in time good will ultimately triumph and evil will be destroyed.
3. Belief in the divinity of Creation, in that God created both the visible and invisible. His Creation is therefore sacred and divine. it is everyone's responsibility to keep it pure and maintain the order He established.
4. Belief in the spiritual nature of the world and human beings as part of His Creation, all of mankind having come from the first man and woman.
5. Belief in polytheism or the existence of a number of divinities who represent His good qualities and who assist Him in containing the evil in the material world.
6. Belief in the basic goodness of humanity, and we are essentially divine in nature and share the spiritual nature of God, so we are not born as sinners nor is there within us a compulsion to sin. Humans are born pure and have a choice either to follow the teachings of God and remain righteous or follow the ways of evil and therefore be damned.
That is the background of the scholars, or wise men who play such a prominent role in the narrative or story leading up the physical birth of Jesus.
To my way of thinking, these men chosen by God, to be included in this great story in a very real way, represent you and I. All those who stood outside the family of God, who also are from that day forward, including us today, invited to become a member of the family of God. Scripture speaks to we latter-day Gentiles being adopted into His spiritual family, by being offered Salvation, and through Salvation, eternal life in Jesus. Praise to the Lord our God.............................
As a side note, in a way, in looking again at Matthew as he relates to us the events, there are a couple of other, in a sense minor thing I want to point out.
1. "When they had heard the king, they set out and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother."
Therefore, this tells us that there was a two-year period from when they first saw the star and when it stopped over the "house" of the family. These wise men did not see The Child following his birth in a manger, but the family was firmly established in a house, where Jesus very easily could have been two years old by then.
Another event that backs this up, is found in Matthew 2:16. "Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the Wise Men, was exceedingly angry, and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time when he had determined from the wise men."
This event was certainly not minor, but too is the fulfillment of one of the many prophecies found is Jeremiah 31:15, that three weeks ago I spoke of, relating to the birth of Jesus.
There has been much debate, speculation and study in astronomy in regard to the Star of Bethlehem in the narrative, especially in regards to the visit of the Wise Men. The latest proposal put forth by astronomer Frank Tipler in 2005, is the hypothesis that the Star was a supernova, occurring in the nearby Andromeda Galaxy. (near-by being relative of course) with the Andromeda Galaxy being 78,216,967,127,952,760,000,000 feet, or 780 kiloparsecs from earth, which is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way!
Whether a supernova, a comet, a quasar or whatever it was....it was.
Another interesting fact in Jesus being gifted with Frankincense and Myrrh by the Wise Men, is that these two very expensive and rare oils were used extensively in burial rituals as an embalming material, an offering to the departed and a means to cover the odor of a dead body. It is said that they were symbolic of the coming death and burial of the Lord. The Gold of course, being attributed as a valuable metal of Kingship, and this also, is attributed to prophecy.
I hope......that you enjoyed and learned some new facts, and perhaps have experienced a deeper appreciation of the events, and some of the other people in the narrative around the Advent Season I spoke of last week. I had hoped to cover Anna the prophetess, and Zachariah the priest and father of John the Baptist, but once I got started on the Wise Men, Magi, Scholars and Astronomers/Astrologers, there was just too much information to go beyond them.
This week may you take some time to really read the story, ponder and reflect on the miracle of that event, along with the richness and JOY that some many of us experience every year at this time. It's become as we know, a festive time of family gatherings (if you have one) or a time with friends (if you have any) with gifts, trees, lights, music and so much more. Please, in however you celebrate the season, (or not) keep your thoughts on the main thing and the main purpose. Jesus the Christ, the Son of God and the son of a young Jewish girl, who so willingly accepted her major role in God coming to earth for us, for you.
REJOICE AND BE GLAD................................................AMEN
PART II of Advent
December 15, 2019
by Pastor Tom Shanor
The second part of the narrative of the Advent story continues today, where we left off last Sunday with the mysterious and somewhat confusing at times called, the Wise Men or Magi or Scholars, etc.. From here we will move on to several other of the more interesting people involved. To do so I will have to go back and forth a bit, though again, last week I moved chronologically from the start to the birth of Jesus.
Since you are here (those of you who were here last week) I asked you to stay tuned to this channel for the answers to the 'rest of the story', that of course being the most wonderful story ever told.
Matthew 2:1-12 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born King of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophets: 'And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called for the Wise Men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out and there, ahead of them, when the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream 'not' to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another way.
Who exactly were these so-called Wise men, where did they come from and since they were not Jews, why were they chosen by God to be involved in this narrative? Did they follow a different religion, and if so, what was it? Is is even important? My opinion is; that indeed it is important to know as much as humanly possible about every aspect available to us. Knowing more both advances our knowledge and more fully rounds out truths we come to cherish and believe in.
The phrase "from the East," more literally "from the rising of the sun", is the only information Matthew provides about the region from which they came. The Parthian Empire, centered in Persia, occupied virtually all of the land east of Judea and Syria (except for the deserts of Arabia to the southeast). Though the empire was tolerant of other religions, its dominant religion was Zoroastrianism, with its priestly so called 'magos class,' which would be similar to the Priestly Class of the Jews in their standing in Judaism.
In seeing 'The Star' rise in the east, a star that had never been seen before, they were of the knowledge of a prophecy from their Prophet Zoroaster; that its arrival meant that a King, the Messiah had arrived and their role was to pay him homage by taking gifts and bowing down before him. It mattered not that he was born of humble parents in an average household. What mattered was acknowledging both the new KING and the fulfillment of their-own Prophets prophecy.
Too, it was known by the Jewish priests from those who converted to Judaism from Zoroasterism, of this prophecy, developed around the Magi of the Gospels prior.
1. The Wise Men then were from Persia
2. They were Persian 'Scholars' of a highly respected class of people
3. They were of another religion, yet respectful of Judaism
4. They were also both astronomers and astrologers, astrology itself being a respected science, and very real part of many religions of those days.
Although the Magi are commonly called "King," there is nothing in the account from the Gospel of Matthew that implies that they were rulers of any kind, let alone kings.
Now, how about this religion Zoroasterism? I hope you are somewhat curious because I am going to tell you a bit about it.
It is one of the most ancient religions in the world, and at one time it was the dominant religion of Iran and all adjoining regions. Therefore, it was also at one time the largest formal religion in the world, far exceeding Judaism in number, competing with Christianity on an equal par as well at one point in time. The Arabs growing in strength and numbers by sheer force and battle conquered Persia....again, with forced conversions nearly wiped it out, where today they still exist, but only approximately 200,000 still remaining. mostly in India and in the United States.
Being curious about their personal beliefs, these Wise Men from the East I learned this. 1. Belief in the Supreme and Universal God
2. Belief in the duality of existence. That the world is a battle ground between good and evil forces, and that in time good will ultimately triumph and evil will be destroyed.
3. Belief in the divinity of Creation, in that God created both the visible and invisible. His Creation is therefore sacred and divine. it is everyone's responsibility to keep it pure and maintain the order He established.
4. Belief in the spiritual nature of the world and human beings as part of His Creation, all of mankind having come from the first man and woman.
5. Belief in polytheism or the existence of a number of divinities who represent His good qualities and who assist Him in containing the evil in the material world.
6. Belief in the basic goodness of humanity, and we are essentially divine in nature and share the spiritual nature of God, so we are not born as sinners nor is there within us a compulsion to sin. Humans are born pure and have a choice either to follow the teachings of God and remain righteous or follow the ways of evil and therefore be damned.
That is the background of the scholars, or wise men who play such a prominent role in the narrative or story leading up the physical birth of Jesus.
To my way of thinking, these men chosen by God, to be included in this great story in a very real way, represent you and I. All those who stood outside the family of God, who also are from that day forward, including us today, invited to become a member of the family of God. Scripture speaks to we latter-day Gentiles being adopted into His spiritual family, by being offered Salvation, and through Salvation, eternal life in Jesus. Praise to the Lord our God.............................
As a side note, in a way, in looking again at Matthew as he relates to us the events, there are a couple of other, in a sense minor thing I want to point out.
1. "When they had heard the king, they set out and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother."
Therefore, this tells us that there was a two-year period from when they first saw the star and when it stopped over the "house" of the family. These wise men did not see The Child following his birth in a manger, but the family was firmly established in a house, where Jesus very easily could have been two years old by then.
Another event that backs this up, is found in Matthew 2:16. "Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the Wise Men, was exceedingly angry, and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time when he had determined from the wise men."
This event was certainly not minor, but too is the fulfillment of one of the many prophecies found is Jeremiah 31:15, that three weeks ago I spoke of, relating to the birth of Jesus.
There has been much debate, speculation and study in astronomy in regard to the Star of Bethlehem in the narrative, especially in regards to the visit of the Wise Men. The latest proposal put forth by astronomer Frank Tipler in 2005, is the hypothesis that the Star was a supernova, occurring in the nearby Andromeda Galaxy. (near-by being relative of course) with the Andromeda Galaxy being 78,216,967,127,952,760,000,000 feet, or 780 kiloparsecs from earth, which is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way!
Whether a supernova, a comet, a quasar or whatever it was....it was.
Another interesting fact in Jesus being gifted with Frankincense and Myrrh by the Wise Men, is that these two very expensive and rare oils were used extensively in burial rituals as an embalming material, an offering to the departed and a means to cover the odor of a dead body. It is said that they were symbolic of the coming death and burial of the Lord. The Gold of course, being attributed as a valuable metal of Kingship, and this also, is attributed to prophecy.
I hope......that you enjoyed and learned some new facts, and perhaps have experienced a deeper appreciation of the events, and some of the other people in the narrative around the Advent Season I spoke of last week. I had hoped to cover Anna the prophetess, and Zachariah the priest and father of John the Baptist, but once I got started on the Wise Men, Magi, Scholars and Astronomers/Astrologers, there was just too much information to go beyond them.
This week may you take some time to really read the story, ponder and reflect on the miracle of that event, along with the richness and JOY that some many of us experience every year at this time. It's become as we know, a festive time of family gatherings (if you have one) or a time with friends (if you have any) with gifts, trees, lights, music and so much more. Please, in however you celebrate the season, (or not) keep your thoughts on the main thing and the main purpose. Jesus the Christ, the Son of God and the son of a young Jewish girl, who so willingly accepted her major role in God coming to earth for us, for you.
REJOICE AND BE GLAD................................................AMEN
The Little Church in the Pines
The History of Advent
December 8, 2019
by Pastor Tom Shanor
Advent as most of us are aware, is the season observed by many (but not all) Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation, for both the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas, but perhaps you didn't know this, also the return of Jesus at His Second Coming. The term Advent in its singular meaning is simply "coming".
Advent is also the beginning of what is known as the Western Christian Liturgical Year, which involves the beginning of using what is established yearly Scripture in liturgy, and public worship services along with celebratory days and events, again, using long-established Scriptures relating to those observations. The season of Advent again in the Western Church, begins on the fourth Sunday before the actual day Christmas falls on, and Celebrated specifically by the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican, Lutheran, Moravian, Presbyterian, Episcopal and Methodist calendars/churches. It is not usually celebrated by Evangelicals overall.
The date on which Advent was celebrated first, or who started these weeks as a time of recognition and celebration, cannot be determined. The nearest time that it can be traced to about 480 ad., and in its fullness is celebrated by recognizing all of the three comings of Christ: in the flesh in Bethlehem, in our hearts daily, and in Glory at the beginning of His earthly reign, before the end of time as we know it.
The practices we express this celebration with include, keeping an Advent calendar, lighting of the four candles on the Advent wreath. First the Prophets' candle, symbolizing HOPE; the Bethlehem Candle, symbolizing PEACE; the Shepard’s' Candle symbolizing JOY; the Angel's Candle, symbolizing LOVE, and lastly the Christ Candle symbolizing THE SUMMATION OF HOPE-PEACE-JOY-LOVE, IN AND EXAMPLED by the Lighting of the Christ Candle. Along with these, praying a daily devotional, erecting a Christmas tree or A Crimson tree, which is a bold tree in its’ foliage, with its dark dense shades, and deeply lobed leaves with maroon-purple foliage representing the blood of Christ. Also the lighting of a Christingle, which is from the German heritage, represented by a white candle used as a symbol of Jesus Christ as the Light of the World.”
As I have thought about Advent, having come into its symbolism and ceremony only since my arrival at the Little Church, I have wondered why Evangelicals (as I once was) and other sects and denominations do not celebrate this observance is up for discussion? One of the reasons I came up with is; that it smacks of what is thought of as unneeded ritualism; a reminder of pageantry associated with the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, and the authority of priests and religious hierarchy, instead of the simplifying services, dating in the west back to the Pilgrims and their separation from the so called High Churches they were escaping from.
Having come from an Evangelical background, and celebrating Advent as we do here in the Little Church, I have discovered how meaningful and rich, this and other celebrations are, in that instead of detracting from the so called simplicity of the Gospel, they actually enhance both the Gospel and the lives of those for whom they carry depth and meaning.
Also, having explained that which I have, and for which I hope that perhaps you too have learned something new and meaningful, I am now going to switch gears, and move into both the minor and major characters leading up to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ that we recognize during these four weeks. They indeed are an interesting mix of secular and religious, good and bad. From low stations in life to kings and the mystery religion represented, and more.
I am now going to tell you all of their names and stations, but dwell on a few of the most unusual a bit deeper into who and what they were. God in all His mysterious ways had and still has a plan that involves a sampling of humanity in its complexity and simplicity.
The story begins in Luke, as he writes to a friend and perhaps mentor, as he says in Luke I. "INASMUCH as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers, of the word delivered from them to us, it seemed good to me (continue Luke) also having had perfect understanding of all the things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you (and beyond to us) the certainty of those things in which you were instructed."
1, We find this Advent Narrative with a prologue in verses, chapter
1:1-4
II. THE INFANCY NARRATIVE 1:5 - 2-52
A. Announcement of Joh the Baptist's birth - Ch.1: 5-25
B. Announcement of Jesus birth - 1:26-38
C. Visit of the two mothers - 1:39-56
D. John the Baptist's birth - 1:57-80
E. Jesus' birth - 2:1-40
And so it begins.........and these are the main players in this wonderful story.
1st we have Luke… Greek in nationality: a physician well-educated according to the standards of the day. He was obviously a disciple of Jesus, a friend and often companion/scribe to Paul on his missionary journeys, and the author of the book of Acts.
2nd. We read of Theophilus, of whom we know very little but obviously well- educated and curious about this Jesus he has heard so much about.
3rd. Enter stage left…Herod, who is Herod the Great and who at a later date will play an even larger role in the continuation into adulthood of Jesus.
4th. Things start to get really interesting when the Priest Zacharias enters the scene, not only being a priest but the husband of Elizabeth, cousin to Mary.
5th. Yes, Elizabeth, barren beyond her child-bearing years, wife of Zacharias who will become miraculously pregnant, bringing forth around the same time period as Jesus is born. Much can be read about John.
6th. The supernatural is about to enter the scene in an unexpected time and manner, to Zacharias, as it is his time as a priest to serve in the Temple. This appearance being the angel Gabriel telling him of Elizabeth’s coming pregnancy, and birth of their son, going so far as to give him the name he is to be called by, but because of Zacharias not believing, looking at the natural instead of the One who stood before him, he Zacharias would be mute during the entire time of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
7th. Mary…..the central person in the narrative is suddenly visited also by Gabriel, as he tells her of her upcoming role in being chosen to be the Mother of the Messiah, further explaining her role and some of those events and happenings coming her way. Mary….a humble hand-maid as she calls herself take a different attitude than that of Zacharias with these words, “Behold the maid-servant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
8th. John, coming in his adult years to be known as John the Baptist is born. It is the time of his presentation and circumcision. Leadership prepared to name their son Zacharias is told by Elizabeth his name is to be John. They are astonished…looking to Zacharias. He asked for tablet on which to write the name John…when suddenly he could speak, and so he did, praising God, and speaking forth a prophecy that to the word would be fulfilled.
9th. Caesar Augustus, a tool in the hands of God proclaimed that all the resident of Israel needed to go to their own cities to be registered in a census for the purpose of taxation. Joseph, Mary journeyed to Bethlehem because Joseph was a descendant of King David.
10th. Verse 7 of Luke 2 tells us of the momentous event. “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in ‘Swaddling cloths’, and laid Him in a manger because there was not room for them in the inn.”
(Swaddling cloths are long strips of cloth with the sole purpose of wrapping infants in those days.)
Centuries have passed, the Prophets had spoken, and the people had wondered if indeed the Prince, the future King would ever arrive. Because of them being ruled by the Romans, they hope, prayed and pleaded for God to send the King Messiah as promised, but little did they know in what manner He would come.
11th. A clear, cold and starlight night. The light murmur of sheep moving and breathing was comforting the Shepherds during the long night, little knowing what was about to burst into their lives as an Angel appeared to them, Vs. 11-12, most likely Gabriel himself saying, “Do not be afraid, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be all people, for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!
12th. Angels, lots and lots of Angels, in fact a multitude of them praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, good will toward mankind.”
13th. We now move to the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter II, verses 1-2, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the day of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
The narrative goes on from here, but have you ever wondered about these three wise men? Who they really were, what they really were, and where in the East did, they come from? Well…. stay tuned to this channel and next week you will find out the answer to these questions and more, plus more of the narrative of the most wonderful story ever told.
amen
The History of Advent
December 8, 2019
by Pastor Tom Shanor
Advent as most of us are aware, is the season observed by many (but not all) Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation, for both the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas, but perhaps you didn't know this, also the return of Jesus at His Second Coming. The term Advent in its singular meaning is simply "coming".
Advent is also the beginning of what is known as the Western Christian Liturgical Year, which involves the beginning of using what is established yearly Scripture in liturgy, and public worship services along with celebratory days and events, again, using long-established Scriptures relating to those observations. The season of Advent again in the Western Church, begins on the fourth Sunday before the actual day Christmas falls on, and Celebrated specifically by the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican, Lutheran, Moravian, Presbyterian, Episcopal and Methodist calendars/churches. It is not usually celebrated by Evangelicals overall.
The date on which Advent was celebrated first, or who started these weeks as a time of recognition and celebration, cannot be determined. The nearest time that it can be traced to about 480 ad., and in its fullness is celebrated by recognizing all of the three comings of Christ: in the flesh in Bethlehem, in our hearts daily, and in Glory at the beginning of His earthly reign, before the end of time as we know it.
The practices we express this celebration with include, keeping an Advent calendar, lighting of the four candles on the Advent wreath. First the Prophets' candle, symbolizing HOPE; the Bethlehem Candle, symbolizing PEACE; the Shepard’s' Candle symbolizing JOY; the Angel's Candle, symbolizing LOVE, and lastly the Christ Candle symbolizing THE SUMMATION OF HOPE-PEACE-JOY-LOVE, IN AND EXAMPLED by the Lighting of the Christ Candle. Along with these, praying a daily devotional, erecting a Christmas tree or A Crimson tree, which is a bold tree in its’ foliage, with its dark dense shades, and deeply lobed leaves with maroon-purple foliage representing the blood of Christ. Also the lighting of a Christingle, which is from the German heritage, represented by a white candle used as a symbol of Jesus Christ as the Light of the World.”
As I have thought about Advent, having come into its symbolism and ceremony only since my arrival at the Little Church, I have wondered why Evangelicals (as I once was) and other sects and denominations do not celebrate this observance is up for discussion? One of the reasons I came up with is; that it smacks of what is thought of as unneeded ritualism; a reminder of pageantry associated with the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, and the authority of priests and religious hierarchy, instead of the simplifying services, dating in the west back to the Pilgrims and their separation from the so called High Churches they were escaping from.
Having come from an Evangelical background, and celebrating Advent as we do here in the Little Church, I have discovered how meaningful and rich, this and other celebrations are, in that instead of detracting from the so called simplicity of the Gospel, they actually enhance both the Gospel and the lives of those for whom they carry depth and meaning.
Also, having explained that which I have, and for which I hope that perhaps you too have learned something new and meaningful, I am now going to switch gears, and move into both the minor and major characters leading up to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ that we recognize during these four weeks. They indeed are an interesting mix of secular and religious, good and bad. From low stations in life to kings and the mystery religion represented, and more.
I am now going to tell you all of their names and stations, but dwell on a few of the most unusual a bit deeper into who and what they were. God in all His mysterious ways had and still has a plan that involves a sampling of humanity in its complexity and simplicity.
The story begins in Luke, as he writes to a friend and perhaps mentor, as he says in Luke I. "INASMUCH as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers, of the word delivered from them to us, it seemed good to me (continue Luke) also having had perfect understanding of all the things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you (and beyond to us) the certainty of those things in which you were instructed."
1, We find this Advent Narrative with a prologue in verses, chapter
1:1-4
II. THE INFANCY NARRATIVE 1:5 - 2-52
A. Announcement of Joh the Baptist's birth - Ch.1: 5-25
B. Announcement of Jesus birth - 1:26-38
C. Visit of the two mothers - 1:39-56
D. John the Baptist's birth - 1:57-80
E. Jesus' birth - 2:1-40
And so it begins.........and these are the main players in this wonderful story.
1st we have Luke… Greek in nationality: a physician well-educated according to the standards of the day. He was obviously a disciple of Jesus, a friend and often companion/scribe to Paul on his missionary journeys, and the author of the book of Acts.
2nd. We read of Theophilus, of whom we know very little but obviously well- educated and curious about this Jesus he has heard so much about.
3rd. Enter stage left…Herod, who is Herod the Great and who at a later date will play an even larger role in the continuation into adulthood of Jesus.
4th. Things start to get really interesting when the Priest Zacharias enters the scene, not only being a priest but the husband of Elizabeth, cousin to Mary.
5th. Yes, Elizabeth, barren beyond her child-bearing years, wife of Zacharias who will become miraculously pregnant, bringing forth around the same time period as Jesus is born. Much can be read about John.
6th. The supernatural is about to enter the scene in an unexpected time and manner, to Zacharias, as it is his time as a priest to serve in the Temple. This appearance being the angel Gabriel telling him of Elizabeth’s coming pregnancy, and birth of their son, going so far as to give him the name he is to be called by, but because of Zacharias not believing, looking at the natural instead of the One who stood before him, he Zacharias would be mute during the entire time of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
7th. Mary…..the central person in the narrative is suddenly visited also by Gabriel, as he tells her of her upcoming role in being chosen to be the Mother of the Messiah, further explaining her role and some of those events and happenings coming her way. Mary….a humble hand-maid as she calls herself take a different attitude than that of Zacharias with these words, “Behold the maid-servant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
8th. John, coming in his adult years to be known as John the Baptist is born. It is the time of his presentation and circumcision. Leadership prepared to name their son Zacharias is told by Elizabeth his name is to be John. They are astonished…looking to Zacharias. He asked for tablet on which to write the name John…when suddenly he could speak, and so he did, praising God, and speaking forth a prophecy that to the word would be fulfilled.
9th. Caesar Augustus, a tool in the hands of God proclaimed that all the resident of Israel needed to go to their own cities to be registered in a census for the purpose of taxation. Joseph, Mary journeyed to Bethlehem because Joseph was a descendant of King David.
10th. Verse 7 of Luke 2 tells us of the momentous event. “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in ‘Swaddling cloths’, and laid Him in a manger because there was not room for them in the inn.”
(Swaddling cloths are long strips of cloth with the sole purpose of wrapping infants in those days.)
Centuries have passed, the Prophets had spoken, and the people had wondered if indeed the Prince, the future King would ever arrive. Because of them being ruled by the Romans, they hope, prayed and pleaded for God to send the King Messiah as promised, but little did they know in what manner He would come.
11th. A clear, cold and starlight night. The light murmur of sheep moving and breathing was comforting the Shepherds during the long night, little knowing what was about to burst into their lives as an Angel appeared to them, Vs. 11-12, most likely Gabriel himself saying, “Do not be afraid, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be all people, for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!
12th. Angels, lots and lots of Angels, in fact a multitude of them praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, good will toward mankind.”
13th. We now move to the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter II, verses 1-2, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the day of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
The narrative goes on from here, but have you ever wondered about these three wise men? Who they really were, what they really were, and where in the East did, they come from? Well…. stay tuned to this channel and next week you will find out the answer to these questions and more, plus more of the narrative of the most wonderful story ever told.
amen
The Little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
November 17, 2019
"Substance" STORY (Seeing with Ears)
Hebrews 11:1 "Now 'faith' is the 'substance' of things 'hoped' for, the 'conviction' of things NOT seen."
by; Tom Shanor, Pastor
There are four words that I am concentrating on this morning in this passage.
1. 'faith'
2. 'substance'
3. 'hope'
4. 'conviction'
.....Starting with the word substance. Substance may refer to 'matter', therefore anything that has mass and takes up space. Also, in reference to an issue, even a subject it means something of importance or depth. As a chemical, substance is defined as a material, with a definite chemical composition.
.....My podium has substance, looking out at all of you, you all have substance. Water even in its natural fluid state or as ice, has substance, but is not considered a pure substance, because it is made of more than one element, but it still is tangible, definable, can be seen, touched and handled. So...a pure substance is more definitively defined as being made up of only one type of atom or chemical.
.....Substance can not only be seen and felt as its mass can also be detected by hearing. A rock falling off a cliff, a tree falling in the forest, the sound of a man sound of a man (or woman) tripping on a step followed usually some words or words of exclamation and some not so nice. Here is a story of a young blind boy who learned how to judge distance by hearing and how he excelled in his acquired skill. It is called “Seeing with Ears.”
Read: "Book of Amazing Stories - Seeing with Ears" August 25 by; Robert Petterson
.....In religious terms and the Greek word as it is translated, substance is defined as such, literally meaning "a standing under" and was used in the technical sense of a "title deed." Judge Judy, whether you like her or not, she knows the law, and sticks to letter of the law, such as in a contract. Once signed….the signee is the owner, inheritor and etc. All the arguments and protestations by the one who signed the contract, whether duped or coerced into signing, doesn’t matter.
…..The root idea is that of standing under the claim of property to support its validity. Therefore, faith is THE SUBSTANCE or TITLE DEED of all our hopes in the Person of Jesus Christ, and ALL HE IS, TAUGHT AND STANDS FOR.
.....Over two-thousand years now, with all the religious power plays, of corruption and schism, religious wars and rumors of wars, division and strife, the rise and fall of nations, the advancement of technology, from horse drawn carts to walking on the moon, forays into deep space, from wind and oar powered boats to exploring the depths of the oceans, Jesus Christ, the man/God of substance still stands, still speaks, is quoted more than any other personage on the face of the earth and who proves time and time again that his substance is from everlasting to everlasting. His words through His teachings of substance have singularly changed the world, giving it hope and direction.
...Substance in our daily lives is all too easily crowded out today by our drive for entertainment, technology, massive amounts of information. So, few know what it means to reflect, to ponder, to think about something to a conclusion. In fact, we often deliberately avoid doing so. Taking time apart for quiet thought and reflection, as well as taking time apart to spend time in prayer, thereby helping us to realize our hopes and desires beyond the material, is it too much to ask of us. Wisdom therefore evades us by not doing so.
.....In our religious culture today, little time is taken by many churches during their services, to fully reflect and understand the importance of coming to the Table of the Lord. Communion is based on communication, or communing in thanksgiving and true worship, of the One in whose name and life we are coming together under His covering.
...In saying what I am about to say, I ask that you take it with the spirit with which I am delivering it, which is in the spirit of kindness, challenge and love. Emotion....and seeking to feel good has often replaced depth, a sense of holiness and a connection with the very Spirit of God. Music in much of today's religious culture has replaced ceremony, ritual and depth all too often, and the people are starving for substance and don't even know it. There is a top 10 chart for Christian music, based on which song is selling the most recordings. It's not always the depth and insight of the song that is selling, but how it catches on and becomes temporarily popular.
.....I listen to K-Love sometimes, and at times 'feel emotion' in what I am hearing, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's good to feel, but it is not good to use those 'feelings' as a measuring rod of our spiritual depth and maturity. God help us if we do that, because those emotions can be misleading and even harmful if unchecked. Some of the songs I have heard are at times scriptural incorrect just to make the song work. We must examine everything by the light of the Word of God
.....So do I think that our services need to be somber and 'religious’? I CERTAINLY HOPE NOT! Do I think that we have to only sing old time-proven hymns, ABSOLUTELY NOT! Although I do think that for every hymn written a story of substance can be told. Do I think we can't have humor, laughter and even fun in our services? You certainly know the answer to that one, and you know that from my approach is varied. Scripture says, Make A Joyful Noise unto the Lord, and sing to the Lord a New Song. I am saying though....that it is my hope and desire that we, together, are during our services and beyond, building a faith of substance and of eternal duration.
FAITH..........
.....Our Christian 'faith' should be the substance on which we build up from its foundation the rest of our lives....not as an attachment to, fitting our gathering together as the sole purpose for coming here, but to grow our individual and collective faith in depth, as stated above. Our Christian faith means believing God's promises in Christ, trusting in His 'faithfulness' in both the good times and the sometimes very hard times. It also means relying on God's character and His own faithfulness, to do as in Christ He says He will, even when it seems He isn't.
….."The substance or assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen, as in the Ben’s life. It includes a belief in the existence of God, in the reality of a transcendent domain from which God administers His Kingdom, and in the benevolence of the will of God and His plan for all of humankind.
.....In our 'faith' we differ from other Abrahamic religions, in that our focus is on the teachings of Jesus, and His place as was prophesied, the Christ /Messiah....his life, death and resurrection.
....I don't know if you are aware of a meeting among various denominations and sects that took place in 1999, for the purpose of unifying Christians even with our diversity in denominations and sects. It is called the "Doctrine of Justification." Despite the differences among the gathered group, came this vital declaration. That "'faith' in the written historical Jesus, and who He was and is, lies at the core of all our traditions, and that such faith is required in order to be a Christian."
.....In our gathering here this morning, I would venture to say, that there are more than a half dozen historical denominational and non-denominational backgrounds in our midst. Does it matter...it does not, for our focus is simply on what I just said, unity in Christ, who He is, and our worship services are a blend of several of these backgrounds. As long as in 'faith' we have unity in Him, even our liturgical or non-liturgical backgrounds come together, as we worship Him in the beauty of His Holiness and His self-sacrificing love shown to us, for us.
CONVICTION.....
Hebrews 11:1 "Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things NOT seen.
.....Conviction means "the act or process of convincing." This can come about by a convinced person who convinces us, or just by our own reading, praying, pondering and thinking, which when convinced, becomes 'a fixed or strong belief." Thus, by biblical conviction, we mean convictions or beliefs derived from and based on commitment to Scripture, the Bible, as God's Holy Word. For Christians, as we revere the Old Testament, most of our spiritual and moral authority comes from the New Testament, in particular the teachings and examples of Jesus. There are three primary things that characterize the ideal Christian, be they leader or simply a person of maturity.
1. A commitment to our understanding of Scripture as our authority.
2. The construction of specific beliefs and convictions based on that authority.
3. The courage to live and act on those convictions in 'faith.'
HOPE
Things hoped for.
What is it we hoped and hope for? How about a long healthy life with enough money to put food on the table, or a new car, or simply a car that really meets our needs? How about kids and grand-kids, and even great grand-kids? How about a deep vibrant walk with the Lord or the baptism of the Holy Spirit accompanied by speaking in tongues or more? Perhaps we should hope for a deeper understanding of Grace, forgiveness and even freedom from fear.
What is it you hoped and hope for today?
What is hope....this elusive but ever present desire, as hope is another word for desire cloaked in religious terms.
Hope hoped and hoping are spoken 75 times in the New International Bible. Therefore, it is a very important part of our 'faith.'
Here are some quotes written by people whom we will recognize.
HOPE - C.S. Lewis..."A continual looking forward to the eternal world."
Dale Carnegie..."Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seem to be no hope at all.
John Bunyon who wrote 'Pilgrim's Progress said; "Hope is never ill when faith is well."
Emily Dickinson..."Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul/And sings the tune without words/And never stops...at all."
Cicero...."While there is life, there's hope."
What I HOPE to do every Sunday, is offer hope with a challenge, through my messages, through our services, and through our unity in the Spirit, raise our hopes that in Christ, and in tandem with each other....we can grow spiritually in understanding....and in love, and in turn both show and give a measure of hope to those outside these walls both to the community in which we live, and to the visitors that will coming in here from all over the world.
I hope that we, by faith, in the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.....walk as He walked, in strength, humility, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control,. Against all of these there is no law.
We can do all things.... through Christ who gives us the strength and ability to accomplish these.
Amen
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
November 17, 2019
"Substance" STORY (Seeing with Ears)
Hebrews 11:1 "Now 'faith' is the 'substance' of things 'hoped' for, the 'conviction' of things NOT seen."
by; Tom Shanor, Pastor
There are four words that I am concentrating on this morning in this passage.
1. 'faith'
2. 'substance'
3. 'hope'
4. 'conviction'
.....Starting with the word substance. Substance may refer to 'matter', therefore anything that has mass and takes up space. Also, in reference to an issue, even a subject it means something of importance or depth. As a chemical, substance is defined as a material, with a definite chemical composition.
.....My podium has substance, looking out at all of you, you all have substance. Water even in its natural fluid state or as ice, has substance, but is not considered a pure substance, because it is made of more than one element, but it still is tangible, definable, can be seen, touched and handled. So...a pure substance is more definitively defined as being made up of only one type of atom or chemical.
.....Substance can not only be seen and felt as its mass can also be detected by hearing. A rock falling off a cliff, a tree falling in the forest, the sound of a man sound of a man (or woman) tripping on a step followed usually some words or words of exclamation and some not so nice. Here is a story of a young blind boy who learned how to judge distance by hearing and how he excelled in his acquired skill. It is called “Seeing with Ears.”
Read: "Book of Amazing Stories - Seeing with Ears" August 25 by; Robert Petterson
.....In religious terms and the Greek word as it is translated, substance is defined as such, literally meaning "a standing under" and was used in the technical sense of a "title deed." Judge Judy, whether you like her or not, she knows the law, and sticks to letter of the law, such as in a contract. Once signed….the signee is the owner, inheritor and etc. All the arguments and protestations by the one who signed the contract, whether duped or coerced into signing, doesn’t matter.
…..The root idea is that of standing under the claim of property to support its validity. Therefore, faith is THE SUBSTANCE or TITLE DEED of all our hopes in the Person of Jesus Christ, and ALL HE IS, TAUGHT AND STANDS FOR.
.....Over two-thousand years now, with all the religious power plays, of corruption and schism, religious wars and rumors of wars, division and strife, the rise and fall of nations, the advancement of technology, from horse drawn carts to walking on the moon, forays into deep space, from wind and oar powered boats to exploring the depths of the oceans, Jesus Christ, the man/God of substance still stands, still speaks, is quoted more than any other personage on the face of the earth and who proves time and time again that his substance is from everlasting to everlasting. His words through His teachings of substance have singularly changed the world, giving it hope and direction.
...Substance in our daily lives is all too easily crowded out today by our drive for entertainment, technology, massive amounts of information. So, few know what it means to reflect, to ponder, to think about something to a conclusion. In fact, we often deliberately avoid doing so. Taking time apart for quiet thought and reflection, as well as taking time apart to spend time in prayer, thereby helping us to realize our hopes and desires beyond the material, is it too much to ask of us. Wisdom therefore evades us by not doing so.
.....In our religious culture today, little time is taken by many churches during their services, to fully reflect and understand the importance of coming to the Table of the Lord. Communion is based on communication, or communing in thanksgiving and true worship, of the One in whose name and life we are coming together under His covering.
...In saying what I am about to say, I ask that you take it with the spirit with which I am delivering it, which is in the spirit of kindness, challenge and love. Emotion....and seeking to feel good has often replaced depth, a sense of holiness and a connection with the very Spirit of God. Music in much of today's religious culture has replaced ceremony, ritual and depth all too often, and the people are starving for substance and don't even know it. There is a top 10 chart for Christian music, based on which song is selling the most recordings. It's not always the depth and insight of the song that is selling, but how it catches on and becomes temporarily popular.
.....I listen to K-Love sometimes, and at times 'feel emotion' in what I am hearing, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's good to feel, but it is not good to use those 'feelings' as a measuring rod of our spiritual depth and maturity. God help us if we do that, because those emotions can be misleading and even harmful if unchecked. Some of the songs I have heard are at times scriptural incorrect just to make the song work. We must examine everything by the light of the Word of God
.....So do I think that our services need to be somber and 'religious’? I CERTAINLY HOPE NOT! Do I think that we have to only sing old time-proven hymns, ABSOLUTELY NOT! Although I do think that for every hymn written a story of substance can be told. Do I think we can't have humor, laughter and even fun in our services? You certainly know the answer to that one, and you know that from my approach is varied. Scripture says, Make A Joyful Noise unto the Lord, and sing to the Lord a New Song. I am saying though....that it is my hope and desire that we, together, are during our services and beyond, building a faith of substance and of eternal duration.
FAITH..........
.....Our Christian 'faith' should be the substance on which we build up from its foundation the rest of our lives....not as an attachment to, fitting our gathering together as the sole purpose for coming here, but to grow our individual and collective faith in depth, as stated above. Our Christian faith means believing God's promises in Christ, trusting in His 'faithfulness' in both the good times and the sometimes very hard times. It also means relying on God's character and His own faithfulness, to do as in Christ He says He will, even when it seems He isn't.
….."The substance or assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen, as in the Ben’s life. It includes a belief in the existence of God, in the reality of a transcendent domain from which God administers His Kingdom, and in the benevolence of the will of God and His plan for all of humankind.
.....In our 'faith' we differ from other Abrahamic religions, in that our focus is on the teachings of Jesus, and His place as was prophesied, the Christ /Messiah....his life, death and resurrection.
....I don't know if you are aware of a meeting among various denominations and sects that took place in 1999, for the purpose of unifying Christians even with our diversity in denominations and sects. It is called the "Doctrine of Justification." Despite the differences among the gathered group, came this vital declaration. That "'faith' in the written historical Jesus, and who He was and is, lies at the core of all our traditions, and that such faith is required in order to be a Christian."
.....In our gathering here this morning, I would venture to say, that there are more than a half dozen historical denominational and non-denominational backgrounds in our midst. Does it matter...it does not, for our focus is simply on what I just said, unity in Christ, who He is, and our worship services are a blend of several of these backgrounds. As long as in 'faith' we have unity in Him, even our liturgical or non-liturgical backgrounds come together, as we worship Him in the beauty of His Holiness and His self-sacrificing love shown to us, for us.
CONVICTION.....
Hebrews 11:1 "Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things NOT seen.
.....Conviction means "the act or process of convincing." This can come about by a convinced person who convinces us, or just by our own reading, praying, pondering and thinking, which when convinced, becomes 'a fixed or strong belief." Thus, by biblical conviction, we mean convictions or beliefs derived from and based on commitment to Scripture, the Bible, as God's Holy Word. For Christians, as we revere the Old Testament, most of our spiritual and moral authority comes from the New Testament, in particular the teachings and examples of Jesus. There are three primary things that characterize the ideal Christian, be they leader or simply a person of maturity.
1. A commitment to our understanding of Scripture as our authority.
2. The construction of specific beliefs and convictions based on that authority.
3. The courage to live and act on those convictions in 'faith.'
HOPE
Things hoped for.
What is it we hoped and hope for? How about a long healthy life with enough money to put food on the table, or a new car, or simply a car that really meets our needs? How about kids and grand-kids, and even great grand-kids? How about a deep vibrant walk with the Lord or the baptism of the Holy Spirit accompanied by speaking in tongues or more? Perhaps we should hope for a deeper understanding of Grace, forgiveness and even freedom from fear.
What is it you hoped and hope for today?
What is hope....this elusive but ever present desire, as hope is another word for desire cloaked in religious terms.
Hope hoped and hoping are spoken 75 times in the New International Bible. Therefore, it is a very important part of our 'faith.'
Here are some quotes written by people whom we will recognize.
HOPE - C.S. Lewis..."A continual looking forward to the eternal world."
Dale Carnegie..."Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seem to be no hope at all.
John Bunyon who wrote 'Pilgrim's Progress said; "Hope is never ill when faith is well."
Emily Dickinson..."Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul/And sings the tune without words/And never stops...at all."
Cicero...."While there is life, there's hope."
What I HOPE to do every Sunday, is offer hope with a challenge, through my messages, through our services, and through our unity in the Spirit, raise our hopes that in Christ, and in tandem with each other....we can grow spiritually in understanding....and in love, and in turn both show and give a measure of hope to those outside these walls both to the community in which we live, and to the visitors that will coming in here from all over the world.
I hope that we, by faith, in the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.....walk as He walked, in strength, humility, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control,. Against all of these there is no law.
We can do all things.... through Christ who gives us the strength and ability to accomplish these.
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
November 10, 2019
" Conflicting Gods - or not "
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
Matthew 5:17...."Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose."
The role of the Prophets was two-fold as they spoke for God in communicating with the people.
1. To keep the people on the right path in how to live for Him.
2. To keep fresh in their hearts and minds, the reality of the coming
of the Messiah.
With Jesus, righteousness no longer consists by observance of an external legal code. He sees us, you and I as apprentices to Himself as Master Teacher, with inspiration and understanding, as the Holy Spirit reveals the truths Jesus teaches and empowers us to accomplish. Jesus Himself has fulfilled the Law and He has become our true righteousness. Please know that as God sees us, he sees us through His Son. Because of our high calling into His one on one discipleship with us, it is our role and position to be faithful to Him by being obedient to His commands.
The greatest of these teachings and commandments He tells us is to; "Love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and our neighbor as our-self." "On these two commandments stand all the Law and the Prophets." Again…………the big three!
1. God 2. Neighbor 3. Self
That doesn’t sound too difficult now, does it?
John 10:30....the Father and I are ONE. Since the Father and the Son are One...in understanding that statement, we are to also understand that they are in unity in every way. Every word spoken, every deed done....in unity. This is in regards to both the Old Covenant and the New. The journey they have taken us through, starting with Abraham to today, is exactly as it is supposed to be and has been.
With the fulfillment of Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection, both the Old and New Covenants are now one. What we should also understand is that in many cases in regards to us, GRACE TRUMPS THE LAW.
The TEN COMMANDMENTS are the ROCK on which the moral and spiritual codes rest as The foundation for righteousness in Christ. Many other laws that the religious leaders added to the LAW have become superfluous, as again" they were fulfilled in Christ alone. The major question is which is what and what is which…..and as GRACE TRUMPS THE LAW, SO DOES LOVE TRUMP THEM ALL.
Over 20 years ago in Lander I had several in my then congregation come to me and ask when I was going to stop preaching on LOVE so often. My answer was when you and I really understand and get it. They had become survivalists who equated all their guns and stores, as co-equal with being a Christian. Their convictions were founded primarily in the Old Covenant principle of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”, along with God helps those who help themselves," which of course the latter is not found in the Bible anywhere.
The Old Testament/Covenant has been and is for them, with its eye for eye and tooth for tooth, the sole source of their version of Christianity, not understanding that in the cultural progression of humanity, God all along, had and has a progressive or on going plan. That plan is a plan for peace, and a plan LOVE to one day reign above all else on this earth as it does in Heaven.
For two thousand years many Christians have been trying to marry the Old Testament and the New as equal, so that they when in conflict over a person or an issue, have two options at times which are available, choosing one over another did not or does not present a moral problem. This then allows personal choice(s) that could and can be backed up either way. In regards as to how to live today, and because of their justifying choices(s), there have been wars, strife, confusion, chaos, religious powerhouses, annihilation of people groups, enslavement, etc. We....you are I are called to live like Christ Jesus, and He alone…..and again, what is the bottom line? LOVE and wisdom handled by us, and treat ourselves and others as the Lord Himself instructs us. This doesn’t mean we can’t protect ourselves and our families. The early Christians as we know, were put in the arena to the gladiators and lions to be ripped apart and killed, BECAUSE of their faith, not because of any other reason. When it comes to protection, whether because of nation or of self and family, and or neighbors, for any reason other than for our faith we can stand together as one. I know that is a controversial statement, and that is my opinion though it may not be yours.
The Old Testament is awesome in its historical richness, and as spiritual arrows pointing to what was to come, we (men) often take what we want from the Old to negate the New, and it should be the reverse. One foot in the Old and one foot in the New should not be left to personal desires or prejudices. Unless indeed we are very in the wisdom of God, we can cause great confusion and harm. Slavery and the repercussions, haunts us as a nation to this day. Slavery was preached from the pulpits of churches that it was Biblically acceptable to subject human beings to a life of servitude, abuse and ownership.
Jesus said in Mark 2:21-22, "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse." "And no one puts new wine into old wine-skins; or else the new wine burst the wine skins, the wine is spilled, and the wine skins are ruined. But new wine MUST be put into new wine skins."
Man...Christian men and women, especially those in power, have used the Old to justify taking over countries, existing governments and even neighbors. Columbus of whom we just celebrated a day set aside to remember this great explorer, wrote in his journal, describing the darker skinned races they encountered as sub-human, and worthy only of being made slaves, going so far as to give girls as young as nine to his officers, and to whomever he wanted, as sex slaves, and that was only one of the many things done by this so called Christian man.
You can see we seemingly have CONFLICTING GOD’S, one it seems as being the God of wrath and anger, or the God of Love and peace. With Scripture we can often justify by examples in the Bible almost anything we desire. Our culture, as it so called evolves and changes from generation to generation, chooses it seems, to find some new thing also to focus on for prejudice or for hatred. The Old Testament Law enforcement….desires an enemy, and there are legitimate enemies, but all too often we focus on those that are not, and make them as such because of our own self-righteousness.
Matthew 5:44….Jesus own words here so listen closely. “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ‘that’ you may be sons and daughters of your Father in Heaven. He…causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good alike, and sends rain to the righteous and unrighteousness.” The way this was written in Greek, it means mankind which in turn, permits the inclusion of daughters.
How do we do this? Is Jesus asking the impossible, as for many of us it just doesn’t make sense in self-protective logic? I have to say that I have not fully resolved it myself, but I do want to do and be, what my Lord calls me to be, and that is to be LIKE HIM!
I believe He calls you and I to a higher calling, and that higher calling is to simply, (though it is not simple), LIKE HIM!
Within Christianity there are sects such as the original Quakers, the Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, Anabaptists and others who do and have done just this, and have suffered unjustly and deeply because of it.
CONFLICTING GODS….one of the Old Covenant, and one of the New Covenant. In Christ alone…..we find the unity of both. I believe with all my heart if I live like Jesus, learning and applying every word that came out of His mouth, and by every reaction to all the situations He found Himself in, and how He handled each as an example to you, as to how to live the Christian life.
I pose to you, each of you this morning to think about what I have shared with you. It is my hope and desire for you to question who and what you do believe about Jesus Christ, and do you skim over the ones you don’t like or agree fully with.
Is an “eye for an eye” as an example, one of your core beliefs, or “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons and daughters of your Father in Heaven?”
I ask again, is Jesus asking the impossible or was He just carried away in asking us to live like Him? Is His a Higher Calling to us, or are the teachings such as this one truly meant to be followed, and how?
In most ways it is easier to follow the letter of law, than it is to live by faith in grace and love. It is easier to follow the doctrine of your preference taught to you, than it is to questions and research on your own, to settle on what you truly believe and why. Why are we not taught, to question and research?
The unique and high graces Jesus taught us, include behaviors such as gratitude, admitting weaknesses and even failures, self-controlling our emotions, expressing hurt and disappointments, confronting and forgiving, asking for help, differing graciously, negotiating with wisdom, competing desires, taking the first step to resolve conflicts, upholding wise boundaries, saying simple yes and no, winning and losing graciously, creating win-win outcomes, speaking truth in love, speaking truth founded in God’s word with-out personal prejudices, asking good questions, requesting feedback, expressing affection appropriately, opening one’s heart, giving gifts and seeking wise counsel when needed.
Without these basic human and specifically Christian qualities, it takes discipline and desire to if necessary, change. We are all sons and daughters of the God of Grace, Mercy, Hope and Love, leaving the retribution to Him.
To have this attitude, leads to allowing a shift when recognized, to go where God leads us by the Word and by the Spirit.
I find myself evolving as I take to heart His Love for me by His Love, teachings and examples of how to respond and live. I am not always successful, but that’s ok too……for I am just human and He well knows that! That’s the big challenge…just being human in the way we are called to be fully human.
Amen
P.S. My goal at times in my messages, is not to give you the answer, but to challenge you to study, research and hopefully, you will find the answer God would have you come to with His help.
November 10, 2019
" Conflicting Gods - or not "
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
Matthew 5:17...."Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose."
The role of the Prophets was two-fold as they spoke for God in communicating with the people.
1. To keep the people on the right path in how to live for Him.
2. To keep fresh in their hearts and minds, the reality of the coming
of the Messiah.
With Jesus, righteousness no longer consists by observance of an external legal code. He sees us, you and I as apprentices to Himself as Master Teacher, with inspiration and understanding, as the Holy Spirit reveals the truths Jesus teaches and empowers us to accomplish. Jesus Himself has fulfilled the Law and He has become our true righteousness. Please know that as God sees us, he sees us through His Son. Because of our high calling into His one on one discipleship with us, it is our role and position to be faithful to Him by being obedient to His commands.
The greatest of these teachings and commandments He tells us is to; "Love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and our neighbor as our-self." "On these two commandments stand all the Law and the Prophets." Again…………the big three!
1. God 2. Neighbor 3. Self
That doesn’t sound too difficult now, does it?
John 10:30....the Father and I are ONE. Since the Father and the Son are One...in understanding that statement, we are to also understand that they are in unity in every way. Every word spoken, every deed done....in unity. This is in regards to both the Old Covenant and the New. The journey they have taken us through, starting with Abraham to today, is exactly as it is supposed to be and has been.
With the fulfillment of Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection, both the Old and New Covenants are now one. What we should also understand is that in many cases in regards to us, GRACE TRUMPS THE LAW.
The TEN COMMANDMENTS are the ROCK on which the moral and spiritual codes rest as The foundation for righteousness in Christ. Many other laws that the religious leaders added to the LAW have become superfluous, as again" they were fulfilled in Christ alone. The major question is which is what and what is which…..and as GRACE TRUMPS THE LAW, SO DOES LOVE TRUMP THEM ALL.
Over 20 years ago in Lander I had several in my then congregation come to me and ask when I was going to stop preaching on LOVE so often. My answer was when you and I really understand and get it. They had become survivalists who equated all their guns and stores, as co-equal with being a Christian. Their convictions were founded primarily in the Old Covenant principle of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”, along with God helps those who help themselves," which of course the latter is not found in the Bible anywhere.
The Old Testament/Covenant has been and is for them, with its eye for eye and tooth for tooth, the sole source of their version of Christianity, not understanding that in the cultural progression of humanity, God all along, had and has a progressive or on going plan. That plan is a plan for peace, and a plan LOVE to one day reign above all else on this earth as it does in Heaven.
For two thousand years many Christians have been trying to marry the Old Testament and the New as equal, so that they when in conflict over a person or an issue, have two options at times which are available, choosing one over another did not or does not present a moral problem. This then allows personal choice(s) that could and can be backed up either way. In regards as to how to live today, and because of their justifying choices(s), there have been wars, strife, confusion, chaos, religious powerhouses, annihilation of people groups, enslavement, etc. We....you are I are called to live like Christ Jesus, and He alone…..and again, what is the bottom line? LOVE and wisdom handled by us, and treat ourselves and others as the Lord Himself instructs us. This doesn’t mean we can’t protect ourselves and our families. The early Christians as we know, were put in the arena to the gladiators and lions to be ripped apart and killed, BECAUSE of their faith, not because of any other reason. When it comes to protection, whether because of nation or of self and family, and or neighbors, for any reason other than for our faith we can stand together as one. I know that is a controversial statement, and that is my opinion though it may not be yours.
The Old Testament is awesome in its historical richness, and as spiritual arrows pointing to what was to come, we (men) often take what we want from the Old to negate the New, and it should be the reverse. One foot in the Old and one foot in the New should not be left to personal desires or prejudices. Unless indeed we are very in the wisdom of God, we can cause great confusion and harm. Slavery and the repercussions, haunts us as a nation to this day. Slavery was preached from the pulpits of churches that it was Biblically acceptable to subject human beings to a life of servitude, abuse and ownership.
Jesus said in Mark 2:21-22, "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse." "And no one puts new wine into old wine-skins; or else the new wine burst the wine skins, the wine is spilled, and the wine skins are ruined. But new wine MUST be put into new wine skins."
Man...Christian men and women, especially those in power, have used the Old to justify taking over countries, existing governments and even neighbors. Columbus of whom we just celebrated a day set aside to remember this great explorer, wrote in his journal, describing the darker skinned races they encountered as sub-human, and worthy only of being made slaves, going so far as to give girls as young as nine to his officers, and to whomever he wanted, as sex slaves, and that was only one of the many things done by this so called Christian man.
You can see we seemingly have CONFLICTING GOD’S, one it seems as being the God of wrath and anger, or the God of Love and peace. With Scripture we can often justify by examples in the Bible almost anything we desire. Our culture, as it so called evolves and changes from generation to generation, chooses it seems, to find some new thing also to focus on for prejudice or for hatred. The Old Testament Law enforcement….desires an enemy, and there are legitimate enemies, but all too often we focus on those that are not, and make them as such because of our own self-righteousness.
Matthew 5:44….Jesus own words here so listen closely. “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ‘that’ you may be sons and daughters of your Father in Heaven. He…causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good alike, and sends rain to the righteous and unrighteousness.” The way this was written in Greek, it means mankind which in turn, permits the inclusion of daughters.
How do we do this? Is Jesus asking the impossible, as for many of us it just doesn’t make sense in self-protective logic? I have to say that I have not fully resolved it myself, but I do want to do and be, what my Lord calls me to be, and that is to be LIKE HIM!
I believe He calls you and I to a higher calling, and that higher calling is to simply, (though it is not simple), LIKE HIM!
Within Christianity there are sects such as the original Quakers, the Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, Anabaptists and others who do and have done just this, and have suffered unjustly and deeply because of it.
CONFLICTING GODS….one of the Old Covenant, and one of the New Covenant. In Christ alone…..we find the unity of both. I believe with all my heart if I live like Jesus, learning and applying every word that came out of His mouth, and by every reaction to all the situations He found Himself in, and how He handled each as an example to you, as to how to live the Christian life.
I pose to you, each of you this morning to think about what I have shared with you. It is my hope and desire for you to question who and what you do believe about Jesus Christ, and do you skim over the ones you don’t like or agree fully with.
Is an “eye for an eye” as an example, one of your core beliefs, or “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons and daughters of your Father in Heaven?”
I ask again, is Jesus asking the impossible or was He just carried away in asking us to live like Him? Is His a Higher Calling to us, or are the teachings such as this one truly meant to be followed, and how?
In most ways it is easier to follow the letter of law, than it is to live by faith in grace and love. It is easier to follow the doctrine of your preference taught to you, than it is to questions and research on your own, to settle on what you truly believe and why. Why are we not taught, to question and research?
The unique and high graces Jesus taught us, include behaviors such as gratitude, admitting weaknesses and even failures, self-controlling our emotions, expressing hurt and disappointments, confronting and forgiving, asking for help, differing graciously, negotiating with wisdom, competing desires, taking the first step to resolve conflicts, upholding wise boundaries, saying simple yes and no, winning and losing graciously, creating win-win outcomes, speaking truth in love, speaking truth founded in God’s word with-out personal prejudices, asking good questions, requesting feedback, expressing affection appropriately, opening one’s heart, giving gifts and seeking wise counsel when needed.
Without these basic human and specifically Christian qualities, it takes discipline and desire to if necessary, change. We are all sons and daughters of the God of Grace, Mercy, Hope and Love, leaving the retribution to Him.
To have this attitude, leads to allowing a shift when recognized, to go where God leads us by the Word and by the Spirit.
I find myself evolving as I take to heart His Love for me by His Love, teachings and examples of how to respond and live. I am not always successful, but that’s ok too……for I am just human and He well knows that! That’s the big challenge…just being human in the way we are called to be fully human.
Amen
P.S. My goal at times in my messages, is not to give you the answer, but to challenge you to study, research and hopefully, you will find the answer God would have you come to with His help.
The Little Church in the Pines
"Stability . . . .in times of change"
PSALM 18:2 - 1 SAMUEL 2:2 - JOHN 10:10 - DEUTERONOMY 33:27
November 3rd, 2019
Pastor, Tom Shanor
I am 8 years old sledding down the snow-covered road on my Flexible Flyer, at an all too fast speed. Part way down I hear the fire department's siren wailing consistently in short but deep blasts. The first thing I think of that it is an air-raid, and I stop as quickly as I can, so that I can run home. On the way I imagine an Atomic Bomb is on its way and that we will all be killed. I am frightened as any little kid or adult would be if indeed it were an A-Bomb. Death even then was very real.
I was born on June 6, 1945, exactly a year after the Invasion of Normandy, hence not a baby boomer, but a war baby. It would be two months before the war began to end that fatal day on August 9th, when two Atomic bombs are dropped, one on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki.
The Cold War was already happening, having started in 1947, lasting through 1991. During those years came the acceleration of the mass production of Atomic, then Hydrogen bomb, missiles, silos, threats back and forth between Russia and the United States. Shortly following the start of the Cold War, comes the Korean War, beginning in 1950 and ending in 1953.
In the early years of the Cold War comes the Korean War, where more of our young men are sent to fight on foreign soil, 33, 652 of them being killed and many more injured for life. Yet we relieve in our minds the simplicity and unity of the 50's, but with an ever-present fear on our minds and shoulders
1962 arrives, me now a Junior in High School, Khrushchev tries to sneak Atomic bombs and missiles into Cuba under the nose of JFK and the country. War seems imminent......the 13-day crisis has us all deeply worried and fearful. We don't back down; missiles are removed and the crisis is over.
Yet...becomes known as the Vietnam War actually begun in 1955 is escalating, being a war that last 20 years, 57,939 soldiers killed or missing on our side and approximately 250,000 on their side. No one was a real winner in that one....but then comes 190 and the Gulf War and in 2003, the Iraq War, the Middle East becoming a hot bed of death and destruction, continuing to this day. 911 stands as a monument to an outflow of the beginning of that war, though it too had been seething underneath far before that, Guerilla warfare, terrorists, divisions and strife, refugees, turmoil in South America, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Africa and here.
Sorry, but no light sermon here today, for Matthew 24:5-13, reads, "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places." "All these are the beginnings of sorrows." "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and for will be hated by all nations for My name's sake." And many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another."
We talk about how we hate change, fear change, but change is what the evolving of our world, galaxy and universe is. There is nothing static, nothing. Revolving, evolving, expanding, aging, just like us!
As people of faith, as Christ Believers, knowing that change is inevitable, why do we resist it as much as we do. Christianity itself has changed, evolved with each new cultural advance and decline. I am preparing a sermon on the evolution of the church, having started out as One Faith, beginning before the Reformation and even before Constantine, then beyond the Reformation to today. Many of today's branches bear little resemblance to the early church, focusing on sometimes obscure thought and beliefs as their foundation.
The Scriptures I read as the foundation of today's message, are anchors that can help us when both desired and unwanted change comes our way. If we hold onto the foundational beliefs that our Lord, the Holy Spirit and forefathers died to give us, we can stay stead in our faith and in our minds and hearts no matter what comes our way. Be they physical, cultural, mental, emotional and spiritual.
The changes that we are told of in Matthew 24, are not to be ignored or rejected. These are realities of which some are happening at this very time. In my opinion these are sobering and unsettling days, although they always have been, there is such an unhealthy atmosphere of OFFENSE, where we are unwilling to listen and reason together, for the good of our nation and we individually, that no good can come from the mind-set that we are immersed in today. Where has reason and communication, real communication gone?
STABILITY IN TIMES OF CHANGE.....if we don't have it individually, we won't have it collectively. That does not mean we all have to think the same, but we have to be able to talk, again, reason and yes, compromise in areas that are for the benefit of all.
There several words from the Scriptures that were read that I am going to cover. These words in and of themselves and in conjunction with what is being said will help us as we wonder, worry and stress.
Psalm 18:2, "The LORD is my Rock and my Fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
1st, He is God and from and through Him we can embrace these words and let Him through them embrace us at our time of need, no matter what that need is or needs are.
Our Rock.....as He stabilizes us.
Our Fortress....as he protects us, from the assaults of the enemy.
Our Deliverer....who takes us from this life to the next through whatever we must encounter here in this life.
Our Strength....when we say we cannot take it, cannot go one more step, He is there to hold us up, help us to walk and carry us when needed...
Our Shield.....who protects us from the fiery arrows of sin in their many varieties of wrong doing, thinking and believing.
Our Horn of Salvation.....assured that through Jesus we are eligible for heaven no matter what happens to us on this planet.
Our Stronghold and Rock are the same.....holding on, taking shelter behind, and building our foundation on.
In able for us to understand and embrace these helps, we must have an understanding of Christ, who He is, what He asks of us....and mostly, that is to by choice, and effort, in getting to KNOW Him, for He knows you.
1st Samuel 2:2, "No one is holy like the Lord, for there is none beside You, Nor is there any rock like our God."
Holy....little is understood today in the meaning of Holy. "HOLY means exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness. Some Sunday I will bring a message on a deeper understanding of Holy, of God and being Holy in God as a lifestyle. Here also again is mentioned that God is like a ROCK to us, stabilizing and an anchor in difficult times.
John 10:10, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that 'they' us, may have life, and that they, (we) may have it more abundantly."
To have an abundant life in Christ is to be like Him, and to be like Him we must know Him and love Him, and in doing so, we will then truly know what it is to have an abundant life!
Deuteronomy 33:27, "The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are His everlasting arms He will thrust out before you."
In the Hymn we will be singing as our service finishes, "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" comes from this verse, in fact the whole chapter is it's foundations. So, when we sing it this morning really listen to the words and let them speak to your life and heart.
The chorus goes as such.
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms,
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
These are just some of the things that bring stability in times of change. Finding shelter from the storms in the One God, no matter what the storms bring. Defending one's life by being watchful from the ramparts of the Fortress, holding the words of God and His Son to shield us from the fiery arrows of sin and those who would malign our faith, and last, heeding the time, when it comes to rest in the out-thrust arms of God Himself. He is the door.....but you have the keys to the kingdom. Yes, you do! God be with you now and forever!
Amen
"Stability . . . .in times of change"
PSALM 18:2 - 1 SAMUEL 2:2 - JOHN 10:10 - DEUTERONOMY 33:27
November 3rd, 2019
Pastor, Tom Shanor
I am 8 years old sledding down the snow-covered road on my Flexible Flyer, at an all too fast speed. Part way down I hear the fire department's siren wailing consistently in short but deep blasts. The first thing I think of that it is an air-raid, and I stop as quickly as I can, so that I can run home. On the way I imagine an Atomic Bomb is on its way and that we will all be killed. I am frightened as any little kid or adult would be if indeed it were an A-Bomb. Death even then was very real.
I was born on June 6, 1945, exactly a year after the Invasion of Normandy, hence not a baby boomer, but a war baby. It would be two months before the war began to end that fatal day on August 9th, when two Atomic bombs are dropped, one on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki.
The Cold War was already happening, having started in 1947, lasting through 1991. During those years came the acceleration of the mass production of Atomic, then Hydrogen bomb, missiles, silos, threats back and forth between Russia and the United States. Shortly following the start of the Cold War, comes the Korean War, beginning in 1950 and ending in 1953.
In the early years of the Cold War comes the Korean War, where more of our young men are sent to fight on foreign soil, 33, 652 of them being killed and many more injured for life. Yet we relieve in our minds the simplicity and unity of the 50's, but with an ever-present fear on our minds and shoulders
1962 arrives, me now a Junior in High School, Khrushchev tries to sneak Atomic bombs and missiles into Cuba under the nose of JFK and the country. War seems imminent......the 13-day crisis has us all deeply worried and fearful. We don't back down; missiles are removed and the crisis is over.
Yet...becomes known as the Vietnam War actually begun in 1955 is escalating, being a war that last 20 years, 57,939 soldiers killed or missing on our side and approximately 250,000 on their side. No one was a real winner in that one....but then comes 190 and the Gulf War and in 2003, the Iraq War, the Middle East becoming a hot bed of death and destruction, continuing to this day. 911 stands as a monument to an outflow of the beginning of that war, though it too had been seething underneath far before that, Guerilla warfare, terrorists, divisions and strife, refugees, turmoil in South America, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Africa and here.
Sorry, but no light sermon here today, for Matthew 24:5-13, reads, "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places." "All these are the beginnings of sorrows." "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and for will be hated by all nations for My name's sake." And many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another."
We talk about how we hate change, fear change, but change is what the evolving of our world, galaxy and universe is. There is nothing static, nothing. Revolving, evolving, expanding, aging, just like us!
As people of faith, as Christ Believers, knowing that change is inevitable, why do we resist it as much as we do. Christianity itself has changed, evolved with each new cultural advance and decline. I am preparing a sermon on the evolution of the church, having started out as One Faith, beginning before the Reformation and even before Constantine, then beyond the Reformation to today. Many of today's branches bear little resemblance to the early church, focusing on sometimes obscure thought and beliefs as their foundation.
The Scriptures I read as the foundation of today's message, are anchors that can help us when both desired and unwanted change comes our way. If we hold onto the foundational beliefs that our Lord, the Holy Spirit and forefathers died to give us, we can stay stead in our faith and in our minds and hearts no matter what comes our way. Be they physical, cultural, mental, emotional and spiritual.
The changes that we are told of in Matthew 24, are not to be ignored or rejected. These are realities of which some are happening at this very time. In my opinion these are sobering and unsettling days, although they always have been, there is such an unhealthy atmosphere of OFFENSE, where we are unwilling to listen and reason together, for the good of our nation and we individually, that no good can come from the mind-set that we are immersed in today. Where has reason and communication, real communication gone?
STABILITY IN TIMES OF CHANGE.....if we don't have it individually, we won't have it collectively. That does not mean we all have to think the same, but we have to be able to talk, again, reason and yes, compromise in areas that are for the benefit of all.
There several words from the Scriptures that were read that I am going to cover. These words in and of themselves and in conjunction with what is being said will help us as we wonder, worry and stress.
Psalm 18:2, "The LORD is my Rock and my Fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
1st, He is God and from and through Him we can embrace these words and let Him through them embrace us at our time of need, no matter what that need is or needs are.
Our Rock.....as He stabilizes us.
Our Fortress....as he protects us, from the assaults of the enemy.
Our Deliverer....who takes us from this life to the next through whatever we must encounter here in this life.
Our Strength....when we say we cannot take it, cannot go one more step, He is there to hold us up, help us to walk and carry us when needed...
Our Shield.....who protects us from the fiery arrows of sin in their many varieties of wrong doing, thinking and believing.
Our Horn of Salvation.....assured that through Jesus we are eligible for heaven no matter what happens to us on this planet.
Our Stronghold and Rock are the same.....holding on, taking shelter behind, and building our foundation on.
In able for us to understand and embrace these helps, we must have an understanding of Christ, who He is, what He asks of us....and mostly, that is to by choice, and effort, in getting to KNOW Him, for He knows you.
1st Samuel 2:2, "No one is holy like the Lord, for there is none beside You, Nor is there any rock like our God."
Holy....little is understood today in the meaning of Holy. "HOLY means exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness. Some Sunday I will bring a message on a deeper understanding of Holy, of God and being Holy in God as a lifestyle. Here also again is mentioned that God is like a ROCK to us, stabilizing and an anchor in difficult times.
John 10:10, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that 'they' us, may have life, and that they, (we) may have it more abundantly."
To have an abundant life in Christ is to be like Him, and to be like Him we must know Him and love Him, and in doing so, we will then truly know what it is to have an abundant life!
Deuteronomy 33:27, "The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are His everlasting arms He will thrust out before you."
In the Hymn we will be singing as our service finishes, "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" comes from this verse, in fact the whole chapter is it's foundations. So, when we sing it this morning really listen to the words and let them speak to your life and heart.
The chorus goes as such.
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms,
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
These are just some of the things that bring stability in times of change. Finding shelter from the storms in the One God, no matter what the storms bring. Defending one's life by being watchful from the ramparts of the Fortress, holding the words of God and His Son to shield us from the fiery arrows of sin and those who would malign our faith, and last, heeding the time, when it comes to rest in the out-thrust arms of God Himself. He is the door.....but you have the keys to the kingdom. Yes, you do! God be with you now and forever!
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
October 20, 2019
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
"DO I WANT TO?" “Do I HAVE TO?”
John 21:19b
1 Cor. 4:17b
by; Tom Shanor, Pastor
~ "Then Jesus told him, "Follow Me." John 21:19b
~ "Timothy will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go" 1st Cor. 4:17b
~ "But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to and follow him" Matthew 17:5....and I save the last part of that Scripture for thought, so think about it...all of it, including that of the disciples who heard the voice, and we read of their reaction. The disciples were terrified...and fell face down on the ground.
~ There are some key words here I want to point out before giving you my composite illustration of those words. They are; follow, Son, great joy and terrified.
Three words so very different in their meaning yet bound together in intent.
How many of you have ever planted a Sunflower, or several sunflowers? There are several characteristics of sunflowers that make them stand out.
1. When in bloom, it is usually a large bloom, that literally stands as a symbol for the sun in its beauty, and form and color.
2. It has a strong stem that can withhold most wind, and the heavy weight of the bloom itself.
3. It also follows the path of the sun.... all day long. It greets the morning sun, and as the sun traverse across the sky, it looks up ever so slightly....and the bloom follows that traversing, ending up at the end of the day still facing the sun.
~ In conjunction with the sun and the flower, it should be our spiritual goal to emulate this flower in relation to THE Son....of God, Jesus the Christ....Savior of all mankind.
~ This brings us back to the title of today's message; "DO I WANT TO”? "DO I HAVE TO”? To follow the Son of God?
In six weeks will be the start of Advent, the four weeks of observations and preparation, to celebrate the birth of this Jesus, this Son of God....who, throughout human history these past 2000 years....has brought both GREAT JOY to millions....and at the hands of corrupt men in leadership, TERROR.
~ The freedom to choose to follow Jesus is ours every day that we have on this planet.
~ With this, freedom in following, at times brings with it all manner of thoughts and emotions.... from the mundane or ordinary, to deep connection and exquisite creativity, from sin and death, to goodness and vibrancy of life. We live in a world of opposites. Day and night, desert and tropical, cold and heat, wind and calm, good and evil....and the list goes on and on.
~ Yet in the center of all this, like the sunflower following the sun, are we, who are to do the same......through all manner of changes and opposites and opposition....to follow the Son.
~ Following Advent we will once again enter into another "new year," sometimes full of resolutions and thoughts of change.... a time of introspection and hope, and fear, and joy and laughter, and tears and sorrow, of gain and of loss.
Solomon said it so well, as he wrote...."For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time quite searching.
A time to keep and time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and at time to speak.
A TIME TO LOVE AND A TIME TO HATE....A TIME FOR WAR AND A TIME FOR PEACE......
A new day even without acknowledging a new year, begins the same life, changed as time advanced....one minute at a time! One minute at a time we make choices that could influence and often do our today, tomorrow and our eventual end of life as we know it.
Daily there is potential for both joy and sorrow, and they often come hand in hand, where laughter and tears flow from the same eyes.... where pain and peace seem just a heartbeat apart. Such is life on planet earth.
In all this...as in years past and in years to come.... there can be One constant in our lives....and that constant is the presence in us and around us, of the one we follow....the Son of God.
My question to each of you and myself this morning is.....in following this Son of God, "Do I WANT TO, NOT, DO I HAVE TO!
Do I want to what....in following Him? Do I want to know Him better, deeper...because as the years wind down and we all come closer and closer to that day.... that day of reckoning, what should be our highest and deepest priority? Entertainment, more trips, more material goods, a bigger garage, a bigger house.... more grand-kids, more kids, more money. None of these are bad.....all are good.....and yet, we leave the highest and best too often as our lowest priority.
Walking hand in hand with the one who gave us the life we live. If at times this walk of faith seems shallow and mythical...and not quite real...it is never because He has walked away from us....it is because we have left him behind in our pursuit of other things, events and people.
My challenge to each of today....is to take our personal one on one relationship and knowledge of Him to a new and deeper level. It is not my desire this morning to motivate by guilt.... or by coercion, but by love....love for Him and love for one another, and love of ourselves.
To be deeply contented in our heart and spirit at no matter what age....or what physical condition, or even mental emotional state of being....so our lives can be better, deeper, richer, livelier, happier, more contented, and IF...we but set apart some small amount of time (determined by us) to spend with Him and Him alone. It can simply be sitting in our favorite spot, reading Our Daily Bread, or taking time in that quiet time to think about and pray simply, not long dragged out seemingly eloquent prayers....but prayers from our heart for our families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, the world and ourselves.
We also allow God through His Scriptures....perhaps reading just 10 verses at a time every day......then pondering on them, to speak to us through them. This is only if indeed we take time apart to read Scripture.
And this also....to spend some of that brief time, simply being grateful and saying so, to Him...for what we do have in all the areas I spoke of.
A grateful heart is like good medicine....like putting lotion on dry skin, or putting on our glasses so we can see better and clearer, because a broken and neglected spirit makes our lives dry, brittle and even breakable.
Here's how the little song goes. (sing)
A merry heart, does good like a medicine, like a medicine is a merry heart, but broken spirit drieth up the bones.....a merry heart, is the Joy of the Lord.
Some of us fail a lot in this life....but we fail because we try. If we did not try we would not fail. Failure can do two things....it can beat us up and at the same time tear us down.....OR.....we can learn from our failures, and try again and again until we get it. Attitude in failure is everything, everything....and in success....for having the self-aggrandizing ego that laps up success...will if gone unchecked lead us back to failure, for we can lose our balanced, and even our spiritual perspective.
In our spiritual lives....as in our everyday get through our daily lives....we can become complacent, listless and bored. Attitude is everything..........and a healthy person realizes, that by the grace and love, and help of the Lord....gets up and goes on.... sometimes failing sometimes succeeding. Give thanks to God, not for failure but in the failure, and ask him to take you by the hand....help you up and then to walk forward...and I tell you, He will.
The famous missionary C.T. Studd once traveled to China on a ship whose captain was an embittered opponent of Christianity and who often studied the Bible for the reason of arguing with the missionaries who frequently sailed on his ship. When he learned that Studd was aboard his ship, the captain lit into him. But instead of arguing with him, Studd put his arm around the captain and said, "But, my friend, I have a peace that passes all understanding and a joy that nothing can take away"
The captain replied, "You’re a lucky dog," and walked away, but before the end of that voyage, and the delightful response of Studd....the captain became a rejoicing believer in the Son of God.
DO I WANT TO.....KNOW HIM MORE DEEPLY?.........AND IF SO, WE TOO WILL SEE WITHIN OURSELVES....OUR VERY ATTITUDE CHANGING TO THE BETTER.
In the play God-spell.....is a song that includes these verses...............
O, dear Lord three things I pray...................................................
1. See thee more clearly
2. Love thee more dearly
3. Follow thee more nearly...day by day, by day, by day, by day
As we come to the Table of the Lord this morning.....ask yourself to do these same three things.... by asking Him how best YOU and I do this....for your way will not be my way, or my way your way. He will tailor it just to fit you.....that's who He is.
You are precious in His sight....and in His heart......You are valuable, and you are uniquely and wonderfully made....in His image.
Be a sunflower in God's garden.....and follow Him all day and every day.
Amen
October 20, 2019
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
"DO I WANT TO?" “Do I HAVE TO?”
John 21:19b
1 Cor. 4:17b
by; Tom Shanor, Pastor
~ "Then Jesus told him, "Follow Me." John 21:19b
~ "Timothy will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go" 1st Cor. 4:17b
~ "But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to and follow him" Matthew 17:5....and I save the last part of that Scripture for thought, so think about it...all of it, including that of the disciples who heard the voice, and we read of their reaction. The disciples were terrified...and fell face down on the ground.
~ There are some key words here I want to point out before giving you my composite illustration of those words. They are; follow, Son, great joy and terrified.
Three words so very different in their meaning yet bound together in intent.
How many of you have ever planted a Sunflower, or several sunflowers? There are several characteristics of sunflowers that make them stand out.
1. When in bloom, it is usually a large bloom, that literally stands as a symbol for the sun in its beauty, and form and color.
2. It has a strong stem that can withhold most wind, and the heavy weight of the bloom itself.
3. It also follows the path of the sun.... all day long. It greets the morning sun, and as the sun traverse across the sky, it looks up ever so slightly....and the bloom follows that traversing, ending up at the end of the day still facing the sun.
~ In conjunction with the sun and the flower, it should be our spiritual goal to emulate this flower in relation to THE Son....of God, Jesus the Christ....Savior of all mankind.
~ This brings us back to the title of today's message; "DO I WANT TO”? "DO I HAVE TO”? To follow the Son of God?
In six weeks will be the start of Advent, the four weeks of observations and preparation, to celebrate the birth of this Jesus, this Son of God....who, throughout human history these past 2000 years....has brought both GREAT JOY to millions....and at the hands of corrupt men in leadership, TERROR.
~ The freedom to choose to follow Jesus is ours every day that we have on this planet.
~ With this, freedom in following, at times brings with it all manner of thoughts and emotions.... from the mundane or ordinary, to deep connection and exquisite creativity, from sin and death, to goodness and vibrancy of life. We live in a world of opposites. Day and night, desert and tropical, cold and heat, wind and calm, good and evil....and the list goes on and on.
~ Yet in the center of all this, like the sunflower following the sun, are we, who are to do the same......through all manner of changes and opposites and opposition....to follow the Son.
~ Following Advent we will once again enter into another "new year," sometimes full of resolutions and thoughts of change.... a time of introspection and hope, and fear, and joy and laughter, and tears and sorrow, of gain and of loss.
Solomon said it so well, as he wrote...."For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time quite searching.
A time to keep and time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and at time to speak.
A TIME TO LOVE AND A TIME TO HATE....A TIME FOR WAR AND A TIME FOR PEACE......
A new day even without acknowledging a new year, begins the same life, changed as time advanced....one minute at a time! One minute at a time we make choices that could influence and often do our today, tomorrow and our eventual end of life as we know it.
Daily there is potential for both joy and sorrow, and they often come hand in hand, where laughter and tears flow from the same eyes.... where pain and peace seem just a heartbeat apart. Such is life on planet earth.
In all this...as in years past and in years to come.... there can be One constant in our lives....and that constant is the presence in us and around us, of the one we follow....the Son of God.
My question to each of you and myself this morning is.....in following this Son of God, "Do I WANT TO, NOT, DO I HAVE TO!
Do I want to what....in following Him? Do I want to know Him better, deeper...because as the years wind down and we all come closer and closer to that day.... that day of reckoning, what should be our highest and deepest priority? Entertainment, more trips, more material goods, a bigger garage, a bigger house.... more grand-kids, more kids, more money. None of these are bad.....all are good.....and yet, we leave the highest and best too often as our lowest priority.
Walking hand in hand with the one who gave us the life we live. If at times this walk of faith seems shallow and mythical...and not quite real...it is never because He has walked away from us....it is because we have left him behind in our pursuit of other things, events and people.
My challenge to each of today....is to take our personal one on one relationship and knowledge of Him to a new and deeper level. It is not my desire this morning to motivate by guilt.... or by coercion, but by love....love for Him and love for one another, and love of ourselves.
To be deeply contented in our heart and spirit at no matter what age....or what physical condition, or even mental emotional state of being....so our lives can be better, deeper, richer, livelier, happier, more contented, and IF...we but set apart some small amount of time (determined by us) to spend with Him and Him alone. It can simply be sitting in our favorite spot, reading Our Daily Bread, or taking time in that quiet time to think about and pray simply, not long dragged out seemingly eloquent prayers....but prayers from our heart for our families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, the world and ourselves.
We also allow God through His Scriptures....perhaps reading just 10 verses at a time every day......then pondering on them, to speak to us through them. This is only if indeed we take time apart to read Scripture.
And this also....to spend some of that brief time, simply being grateful and saying so, to Him...for what we do have in all the areas I spoke of.
A grateful heart is like good medicine....like putting lotion on dry skin, or putting on our glasses so we can see better and clearer, because a broken and neglected spirit makes our lives dry, brittle and even breakable.
Here's how the little song goes. (sing)
A merry heart, does good like a medicine, like a medicine is a merry heart, but broken spirit drieth up the bones.....a merry heart, is the Joy of the Lord.
Some of us fail a lot in this life....but we fail because we try. If we did not try we would not fail. Failure can do two things....it can beat us up and at the same time tear us down.....OR.....we can learn from our failures, and try again and again until we get it. Attitude in failure is everything, everything....and in success....for having the self-aggrandizing ego that laps up success...will if gone unchecked lead us back to failure, for we can lose our balanced, and even our spiritual perspective.
In our spiritual lives....as in our everyday get through our daily lives....we can become complacent, listless and bored. Attitude is everything..........and a healthy person realizes, that by the grace and love, and help of the Lord....gets up and goes on.... sometimes failing sometimes succeeding. Give thanks to God, not for failure but in the failure, and ask him to take you by the hand....help you up and then to walk forward...and I tell you, He will.
The famous missionary C.T. Studd once traveled to China on a ship whose captain was an embittered opponent of Christianity and who often studied the Bible for the reason of arguing with the missionaries who frequently sailed on his ship. When he learned that Studd was aboard his ship, the captain lit into him. But instead of arguing with him, Studd put his arm around the captain and said, "But, my friend, I have a peace that passes all understanding and a joy that nothing can take away"
The captain replied, "You’re a lucky dog," and walked away, but before the end of that voyage, and the delightful response of Studd....the captain became a rejoicing believer in the Son of God.
DO I WANT TO.....KNOW HIM MORE DEEPLY?.........AND IF SO, WE TOO WILL SEE WITHIN OURSELVES....OUR VERY ATTITUDE CHANGING TO THE BETTER.
In the play God-spell.....is a song that includes these verses...............
O, dear Lord three things I pray...................................................
1. See thee more clearly
2. Love thee more dearly
3. Follow thee more nearly...day by day, by day, by day, by day
As we come to the Table of the Lord this morning.....ask yourself to do these same three things.... by asking Him how best YOU and I do this....for your way will not be my way, or my way your way. He will tailor it just to fit you.....that's who He is.
You are precious in His sight....and in His heart......You are valuable, and you are uniquely and wonderfully made....in His image.
Be a sunflower in God's garden.....and follow Him all day and every day.
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
BEAUTIFUL FEET ~ Really?
Romans 10:: 14-15
October 13, 2019
Pastor Tom Shanor
~ The message this morning is not particularly a deep one, but a serious one none the less. It involves a lifestyle application in regards to Lifestyle Evangelism. This life-style evangelism and application should always be hovering just beneath the surface of living our everyday lives, ready when that still small voice spoken in our minds by the Holy Spirit suddenly is heard. One sign it is the Spirit is that it does not quickly go away and.....when that happens we should respond.....as you will hear.
~ I assume this morning that you are here because you desire to be here. Hopefully no one had to drag you, and you came of your own free will. Well, perhaps some husband had to be coerced just a little.
~ Did you come to hear a great sermon, not likely, for like Paul, I say, it's not about my eloquence in speaking, if I had great eloquence, or my great depth of knowledge, again, if I had it, in preparation of what I am about to share....but, because you do want to hear about Jesus and His Gospel, and that is one of the reasons you hired me....and it's what I have been called by Him to do, in my own style.
~ That I know of, you have a relationship with Him and that by gathering together to worship Him.....you gain more of His presence, and perhaps learn a little more about Him and yourself. Also, gathering as a 'community of Believers,’ in and of itself is good. We need to know as a church congregation as much as we legitimately can about one another….especially when among us needs arise.
~ Today's message is, as you have read is ~ “Beautiful Feet, really?”
~ It is about the Gospel of Jesus the Christ, and its importance in the world...............and how we communicate that Gospel.
This Scripture come from a letter from Paul to the Roman Church, and speaks of Salvation for everyone....everyone.
~ Romans 10:14-15 ~ READ
~ To share is to communicate, and to communicate well, is well, sometimes not easy. There are so many more ways to communicate than by words alone. Body language, a gesture, the raising of an eyebrow, the down or up-turn of our lips as these sometimes say much more than the content of our words. The volume of our words, a whisper, yelling, even-toned, slow, fast or no sound at all.
~ There are masters of communication, and then there are those who have difficulty simply stating who they are, and we are they....this mix, of whom all of us are called to share the Gospel, in a great variety of ways. Whatever way our personalities have been formed....we communicate, even when we think we aren’t.
~Our goals as the Church (us being the church) are multiple.
~ To teach about Him, and bring those who don't know Him into the knowledge OF him.
~ To be culturally relevant, while holding onto the vital and core teaching which He taught and teaches us through His word and people called by HIM, like me and some of you.
~ To be a Sanctuary from the world, not an exact replica of it. "Be in the world, but not of it! There’s a sermon in that one!
~ To be a place of honest and Christ like fellowship, a place to be real, not religious....with all our imperfections, but ever perfecting, forgiving and loving, extending grace and mercy.
~ To be a light of Christ individually, and then collectively, bringing to each other and to the world....HOPE. Being a light means that where there is darkness, we illuminate, reveal and even heal.
~NOW...back those "Beautiful Feet"~
~ Think about it.....are feet especially beautiful? Some perhaps, but not very many that I have seen, not that I pay particular attention to feet, but, I have noticed as the years advance...mine once looked better than they do now.
~ No..it's not the feet, it's we, owners of those feet.....those that walk out the message of good will and peace towards all man-kind, woman-kind, child-kind, animal-kind...and earth kind.
~ And how and where are we who have this message, are sharing it, or are we? We know that communication is more than words, for at times action is required, sometimes without words at all.
(an illustrative story)
~ A family visiting Disney World sometime back, sought out a place to rest in Cinderella's castle after hours of walking. Unfortunately, so did many others. The palace main room was packed with kids and parents. Suddenly all the children rushed to one side. Had it been a boat, the castle would have tipped over...because Cinderella had entered the building.
~ Oh...Cinderella, Cinderella....the perfect Princess. A beautiful young girl with each hair in place, flawless skin, and a lovely and radiant smile. She stood waist-deep in a garden of kids, each wanting to touch and be touched. Almost reverent................
~ The other side of this room in the Castle was now vacant except for a boy and his brother, he, maybe seven or eight years old. His age was hard to determine because of the disfigurement of his little body. Dwarfed in height, face deformed...he stood watching...quietly and wistfully, holding tightly onto the hand of his older brother.
~ You know what he wanted......he wanted to be with the other children. He longed to be in the middle of the kids, reaching for Cinderella, calling her name. But looking as he did, he feared another rejection. Fear of being taunted, looked at with derision and shock, e fearing this, as he simply stood on his dwarfed legs, rooted to his spot.
~ As my friends watched him, then her, they wondered if she would spot him, and choose to stay with all the other kids....and ignore him. She did notice the little, dwarfed, disfigured boy....and she slowly, but immediately began walking in his direction. Serenely but firmly, inching through the crowd of children, she finally broke through.
~ All others in the room turned to see where she was going, and wondered why she was leaving. She walked (on her beautiful feet) across the floor....knelt down at eye level with that little boy...took his hands, looked him in the eyes and kissed him on his disfigured face.
~ Can you imagine how fast his heart-beat, and how suddenly it became full....he was not only accepted by this beautiful girl, but embraced with a kiss, in that moment given in love by this story-book but now very real, somewhat magical young woman.
~ That, is what it is like being embraced by our Lord....it was and is for me the same. We all in some ways are, have at once time been like that little boy, sometimes, perhaps often, feeling unworthy of just such an acceptance and embrace. You see….it’s what our Lord specializes in. Loving , embracing and accepting those we call unlovely., the outcasts, as we too many times have pointed our finger at those we don’t know, exposing their sin we say, loving them (sure) but hating we also say, their sin…..instead of pointing that finger back at ourselves. The only pain and rejection we fully know is our own, or those we are close to and love. We have no way to measure the depth and scope of someone elses’ pain whom we don’t know. We sin when we accuse and condemn merely on what we see and hear or think we do.
God help us…for we are not the judge, only One is, and He is God.
(I want to tell you how I came to Christ)
~ I...was a skinny kid, had had my share of being picked on, like many skinny, and also overweight or whatever kids. I too was a kid looking for acceptance and love.
~ Those feet took me to church camp shortly after my 12th birthday. Being tender, open.....and looking for what I knew not, I went to a meeting for Jr. High kids, (I was now a Junior High kid) where Janie Bradford (a very old (probably my age now) missionary was talking to us kids. She had just come from Africa.....telling us about her journey, the native peoples, her experiences, and her Jesus.
~ I found myself listening closely....and then she asked if there was anyone who wanted to know this Jesus to come up to the alter and pray. It was as though I felt a magnet pulling me off the bench...of an open air tabernacle with sawdust on the floor....lifting me up and I felt I was floating down that narrow aisle....and my heart pounding in my chest....ready to burst, which soon....became filled with His Presence. Since that day....and I thank now, that long gone lovely (old) lady....I came to have an encounter with Jesus that has never ceased, but grown and deepened. I came to know who He is and His faithfulness to me, through the beautiful feet of her, who came that long distance from Africa....just for me.
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
~ There is a multitude of people who are looking for some good news in their life...and we, you and I are given the opportunity....ourselves having The Good News to give to them, because we have been given that same good news.
~ How we do this is in accordance with our own spiritual giftings, and our own intimate and personal walk with Christ.
~ VS. 15, and how will anyone go, and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of the messengers who bring good news." and VS. 20, reads, "I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me."
~ Go where....?"Wherever we go!" that is where we are sent! That could be next door....or across the earth, wherever we find ourselves, open to what or who is in front of us, to communicate the love of Christ in word or in action…and also by our good deeds.
~ There are basically two types of people who engage in conversation. 'Those who truly desire to communicate.... and then, those who (just like talking) and want to be heard, so they can voice their opinions. Changing one's self (once recognized) from wanting to be heard......to wanting to truly communicate.....can be an uphill battle, but one that can be won, if again recognized, and then with a desired to change.
~ In religion....we have developed our own jargon, words like "salvation", "sanctification", "holiness" and "reconciliation." and many more. These are words that mean something to us, but do not communicate well with non-Christians. We need to speak everyday language.
~ One of the paradoxes of communication is that a word must be understandable to both parties, before it is acceptable and understandable for 'communication.'
~ E.F. Hutton tells a neat story about Albert Einstein.
~ While at Princeton, Einstein would occasionally attend lectures by scientists who often were somewhat obscure and technical in their expression, and presentation to the students, often missing the ability to 'communicate' to the students.
~ Einstein at times, would rise after the lecture, and ask the professor whether he might pose a question. He would then go to the blackboard and begin to explain in 'simple terms' what the lecturer had been attempting to explain. "I wasn't sure I understood you correctly" he would say with great gentleness, and then would make clear what the lecturer had been unable to convey.
~ Jesus was a master at never assuming that something was communicated just because it was spoken. He employed endless creativity, illustrations, parables, questions, quizzes, case studies, and so on. He used all means to be understood by all people.
~ Aquinas said long ago, "The poor teacher stands where he or she is and beckons the pupil to come to him or her, but the Good teacher goes to where the pupil is...and takes him or her, leading them to where they ought to go."
~ Back to Cinderella....she had a message to convey, and she did so in the most beautiful way....implanting on that young boy's mind and heart, a day and time of acceptance and recognition, that he would NEVER forget, and always cherish. Jesus is like that....in that when He reaches out and takes us in, leading us where we ought to go by teaching and example.....a bond is formed, a lifelong relationship begun.
~ It is our job...duty....in this and every Christ-centered congregation, to open our doors and hearts to the dwarfed human beings, the Cinderella’s, the hurt, the lonely, the poor, the rich, the good, the bad and the ugly....so to speak. The very same people He reached out to and took in. All nations, all colors, the World and all it contains, even to the point of discomfort and being used.
~ Each society has its' own outcasts.....but Christ wants us, the church body to embrace, and to reconcile all of us to Himself, because he has done it already in the Spirit and in the flesh. If it disturbs our comfort....think of what it cost him. The church is to be a 'sanctuary' not a comfortable replica of home. A Sanctuary is a safe place....for all. Will we get used, yes. Will we be abused, yes..... scorned, yes, so be it. As it was done to Him, so it will be done to us.
Rejoice and be glad, He said...for I have overcome the world.
How beautiful are the feet of them, who bring the good news!
BEAUTIFUL FEET ~ Really?
Romans 10:: 14-15
October 13, 2019
Pastor Tom Shanor
~ The message this morning is not particularly a deep one, but a serious one none the less. It involves a lifestyle application in regards to Lifestyle Evangelism. This life-style evangelism and application should always be hovering just beneath the surface of living our everyday lives, ready when that still small voice spoken in our minds by the Holy Spirit suddenly is heard. One sign it is the Spirit is that it does not quickly go away and.....when that happens we should respond.....as you will hear.
~ I assume this morning that you are here because you desire to be here. Hopefully no one had to drag you, and you came of your own free will. Well, perhaps some husband had to be coerced just a little.
~ Did you come to hear a great sermon, not likely, for like Paul, I say, it's not about my eloquence in speaking, if I had great eloquence, or my great depth of knowledge, again, if I had it, in preparation of what I am about to share....but, because you do want to hear about Jesus and His Gospel, and that is one of the reasons you hired me....and it's what I have been called by Him to do, in my own style.
~ That I know of, you have a relationship with Him and that by gathering together to worship Him.....you gain more of His presence, and perhaps learn a little more about Him and yourself. Also, gathering as a 'community of Believers,’ in and of itself is good. We need to know as a church congregation as much as we legitimately can about one another….especially when among us needs arise.
~ Today's message is, as you have read is ~ “Beautiful Feet, really?”
~ It is about the Gospel of Jesus the Christ, and its importance in the world...............and how we communicate that Gospel.
This Scripture come from a letter from Paul to the Roman Church, and speaks of Salvation for everyone....everyone.
~ Romans 10:14-15 ~ READ
~ To share is to communicate, and to communicate well, is well, sometimes not easy. There are so many more ways to communicate than by words alone. Body language, a gesture, the raising of an eyebrow, the down or up-turn of our lips as these sometimes say much more than the content of our words. The volume of our words, a whisper, yelling, even-toned, slow, fast or no sound at all.
~ There are masters of communication, and then there are those who have difficulty simply stating who they are, and we are they....this mix, of whom all of us are called to share the Gospel, in a great variety of ways. Whatever way our personalities have been formed....we communicate, even when we think we aren’t.
~Our goals as the Church (us being the church) are multiple.
~ To teach about Him, and bring those who don't know Him into the knowledge OF him.
~ To be culturally relevant, while holding onto the vital and core teaching which He taught and teaches us through His word and people called by HIM, like me and some of you.
~ To be a Sanctuary from the world, not an exact replica of it. "Be in the world, but not of it! There’s a sermon in that one!
~ To be a place of honest and Christ like fellowship, a place to be real, not religious....with all our imperfections, but ever perfecting, forgiving and loving, extending grace and mercy.
~ To be a light of Christ individually, and then collectively, bringing to each other and to the world....HOPE. Being a light means that where there is darkness, we illuminate, reveal and even heal.
~NOW...back those "Beautiful Feet"~
~ Think about it.....are feet especially beautiful? Some perhaps, but not very many that I have seen, not that I pay particular attention to feet, but, I have noticed as the years advance...mine once looked better than they do now.
~ No..it's not the feet, it's we, owners of those feet.....those that walk out the message of good will and peace towards all man-kind, woman-kind, child-kind, animal-kind...and earth kind.
~ And how and where are we who have this message, are sharing it, or are we? We know that communication is more than words, for at times action is required, sometimes without words at all.
(an illustrative story)
~ A family visiting Disney World sometime back, sought out a place to rest in Cinderella's castle after hours of walking. Unfortunately, so did many others. The palace main room was packed with kids and parents. Suddenly all the children rushed to one side. Had it been a boat, the castle would have tipped over...because Cinderella had entered the building.
~ Oh...Cinderella, Cinderella....the perfect Princess. A beautiful young girl with each hair in place, flawless skin, and a lovely and radiant smile. She stood waist-deep in a garden of kids, each wanting to touch and be touched. Almost reverent................
~ The other side of this room in the Castle was now vacant except for a boy and his brother, he, maybe seven or eight years old. His age was hard to determine because of the disfigurement of his little body. Dwarfed in height, face deformed...he stood watching...quietly and wistfully, holding tightly onto the hand of his older brother.
~ You know what he wanted......he wanted to be with the other children. He longed to be in the middle of the kids, reaching for Cinderella, calling her name. But looking as he did, he feared another rejection. Fear of being taunted, looked at with derision and shock, e fearing this, as he simply stood on his dwarfed legs, rooted to his spot.
~ As my friends watched him, then her, they wondered if she would spot him, and choose to stay with all the other kids....and ignore him. She did notice the little, dwarfed, disfigured boy....and she slowly, but immediately began walking in his direction. Serenely but firmly, inching through the crowd of children, she finally broke through.
~ All others in the room turned to see where she was going, and wondered why she was leaving. She walked (on her beautiful feet) across the floor....knelt down at eye level with that little boy...took his hands, looked him in the eyes and kissed him on his disfigured face.
~ Can you imagine how fast his heart-beat, and how suddenly it became full....he was not only accepted by this beautiful girl, but embraced with a kiss, in that moment given in love by this story-book but now very real, somewhat magical young woman.
~ That, is what it is like being embraced by our Lord....it was and is for me the same. We all in some ways are, have at once time been like that little boy, sometimes, perhaps often, feeling unworthy of just such an acceptance and embrace. You see….it’s what our Lord specializes in. Loving , embracing and accepting those we call unlovely., the outcasts, as we too many times have pointed our finger at those we don’t know, exposing their sin we say, loving them (sure) but hating we also say, their sin…..instead of pointing that finger back at ourselves. The only pain and rejection we fully know is our own, or those we are close to and love. We have no way to measure the depth and scope of someone elses’ pain whom we don’t know. We sin when we accuse and condemn merely on what we see and hear or think we do.
God help us…for we are not the judge, only One is, and He is God.
(I want to tell you how I came to Christ)
~ I...was a skinny kid, had had my share of being picked on, like many skinny, and also overweight or whatever kids. I too was a kid looking for acceptance and love.
~ Those feet took me to church camp shortly after my 12th birthday. Being tender, open.....and looking for what I knew not, I went to a meeting for Jr. High kids, (I was now a Junior High kid) where Janie Bradford (a very old (probably my age now) missionary was talking to us kids. She had just come from Africa.....telling us about her journey, the native peoples, her experiences, and her Jesus.
~ I found myself listening closely....and then she asked if there was anyone who wanted to know this Jesus to come up to the alter and pray. It was as though I felt a magnet pulling me off the bench...of an open air tabernacle with sawdust on the floor....lifting me up and I felt I was floating down that narrow aisle....and my heart pounding in my chest....ready to burst, which soon....became filled with His Presence. Since that day....and I thank now, that long gone lovely (old) lady....I came to have an encounter with Jesus that has never ceased, but grown and deepened. I came to know who He is and His faithfulness to me, through the beautiful feet of her, who came that long distance from Africa....just for me.
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
~ There is a multitude of people who are looking for some good news in their life...and we, you and I are given the opportunity....ourselves having The Good News to give to them, because we have been given that same good news.
~ How we do this is in accordance with our own spiritual giftings, and our own intimate and personal walk with Christ.
~ VS. 15, and how will anyone go, and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of the messengers who bring good news." and VS. 20, reads, "I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me."
~ Go where....?"Wherever we go!" that is where we are sent! That could be next door....or across the earth, wherever we find ourselves, open to what or who is in front of us, to communicate the love of Christ in word or in action…and also by our good deeds.
~ There are basically two types of people who engage in conversation. 'Those who truly desire to communicate.... and then, those who (just like talking) and want to be heard, so they can voice their opinions. Changing one's self (once recognized) from wanting to be heard......to wanting to truly communicate.....can be an uphill battle, but one that can be won, if again recognized, and then with a desired to change.
~ In religion....we have developed our own jargon, words like "salvation", "sanctification", "holiness" and "reconciliation." and many more. These are words that mean something to us, but do not communicate well with non-Christians. We need to speak everyday language.
~ One of the paradoxes of communication is that a word must be understandable to both parties, before it is acceptable and understandable for 'communication.'
~ E.F. Hutton tells a neat story about Albert Einstein.
~ While at Princeton, Einstein would occasionally attend lectures by scientists who often were somewhat obscure and technical in their expression, and presentation to the students, often missing the ability to 'communicate' to the students.
~ Einstein at times, would rise after the lecture, and ask the professor whether he might pose a question. He would then go to the blackboard and begin to explain in 'simple terms' what the lecturer had been attempting to explain. "I wasn't sure I understood you correctly" he would say with great gentleness, and then would make clear what the lecturer had been unable to convey.
~ Jesus was a master at never assuming that something was communicated just because it was spoken. He employed endless creativity, illustrations, parables, questions, quizzes, case studies, and so on. He used all means to be understood by all people.
~ Aquinas said long ago, "The poor teacher stands where he or she is and beckons the pupil to come to him or her, but the Good teacher goes to where the pupil is...and takes him or her, leading them to where they ought to go."
~ Back to Cinderella....she had a message to convey, and she did so in the most beautiful way....implanting on that young boy's mind and heart, a day and time of acceptance and recognition, that he would NEVER forget, and always cherish. Jesus is like that....in that when He reaches out and takes us in, leading us where we ought to go by teaching and example.....a bond is formed, a lifelong relationship begun.
~ It is our job...duty....in this and every Christ-centered congregation, to open our doors and hearts to the dwarfed human beings, the Cinderella’s, the hurt, the lonely, the poor, the rich, the good, the bad and the ugly....so to speak. The very same people He reached out to and took in. All nations, all colors, the World and all it contains, even to the point of discomfort and being used.
~ Each society has its' own outcasts.....but Christ wants us, the church body to embrace, and to reconcile all of us to Himself, because he has done it already in the Spirit and in the flesh. If it disturbs our comfort....think of what it cost him. The church is to be a 'sanctuary' not a comfortable replica of home. A Sanctuary is a safe place....for all. Will we get used, yes. Will we be abused, yes..... scorned, yes, so be it. As it was done to Him, so it will be done to us.
Rejoice and be glad, He said...for I have overcome the world.
How beautiful are the feet of them, who bring the good news!
Little Church in the Pines
October 6, 2019
by; Connie Funkhouser - subbing for Pastor Tom
(posting per Pastor Tom's request)
**Discipline . . . . Spiritual Discipline**
I heard about a High School Graduate that went off to attend one of the prestigious universities. The monthly bills were coming into his parents and they were struggling to keep their head above water. One day his mother received a letter from their son; it read:
Dear Mom,
I’m writing to inform you that I have flunked all my courses. I had an accident and totally wrecked my car. I owe the clothing store in town over $2000, and I have been suspended for the remainder of the school year because of misconduct. I am coming home, prepare Dad.
His mother wrote a short letter back;
Dear Son,
Dad is prepared . . . prepare yourself.
Safe Travels, Love Mom
* * * * * * *
Discipline – Controlled and obedient behavior; training and punishment producing this. A branch of learning; trained to be orderly.
God is prepared to deal with His children when they sin. God has a woodshed, and if you are one of His children, before you get through this life you will make more than one journey to it.
Even after we are saved, the first time we sin God could just go ahead and send us to Hell. But God really cannot do that, for the Bible says in Rom. 8:1 “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” God’s justification “Not Guilty”, once pronounced, is final. Christ’s death blots out the sins of His people, and when His work is applied to the believer, there is no room for condemnation, for God’s justice has removed all grounds for it forever. This does not mean the believer does not still deal with overcoming sin on a regular basis, but through the work of the Holy Spirit, we can be free from the tyranny of sin, and for the love of Christ, live in a way that pleases our Savior.
God could condone us. God could just look away and overlook our sin. But God cannot, and will not, because He is a Holy and a Righteous and a Just God that lets no sin go unpunished.
A 3rd way that God could deal with us, and the way He does deal with us is, He can correct us.
You see, if God condemned us after we sinned, that would be pure legalism; that is, if we sin, we get the one-way ticket to Hell.
If God condoned our sin, that would be humanistic; where God would simply say that sin is no big deal and let it go.
But the 3rd way, God’s way, is Love. The Lord Himself said in Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke (reprimand) and chasten (subdue, humble, put someone in their place). Therefore, be zealous and repent.”
With the average age of our congregation, there is no doubt that either we have given or received discipline for misbehavior.
Approx. 2 yrs. ago I took a Leap of Faith & began online courses studying Christian Theology. One of my 1st classes was on Spiritual Discipline and the making of a Christian Mind. I was instantly hooked. Crazy that I waited until my late 50’s early 60’s to go back to school, let alone discovering that I thoroughly enjoy the entire process of studying. I was so uncertain about this that I didn’t even tell my husband until my last paper and needed help with the citation. By the Grace of God and extreme self-discipline to the extent of being boring to some and reclusive, I continue to receive the highest of grades.
Growing up in a strict (and I say this with respect and “now” appreciation) and a sports minded family, I learned the “art” of discipline early. I learned about practice, and more practice, dedication, commitment, to become the best that you could be @ the various sports that I played and the example of my older brother. Sure, some are more naturally inclined than others whether it is sports, singing, dance, care-giving, numbers, art, poetry, imagination, but I am sure most will agree to succeed @ anything takes a mind that is focused and disciplined.
But how about “Spiritual Discipline?”
Spiritual Discipline is the practical guide to human flourishing - - - a life transformed by the Power of the Holy Spirit, conformed to the image of God’s Son, to the Glory of God the Father.
A discipline for spiritual life is, an activity undertaken to bring us into more effective co-operation with Christ and His Kingdom. When we understand that Grace is a gift, we then see that to grow in grace is to grow in what is given to us of God and by God. The disciplines are then, in the clearest sense, a means to that grace and to those gifts. Spiritual disciplines, “exercises unto godliness,” are only the activities undertaken to make us capable of receiving more of His life and power w/o harm to ourselves or others.
Though we may not be aware of it, we experience disciplines every day. In these daily or natural disciplines, we perform acts that result in a direct command of further abilities that we would not otherwise have. If I trained really hard @ swimming, bike riding & running, I could conquer a triathlon; otherwise not, or practicing remembering names, if I repeat someone’s name out loud the chances of me remembering that persons name is greater than not.
The same thing happens with disciplines for our spiritual life. When through spiritual disciplines, we become able to bless those who curse us, pray w/o ceasing, to be @ peace when not given credit for good deeds we have done, or to master the evil that comes our way, it is because our disciplinary activities have inwardly posed us for more and more interaction with the powers of the living God and His Kingdom. Such is the potential we tap into when we live in the Presence of God.
The Spirit of the Disciplines confidently says that there is a way of spiritual transformation that is accessible to all people and it really does work in our contemporary world. The spirit of the disciplines is the way of Jesus, our divine but human teacher, who has walked and now walks that path before us and invites us to simply follow him as that path leads us through our lives into eternity.
The path starts where we are and as we are - - - no matter what precisely that means, or how despairing our situation may seem from the human perspective. We gain insight into how and why His path works and receive a power far beyond ourselves as we take the simple steps of His trusting apprentice living. (Hand-out bookmarks w/explanation)
When we look closely and continually @ Jesus, we do not lose sight of this one fundamental, crucial point – the activities constituting the disciplines have no value in themselves. The aim and substance of spiritual life is not fasting, prayer, hymn singing, cautious living, and so forth. Rather it is the effective and full enjoyment of active love of God and humankind in all the daily rounds of normal existence where we are placed. The spiritually advanced person is not the one who engages in lots and lots of disciplines, any more than the good child is the one who receives lots and lots of instruction and punishment recourse.
The new person and the new world for which humanity constantly seeks is the overriding theme of the biblical writings, culminating in the person and Kingdom of Jesus. To experience the newness of life in Jesus’ Kingdom, we need only to put into practice what confidence we have in Him, observe the outcome, and learn how to do better what we believe He would have us do. His way is self-validating to anyone who will openly and persistently put it into practice.
“To those who overcome,” Jesus says, “I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”
(Revelation 2:7)
By practicing our Faith, by applying our Faith, by being disciplined in our Faith in all aspects of our daily lives, we are clarifying and exemplifying realistic methods of human transformation. We are children of God and are called to show how ordinary individuals who make up humanity today can become, through the Grace of Christ, a love-filled, effective, and powerful community.
We are to learn from Christ how to live our total lives, how to invest our time and our energies of mind and body as He did. We must learn how to follow His preparations, the disciplines for life in God’s rule that enable Him to receive His Father’s constant and effective support while doing His will. We need to discover how to enter into His disciplines from where we stand today - - - and no doubt, how to extend and amplify those disciplines.
The challenge of forming habits based on the Grace of God is a very vital one. The Grace of God is praised, Jesus Christ is praised, the Redemption is praised, but our practical everyday life evades working it out. If we refuse to practice, it is not God’s Grace that fails when crisis comes, but our own nature. The practicing is ours, not God’s. God regenerates us and puts us in contact with all His divine resources, but He cannot make us walk according to His will.
David will you please read John 15:7-8
BTW and I’m sure most know this; what is the word above discipline in the dictionary? Disciple . . . . a coincidence? . . . I believe not.
The word abide carries the implication of complete attachment. It is related to ideas such as dwelling, staying, and settling in. It means sinking deep and growing roots, Jesus was not describing a surface faith. He was talking about a solid commitment – a relationship where we depend completely on Him to accomplish His work through us.
Spiritual Discipline is necessary for Christian growth. By practicing, with trusting, putting all our confidence in God’s Word, we can become like Christ in character and realize our highest ideals of well-being and well-doing.
This is the Heart ♥ of the New Testament’s Message.
I heard about a little boy who was floating his boat on a pond, when the boat floated away. A man came by and saw the boat out on the pond and began throwing stones on the far side of the boat. The boy said, “Mister, what are you doing?”
Without a word, the man kept throwing stones. Then something very interesting started to happen. As the stones hit the water beyond the boat, they created ripples which pushed the boat back toward the boy. Even though the stones disturbed the smooth water, they achieved the desired result.
That is exactly the way God’s discipline operates. When we drift away from Him on the sea of sin or the pond of unrighteousness, He throws out the disturbing stones of His loving discipline, sending out ripples of love, pushing us back to where we ought to be.
I can only speak for myself . . . but in my 62 short years I have found that being discipline, practicing and practicing again, remaining focused, committed to whatever it maybe; brings clarity to my passion(s) and purpose in life.
Amen
October 6, 2019
by; Connie Funkhouser - subbing for Pastor Tom
(posting per Pastor Tom's request)
**Discipline . . . . Spiritual Discipline**
I heard about a High School Graduate that went off to attend one of the prestigious universities. The monthly bills were coming into his parents and they were struggling to keep their head above water. One day his mother received a letter from their son; it read:
Dear Mom,
I’m writing to inform you that I have flunked all my courses. I had an accident and totally wrecked my car. I owe the clothing store in town over $2000, and I have been suspended for the remainder of the school year because of misconduct. I am coming home, prepare Dad.
His mother wrote a short letter back;
Dear Son,
Dad is prepared . . . prepare yourself.
Safe Travels, Love Mom
* * * * * * *
Discipline – Controlled and obedient behavior; training and punishment producing this. A branch of learning; trained to be orderly.
God is prepared to deal with His children when they sin. God has a woodshed, and if you are one of His children, before you get through this life you will make more than one journey to it.
Even after we are saved, the first time we sin God could just go ahead and send us to Hell. But God really cannot do that, for the Bible says in Rom. 8:1 “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” God’s justification “Not Guilty”, once pronounced, is final. Christ’s death blots out the sins of His people, and when His work is applied to the believer, there is no room for condemnation, for God’s justice has removed all grounds for it forever. This does not mean the believer does not still deal with overcoming sin on a regular basis, but through the work of the Holy Spirit, we can be free from the tyranny of sin, and for the love of Christ, live in a way that pleases our Savior.
God could condone us. God could just look away and overlook our sin. But God cannot, and will not, because He is a Holy and a Righteous and a Just God that lets no sin go unpunished.
A 3rd way that God could deal with us, and the way He does deal with us is, He can correct us.
You see, if God condemned us after we sinned, that would be pure legalism; that is, if we sin, we get the one-way ticket to Hell.
If God condoned our sin, that would be humanistic; where God would simply say that sin is no big deal and let it go.
But the 3rd way, God’s way, is Love. The Lord Himself said in Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke (reprimand) and chasten (subdue, humble, put someone in their place). Therefore, be zealous and repent.”
With the average age of our congregation, there is no doubt that either we have given or received discipline for misbehavior.
Approx. 2 yrs. ago I took a Leap of Faith & began online courses studying Christian Theology. One of my 1st classes was on Spiritual Discipline and the making of a Christian Mind. I was instantly hooked. Crazy that I waited until my late 50’s early 60’s to go back to school, let alone discovering that I thoroughly enjoy the entire process of studying. I was so uncertain about this that I didn’t even tell my husband until my last paper and needed help with the citation. By the Grace of God and extreme self-discipline to the extent of being boring to some and reclusive, I continue to receive the highest of grades.
Growing up in a strict (and I say this with respect and “now” appreciation) and a sports minded family, I learned the “art” of discipline early. I learned about practice, and more practice, dedication, commitment, to become the best that you could be @ the various sports that I played and the example of my older brother. Sure, some are more naturally inclined than others whether it is sports, singing, dance, care-giving, numbers, art, poetry, imagination, but I am sure most will agree to succeed @ anything takes a mind that is focused and disciplined.
But how about “Spiritual Discipline?”
Spiritual Discipline is the practical guide to human flourishing - - - a life transformed by the Power of the Holy Spirit, conformed to the image of God’s Son, to the Glory of God the Father.
A discipline for spiritual life is, an activity undertaken to bring us into more effective co-operation with Christ and His Kingdom. When we understand that Grace is a gift, we then see that to grow in grace is to grow in what is given to us of God and by God. The disciplines are then, in the clearest sense, a means to that grace and to those gifts. Spiritual disciplines, “exercises unto godliness,” are only the activities undertaken to make us capable of receiving more of His life and power w/o harm to ourselves or others.
Though we may not be aware of it, we experience disciplines every day. In these daily or natural disciplines, we perform acts that result in a direct command of further abilities that we would not otherwise have. If I trained really hard @ swimming, bike riding & running, I could conquer a triathlon; otherwise not, or practicing remembering names, if I repeat someone’s name out loud the chances of me remembering that persons name is greater than not.
The same thing happens with disciplines for our spiritual life. When through spiritual disciplines, we become able to bless those who curse us, pray w/o ceasing, to be @ peace when not given credit for good deeds we have done, or to master the evil that comes our way, it is because our disciplinary activities have inwardly posed us for more and more interaction with the powers of the living God and His Kingdom. Such is the potential we tap into when we live in the Presence of God.
The Spirit of the Disciplines confidently says that there is a way of spiritual transformation that is accessible to all people and it really does work in our contemporary world. The spirit of the disciplines is the way of Jesus, our divine but human teacher, who has walked and now walks that path before us and invites us to simply follow him as that path leads us through our lives into eternity.
The path starts where we are and as we are - - - no matter what precisely that means, or how despairing our situation may seem from the human perspective. We gain insight into how and why His path works and receive a power far beyond ourselves as we take the simple steps of His trusting apprentice living. (Hand-out bookmarks w/explanation)
When we look closely and continually @ Jesus, we do not lose sight of this one fundamental, crucial point – the activities constituting the disciplines have no value in themselves. The aim and substance of spiritual life is not fasting, prayer, hymn singing, cautious living, and so forth. Rather it is the effective and full enjoyment of active love of God and humankind in all the daily rounds of normal existence where we are placed. The spiritually advanced person is not the one who engages in lots and lots of disciplines, any more than the good child is the one who receives lots and lots of instruction and punishment recourse.
The new person and the new world for which humanity constantly seeks is the overriding theme of the biblical writings, culminating in the person and Kingdom of Jesus. To experience the newness of life in Jesus’ Kingdom, we need only to put into practice what confidence we have in Him, observe the outcome, and learn how to do better what we believe He would have us do. His way is self-validating to anyone who will openly and persistently put it into practice.
“To those who overcome,” Jesus says, “I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”
(Revelation 2:7)
By practicing our Faith, by applying our Faith, by being disciplined in our Faith in all aspects of our daily lives, we are clarifying and exemplifying realistic methods of human transformation. We are children of God and are called to show how ordinary individuals who make up humanity today can become, through the Grace of Christ, a love-filled, effective, and powerful community.
We are to learn from Christ how to live our total lives, how to invest our time and our energies of mind and body as He did. We must learn how to follow His preparations, the disciplines for life in God’s rule that enable Him to receive His Father’s constant and effective support while doing His will. We need to discover how to enter into His disciplines from where we stand today - - - and no doubt, how to extend and amplify those disciplines.
The challenge of forming habits based on the Grace of God is a very vital one. The Grace of God is praised, Jesus Christ is praised, the Redemption is praised, but our practical everyday life evades working it out. If we refuse to practice, it is not God’s Grace that fails when crisis comes, but our own nature. The practicing is ours, not God’s. God regenerates us and puts us in contact with all His divine resources, but He cannot make us walk according to His will.
David will you please read John 15:7-8
BTW and I’m sure most know this; what is the word above discipline in the dictionary? Disciple . . . . a coincidence? . . . I believe not.
The word abide carries the implication of complete attachment. It is related to ideas such as dwelling, staying, and settling in. It means sinking deep and growing roots, Jesus was not describing a surface faith. He was talking about a solid commitment – a relationship where we depend completely on Him to accomplish His work through us.
Spiritual Discipline is necessary for Christian growth. By practicing, with trusting, putting all our confidence in God’s Word, we can become like Christ in character and realize our highest ideals of well-being and well-doing.
This is the Heart ♥ of the New Testament’s Message.
I heard about a little boy who was floating his boat on a pond, when the boat floated away. A man came by and saw the boat out on the pond and began throwing stones on the far side of the boat. The boy said, “Mister, what are you doing?”
Without a word, the man kept throwing stones. Then something very interesting started to happen. As the stones hit the water beyond the boat, they created ripples which pushed the boat back toward the boy. Even though the stones disturbed the smooth water, they achieved the desired result.
That is exactly the way God’s discipline operates. When we drift away from Him on the sea of sin or the pond of unrighteousness, He throws out the disturbing stones of His loving discipline, sending out ripples of love, pushing us back to where we ought to be.
I can only speak for myself . . . but in my 62 short years I have found that being discipline, practicing and practicing again, remaining focused, committed to whatever it maybe; brings clarity to my passion(s) and purpose in life.
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
MACK'S INN, ISLAND PARK
September 29, 2017
"Accepted in the BelovED"
Ephesians 1:6
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
"To the praise of His glorious grace...in that He has made us accepted in the Beloved."
> What does it feel like to be on the outside looking in and to be the last chosen reluctantly in playing a game? What does it feel like to walk down a hall and have a group of people whispering, smiling maliciously and you know you are being talked about? It could be for any number of reasons that are unfair. >
> I remember Wanda and Wilbur from Junior High on through high school. Wanda was tall and gangly, hair in braids, long dresses and skirts, oversized glasses, never looking at anyone, locked in her own world or rejection. And then there was her twin Wilbur. Shorter than Wanda, so afraid in 7th grade to ask to go to the bathroom, that he preferred to sit where he was and urinate in his chair, and I’m sure you can imagine the laughing and overall reaction of the other students. Wanda and Wilbur came from an ultra-conservative, religious family. The blinds in their rundown house were never opened and in a poor section of town. I at times recall them these many years later, wondering what kind of lives they led as adults? I would speak to them once in a while, but never would they full engage in conversation. To me they were the epitome of rejection.
> Grace along with understanding and compassion was what they required. Where, with whom as parents they were born was not their choice. You could call them, victims of their circumstances. I could see the tightly wrapped pain of their existence. It emanated from their bodies like the dust that surrounds the character “Pig Pen” in Charlie Brown.
> Now, let's look at 'accepted.' The desire of 99.9% of the whole human race desires to be accepted. And what does accepted mean? Everything!
> Literally......a human being desires to be recognized and valued by at least one other person...and some by many other persons. To simply be accepted.
> The opposite is 'rejection.' Rejection means being outside the circle, alone, a form of bullying....unfortunately today as in the past....many, too many 'feel' to the core of their being...not included, unwanted, undesired, unlovable....and this is but one of the major causes of both individual and mass shootings, by individuals who are outside of acceptance.
> Acceptance....Rejection. Jesus knew the full impact of both of these words, as He was 'John 6:41-71where it reads, “Jesus was rejected by His own.” If....you feel outside the circle.... you always have Him to turn to, always, for He knows what it is like.
> Now to the word Beloved. It's a beautiful word even in its sound when spoken. Beloved - Be-loved. All desire to be-loved. It is an adjective as it describes a feeling....a good feeling, a great feeling. Some of the synonyms that accompany 'beloved' are darling, dear, dearest, precious, adored, cherished. Can't go wrong with any of those....as to the ones described as such.... find within themselves joy, acceptance, value, love. The greatest of these is love. When someone 'feels' loved....he or she can endure sometimes great pain if ill, secure if attacked verbally by others....are just a few examples.....knowing someone loves them.
> You see.... we live often and deeply by our 'feelings.' We use the terms such as I don't feel good about this, or I feel great about this. We sometimes correctly and sometimes erroneously, are guided by our 'feelings,' instead of common sense. Our feelings often override, dictating what we choose to do. So, there an upside and a downside to 'feelings.' Feelings are safe when subjected to reason, thought and sound decision making, but to be ruled by them can bring disaster!!!
We will get back to 'the verse' Ephesians 1:6 in a bit.... but first I want to lay a foundation to speak of the full meaning of this remarkable verse.> God’s love.....Christ’s love....is greater and deeper than we can possibly imagine....and if rejection comes, even from one we love....there is a way to overcome....and that is to recognized that no matter what man or woman does, or says to us...."to the praise of the glory of His grace...he has (by His love...shown in His death and resurrection) we ARE accepted us as His Beloved."
> A woman whose name I don't know.....wrote articles and words of encouragement to those who were physically suffering due to illness, as she herself had chronic, painful issues. An acquaintance of hers said to her, that he found no value in her writings. She 'felt' deeply discouraged, and almost quit, doubting the significance of what she considered her love offerings to God in helping others in her own special way. Through the strength of her family's love for her.....God's love for her, and other Scripture....that the one opinion, negative as it was from one person, and it could have been ten persons.....could not stop her from expressing her heart, her condition, and her own love for those in a situation like herself from giving the only gift she felt she could give. That...being herself.
> No one can take from us....what is inside us...unless we let them. No one..............
> If we are not strong on the inside to withstand, we will not be strong enough on the outside. All our strength, including the external is rooted to the inside.... who we are there determines who and what we are here.
> When you think about it....so, now think about it! Yes, now.
> Whether we came to believe in Christ at an alter in a revival, or a church, or on a hike alone.... sitting in a bar nursing a beer, jumping out of an airplane with a parachute on.......it matters not. Whether we prayed the classic Evangelical prayer....saying all the so called 'right words' , or simply have one of those rare times of understanding I call an epiphany, a moment of deep revelation....we came to believe that Jesus is the Savior and the Son of God.....at that moment, this verse comes into reality!
"To the praise of the glory of His grace....He made us, now, accepted in the Beloved....a part of He and His Kingdom.....forever....and ever. Amen
> These are wonderful, comforting, encouraging, enlightening, captivating, galvanizing, life-changing words. All praise to the glory of His Grace.
> They are almost like a poem...in their poetic harmony and beauty. There is music in them.... accepted....beloved....grace...glory....praise.....................
Amazing Grace....how sweet the sound.
The message is simple.... God accepts all who accept His Son by grace, through faith.....a covenant which is solemn and binding, between you and Christ....an unbreakable union....a perfect oneness..
In our hymnal on page 417....Just As I Am, Without One Plea......I am going to read the last verse.
Just as I am, Thy love unknown,
Hath broken every barrier down,
Now...to be Thine, yea, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come....
You.....You.....are important and of value as a child of God.....Just as you are, He says, come.
MACK'S INN, ISLAND PARK
September 29, 2017
"Accepted in the BelovED"
Ephesians 1:6
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
"To the praise of His glorious grace...in that He has made us accepted in the Beloved."
> What does it feel like to be on the outside looking in and to be the last chosen reluctantly in playing a game? What does it feel like to walk down a hall and have a group of people whispering, smiling maliciously and you know you are being talked about? It could be for any number of reasons that are unfair. >
> I remember Wanda and Wilbur from Junior High on through high school. Wanda was tall and gangly, hair in braids, long dresses and skirts, oversized glasses, never looking at anyone, locked in her own world or rejection. And then there was her twin Wilbur. Shorter than Wanda, so afraid in 7th grade to ask to go to the bathroom, that he preferred to sit where he was and urinate in his chair, and I’m sure you can imagine the laughing and overall reaction of the other students. Wanda and Wilbur came from an ultra-conservative, religious family. The blinds in their rundown house were never opened and in a poor section of town. I at times recall them these many years later, wondering what kind of lives they led as adults? I would speak to them once in a while, but never would they full engage in conversation. To me they were the epitome of rejection.
> Grace along with understanding and compassion was what they required. Where, with whom as parents they were born was not their choice. You could call them, victims of their circumstances. I could see the tightly wrapped pain of their existence. It emanated from their bodies like the dust that surrounds the character “Pig Pen” in Charlie Brown.
- Where could Wanda and Wilbur and thousands like them find acceptance, love, mercy and kindness? In the Grace of God……..and in the community of Believers. I hope.
- Last week I had the difficult task of telling someone in the congregation that they were no longer welcome here. When I left during the time the choir sang, of which I heard it was very good by the way, I asked someone in the service to go with me to address this person. He carried around with him his own version of Pig Pen’s aura. Being brain damaged in an accident years ago, he has never been right mentally since.
- I was hoping, really hoping and praying, and told him so when I asked him not to come back, that he would have found a place of acceptance here, a place that he felt he could belong. What happened was that along with his lifestyle, uncleanliness and clothing, as well as peculiar behavior, he could at least feel the presence of the Lord through us. Without going into a deep tell-all of his behaviors, the thing that I had to talk with him about, were several sexual advances he made to some women in the church and even community. This was completely unacceptable….as I explained to him. It was both sad and disturbing to myself and to him.
- Here was one person, on the fringe that I truly had hoped and prayed we could accept in the beloved, but being the minister of this church, it is my responsibility to make sure (as much as I can) that this is also a safe place, a place of refuge from that which happens in the world. The world close around us and the world at large.
- The foundational 'word' here that I and we attempted to show Greg was GRACE, for without it the rest of Scripture and all pertaining Scriptures are without value...have no foundation apart from Grace. It is a monumental word....a word so powerful in content and context that few can even approach it in value. Salvation is another one....for there is no grace apart from Salvation, and no Salvation apart from Grace. The two are in tandem....connected forever. GRACE when offered is not always accepted, not understood and sometimes abused.
> Now, let's look at 'accepted.' The desire of 99.9% of the whole human race desires to be accepted. And what does accepted mean? Everything!
> Literally......a human being desires to be recognized and valued by at least one other person...and some by many other persons. To simply be accepted.
> The opposite is 'rejection.' Rejection means being outside the circle, alone, a form of bullying....unfortunately today as in the past....many, too many 'feel' to the core of their being...not included, unwanted, undesired, unlovable....and this is but one of the major causes of both individual and mass shootings, by individuals who are outside of acceptance.
> Acceptance....Rejection. Jesus knew the full impact of both of these words, as He was 'John 6:41-71where it reads, “Jesus was rejected by His own.” If....you feel outside the circle.... you always have Him to turn to, always, for He knows what it is like.
> Now to the word Beloved. It's a beautiful word even in its sound when spoken. Beloved - Be-loved. All desire to be-loved. It is an adjective as it describes a feeling....a good feeling, a great feeling. Some of the synonyms that accompany 'beloved' are darling, dear, dearest, precious, adored, cherished. Can't go wrong with any of those....as to the ones described as such.... find within themselves joy, acceptance, value, love. The greatest of these is love. When someone 'feels' loved....he or she can endure sometimes great pain if ill, secure if attacked verbally by others....are just a few examples.....knowing someone loves them.
> You see.... we live often and deeply by our 'feelings.' We use the terms such as I don't feel good about this, or I feel great about this. We sometimes correctly and sometimes erroneously, are guided by our 'feelings,' instead of common sense. Our feelings often override, dictating what we choose to do. So, there an upside and a downside to 'feelings.' Feelings are safe when subjected to reason, thought and sound decision making, but to be ruled by them can bring disaster!!!
We will get back to 'the verse' Ephesians 1:6 in a bit.... but first I want to lay a foundation to speak of the full meaning of this remarkable verse.> God’s love.....Christ’s love....is greater and deeper than we can possibly imagine....and if rejection comes, even from one we love....there is a way to overcome....and that is to recognized that no matter what man or woman does, or says to us...."to the praise of the glory of His grace...he has (by His love...shown in His death and resurrection) we ARE accepted us as His Beloved."
> A woman whose name I don't know.....wrote articles and words of encouragement to those who were physically suffering due to illness, as she herself had chronic, painful issues. An acquaintance of hers said to her, that he found no value in her writings. She 'felt' deeply discouraged, and almost quit, doubting the significance of what she considered her love offerings to God in helping others in her own special way. Through the strength of her family's love for her.....God's love for her, and other Scripture....that the one opinion, negative as it was from one person, and it could have been ten persons.....could not stop her from expressing her heart, her condition, and her own love for those in a situation like herself from giving the only gift she felt she could give. That...being herself.
> No one can take from us....what is inside us...unless we let them. No one..............
> If we are not strong on the inside to withstand, we will not be strong enough on the outside. All our strength, including the external is rooted to the inside.... who we are there determines who and what we are here.
> When you think about it....so, now think about it! Yes, now.
> Whether we came to believe in Christ at an alter in a revival, or a church, or on a hike alone.... sitting in a bar nursing a beer, jumping out of an airplane with a parachute on.......it matters not. Whether we prayed the classic Evangelical prayer....saying all the so called 'right words' , or simply have one of those rare times of understanding I call an epiphany, a moment of deep revelation....we came to believe that Jesus is the Savior and the Son of God.....at that moment, this verse comes into reality!
"To the praise of the glory of His grace....He made us, now, accepted in the Beloved....a part of He and His Kingdom.....forever....and ever. Amen
> These are wonderful, comforting, encouraging, enlightening, captivating, galvanizing, life-changing words. All praise to the glory of His Grace.
> They are almost like a poem...in their poetic harmony and beauty. There is music in them.... accepted....beloved....grace...glory....praise.....................
Amazing Grace....how sweet the sound.
The message is simple.... God accepts all who accept His Son by grace, through faith.....a covenant which is solemn and binding, between you and Christ....an unbreakable union....a perfect oneness..
In our hymnal on page 417....Just As I Am, Without One Plea......I am going to read the last verse.
Just as I am, Thy love unknown,
Hath broken every barrier down,
Now...to be Thine, yea, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come....
You.....You.....are important and of value as a child of God.....Just as you are, He says, come.
The Little Church in the Pines
MACK'S INN, ISLAND PARK, IDAHO
October 22, 2019
"LORD, Don’t You Care”
Mark 4::38, Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?
by Tom Shanor, Pastor
~Today’s message ties in with last weeks, so you may hear a bit of the same theme throughout. I have had more than several comments, positive ones which gave me the inspiration for continuing with Life Isn’t Fair, But God Is! Pain is a part of life that we cannot escape, though I did see a brief special on TV of a woman in England that has never experienced pain, and of course she is being studied as to possibly find out the source or lack thereof that has made this possible. Pain, like life seems often very unfair and can be debilitating.
~ While I was sitting at my computer typing this, a rather intense manifestation of pain appeared out of nowhere in my right hand, that jolted me into the reality of pain and pain’s place in our lives. The pain in my hand gave me just one more thing I really need to see a physician for, because it has continued and it’s telling me something needs to be attended to. I don't like it though....pain that is, but that really doesn't matter, does it. Yet…in my most difficult times of pain, as when I had pancreatitis, the pain was definitely physical, but it also caused mental and emotional pain, and within those, fear. I asked the Lord why does pain have to run so deep and intense, that it extends to the deepest part of my being, making me ask, sometimes beg for relief, and I asked?
~ “Lord, don’t you care?” “Do you know the pain I am experiencing?”
~I remember so well, kneeling on the floor next to my bed, unable to simply lie there, gripping my hands together so as to cause different pain, to help relieve by distraction what was going on inside me.
~ How many of us right now, are in some kind of pain, physical, emotional or even mental…….how about spiritual?
~ I have made you aware before, albeit briefly, that there is at this time, division and strife, causing pain in my own family. The first time in over 40 years, and indeed much pain is involved, but years ago I learned to trust the Lord at a time of deep emotional pain, that (in time) HE told me, all will be resolved and set right, giving me a verse when I needed it, and even now need in faith to believe it, that ~ “All things work together for good, to those that love the Lord and are called according to and for His purpose.” Romans 8:21I believe this with all my heart. I have to.
~An interesting addendum occurred Friday, again while also working on this message, I got a call….
~My belief means trust, and takes the burden off of me alone to resolve it, because the Lord also asks us to give the pain to Him, and together we will share them. At times He will carry them for us and even carry us when we are unable to bear it. This is one of those times. Yes, again I am in pain, but not nearly as much as I would be without the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom He said would be with us (me) in times such as these. It’s never about who is to blame, or who did what, or did not do what to whom. It is about (those of us having God in our lives, having a forgiving and loving and trusting spirit. We must be ready at any moment, if such a time arrives…to be willing for and always desiring reconciliation.
~ Listen to these words written in pain by people in pain. A very honest, gut wrenching cry….a doggedly painful cry coming from our innermost being as I and we have asked on occasion in similar situations, “Lord don’t you care?” It has been asked, screamed and quietly said countless times, “Lord don’t you care” as a mother weeps over a stillborn child. A husband is torn from his wife by a tragic accident. The tears of a young child fall on his daddy’s casket, as the question wails internally if not externally!
~ We cry out, why me, why my child, why my job, why my house….why, why, why?
~ It is a timeless question. The question asked not once but many times over, by literally every person that has walked this planet we call home. There has never been a leader, an average person, man or woman, a mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, etc., who hasn’t asked it. There has never been a soul who hasn’t wrestled with this aching question. “Does God really care?” Even Jesus asked this question while on the cross as He was dying where in Mark 15:34 we read, “and at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.”
~In being forsaken, alone, as God turned His own eyes away from His Son, because He too could not stand to see and feel the pain, we conclude that Jesus is asking, where are you Father, don’t you care?
~ We find in this next illustration, the disciples and Jesus once again in a storm where Jesus, instead of walking on the water, is sound asleep, as the wind howled and the sea raged, the impatient and frightened disciples screamed out their fear at the soundly sleeping Jesus. “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to drown? Being seasoned fishermen, it must have been a very bad storm for them to be so frightened. As He awoke, at this time He could have pointed out their lack of solid belief in Him…their own immaturity, and told them to be quiet and let Him sleep. He could have in anger stood up and angrily dismissed the storm.
~Instead, with all the patience and presence that only One who cares can have, He answered the question by causing the storm to abate, standing up amidst the tumultuous waves and wind, commanding it without anger to stop, so the shivering, frightened disciples would not miss His response. He was with them and He did care….as even in a rebuke He preserved their lives.
~ Where is God when you hurt, when I hurt, when we are afraid, when a family hurts, a town, city, a nation? Fear runs amok today across the land, but He will speak to we who know Him and love Him, to give us assurance that indeed He does care. What and how He chooses to speak is up to Him and Him alone. It may not always be what we want to hear, or what we want to see accomplished….but speak, He will in the events themselves, or by the still quiet voice of the Spirit, words spoken by Him through Holy Scripture, or even perhaps through someone we would least expect to hear Him speak through. He will speak and bring a measure of comfort, saying, “fear not, for I am with you says the Lord.” Internal and external voices….and this church, is simply a matter of by our wills “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” and trusting Him….completely.
~ There was equal hurt/pain in Jesus day, just as there is equal hurt today. We all then, as now, are both receivers of and deliverers of hurt, from and to one another in many forms. Some of us are better at giving than receiving....such capability of our human race to create such amazing beauty and harmony....and at the same time, such hurt and chaos, pain and fear, make it so very hard to understand the dichotomy of the human race.
~ As a minister, what I have discovered over my many years of ministry is that pain and hurt, comes with brokenness of some kind and again, in the realms of physically, relationally, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
~ What is the purpose of hurt and pain? In its simplest explanation we are being told that something is wrong, somewhere. Something is broken, not working as it should. Something in our lives or somethings in our lives need attention. All too often we ignore the early signs in these areas of our lives, and do so at our own peril.
~ Again, as a minister I have yet to meet anyone who has not endured hurt and pain. I have ministered to those who have suffered greatly, yet have endured and over time by an attitude of forgiveness and letting God have that hurt, risen above it to become stronger, and often more compassionate and understanding, more tolerant and giving, more kind and patient.
~ I have also discovered that people in physical pain seem to be able to adapt and endure easier, than those with mental, emotional and spiritual hurt and pain.
~ If…we hold onto un-forgiveness, resentment, anger, bitterness, we are basically cursing ourselves with an attitude that is not Christ centered. These attitudes will affect our bodies, minds and spirits though we may not recognize it as such, so caught up are we in the negative emotion we are feeling.
~ I have taught on this subject several times and will continue to do so. Our nation and we as individuals, are so caught up in the negative aspects of our differences…that we cannot see the damage such attitudes are causing us. We are in the center of a maelstrom, surrounded by the fog of emotion that we fail to see and feel our common humanity, our common pain and hurt, our common confusion, and sense of lost-ness. As Christians we should be leading by both our words and our examples of what it means to walk and live in Christ. To be like Him in as many ways as we possibly can. We are to be people of peace…bringer of peace. Showing others there is a better way to handle pain, hurt, disappointment and life itself.
~ WE CAN have PEACE in our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus if we choose to do so! We can and we should. Peace, trust in faith, belief when it is difficult to believe. PEACE like a river…………flowing, carrying us along with it’s current. Washing away anxiety, fear and confusion.
~ Matthew 5:9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
~ Mark 9:49-50, For everyone will be tested by life. Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.
~ Luke 1:79, “God’s tender mercy is to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and guide us to the path of peace.
~ John 16:33, “I have told you all that I have told you so that you may have pace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
~ Ephesians 2:14, “For Christ himself has brought peace to us.”
~ 1 Peter 3:11, “Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace….and work to maintain it.”
~ I have on occasion said to myself at times, I have every right to be hurt, I have every right to be bitter, I have every right to be angry, I have every right to spread the tale of having been wronged, I have every right to cause pain to those who have caused me pain, and I have every right for retaliation…..when as a Christian, a follower or disciple of Jesus Christ….I lost that right to all those things, as have you!
~ It is right….to give our natural responses to Him, to work out in peace on the path right living….to forgive….to grant grace…..to be a man or woman of Peace. That is the right we have all been given. Let us walk in those life giving virtues, not in self-righteousness.
~ If we say we are Christians….it is our goal to live like one, and the only right we have is the right of Christ, who forgave those who stood at the foot his weapon of death….and mocked him, that is what we are to do also.
~ Peace…in the midst of hurt and pain….peace in the midst of chaos, peace in pain and peace in the midst of our personal storms. Peace can come like a river in our soul.
~ I honestly believe that Peace, the Peace of God brings with it health, in all areas of our lives. All the ways I have spoken of and especially, in the arena of pain and hurt. You first have to want it….need it and put into planting it in yourself as a priority in your life.
~ Jesus feels your pain and hurt, your confusion and fear, for He Himself experienced all of those himself. He desires that you walk with him and talk with him along life’s narrow way. In partnering with him, you will find yourself feeling better, feeling lighter, feeling more grateful, because you are not walking alone….you will be arm in arm with the one who said that no matter what you are going through….he would never leave or forsake you and will give you strength to overcome when you come to him and say, “It Hurts Lord.”
I will finish with this……Revelation 21:3c., “He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself with be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.
Amen
MACK'S INN, ISLAND PARK, IDAHO
October 22, 2019
"LORD, Don’t You Care”
Mark 4::38, Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?
by Tom Shanor, Pastor
~Today’s message ties in with last weeks, so you may hear a bit of the same theme throughout. I have had more than several comments, positive ones which gave me the inspiration for continuing with Life Isn’t Fair, But God Is! Pain is a part of life that we cannot escape, though I did see a brief special on TV of a woman in England that has never experienced pain, and of course she is being studied as to possibly find out the source or lack thereof that has made this possible. Pain, like life seems often very unfair and can be debilitating.
~ While I was sitting at my computer typing this, a rather intense manifestation of pain appeared out of nowhere in my right hand, that jolted me into the reality of pain and pain’s place in our lives. The pain in my hand gave me just one more thing I really need to see a physician for, because it has continued and it’s telling me something needs to be attended to. I don't like it though....pain that is, but that really doesn't matter, does it. Yet…in my most difficult times of pain, as when I had pancreatitis, the pain was definitely physical, but it also caused mental and emotional pain, and within those, fear. I asked the Lord why does pain have to run so deep and intense, that it extends to the deepest part of my being, making me ask, sometimes beg for relief, and I asked?
~ “Lord, don’t you care?” “Do you know the pain I am experiencing?”
~I remember so well, kneeling on the floor next to my bed, unable to simply lie there, gripping my hands together so as to cause different pain, to help relieve by distraction what was going on inside me.
~ How many of us right now, are in some kind of pain, physical, emotional or even mental…….how about spiritual?
~ I have made you aware before, albeit briefly, that there is at this time, division and strife, causing pain in my own family. The first time in over 40 years, and indeed much pain is involved, but years ago I learned to trust the Lord at a time of deep emotional pain, that (in time) HE told me, all will be resolved and set right, giving me a verse when I needed it, and even now need in faith to believe it, that ~ “All things work together for good, to those that love the Lord and are called according to and for His purpose.” Romans 8:21I believe this with all my heart. I have to.
~An interesting addendum occurred Friday, again while also working on this message, I got a call….
~My belief means trust, and takes the burden off of me alone to resolve it, because the Lord also asks us to give the pain to Him, and together we will share them. At times He will carry them for us and even carry us when we are unable to bear it. This is one of those times. Yes, again I am in pain, but not nearly as much as I would be without the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom He said would be with us (me) in times such as these. It’s never about who is to blame, or who did what, or did not do what to whom. It is about (those of us having God in our lives, having a forgiving and loving and trusting spirit. We must be ready at any moment, if such a time arrives…to be willing for and always desiring reconciliation.
~ Listen to these words written in pain by people in pain. A very honest, gut wrenching cry….a doggedly painful cry coming from our innermost being as I and we have asked on occasion in similar situations, “Lord don’t you care?” It has been asked, screamed and quietly said countless times, “Lord don’t you care” as a mother weeps over a stillborn child. A husband is torn from his wife by a tragic accident. The tears of a young child fall on his daddy’s casket, as the question wails internally if not externally!
~ We cry out, why me, why my child, why my job, why my house….why, why, why?
~ It is a timeless question. The question asked not once but many times over, by literally every person that has walked this planet we call home. There has never been a leader, an average person, man or woman, a mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, etc., who hasn’t asked it. There has never been a soul who hasn’t wrestled with this aching question. “Does God really care?” Even Jesus asked this question while on the cross as He was dying where in Mark 15:34 we read, “and at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.”
~In being forsaken, alone, as God turned His own eyes away from His Son, because He too could not stand to see and feel the pain, we conclude that Jesus is asking, where are you Father, don’t you care?
~ We find in this next illustration, the disciples and Jesus once again in a storm where Jesus, instead of walking on the water, is sound asleep, as the wind howled and the sea raged, the impatient and frightened disciples screamed out their fear at the soundly sleeping Jesus. “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to drown? Being seasoned fishermen, it must have been a very bad storm for them to be so frightened. As He awoke, at this time He could have pointed out their lack of solid belief in Him…their own immaturity, and told them to be quiet and let Him sleep. He could have in anger stood up and angrily dismissed the storm.
~Instead, with all the patience and presence that only One who cares can have, He answered the question by causing the storm to abate, standing up amidst the tumultuous waves and wind, commanding it without anger to stop, so the shivering, frightened disciples would not miss His response. He was with them and He did care….as even in a rebuke He preserved their lives.
~ Where is God when you hurt, when I hurt, when we are afraid, when a family hurts, a town, city, a nation? Fear runs amok today across the land, but He will speak to we who know Him and love Him, to give us assurance that indeed He does care. What and how He chooses to speak is up to Him and Him alone. It may not always be what we want to hear, or what we want to see accomplished….but speak, He will in the events themselves, or by the still quiet voice of the Spirit, words spoken by Him through Holy Scripture, or even perhaps through someone we would least expect to hear Him speak through. He will speak and bring a measure of comfort, saying, “fear not, for I am with you says the Lord.” Internal and external voices….and this church, is simply a matter of by our wills “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” and trusting Him….completely.
~ There was equal hurt/pain in Jesus day, just as there is equal hurt today. We all then, as now, are both receivers of and deliverers of hurt, from and to one another in many forms. Some of us are better at giving than receiving....such capability of our human race to create such amazing beauty and harmony....and at the same time, such hurt and chaos, pain and fear, make it so very hard to understand the dichotomy of the human race.
~ As a minister, what I have discovered over my many years of ministry is that pain and hurt, comes with brokenness of some kind and again, in the realms of physically, relationally, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
~ What is the purpose of hurt and pain? In its simplest explanation we are being told that something is wrong, somewhere. Something is broken, not working as it should. Something in our lives or somethings in our lives need attention. All too often we ignore the early signs in these areas of our lives, and do so at our own peril.
~ Again, as a minister I have yet to meet anyone who has not endured hurt and pain. I have ministered to those who have suffered greatly, yet have endured and over time by an attitude of forgiveness and letting God have that hurt, risen above it to become stronger, and often more compassionate and understanding, more tolerant and giving, more kind and patient.
~ I have also discovered that people in physical pain seem to be able to adapt and endure easier, than those with mental, emotional and spiritual hurt and pain.
~ If…we hold onto un-forgiveness, resentment, anger, bitterness, we are basically cursing ourselves with an attitude that is not Christ centered. These attitudes will affect our bodies, minds and spirits though we may not recognize it as such, so caught up are we in the negative emotion we are feeling.
~ I have taught on this subject several times and will continue to do so. Our nation and we as individuals, are so caught up in the negative aspects of our differences…that we cannot see the damage such attitudes are causing us. We are in the center of a maelstrom, surrounded by the fog of emotion that we fail to see and feel our common humanity, our common pain and hurt, our common confusion, and sense of lost-ness. As Christians we should be leading by both our words and our examples of what it means to walk and live in Christ. To be like Him in as many ways as we possibly can. We are to be people of peace…bringer of peace. Showing others there is a better way to handle pain, hurt, disappointment and life itself.
~ WE CAN have PEACE in our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus if we choose to do so! We can and we should. Peace, trust in faith, belief when it is difficult to believe. PEACE like a river…………flowing, carrying us along with it’s current. Washing away anxiety, fear and confusion.
~ Matthew 5:9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
~ Mark 9:49-50, For everyone will be tested by life. Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.
~ Luke 1:79, “God’s tender mercy is to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and guide us to the path of peace.
~ John 16:33, “I have told you all that I have told you so that you may have pace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
~ Ephesians 2:14, “For Christ himself has brought peace to us.”
~ 1 Peter 3:11, “Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace….and work to maintain it.”
~ I have on occasion said to myself at times, I have every right to be hurt, I have every right to be bitter, I have every right to be angry, I have every right to spread the tale of having been wronged, I have every right to cause pain to those who have caused me pain, and I have every right for retaliation…..when as a Christian, a follower or disciple of Jesus Christ….I lost that right to all those things, as have you!
~ It is right….to give our natural responses to Him, to work out in peace on the path right living….to forgive….to grant grace…..to be a man or woman of Peace. That is the right we have all been given. Let us walk in those life giving virtues, not in self-righteousness.
~ If we say we are Christians….it is our goal to live like one, and the only right we have is the right of Christ, who forgave those who stood at the foot his weapon of death….and mocked him, that is what we are to do also.
~ Peace…in the midst of hurt and pain….peace in the midst of chaos, peace in pain and peace in the midst of our personal storms. Peace can come like a river in our soul.
~ I honestly believe that Peace, the Peace of God brings with it health, in all areas of our lives. All the ways I have spoken of and especially, in the arena of pain and hurt. You first have to want it….need it and put into planting it in yourself as a priority in your life.
~ Jesus feels your pain and hurt, your confusion and fear, for He Himself experienced all of those himself. He desires that you walk with him and talk with him along life’s narrow way. In partnering with him, you will find yourself feeling better, feeling lighter, feeling more grateful, because you are not walking alone….you will be arm in arm with the one who said that no matter what you are going through….he would never leave or forsake you and will give you strength to overcome when you come to him and say, “It Hurts Lord.”
I will finish with this……Revelation 21:3c., “He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself with be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.
Amen
IT'S NOT FAIR!
I tell you….it’s just not fair!
How many times have you said or heard those very words?
How many times have you said those words to God, or were afraid to.....but thought them anyway.
September 15, 2019
In Christ...we (all) have redemption through his blood, with the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of "God's Grace that he 'lavished' on us. -Ephesians 1:7-8
.....This speaks of 'fairness' to the extreme, not unfairness, ir-regardless of age, status, occupation, race, nationality, gender....the only thing you have to be is 'human.'
.....This that I am about to share, is on the lighter side of fair verses unfair. As a human among other humans, single until I was 30, now a father of three, grandfather of ten, I have heard that phrase more than a few times, and spoken it when on occasion (as an example) we as a family were all together.....so chaotic was the din....when all I wanted during the din and chaos, was a little, just a little peace and quiet. The unfairness was that I had no place to be alone as my usual meditative self) and that had nothing to do with simply being a grumpy (at times) old man, During some of those moments, saving my family from the bad behavior of a ‘grumpy old man’ Grace rose to the surface and I succumbed to chaotic joy of family life. I was determined to be fair (behaviorally) in the midst of family being family, and kids simply being kids. It would have been unfair to them had I chosen to be what I felt like being.
.....Jesus told a parable about fairness in Matthew 20:1-16 (read)....now when I look at that parable through the eyes of the 12 hour workers....I could get all worked up, for sure. In the eyes of any average worker...it is not fair in the accepted working field, and yet the Lord's words go straight to the heart of matter. This is what you agreed to receive for what you agreed to do. It was fair. They loved it in the morning but hated it in the evening at the time of receiving their pay. In the natural realm we can understand their frustration and even anger.
.....We gentiles, accordingly late comers, were given grace....in becoming then and now, a part of the family of God....after thousands of years of Jews being called the children of God, the one true God....here we were by grace invited in to become a part of the family of God through Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. The Jews of His day were pretty ticked off about Jesus, then His disciples, and us being included as recipients of the title of family. We were by all accounts a pretty, or rather not so pretty hedonistic and idol worshiping group, even the sophisticated (for that day) Romans and Greeks.
.....You see, we Gentiles are all seen as the 5:00 o’clock workers. We've been chosen....and chosen to live our everyday lives for none other than God Himself. The God! The Great and Mighty God, Yahweh, Jehovah God, the Creator of heaven and earth...you and I working in and for God's kingdom, and not only that, but to share in the riches of God's grace and mercy.....and NOT because we 'deserve' it, but because in actuality we 'don't. That is not fair....that is GRACE.
.....Here's a secret about grace...ten little words that explain all you and I need to know: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31) And while it sounds simple, there's a profound message contained within those ten words.
.....Let's take a look at four words in this verse that deserve our attention. Speak slowly the phrase with me. "God is for us." (pause)
.....Let's say it again...only this time, say God is for ME!
.....You see....here is the bottom line. God is for YOU and Me!
.....You may have had a not so good parent, or perhaps a sibling(s) who picked on you all the time! You may have been bullied. You may have been looked over for a promotion. You may have gone through any number of negative, hurtful, painful, debilitating, unkind, mental, emotional, physical.....issues, problems....difficulties, etc., etc., and some of those from awful to horrific.
......But you....sitting here...are called, you ARE not only called, but are a son or daughter of God himself....who has called and calls you by your name.
....God is for you. Not "may be," not "has been," not "was," not "would be," but God is! He IS for you. Does this mean you had or will have a care-free life, without pain, sorrow, disappointments....no, life is life and we are Believers are dealt many of the same issues and sorrows that non-believers deal with.
.....One of the differences is....He will walk 'with you,' and may even carry you...you, no matter whether you are alone, you will never really be ALONE as long as let Him walk with you.
.....This is not pie in the sky, (whatever that means) religious talk....this is literal truth, and should be comforting.....in this life, and in the one to come.
.....He is as close to you now, as He will ever be (though some day you will literally see Him)....but are YOU (by faith) close enough to Him to sense and know His presence whether you feel it or not? Are you? That is your choice, not His. You can only know Him as much as You want to know Him.
.....Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have not compassion on the child she has borne? God asks Isaiah 49:15) this rather bizarre question. He says, “Can you even imagine feeding your infant and then later asking, What was my baby's name?” Of course not, but God says in Isaiah 49:15. but "even if she could forget...I will not forget you," God pledges."
.....God is FOR YOU. Knowing that.....whoever is against you, can do no eternal harm. Can death harm you now? Can disease take your life? Can purpose be taken, or your value diminished in human terms? Yes. Though hell may set itself against you, it can’t defeat you if you are truly in Christ. You are protected for eternity...God is for YOU.....and that is what grace means!
.....Peter (always testing things) says to the Lord in Matthew 14:22-32 READ
.....Peter is pleading with Jesus, and stepping out of a boat onto a stormy sea is not a move of logic....it is move of desperation. Desperation to test Jesus and further verify Peter’s growing belief in Jesus as the Messiah. Peter grabs the edge of the boat. Throws out a leg...then follows with the other. Several steps are taken and it's as if an invisible ridge of rocks runs beneath his feet. As long as he keeps his eyes locked on Jesus face...he walks. It is when he takes them away, looking at the roiling water beneath his feet....that he begins to sink.
.....We all too often do the same, don’t we? We come to Christ in a time of deep need. We abandon the boat of security and success. We realize, even like Moses finally did, that human strength can't save us. So...we look to the Lord in desperation. We realize, like Paul, that all the accomplishments, even the good deeds we have done are so little when we come before the 'Perfect One.' We also realize, like Peter, that spanning the gap between us and Jesus is a feat too great for us alone, and no matter our successes and security we will need Him there too.
.....So...When we need to beg for help, and hear his voice, we then step out in both faith and fear, hoping that our “faith” will be enough. Faith is not born at the negotiating table where we barter our gifts in exchange for God's goodness. Faith is NOT an award given to the most learned. It's not a prize given to the most disciplined. It's not a title bequeathed to the most religious.
....Faith IS at times, a desperate dive out of the roiling boat of 'human effort, and a prayer that God will be there to pull us out of the water if we sink. The apostle Paul wrote about this kind of faith:
.....For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith....and this not from yourselves, it IS the gift of God...not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9)
.....The SUPREME force in salvation is God's grace. Not our works, not our talents, not our feelings....and most certainly not our strength...unless it is the Lord’s strength coming through us because we permit Him to use us.
.....Grace is God's calming presence during the stormy seas of our lives......we hear His voice; we take the step, that first step out of the boat, keeping our eyes focused on His....walking by faith.
......We like Peter, are aware of two facts: We are going down if we do not stay in His presence....but also, like Peter...if we flounder and begin to sink...He will reach out and pull us up and out....to keep us from drowning.
.....We will find...as we discover the Presence of God, His love for us, our focus where it needs to be......that we are able to walk on the water of life.....failures are forgivable. Life has real purpose, and God, well, He is not only within sight....He is within reach!
LIFE ISN'T FAIR........BUT GOD IS!
2 Corinthians 2:14
But...thanks be to God,
Who always....leads us in triumphal procession
in Christ and through us... spreads everywhere, the fragrance of the knowledge of Him
I tell you….it’s just not fair!
How many times have you said or heard those very words?
How many times have you said those words to God, or were afraid to.....but thought them anyway.
September 15, 2019
In Christ...we (all) have redemption through his blood, with the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of "God's Grace that he 'lavished' on us. -Ephesians 1:7-8
.....This speaks of 'fairness' to the extreme, not unfairness, ir-regardless of age, status, occupation, race, nationality, gender....the only thing you have to be is 'human.'
.....This that I am about to share, is on the lighter side of fair verses unfair. As a human among other humans, single until I was 30, now a father of three, grandfather of ten, I have heard that phrase more than a few times, and spoken it when on occasion (as an example) we as a family were all together.....so chaotic was the din....when all I wanted during the din and chaos, was a little, just a little peace and quiet. The unfairness was that I had no place to be alone as my usual meditative self) and that had nothing to do with simply being a grumpy (at times) old man, During some of those moments, saving my family from the bad behavior of a ‘grumpy old man’ Grace rose to the surface and I succumbed to chaotic joy of family life. I was determined to be fair (behaviorally) in the midst of family being family, and kids simply being kids. It would have been unfair to them had I chosen to be what I felt like being.
.....Jesus told a parable about fairness in Matthew 20:1-16 (read)....now when I look at that parable through the eyes of the 12 hour workers....I could get all worked up, for sure. In the eyes of any average worker...it is not fair in the accepted working field, and yet the Lord's words go straight to the heart of matter. This is what you agreed to receive for what you agreed to do. It was fair. They loved it in the morning but hated it in the evening at the time of receiving their pay. In the natural realm we can understand their frustration and even anger.
.....We gentiles, accordingly late comers, were given grace....in becoming then and now, a part of the family of God....after thousands of years of Jews being called the children of God, the one true God....here we were by grace invited in to become a part of the family of God through Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. The Jews of His day were pretty ticked off about Jesus, then His disciples, and us being included as recipients of the title of family. We were by all accounts a pretty, or rather not so pretty hedonistic and idol worshiping group, even the sophisticated (for that day) Romans and Greeks.
.....You see, we Gentiles are all seen as the 5:00 o’clock workers. We've been chosen....and chosen to live our everyday lives for none other than God Himself. The God! The Great and Mighty God, Yahweh, Jehovah God, the Creator of heaven and earth...you and I working in and for God's kingdom, and not only that, but to share in the riches of God's grace and mercy.....and NOT because we 'deserve' it, but because in actuality we 'don't. That is not fair....that is GRACE.
.....Here's a secret about grace...ten little words that explain all you and I need to know: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31) And while it sounds simple, there's a profound message contained within those ten words.
.....Let's take a look at four words in this verse that deserve our attention. Speak slowly the phrase with me. "God is for us." (pause)
.....Let's say it again...only this time, say God is for ME!
.....You see....here is the bottom line. God is for YOU and Me!
.....You may have had a not so good parent, or perhaps a sibling(s) who picked on you all the time! You may have been bullied. You may have been looked over for a promotion. You may have gone through any number of negative, hurtful, painful, debilitating, unkind, mental, emotional, physical.....issues, problems....difficulties, etc., etc., and some of those from awful to horrific.
......But you....sitting here...are called, you ARE not only called, but are a son or daughter of God himself....who has called and calls you by your name.
....God is for you. Not "may be," not "has been," not "was," not "would be," but God is! He IS for you. Does this mean you had or will have a care-free life, without pain, sorrow, disappointments....no, life is life and we are Believers are dealt many of the same issues and sorrows that non-believers deal with.
.....One of the differences is....He will walk 'with you,' and may even carry you...you, no matter whether you are alone, you will never really be ALONE as long as let Him walk with you.
.....This is not pie in the sky, (whatever that means) religious talk....this is literal truth, and should be comforting.....in this life, and in the one to come.
.....He is as close to you now, as He will ever be (though some day you will literally see Him)....but are YOU (by faith) close enough to Him to sense and know His presence whether you feel it or not? Are you? That is your choice, not His. You can only know Him as much as You want to know Him.
.....Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have not compassion on the child she has borne? God asks Isaiah 49:15) this rather bizarre question. He says, “Can you even imagine feeding your infant and then later asking, What was my baby's name?” Of course not, but God says in Isaiah 49:15. but "even if she could forget...I will not forget you," God pledges."
.....God is FOR YOU. Knowing that.....whoever is against you, can do no eternal harm. Can death harm you now? Can disease take your life? Can purpose be taken, or your value diminished in human terms? Yes. Though hell may set itself against you, it can’t defeat you if you are truly in Christ. You are protected for eternity...God is for YOU.....and that is what grace means!
.....Peter (always testing things) says to the Lord in Matthew 14:22-32 READ
.....Peter is pleading with Jesus, and stepping out of a boat onto a stormy sea is not a move of logic....it is move of desperation. Desperation to test Jesus and further verify Peter’s growing belief in Jesus as the Messiah. Peter grabs the edge of the boat. Throws out a leg...then follows with the other. Several steps are taken and it's as if an invisible ridge of rocks runs beneath his feet. As long as he keeps his eyes locked on Jesus face...he walks. It is when he takes them away, looking at the roiling water beneath his feet....that he begins to sink.
.....We all too often do the same, don’t we? We come to Christ in a time of deep need. We abandon the boat of security and success. We realize, even like Moses finally did, that human strength can't save us. So...we look to the Lord in desperation. We realize, like Paul, that all the accomplishments, even the good deeds we have done are so little when we come before the 'Perfect One.' We also realize, like Peter, that spanning the gap between us and Jesus is a feat too great for us alone, and no matter our successes and security we will need Him there too.
.....So...When we need to beg for help, and hear his voice, we then step out in both faith and fear, hoping that our “faith” will be enough. Faith is not born at the negotiating table where we barter our gifts in exchange for God's goodness. Faith is NOT an award given to the most learned. It's not a prize given to the most disciplined. It's not a title bequeathed to the most religious.
....Faith IS at times, a desperate dive out of the roiling boat of 'human effort, and a prayer that God will be there to pull us out of the water if we sink. The apostle Paul wrote about this kind of faith:
.....For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith....and this not from yourselves, it IS the gift of God...not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9)
.....The SUPREME force in salvation is God's grace. Not our works, not our talents, not our feelings....and most certainly not our strength...unless it is the Lord’s strength coming through us because we permit Him to use us.
.....Grace is God's calming presence during the stormy seas of our lives......we hear His voice; we take the step, that first step out of the boat, keeping our eyes focused on His....walking by faith.
......We like Peter, are aware of two facts: We are going down if we do not stay in His presence....but also, like Peter...if we flounder and begin to sink...He will reach out and pull us up and out....to keep us from drowning.
.....We will find...as we discover the Presence of God, His love for us, our focus where it needs to be......that we are able to walk on the water of life.....failures are forgivable. Life has real purpose, and God, well, He is not only within sight....He is within reach!
LIFE ISN'T FAIR........BUT GOD IS!
2 Corinthians 2:14
But...thanks be to God,
Who always....leads us in triumphal procession
in Christ and through us... spreads everywhere, the fragrance of the knowledge of Him
The Little Church in the Pines
September 8, 2019
"Anchors in Times of Change"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
CHANGE.....the "process leading to the "end result" of something or someone 'becoming' different." There is biological change....which is ongoing and sometimes relentless....and other times in change we look forward to the results...such as when we are kids, undergoing the change of becoming adults. We are eager for the changes.
....Then...in that biological race to the end.....we, even in our thirties, begin to notice (as in my case) a loss of precious hair. Then at some point we begin to accept the fact of change and we move on, only to notice more 'changes.' Then comes the sixties.....OMG....they seem to be piling up....unnerved, we attempt then to make the mental, emotional & new physical limitations and adjustments, to where we are at that point in time, and where we are headed....having never been through it before....we simply keep going, adjusting (or trying to) as the changes come.... It is not am altogether joyless, though sometimes a fearful journey, once we accept the inevitable....but it can be one of adventure...if indeed we are adventurers. The hardest adjustments to the changes I believe are those we have to make in the loss of friends...family...loved ones.
.....Then there is social change....and social change in this, our day, is enormous...due to the increase of communication, available information and knowledge...this too, especially for we 'older' folk can be overwhelming and even unnerving. Younger people seem to walk into it with eagerness and an expectancy that in itself has the ability to adapt.
.....You see....old, middle age or young....all of us are in need of ANCHORS...."the word comes from the Greek word "ancura".....an anchor being a device, an object, a person, or even a God. An anchor is connected by some means, physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually, or all of these....to a person or object, keeping it or they, (being you and I) from drifting away into whatever current is pulling it or us into. An anchor can be either temporary or permanent. An anchor means simply....stability.
....Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:13 "Anchor yourself to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me...a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us...carefully guard the precious truth that has been given to you to be treasured."
.....The essence of that truth spoken singularly is this....where Jesus says, "I am the Way the Truth and the Life...and in John 11:26, "And whoever continues to live in, and believes in (has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on) ME shall never actually die, even though he or she dies physically.
....The lord Jesus Christ has given us many, and all the anchors we need to make it through this life...in him, IF....we adhere to Him and His truths....for in Him, we move and live and have our being.
....There is a hymn we sang, that examples and exemplifies what I am speak of.....page 92 in our Hymnal...THE SOLID ROCK....as we take refuge in and on the Rock that is Christ, even during changes, storms of them, we can find shelter and a refuge.
....Galatians 1:8 is also an anchor....Paul telling us very clearly what we need to hear and know. "But even if we...or an angel from heaven should preach to you...a gospel contrary to and different from that which we preached to you...let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal life.)
....There is another warning given by Jesus Himself, that goes right along with these words of Paul, found in Mark 13:6, "Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many."
....And then we find in Second Corinthians 11:4, "For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, (when we prayed for you) or a different gospel from the original one you accepted, you believe it way too easily." We have been warned........and the anchor in our lives is Christ Himself...the Christ of both the Old and New Testaments.
...In Numbers 10:21 we read of the Jews....always on the move in their flight from Egypt, and ahead of the main party, the Kohathite division of the Levites, p(priests) carrying the sacred objects from the Tabernacle arrived at the next camp. The Tabernacle would already be set up at the new location. Meaning....Those who recognize and embrace compelling and necessary changes, sometimes forced, can move and face new challenges, knowing what it is like to be uprooted and forced into change.
….Although we can read where many of Jews wanted to turn back to Egypt, as some preferred even slavery to have to change. What occurred…..was this, the older generation had to die out, almost completely before those who did not remember the past….could enter into the Promised Land and embrace the change.
.... For us, stability does not mean lack of change....but because God in Christ, by His Spirit who lives within us...Acts 17:28, no matter the change, we can have stability. "For in him we live and move and have our being."
....Today...in our congregations, especially in the smaller churches, we have almost completely lost our young people, both teens and young families. Many of the teens who do come, compelled by their parents, thinking often to themselves, (having spoken to some) that they cannot wait until they are adults, free of having to attend. Old stories, taught with old methods not relevant to their lives today simply bore them. They often seem like fairy tales without substance. They entertain the youngest children, but with life so complex today, along with science and current contemporary information available to them, those as early as eight and above struggle to believe. Larger churches are using new methods and new information to capture the heart and minds of the kids, attempting to us the teachings of Jesus to meet their needs.
....The young families, (if they are still attending services) prefer the larger churches with contemporary worship, youth focused classes, audio and visual presentations, I-phone updates, texting....etc. WE, here in our worship gatherings....also lack young people. We don’t have many in Island Park to start with.
We speak the truth...but often not in the language of those younger. We are in a wave of cultural change....one that I personally believe will continue to grow and eventually become a Tsunami....sweeping away in time many of those ways, rituals, ceremonies, etc., things we have held dear and are comfortable because of their repetition and content.
Why are we so afraid……what in us rails against a new way or wave of doing things…especially in the church?
....For what is happening is not always a bad thing, if we realize the necessity of relevancy and application, and make way for timely and necessary changes. In order to be an anchor...the church itself must adapt… without compromising the gospel or the Lord....but present and embrace new opportunities through media and technology....the truths that keep us anchored to Him, the anchors are the same, and are proven truths. Look at the difference between the culture of the Lord in his days on earth, and ours…they are as dissimilar as they can possibly be.
….There is a need to take this call seriously, and to do research and even visit some of the larger churches to see how this dilemma is being handled.
….Jesus, as a singular and historic figure, brought more changes to the planet than any other person who has lived. He brought dramatic changes to the religion of the Jews, the religions of the world. His changes encompass justice, culture, art, music, science, the calendar, and oh so much more.
….Yes, we find comfort in stability….yet change cannot be stopped, it can be delayed, it can be studies and led, it can come slowly or quickly, subtle or dramatically, but change is inevitable no matter the resistance.
….My question for us is…..are we a ‘resistor,” “participator” or a “helpful guide” and overseer in necessary change….change that promotes and brings life even more abundantly. Change which goes beyond the comfort of self….looking forward to the next generation and the generations beyond even those……Christ in us, the HOPE of glory.
….quoting a favorite author of mine, Brain D. McLaren, he writes; “over the last ten years, something has changed for me. I haven’t simply moved to a new spiritual location where I am now settling down…from, say, static Fundamentalism to static Evangelicalism to static Liberalism. Instead, I’ve come to see that what matters most is not our status or denomination, but our trajectory, not where we are but where we are going, not where we stand but where we’re headed. Christian faith for me is no longer a static location but a great spiritual journey. And that changes everything!”
…It’s all about attitude…..a good attitude, though resistance at times can be good, at times it can also be devastating….and spirit killing.
….In the late 1700s, “Sabbath (Sunday) Sunday School Societies” were started here and there throughout the United States. But at first, many members of the clergy were opposed to them, maintaining that it was a desecration of the Lord’s Day to hold school on Sunday. A pastor in Connecticut said of a class help in his church on Sunday, “You imps of Satan, doing the devil’s work. I’ll have you set in the street!”
SOMEONE ONCE SAID…….
. One generation cannot do with the others…..The older generation is our link with the past, the younger generation is our link with the future, and we need both. John Maxwell
. If our horse is dead, for goodness sake….dismount it! Eddy Ketchursid
….My prayer is…we maintain our congregational health….grow In our love of the Lord…and each other….always expressing in both worship and everyday living…the Love of the One who loves us….and gives us love more abundantly, but still look for some contemporary ways via electronics, etc., that can help us bridge the gap between generations. Change comes with an attitude change. It begins in our minds and moves to our hearts that are settled in him, but open to new avenues of communicating the Gospel….and flows out from there….are you willing?
Sometimes God forces us to change….by changing our circumstances, at times far beyond and far faster than what we can or want imagine…..and in turn “we” change our attitude, embracing the change it brings, but why wait until we are forced……..
By circumstances….our lives can change in an instant….why wait. Begin now, to allow change, change us, into the image Jesus Christ our Lord and Friend.
…..Our anchors are the moral and spiritual truths’ that Jesus brought us, teaches us and asks us to live out our lives on. These can be taught to the youngest through the full birth to death journey of life. Our main anchor is Christ and His life as He exampled. He also gives us the Spirit of Life as our guide, source of wisdom and comfort when we are in need, as I taught last week.
…..We, today as in early church…..need to reorient our focus for all ages on the New Testament, the New Covenant that Christ emphasizes again and again as to gain the wisdom, power and strength needed to live. This is where our focus needs to be.
…..On Christ the Solid Rock I stand….all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand. Amen
September 8, 2019
"Anchors in Times of Change"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
CHANGE.....the "process leading to the "end result" of something or someone 'becoming' different." There is biological change....which is ongoing and sometimes relentless....and other times in change we look forward to the results...such as when we are kids, undergoing the change of becoming adults. We are eager for the changes.
....Then...in that biological race to the end.....we, even in our thirties, begin to notice (as in my case) a loss of precious hair. Then at some point we begin to accept the fact of change and we move on, only to notice more 'changes.' Then comes the sixties.....OMG....they seem to be piling up....unnerved, we attempt then to make the mental, emotional & new physical limitations and adjustments, to where we are at that point in time, and where we are headed....having never been through it before....we simply keep going, adjusting (or trying to) as the changes come.... It is not am altogether joyless, though sometimes a fearful journey, once we accept the inevitable....but it can be one of adventure...if indeed we are adventurers. The hardest adjustments to the changes I believe are those we have to make in the loss of friends...family...loved ones.
.....Then there is social change....and social change in this, our day, is enormous...due to the increase of communication, available information and knowledge...this too, especially for we 'older' folk can be overwhelming and even unnerving. Younger people seem to walk into it with eagerness and an expectancy that in itself has the ability to adapt.
.....You see....old, middle age or young....all of us are in need of ANCHORS...."the word comes from the Greek word "ancura".....an anchor being a device, an object, a person, or even a God. An anchor is connected by some means, physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually, or all of these....to a person or object, keeping it or they, (being you and I) from drifting away into whatever current is pulling it or us into. An anchor can be either temporary or permanent. An anchor means simply....stability.
....Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:13 "Anchor yourself to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me...a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us...carefully guard the precious truth that has been given to you to be treasured."
.....The essence of that truth spoken singularly is this....where Jesus says, "I am the Way the Truth and the Life...and in John 11:26, "And whoever continues to live in, and believes in (has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on) ME shall never actually die, even though he or she dies physically.
....The lord Jesus Christ has given us many, and all the anchors we need to make it through this life...in him, IF....we adhere to Him and His truths....for in Him, we move and live and have our being.
....There is a hymn we sang, that examples and exemplifies what I am speak of.....page 92 in our Hymnal...THE SOLID ROCK....as we take refuge in and on the Rock that is Christ, even during changes, storms of them, we can find shelter and a refuge.
....Galatians 1:8 is also an anchor....Paul telling us very clearly what we need to hear and know. "But even if we...or an angel from heaven should preach to you...a gospel contrary to and different from that which we preached to you...let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal life.)
....There is another warning given by Jesus Himself, that goes right along with these words of Paul, found in Mark 13:6, "Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many."
....And then we find in Second Corinthians 11:4, "For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, (when we prayed for you) or a different gospel from the original one you accepted, you believe it way too easily." We have been warned........and the anchor in our lives is Christ Himself...the Christ of both the Old and New Testaments.
...In Numbers 10:21 we read of the Jews....always on the move in their flight from Egypt, and ahead of the main party, the Kohathite division of the Levites, p(priests) carrying the sacred objects from the Tabernacle arrived at the next camp. The Tabernacle would already be set up at the new location. Meaning....Those who recognize and embrace compelling and necessary changes, sometimes forced, can move and face new challenges, knowing what it is like to be uprooted and forced into change.
….Although we can read where many of Jews wanted to turn back to Egypt, as some preferred even slavery to have to change. What occurred…..was this, the older generation had to die out, almost completely before those who did not remember the past….could enter into the Promised Land and embrace the change.
.... For us, stability does not mean lack of change....but because God in Christ, by His Spirit who lives within us...Acts 17:28, no matter the change, we can have stability. "For in him we live and move and have our being."
....Today...in our congregations, especially in the smaller churches, we have almost completely lost our young people, both teens and young families. Many of the teens who do come, compelled by their parents, thinking often to themselves, (having spoken to some) that they cannot wait until they are adults, free of having to attend. Old stories, taught with old methods not relevant to their lives today simply bore them. They often seem like fairy tales without substance. They entertain the youngest children, but with life so complex today, along with science and current contemporary information available to them, those as early as eight and above struggle to believe. Larger churches are using new methods and new information to capture the heart and minds of the kids, attempting to us the teachings of Jesus to meet their needs.
....The young families, (if they are still attending services) prefer the larger churches with contemporary worship, youth focused classes, audio and visual presentations, I-phone updates, texting....etc. WE, here in our worship gatherings....also lack young people. We don’t have many in Island Park to start with.
We speak the truth...but often not in the language of those younger. We are in a wave of cultural change....one that I personally believe will continue to grow and eventually become a Tsunami....sweeping away in time many of those ways, rituals, ceremonies, etc., things we have held dear and are comfortable because of their repetition and content.
Why are we so afraid……what in us rails against a new way or wave of doing things…especially in the church?
....For what is happening is not always a bad thing, if we realize the necessity of relevancy and application, and make way for timely and necessary changes. In order to be an anchor...the church itself must adapt… without compromising the gospel or the Lord....but present and embrace new opportunities through media and technology....the truths that keep us anchored to Him, the anchors are the same, and are proven truths. Look at the difference between the culture of the Lord in his days on earth, and ours…they are as dissimilar as they can possibly be.
….There is a need to take this call seriously, and to do research and even visit some of the larger churches to see how this dilemma is being handled.
….Jesus, as a singular and historic figure, brought more changes to the planet than any other person who has lived. He brought dramatic changes to the religion of the Jews, the religions of the world. His changes encompass justice, culture, art, music, science, the calendar, and oh so much more.
….Yes, we find comfort in stability….yet change cannot be stopped, it can be delayed, it can be studies and led, it can come slowly or quickly, subtle or dramatically, but change is inevitable no matter the resistance.
….My question for us is…..are we a ‘resistor,” “participator” or a “helpful guide” and overseer in necessary change….change that promotes and brings life even more abundantly. Change which goes beyond the comfort of self….looking forward to the next generation and the generations beyond even those……Christ in us, the HOPE of glory.
….quoting a favorite author of mine, Brain D. McLaren, he writes; “over the last ten years, something has changed for me. I haven’t simply moved to a new spiritual location where I am now settling down…from, say, static Fundamentalism to static Evangelicalism to static Liberalism. Instead, I’ve come to see that what matters most is not our status or denomination, but our trajectory, not where we are but where we are going, not where we stand but where we’re headed. Christian faith for me is no longer a static location but a great spiritual journey. And that changes everything!”
…It’s all about attitude…..a good attitude, though resistance at times can be good, at times it can also be devastating….and spirit killing.
….In the late 1700s, “Sabbath (Sunday) Sunday School Societies” were started here and there throughout the United States. But at first, many members of the clergy were opposed to them, maintaining that it was a desecration of the Lord’s Day to hold school on Sunday. A pastor in Connecticut said of a class help in his church on Sunday, “You imps of Satan, doing the devil’s work. I’ll have you set in the street!”
SOMEONE ONCE SAID…….
. One generation cannot do with the others…..The older generation is our link with the past, the younger generation is our link with the future, and we need both. John Maxwell
. If our horse is dead, for goodness sake….dismount it! Eddy Ketchursid
….My prayer is…we maintain our congregational health….grow In our love of the Lord…and each other….always expressing in both worship and everyday living…the Love of the One who loves us….and gives us love more abundantly, but still look for some contemporary ways via electronics, etc., that can help us bridge the gap between generations. Change comes with an attitude change. It begins in our minds and moves to our hearts that are settled in him, but open to new avenues of communicating the Gospel….and flows out from there….are you willing?
Sometimes God forces us to change….by changing our circumstances, at times far beyond and far faster than what we can or want imagine…..and in turn “we” change our attitude, embracing the change it brings, but why wait until we are forced……..
By circumstances….our lives can change in an instant….why wait. Begin now, to allow change, change us, into the image Jesus Christ our Lord and Friend.
…..Our anchors are the moral and spiritual truths’ that Jesus brought us, teaches us and asks us to live out our lives on. These can be taught to the youngest through the full birth to death journey of life. Our main anchor is Christ and His life as He exampled. He also gives us the Spirit of Life as our guide, source of wisdom and comfort when we are in need, as I taught last week.
…..We, today as in early church…..need to reorient our focus for all ages on the New Testament, the New Covenant that Christ emphasizes again and again as to gain the wisdom, power and strength needed to live. This is where our focus needs to be.
…..On Christ the Solid Rock I stand….all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand. Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
September 1, 2019
The Holy Spirit in Christianity & In You!
by Pastor Tom Shanor
…..During our Sunday hour of Worship, and also during our Bible study on Fridays, and finally in our daily lives…..we always affirm and recognize God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son…..and on a other times, the Holy Spirit. This morning I am going to spend some time in talking about, and affirming the place of the Holy Spirit in Worship, as a source of Power, Teacher, as a Person, and as an indwelling Presence in our lives so that we might call upon His Presence and Power, in times of need and in times of Worship.
……Every Sunday as the offering is brought to the Table, we sing the Doxology, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him, all creatures here below, Praise Him above, ye Heavenly host; praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost”, another interpretative word for Spirit. Because according to Scripture, unlike the Son, the Spirit does not inhabit a body. Being in many places at one time (according to Scripture) the Spirit is a living, ethereal being, and very real source of power, comfort and wisdom.
I LOVE singing the Doxology every Sunday, a hymn that unifies all of us at that moment, which I believe comes from a deep connection we feel with the Three-in-One God that we Worship.
…..This mysterious and what we call supernatural Creator, is in fact moving in the natural realm for God that is beyond our five senses, realistically speaking there is no supernatural.
……In countless languages the Doxology is treasured and is most likely the most sung hymn across the world on any given Sunday.
…..Another of our worship hymns is this one.
Holy Spirit with light divine,
Shine upon this heart of mine;
Cast the shades of darkness away,
Turn my darkness into day……………
…..Humanity manifested individually as a person, whether male or female is simply a human being, being human. God as a person…..has human attributes such as a personality, emotions, cognitive thinking, reflecting, (in His image) much of who we are as a person. But….God can take any form He chooses. Jesus once born a human baby, then as a man, obviously had a form, and by all accounts in Scripture, kept the same form during His life here on earth with the exception He revealed to the Disciples in the garden, and then, as revealed in His resurrection. Three times I had the privilege of seeing Him, once in a fully awake vision, and twice in a dream. Another picture of Jesus is described in the book of Revelation, where He takes on the form of the celestial King of Kings in all His magnificence and glory.
…..There is only one mention of the Holy Spirit taking on a visible form, and that was during the baptism of Jesus by John, when the Spirit in Luke 3:22 descends on him in ‘bodily’ form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, who I love; with you I am well pleased.”
…..Later….after the Ascension of Jesus….they were told to stay in Jerusalem in Luke 24 as He tells them. “I am going to send you what my Father has promised, but stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with ‘power from heaven.’ When they were obedient to do as He said, they were on the day of Pentecost filled with the Holy Spirit…with evidence of speaking in languages they did not know, for the purpose exhibiting great power, as a way of evangelizing the huge crowd that had gathered because of these manifestations . The Holy Spirit also at that time manifested His power, appearing over the heads of the disciples in tongues of flames.
….READ 1 Corinthians 12:4-11….some of these are what we call the supernatural gifts, though to the Spirit they are everyday manifestations.
…..Today, some, perhaps many of us actually, when hearing of this event, akin it to mythology…..perhaps the exaggerations of hyped up men and women, with overwhelming emotions, having lost their Lord…..were emotionally over-wrought. Yet many of us also believe that the Spirit, when He chooses can come in the same manner, and some of us (myself included, have experienced a similar event in my own life, when I wasn’t hyped up on emotions.
….. It was not spooky or weird, but for me a very present reality….of the Person and Presence of the Holy Spirit. Tongues is simply a tool….for me in prayer. My gift of tongues is not to be spoken out loud, (some are) but for personal times of prayer in privacy…as the Spirit gives utterance. You couldn’t talk me out of believing it was from God….but you could say from your perspective that I was crazy I guess…..but you see, it’s hard to convince a person who has had a personal experience of this or any kind, that what they experienced was not true. Of course you could say the same of a mentally ill person, who experiences (in his or her own head) similar or even more dramatic occurrences, but I consider myself a sane man, not prone to exaggeration, visions or strange events, even though I have had perhaps a half dozen such events over my 74 years, that I KNOW came from God.
…. The Spirit Being…. having reason, direction and cognitive thinking has personality, presence and power. We don’t see much of that power today overtly in our own mainstream churches, but I do believe we can ask for and receive more than what we have, and of course there are Pentecostal Churches that commonly move in the power and manifestations of the Spirit. Some are legitimate and some are not.
…..All we need to do is simply and sincerely pray and ask. My hope is, that this sermon might cause you to be curious….and do some research and praying on your own, to come to know and understand on a deeper level the Person and Power of the Holy Spirit of God.
……It takes the Power of God to truly live this Christian life. I mentioned early on He too is called The Teacher. If in studying Scripture you desire to know more, and go deeper, pray that the Spirit will take you there. This is found in John 14:26 as His role. “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative…that is, the Holy Spirit…He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
……Following the letter of the Law and working out our own salvation is not the way to go. Yes…we are to do what Jesus taught us, but not for the purpose of earning our way into His grace or heaven itself. I have said on numerous occasions…that we are not to worship our religion, but to follow and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. If…. we desire this, we need to take the time to get to know Him better…. Him being the Triune God…. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and do so out of our love and honor of Him, not to earn our degree.
…..Some Christian theologians identify the Holy Spirit with what is called the Holy Breath in Jewish tradition. Another is ‘Elohim’ or Spirit of God…and yet another is YHWH, (Spirit of Yahweh) In the New Testament where the Spirit is identified among others, with the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Truth, the Paraclete, which means Advocate or Counselor, just one of the multiple names given to Him.
…..The New Testament also details a close relationship between the Holy Spirit and Jesus during His early life and ministry. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke and the Nicene Creed state that Jesus was “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary”, and during the Last Supper Jesus ‘promised’ to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples after his departure….and as we already covered, He did.
…..The theology of the Holy Spirit is called pneumatology. The Holy Spirit here is referred to as “the Lord, the Giver of Life.” In the Nicene Creed summarizes several key beliefs held by most Christian denominations.
…..The participation of the Holy Spirit, at the time of a person’s conversion to Christ is apparent in Jesus final post-Resurrection instructions to His disciples at the end of the Gospel of Matthew (28:19) “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and the Son and the HOLY SPIRIT” in prayer, absolution and benediction.
…..The term Holy Spirit appears 90 times in the New Testament, so He cannot be ignored. The Sacredness of the Holy Spirit is affirmed in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 12:30-32) Mark 3:28-30) and Luke 12:8-10.) which proclaims that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is ‘the’ unforgivable sin. How is blasphemy of the Spirit described? Jesus said it is when we ascribe spiritual events and teachings to the spirit of Satan, the gifts and teachings of the Spirit of God, therefore denying the Spirit…that is blasphemy.
…..Our dependence on the Holy Spirit during times of telling others about Christ is spoken of in Mark 13:11, specifically refers to the power of the Holy Spirit to act and speak through the disciples of Jesus in time of need: “do not be anxious beforehand what you will say: but whatsoever you are given in that hour…that is what you are to speak, for it is not you that is speaking, but the Holy Spirit through you.”
…..That simply means….our relationship with Jesus and the Spirit is so good….that if listen for that still small voice….within us, we don’t need to stress….we just need to say what, as we in our inner person or spirit…can hear the Holy Spirit speaking to us..
…..I am reminded of Connie and all those who go down to the JCC. I have heard Connie say” I didn’t know what to say, but it just came to me”…the result….now over 90 troubled young people have acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and Lord….and are excited. That is similar to the Day of Pentecost…when the Gospel was being preached after the disciples were filled with the Spirit. 69! That is a revival is what that is…..it’s awesome.
…..Spirit of the Living God…fall afresh on me X 2
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me,
Spirit of the Living God….fall afresh on me…………..
…..Listen….God is the same…the Triune God….yesterday, today and forever….He chooses at different times to manifest Himself in a variety of ways….we should ever be ready to pay attention to both the subtleties of His words and actions…and not shy away from His overt manifestations as well, should they happen. We should seek to be filled daily with his Holy Spirit…..We are the church….the body of Christ shown to the world, through us, our behavior towards one another…and to the strangers life itself brings to us.
…..To me…this old guy as a pastor, has seen and experienced a lot of great teaching, some poor teaching and some really bad teaching, but the evidence, real evidence in my opinion, of a Spirit-filled Christian can be found in Galatians 5:22-23.”The Fruit of the Spirit is a Biblical term, that describes an individual Christian and a Community of Believers, exhibiting the nine character virtues of a true follower of Christ, and it reads, “”But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!!!!”
…..We are….a blessed people!!!! AMEN
September 1, 2019
The Holy Spirit in Christianity & In You!
by Pastor Tom Shanor
…..During our Sunday hour of Worship, and also during our Bible study on Fridays, and finally in our daily lives…..we always affirm and recognize God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son…..and on a other times, the Holy Spirit. This morning I am going to spend some time in talking about, and affirming the place of the Holy Spirit in Worship, as a source of Power, Teacher, as a Person, and as an indwelling Presence in our lives so that we might call upon His Presence and Power, in times of need and in times of Worship.
……Every Sunday as the offering is brought to the Table, we sing the Doxology, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him, all creatures here below, Praise Him above, ye Heavenly host; praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost”, another interpretative word for Spirit. Because according to Scripture, unlike the Son, the Spirit does not inhabit a body. Being in many places at one time (according to Scripture) the Spirit is a living, ethereal being, and very real source of power, comfort and wisdom.
I LOVE singing the Doxology every Sunday, a hymn that unifies all of us at that moment, which I believe comes from a deep connection we feel with the Three-in-One God that we Worship.
…..This mysterious and what we call supernatural Creator, is in fact moving in the natural realm for God that is beyond our five senses, realistically speaking there is no supernatural.
……In countless languages the Doxology is treasured and is most likely the most sung hymn across the world on any given Sunday.
…..Another of our worship hymns is this one.
Holy Spirit with light divine,
Shine upon this heart of mine;
Cast the shades of darkness away,
Turn my darkness into day……………
…..Humanity manifested individually as a person, whether male or female is simply a human being, being human. God as a person…..has human attributes such as a personality, emotions, cognitive thinking, reflecting, (in His image) much of who we are as a person. But….God can take any form He chooses. Jesus once born a human baby, then as a man, obviously had a form, and by all accounts in Scripture, kept the same form during His life here on earth with the exception He revealed to the Disciples in the garden, and then, as revealed in His resurrection. Three times I had the privilege of seeing Him, once in a fully awake vision, and twice in a dream. Another picture of Jesus is described in the book of Revelation, where He takes on the form of the celestial King of Kings in all His magnificence and glory.
…..There is only one mention of the Holy Spirit taking on a visible form, and that was during the baptism of Jesus by John, when the Spirit in Luke 3:22 descends on him in ‘bodily’ form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, who I love; with you I am well pleased.”
…..Later….after the Ascension of Jesus….they were told to stay in Jerusalem in Luke 24 as He tells them. “I am going to send you what my Father has promised, but stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with ‘power from heaven.’ When they were obedient to do as He said, they were on the day of Pentecost filled with the Holy Spirit…with evidence of speaking in languages they did not know, for the purpose exhibiting great power, as a way of evangelizing the huge crowd that had gathered because of these manifestations . The Holy Spirit also at that time manifested His power, appearing over the heads of the disciples in tongues of flames.
….READ 1 Corinthians 12:4-11….some of these are what we call the supernatural gifts, though to the Spirit they are everyday manifestations.
…..Today, some, perhaps many of us actually, when hearing of this event, akin it to mythology…..perhaps the exaggerations of hyped up men and women, with overwhelming emotions, having lost their Lord…..were emotionally over-wrought. Yet many of us also believe that the Spirit, when He chooses can come in the same manner, and some of us (myself included, have experienced a similar event in my own life, when I wasn’t hyped up on emotions.
….. It was not spooky or weird, but for me a very present reality….of the Person and Presence of the Holy Spirit. Tongues is simply a tool….for me in prayer. My gift of tongues is not to be spoken out loud, (some are) but for personal times of prayer in privacy…as the Spirit gives utterance. You couldn’t talk me out of believing it was from God….but you could say from your perspective that I was crazy I guess…..but you see, it’s hard to convince a person who has had a personal experience of this or any kind, that what they experienced was not true. Of course you could say the same of a mentally ill person, who experiences (in his or her own head) similar or even more dramatic occurrences, but I consider myself a sane man, not prone to exaggeration, visions or strange events, even though I have had perhaps a half dozen such events over my 74 years, that I KNOW came from God.
…. The Spirit Being…. having reason, direction and cognitive thinking has personality, presence and power. We don’t see much of that power today overtly in our own mainstream churches, but I do believe we can ask for and receive more than what we have, and of course there are Pentecostal Churches that commonly move in the power and manifestations of the Spirit. Some are legitimate and some are not.
…..All we need to do is simply and sincerely pray and ask. My hope is, that this sermon might cause you to be curious….and do some research and praying on your own, to come to know and understand on a deeper level the Person and Power of the Holy Spirit of God.
……It takes the Power of God to truly live this Christian life. I mentioned early on He too is called The Teacher. If in studying Scripture you desire to know more, and go deeper, pray that the Spirit will take you there. This is found in John 14:26 as His role. “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative…that is, the Holy Spirit…He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
……Following the letter of the Law and working out our own salvation is not the way to go. Yes…we are to do what Jesus taught us, but not for the purpose of earning our way into His grace or heaven itself. I have said on numerous occasions…that we are not to worship our religion, but to follow and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. If…. we desire this, we need to take the time to get to know Him better…. Him being the Triune God…. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and do so out of our love and honor of Him, not to earn our degree.
…..Some Christian theologians identify the Holy Spirit with what is called the Holy Breath in Jewish tradition. Another is ‘Elohim’ or Spirit of God…and yet another is YHWH, (Spirit of Yahweh) In the New Testament where the Spirit is identified among others, with the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Truth, the Paraclete, which means Advocate or Counselor, just one of the multiple names given to Him.
…..The New Testament also details a close relationship between the Holy Spirit and Jesus during His early life and ministry. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke and the Nicene Creed state that Jesus was “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary”, and during the Last Supper Jesus ‘promised’ to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples after his departure….and as we already covered, He did.
…..The theology of the Holy Spirit is called pneumatology. The Holy Spirit here is referred to as “the Lord, the Giver of Life.” In the Nicene Creed summarizes several key beliefs held by most Christian denominations.
…..The participation of the Holy Spirit, at the time of a person’s conversion to Christ is apparent in Jesus final post-Resurrection instructions to His disciples at the end of the Gospel of Matthew (28:19) “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and the Son and the HOLY SPIRIT” in prayer, absolution and benediction.
…..The term Holy Spirit appears 90 times in the New Testament, so He cannot be ignored. The Sacredness of the Holy Spirit is affirmed in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 12:30-32) Mark 3:28-30) and Luke 12:8-10.) which proclaims that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is ‘the’ unforgivable sin. How is blasphemy of the Spirit described? Jesus said it is when we ascribe spiritual events and teachings to the spirit of Satan, the gifts and teachings of the Spirit of God, therefore denying the Spirit…that is blasphemy.
…..Our dependence on the Holy Spirit during times of telling others about Christ is spoken of in Mark 13:11, specifically refers to the power of the Holy Spirit to act and speak through the disciples of Jesus in time of need: “do not be anxious beforehand what you will say: but whatsoever you are given in that hour…that is what you are to speak, for it is not you that is speaking, but the Holy Spirit through you.”
…..That simply means….our relationship with Jesus and the Spirit is so good….that if listen for that still small voice….within us, we don’t need to stress….we just need to say what, as we in our inner person or spirit…can hear the Holy Spirit speaking to us..
…..I am reminded of Connie and all those who go down to the JCC. I have heard Connie say” I didn’t know what to say, but it just came to me”…the result….now over 90 troubled young people have acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and Lord….and are excited. That is similar to the Day of Pentecost…when the Gospel was being preached after the disciples were filled with the Spirit. 69! That is a revival is what that is…..it’s awesome.
…..Spirit of the Living God…fall afresh on me X 2
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me,
Spirit of the Living God….fall afresh on me…………..
…..Listen….God is the same…the Triune God….yesterday, today and forever….He chooses at different times to manifest Himself in a variety of ways….we should ever be ready to pay attention to both the subtleties of His words and actions…and not shy away from His overt manifestations as well, should they happen. We should seek to be filled daily with his Holy Spirit…..We are the church….the body of Christ shown to the world, through us, our behavior towards one another…and to the strangers life itself brings to us.
…..To me…this old guy as a pastor, has seen and experienced a lot of great teaching, some poor teaching and some really bad teaching, but the evidence, real evidence in my opinion, of a Spirit-filled Christian can be found in Galatians 5:22-23.”The Fruit of the Spirit is a Biblical term, that describes an individual Christian and a Community of Believers, exhibiting the nine character virtues of a true follower of Christ, and it reads, “”But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!!!!”
…..We are….a blessed people!!!! AMEN
The Little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
August 18, 2019
"pride and prejudice"
PROVERBS 16:18-19/21
By; Pastor Tom Shanor
Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall.
Those who listen to instruction will prosper;
Those who trust in the Lord, will be joyful!
The wise....
are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive.
This is not about Jane Austin's novel by this name, (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE) but.....her story charts the emotional development of the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, who learns the error of making hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between the superficial and the essential.
WOULD THAT WE ALL DO THE SAME!
A protagonist (if you do not know) is the main character among all the leading characters in a play, drama, movie, etc....in your life, you...are the protagonist, and what you and I, as a protagonist, learn along the way, not only learn, but apply to our lives can affect not only us, but all the other protagonists in their lives....so in some ways, by our words and by our actions, we literally affect the entire human population....much like a pebble being thrown into the center of a calm pond....”our” ripples move forth from that center larger in our immediate area...but gradually washing up on shore. Smaller, perhaps almost insignificant and unseen, but having reached the shore, nonetheless.
~ We all know, or think we know the full meaning of the word “PRIDE,” but let’s assume we do not.
~ Pride is an inwardly directed ‘emotion’ that carries two ‘antithetical’ meanings. Antithetical means (they are not compatible), they do not belong together and never will. With the negative connotation pride refers to a “foolishly and irrationally corrupt sense of one’s personal value, status or accomplishments, used synonymously with hubris, or excessive pride or excessive self-confidence.
Maybe today I should have a chalkboard up here! : )
~ Now, with a positive (yes there is a positive pride) connotation, pride refers to a humble and content sense of attachment towards one’s own, or another’s choices and actions, even towards a whole group of people, and is a product of praise, independent self-reflection, and fulfilled feelings of accomplishment, but never (emotion here) “feeling” above or better than someone else. Thereby never become prideful…or egotistical. Narcissistic…a person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves.
~ In a book titled “Similairan…. we find Satan as the protagonist. He…created by God, the most beautiful of the Angels…and with a voice like no other, would lead the Angelic Choir….but, because of his beauty, as he was called “Morning Star” and his voice, he began to think of himself as equal to God. He then began in his mind a rebellion…. thinking he could outsmart God. He quietly began to convince other angels that indeed he was equal and perhaps even greater than…. but of course, God knew what was happening because…He was God, but he let it happen. Up until this time, there was never a discordant note in the singing of the choir of angels. Then…suddenly and without warning, because of his pride and prejudice, a discordant note was heard in the heavenly choir. God…stopped the singing…saying, what is this I hear, and who is this, that destroys the harmony and beauty of My choir of Angels. Upon revelation and then confrontation…the once beautiful Morning Star, and all who followed him were cast out of heaven, and once so beautiful, now Morning Star became hideous and evil, and those who followed him suffered the same consequences…. becoming Satan and his demons.
…. This is an allegory, or a story of happenings that have symbolic meaning, deep and profound. Though not a word for word story of Satan’s fall, it is full of symbolic meaning for those who have negative pride….and always with negative, and even sometimes deadly results. Our Scripture verse parallels this story very well. Pride comes before destruction……………………………………
~ Prideful people….are insecure, needing to inflate the egos< and as a result need to have themselves built up by others….and if not by others, through power and force (if in the position to wield that power) through fear and manipulation of reprisal of many kinds, and who demand, control and obedience
~ Paul, once proud in his position of a righteous Jew among Jews…. used that pride to manipulate Jewish leaders in to giving him judgmental power to maim and kill Believers…UNTIL…he encountered a greater power than himself on the road to Damascus. Jesus…. Paul overnight became a humble follower of the Savior…. though it did not make him weak…. but strong in a new way, under the directions and power of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit.
Oswald Chambers says, “Pride” “is a sin of whose presence its victim is least conscious. There are he also says, three tests by means of which it can soon be discovered.
- The test of precedence. How do we react when another is selected for the assignment or position, we had worked towards and perhaps even expected? When another is promoted, and we are overlooked? When another outshines us in gifts and accomplishments. How DO we react?
- The test of sincerity. In our moments of honest self-criticism, needing to talk to someone, we will talk of our private struggles and things about ourselves, and really mean them to trusted friends. But how do we feel that someone tells others, especially our rivals, and they in turn, repeat these same things about us to others, that we had shared in honesty and privately with them.
~ Two ducks and a rather egotistical frog developed a friendship in their small pond. When their pond dried up due to a drought, the ducks knew they could easily fly to another location, but what of their friend the frog? Finally, they decided to fly with a stick between their two bills, and with the frog hanging onto the stick by his mouth. All went well until a man looked up and saw them pass close to him overhead. “What a clever idea,” said the man. “I wonder who thought of that.”
The frog (being rather egotistical) opened his mouth, to say, “I did.” and splattered onto the sidewalk.
~ There is nothing wrong in healthy pride…pride that has a humble foundation of gratefulness undergirding it. I take pride and pleasure in finishing a painting that I end up being pleased with, and that others enjoy while looking at it. Underlying that pride is gratefulness and pleasure…. that I was born with the ability to do what I do, grateful to God for giving it to me.
~ If…I happen to be able to put together a sermon or talk that comes across well, and people comment on it, saying so. I simply say “thank you.” and am glad, and I also in my mind and heart give the Lord the thanks and praise….and after a while doing so just becomes part of us.
Please understand, I am not saying I am the perfect example of a man without pride…. but through life in Christ, I have at least learned to temper somewhat that of which I am capable of being. Praise God!
~ There is pride in our hearts and gratefulness when our kids and grandkids do well. Even then we should tell them so…but also remember to tell them, that they should give thanks to the Lord for their achievement. To do so…keeps them focusing on being thankful and grateful, and to not judge others for not doing as well as they, because we are all different in our levels of gifting and abilities.
~ We can become prejudicial against all sorts of people, places and things which in turn make us into judgmental, unkind, mean-spirited people. Religion against religion…racial differences that cause division…. white pride, black pride, yellow pride, red pride, one above another, all pride of this kind is simply and deeply divisive.
Christ came to set, not an example, but THE EXAMPLE of what it means to walk in and through life with the right heart and the right attitudes. Here are some examples.
I will end with this…. look around this room, this church building and what do you see? You see fellow believers. Friends, maybe strangers, but we are all part of the same creation, made by the same God…..we are all equal in His sight and heart, and though we all come from different backgrounds, educations, financial histories…but, our similarities are greater than our differences…..because the source of our beings are one and the same. We are all under Grace…and we are all saved by that same grace…no matter of the above things I spoke of. We are ONE in Christ, and therefore there is no room for negative pride or prejudice in the life of a Christian, or even a church.
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
August 11, 2019
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
"THEY THAT WAIT UPON THE LORD"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Teach me, Lord; teach me, Lord, to wait.
Waiting…..oh, waiting! Waiting, like patience & waiting, are two of the most difficult virtues in life to learn…and learning is what it takes!!!! It can be one of the most stress-filled things we can encounter, and again, learn to do.
I would like you to repeat with me these words. “Hearing doesn’t mean we are listening.” We can shut off at will our listening, even though we may be seeming attentive and focused. How many of us are capable of this? All of us, but sometimes with good reasons.
Waiting and patience….waiting and patience. I have a situation that is I permitted it, would try my patience to the hilt….but I have managed thus far to keep it under control.
This next Friday I am to finish closing the sale of my little house in I.F. Everything seems to be in place….but until all the documents and signed and delivered…..if I let it, it would drive me nuts, so high could be my anxiety.
~Ordinary, everyday things (up here for many)would be, waiting for a fish to bite, for all of us, “standing in line at the grocery store”, airport, waiting for results from lab work, MRI, waiting for the beginning of our vacation, the birth of a child, grandchild......and any other literally millions of things, events and people that are to take place in the future, often cause us to be impatient, anxious, restless, even angry.
~another ordinary example in my life…just the other day, waiting to pick up my paint at Lowe’s. One man handling seven people, and spending all his time on the phone…you know how it goes. Everyone one is looking at everyone else. Him still on the phone…saying nothing to us. WELL…what do I do after five minutes…I of the seven, push the help button at the counter. No one comes, then, I go looking for a manager of some kind….finally finding one, tell him our dilemma. He sends one poor confused woman clerk, who gingerly makes her way into the crowd (behind the counter where it is safe) and then the guy on the phone shows up. He under the pressure of stares and murmuring had drifted away, (for safety I think) You see I had been the first one there, and knew my paint was but a few feet away in the shaker….all that time. I-…was not the epitome of patience, though not unkind, I was a force to reckoned with. The manger patted me on the back to soothe my wrinkled brow!
~ In living this way (as I did then)…. be it 10 minutes, or 10 years with an attitude, we lose the time we have at hand (with a bad attitude). Time to live in the now on the up side, instead of down side for our lives go by without having fully lived in the present by living anxiously while waiting. To learn to live in the present is vital to a good life, for an unexpected turn of someone's car into our own, a man sitting on his porch relaxing this last year in Hawaii, when the volcano was so expressive, and suddenly a volcanic lava bomb crashes through his porch roof, shattering his right leg. Why does this moment, or why should this moment, even right now, sitting here in this little church mean more than we think it does. Simply because we are right here, right now.
~ Some of you may be thinking about where you are going on your four-wheeler after the service, or your old friend, your fishing pole is sitting in the corner just waiting for you to pick it up, or your outdoor chaise lounge on your porch is calling your name, as I know it often does mine. I must say at that moment, I will be fully living in the present….listening to the wind in the pines, the scent of how fragrant they can be, birds singing, four-wheelers whizzing by. (smile)
~ So much in life is about waiting. We twiddle our thumbs, shuffle our feet, stifle our yawns, sigh long and loud, fretting inwardly in frustration. When is he ever going to be finished up there? (that’s me)
~ God might be saying...listen, and hear what is being spoken, so that you need to listen….to what is being spoken, even by me.
~ Waiting is one of life's best teachers, for in life only can we learn the virtue of.....well, waiting, waiting patiently while God unseen and seen works in us and for us. It is His desire and for our good, that we develop patience and endurance...and along with those, the ability to trust, even when it seems we have waited long enough for whatever it is we are waiting for.
~Sometimes this trial of waiting...and learning patience I'm afraid for most (as I said earlier, is a tough one to learn. On the spiritual side of our lives, not so hard, because we do not often take that side of our lives as seriously as we take the physical, emotional, and mental side of our lives. We often relegate our spiritual lives to simply coming together on Sunday morning in attending our worship service. It's kind of ironic how long an hour might seem Sunday morning, especially when Dave looks at me, then his watch. Worshiping, (my hope and prayer is), that is not the case here? And how short that hour seems when we spend it fishing, playing golf, bridge...or spending that time in our chaise lounge on the porch.
~ Here is an excellent illustration of patience, besides spending 20-25 minutes listen to me.
~ We all know that there are Chinese bamboo trees of which the Pandas live primarily off of, consuming 20-30 pounds a day.
~ Well, the Chinese plant a bamboo seed; they water and fertilize it, and the first year nothing happens. The second, third and fourth year, watering and fertilizing....nothing happens, not even a shoot. Then the fifth year, once again watering and fertilizing, it begins to grow, and in a period of six weeks, that fifth year, it grows roughly ninety feet. The question is, did it grown ninety feet in six weeks, or did it grown ninety feet in five years. The obvious answer is that it grew ninety feet in five years, because for the first four it was growing a root system that would support ninety feet of growth, in six short weeks as it plunges to the sky.
~ The obvious fact is....what really counts in our lives is both what and how we grow inside our minds, hearts and spirits by the work we do in all of these areas, by what we feed ourselves with. When difficulty comes, and come it will, because that is just the way life is, will we be able to stand when they happen...or fall because we have not taken the time or energy to build a root system or foundation under us that goes deep, able to support us when the winds and earthquakes of life assail us?
~ I used this illustration one other time, so you may remember it, but it is worthy of repeating. (It is never too late to begin).....the right time is always right now...and now IS the time. One of John F. Kennedy's favorite stories concerned French General Louis Lyataa. After World War I, the general asks his gardener to plant an oak tree in a particular area of his estate. The gardener noted to the general, that the tree that he had chosen was slow-growing and would not reach maturity for nearly a century, and did the general really want such a slow growing Oak, for there were some that would grow much faster. The General's response was, "In that case, there is no time to lose. Plant it this afternoon."
~ In regards to our spiritual lives.....there is not a better time to start, than today. For today is what we know we have.
~ Now back to my foundational Scripture in Isaiah 40:31. "They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength, they shall rise up with wings of eagles, they will walk and not be weary, they shall run and not faint, teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait."
~ It is proven time and time and time again, that those who spend time cultivating their life in God through Christ, are those who when difficulties assail them....come through the storms not untouched, but with an inward strength and the ability to cope far above those who do not have the spiritual walk and strength they have, through their knowledge and relationship with Him. Being a Believer is no protection from the hard times in life....it is simply that we have the Creator at our side through it all. Through it all....and we also have each other, of the same faith and relationship...as we are family.
~ We shall rise up with wings as eagles....have you ever watched an eagle rise, and how little they move their wings...for they simply catch an up draft effortlessly...and go from one to the next when it comes along, eventually rising to sometimes over 10,000 feet, soaring elegantly, effortlessly and beautifully. This is how we too....with God as our wings, staying in his updrafts....takes us to great heights, even when through events and illness and circumstances, that seem to weigh us down, He desires to carry us up, if we will let him....by getting to first walk with him, and talk with him, along life's narrow way.
Three things I want to finish with………
1. Let God be your hope. (2 Chronicles 20:12) "Our eyes are set upon you." "My eyes are ever on the Lord."
2. Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) Wait quietly on the Lord, patiently getting to know him.
3. Give ourselves to him. Submitting our wills to His, for He works through and in all things for our own good.
~As we go through difficulty, trials and temptations, he will never leave us or forsake us. He is with us because he wants to renew our strength at the end of whatever it is we go through. In these times if we allow him, he builds us into men and women after his own image.
~I am almost finishing with number 3 above, Romans 8:28 from the Message, "We can be sure that every detail of our lives of love for God, are worked into something good."
Using Jesus as an example of waiting and patience....in a biography written by Missionary JO. Fraser, he wrote, "nothing is more noticeable than the quiet, even poise of His life. Never flustered whatever happened, never taken off His guard, however assailed by men or demons, in the midst of fickle people, hostile rulers, and faithless disciples….always calm always collected. Christ the hard worker indeed....but doing no more, and no less, than God has appointed Him to do, with no restlessness, no hurry, no worry. Was ever such a peaceful life lived, under conditions so un-settling.
"He who waits on God loses no time, but gain love, grace, mercy, maturity and of course salvation. To God be the glory…………………
Amen
August 11, 2019
Macks Inn, Island Park, Idaho
"THEY THAT WAIT UPON THE LORD"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Teach me, Lord; teach me, Lord, to wait.
Waiting…..oh, waiting! Waiting, like patience & waiting, are two of the most difficult virtues in life to learn…and learning is what it takes!!!! It can be one of the most stress-filled things we can encounter, and again, learn to do.
I would like you to repeat with me these words. “Hearing doesn’t mean we are listening.” We can shut off at will our listening, even though we may be seeming attentive and focused. How many of us are capable of this? All of us, but sometimes with good reasons.
Waiting and patience….waiting and patience. I have a situation that is I permitted it, would try my patience to the hilt….but I have managed thus far to keep it under control.
This next Friday I am to finish closing the sale of my little house in I.F. Everything seems to be in place….but until all the documents and signed and delivered…..if I let it, it would drive me nuts, so high could be my anxiety.
~Ordinary, everyday things (up here for many)would be, waiting for a fish to bite, for all of us, “standing in line at the grocery store”, airport, waiting for results from lab work, MRI, waiting for the beginning of our vacation, the birth of a child, grandchild......and any other literally millions of things, events and people that are to take place in the future, often cause us to be impatient, anxious, restless, even angry.
~another ordinary example in my life…just the other day, waiting to pick up my paint at Lowe’s. One man handling seven people, and spending all his time on the phone…you know how it goes. Everyone one is looking at everyone else. Him still on the phone…saying nothing to us. WELL…what do I do after five minutes…I of the seven, push the help button at the counter. No one comes, then, I go looking for a manager of some kind….finally finding one, tell him our dilemma. He sends one poor confused woman clerk, who gingerly makes her way into the crowd (behind the counter where it is safe) and then the guy on the phone shows up. He under the pressure of stares and murmuring had drifted away, (for safety I think) You see I had been the first one there, and knew my paint was but a few feet away in the shaker….all that time. I-…was not the epitome of patience, though not unkind, I was a force to reckoned with. The manger patted me on the back to soothe my wrinkled brow!
~ In living this way (as I did then)…. be it 10 minutes, or 10 years with an attitude, we lose the time we have at hand (with a bad attitude). Time to live in the now on the up side, instead of down side for our lives go by without having fully lived in the present by living anxiously while waiting. To learn to live in the present is vital to a good life, for an unexpected turn of someone's car into our own, a man sitting on his porch relaxing this last year in Hawaii, when the volcano was so expressive, and suddenly a volcanic lava bomb crashes through his porch roof, shattering his right leg. Why does this moment, or why should this moment, even right now, sitting here in this little church mean more than we think it does. Simply because we are right here, right now.
~ Some of you may be thinking about where you are going on your four-wheeler after the service, or your old friend, your fishing pole is sitting in the corner just waiting for you to pick it up, or your outdoor chaise lounge on your porch is calling your name, as I know it often does mine. I must say at that moment, I will be fully living in the present….listening to the wind in the pines, the scent of how fragrant they can be, birds singing, four-wheelers whizzing by. (smile)
~ So much in life is about waiting. We twiddle our thumbs, shuffle our feet, stifle our yawns, sigh long and loud, fretting inwardly in frustration. When is he ever going to be finished up there? (that’s me)
~ God might be saying...listen, and hear what is being spoken, so that you need to listen….to what is being spoken, even by me.
~ Waiting is one of life's best teachers, for in life only can we learn the virtue of.....well, waiting, waiting patiently while God unseen and seen works in us and for us. It is His desire and for our good, that we develop patience and endurance...and along with those, the ability to trust, even when it seems we have waited long enough for whatever it is we are waiting for.
~Sometimes this trial of waiting...and learning patience I'm afraid for most (as I said earlier, is a tough one to learn. On the spiritual side of our lives, not so hard, because we do not often take that side of our lives as seriously as we take the physical, emotional, and mental side of our lives. We often relegate our spiritual lives to simply coming together on Sunday morning in attending our worship service. It's kind of ironic how long an hour might seem Sunday morning, especially when Dave looks at me, then his watch. Worshiping, (my hope and prayer is), that is not the case here? And how short that hour seems when we spend it fishing, playing golf, bridge...or spending that time in our chaise lounge on the porch.
~ Here is an excellent illustration of patience, besides spending 20-25 minutes listen to me.
~ We all know that there are Chinese bamboo trees of which the Pandas live primarily off of, consuming 20-30 pounds a day.
~ Well, the Chinese plant a bamboo seed; they water and fertilize it, and the first year nothing happens. The second, third and fourth year, watering and fertilizing....nothing happens, not even a shoot. Then the fifth year, once again watering and fertilizing, it begins to grow, and in a period of six weeks, that fifth year, it grows roughly ninety feet. The question is, did it grown ninety feet in six weeks, or did it grown ninety feet in five years. The obvious answer is that it grew ninety feet in five years, because for the first four it was growing a root system that would support ninety feet of growth, in six short weeks as it plunges to the sky.
~ The obvious fact is....what really counts in our lives is both what and how we grow inside our minds, hearts and spirits by the work we do in all of these areas, by what we feed ourselves with. When difficulty comes, and come it will, because that is just the way life is, will we be able to stand when they happen...or fall because we have not taken the time or energy to build a root system or foundation under us that goes deep, able to support us when the winds and earthquakes of life assail us?
~ I used this illustration one other time, so you may remember it, but it is worthy of repeating. (It is never too late to begin).....the right time is always right now...and now IS the time. One of John F. Kennedy's favorite stories concerned French General Louis Lyataa. After World War I, the general asks his gardener to plant an oak tree in a particular area of his estate. The gardener noted to the general, that the tree that he had chosen was slow-growing and would not reach maturity for nearly a century, and did the general really want such a slow growing Oak, for there were some that would grow much faster. The General's response was, "In that case, there is no time to lose. Plant it this afternoon."
~ In regards to our spiritual lives.....there is not a better time to start, than today. For today is what we know we have.
~ Now back to my foundational Scripture in Isaiah 40:31. "They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength, they shall rise up with wings of eagles, they will walk and not be weary, they shall run and not faint, teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait."
~ It is proven time and time and time again, that those who spend time cultivating their life in God through Christ, are those who when difficulties assail them....come through the storms not untouched, but with an inward strength and the ability to cope far above those who do not have the spiritual walk and strength they have, through their knowledge and relationship with Him. Being a Believer is no protection from the hard times in life....it is simply that we have the Creator at our side through it all. Through it all....and we also have each other, of the same faith and relationship...as we are family.
~ We shall rise up with wings as eagles....have you ever watched an eagle rise, and how little they move their wings...for they simply catch an up draft effortlessly...and go from one to the next when it comes along, eventually rising to sometimes over 10,000 feet, soaring elegantly, effortlessly and beautifully. This is how we too....with God as our wings, staying in his updrafts....takes us to great heights, even when through events and illness and circumstances, that seem to weigh us down, He desires to carry us up, if we will let him....by getting to first walk with him, and talk with him, along life's narrow way.
Three things I want to finish with………
1. Let God be your hope. (2 Chronicles 20:12) "Our eyes are set upon you." "My eyes are ever on the Lord."
2. Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) Wait quietly on the Lord, patiently getting to know him.
3. Give ourselves to him. Submitting our wills to His, for He works through and in all things for our own good.
~As we go through difficulty, trials and temptations, he will never leave us or forsake us. He is with us because he wants to renew our strength at the end of whatever it is we go through. In these times if we allow him, he builds us into men and women after his own image.
~I am almost finishing with number 3 above, Romans 8:28 from the Message, "We can be sure that every detail of our lives of love for God, are worked into something good."
Using Jesus as an example of waiting and patience....in a biography written by Missionary JO. Fraser, he wrote, "nothing is more noticeable than the quiet, even poise of His life. Never flustered whatever happened, never taken off His guard, however assailed by men or demons, in the midst of fickle people, hostile rulers, and faithless disciples….always calm always collected. Christ the hard worker indeed....but doing no more, and no less, than God has appointed Him to do, with no restlessness, no hurry, no worry. Was ever such a peaceful life lived, under conditions so un-settling.
"He who waits on God loses no time, but gain love, grace, mercy, maturity and of course salvation. To God be the glory…………………
Amen
LITTLE CHURCH in the PINES
August 4, 2019
"Learning to Cast"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
Psalm 55:1-7, 16-17, 22
1 Peter 5:7
…..David, not yet a king but now in limbo, being sought by the mad King Saul, for fear of David’s popularity with the citizenry, and knowing in his periodic madness, that David will one day replace him. So King Saul is having him hunted down to be killed. Saul has already thrown spears at David in the royal court and David is on the run, both hiding in caves and at the same time seeking the Presence of God.
.....David cries out, saying “listen to my prayer, O God. Do not ignore my cry for help! Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles. My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked threats. They bring trouble on me and angrily hunt me down. My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me. Fear and trembling over whelm me, and...I can not stop shaking!
…..Caves are not the ideal place for morale building. There is a certain sameness to them all, no matter how many you have been in. Dark, wet, cold and stale. A cave becomes even worse when you are the sole inhabitant…and in the distance you can hear the dogs baying.
…..But just sometimes, when the dogs and hunters were not near, the hunted sang. He would start low, then lift his voice and sing a song the sheep had inspired him to sing. The cavern walls echoes each note just as the mountains had once done. The music rolled down into deep cavern darkness that soon became an echoing choir singing back to him.
…..During this time everything was being crushed out of him including hope for his life and future…but he continued to seek God and to sing, and in fact he sang a great deal, as he matched each note with a tear.
…..How strange, is it not, what suffering alone produces?
…..There in those caves, drowning in the sorrow of his song and the song of his sorrow, David became the greatest of hymn writers and the greatest comforter of broken hearts this world shall ever know!
.....He cried out to God, Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away....to the quiet of the wilderness. How quickly I would escape.
.....Cast your burdens on the Lord, David says, and he will take care of you, ultimately bringing you home.
.....Peter backs up verse 22 of David's Psalm in 1st Peter 5:7, stating simply; "cast all your worries and cares on God, for he cares about you."
I could subtitle this sermon; "Learning....to turn over to God worry that creates stress and distress.”
.....A personal note here, and by now most if not all of you have heard me say something similar before. When I prepare a sermon, no matter the inspiration, I find that I am talking to myself while also talking to you. This “learning process” is the journey of our lives, and at times when we think we have arrived, some new event, person or thing comes over the horizon, and not on any white horse, but at times a dark one, to remind us how much we need God in our lives and how much we rely on him to get us through.
.....Learning...based on each individuals capacity to learn, sometimes caused by stubbornness, or pride, or just plain hard of hearing can be difficult, Right? So... why make it difficult and why not save us some grief and CAST our cares, worries and stress out into the waters of the promises of the Lord?
.....Another of the reasons is we think, without even thinking about it, that we can control most, if not all that comes our way. Uh-Uh...come on, we here have all lived long enough and experienced enough to know the futility of that error of thinking.
.....David in Psalm 55 is in the situation where two men he trusted, two friends, Absalom and Ahithophel, who now were also out to kill him. Little hurts more than a wound from a friend.
.....I had this happen in one of the church's I started, where I had confided to one of my elders, a very deep and personal problem, for the purpose of needed someone to talk to, and for prayer and support. He in turn, turned and told a Christian brother/friend also in the church, who, then...well you know how that goes. The whole thing became a huge mess and the consequences though deep and hurtful at the time.... God turned around in time, not immediately though, and eventually, so very many good things came out of it.
.....I had to cast the whole situation upon the Lord...and He did prove to me over and over in the outflow, that indeed He did care for me...and for my family, though during the process when I could not see much further than in front of me, He was there making a way, where there seemed to be no way, for he works in ways we cannot see...and he did make a way for me. (SONG)
.....Did I handle the ensuing situation stress-free, absolutely not, and I still am learning, yet I do know...I know, he is with me whatever I am going through and is with you, whatever you are going through...EVEN right now, if you are?
....I am going to use an illustration here. I would surmise, that when all you fishermen and fisherwomen heard the sermon title, you thought it was going to be a spiritual sermon on fishing, right? Wrong....but the visual of casting that fishing line out upon the water....to that much studied spot you have been looking at, is exactly the same when it comes to casting your cares and worries upon the Lord. You have invested money, time and effort into "learning" the process of fishing, growing in knowledge and skill, and when you get a hit, the thill that comes up your arm into your shoulder, and the automatic response of your whole body and mind is suddenly deeply engaged in that connection. For you that is what it is all about.
.....In regards to what I am talking about here is the same, you have invested your life, your mind, heart and spirit into your faith in Jesus Christ.....and in doing so, hopefully, you have learned to trust Him and have learned that the very best thing you can do is, when you can't stand up under the stress and worry, CAST it out as if you were casting your line in the very best spot you can....watch it go with the current...and know that the very line you just CAST is connected to your faith....as you are therefore connected to Christ. That same connection I spoke of in fishing is how it is to “feel” when you are connected to Him. The assurance and thrill that “all things will work together for good” to those who are in the deepest and greatest relationship of all.
....The results of stress and worry....break us down. They are the unseen source of our headaches, backaches, heartaches, and belly aches. They produce everything from obesity to obscenity, from constipation to diarrhea, and from impatience to impotence. They give us knotted stomachs, sleepless nights, high blood pressure, low morale. They make our tempers short and our days long. They cause indigestion, irritation, chest pain, and muscle strain.
...."You do not get stomach ulcers from what you eat," said one doctor. "You get ulcers from what is eating you."
...."Those who are extremely anxious," said John Calvin, himself prone to anxiety, "wear themselves out and become their own executioners."
....Epictetus, the great Stoic philosopher, warned that we ought to be more concerned about removing wrong thoughts from the mind, than about removing "tumors and abscesses from the body."
...."Cast your cares upon the Lord....for he cares for you!"
As a side note here....by now you know coming to listen to my messages on Sunday morning.... you hear what I hope is "practical Christianity under-girded by Scriptural truth." The reason is....and don't get me wrong, I enjoy learning about who all our spiritual for-bearers are and what they had gone through....and we need those foundational things that came out of those lessons in their lives, but we to by our own experiences..... need to know how to apply on a daily basis as to how to live our Christian lives, with victory in Jesus, overcoming the things, events, people and circumstances that would pull down and even out. It is my goal to do this in a way that brings you and myself, life application to a place of practical and spiritual health.
"I have a mountain of credit card debt," one man told another. "I've lost my job, my car is being repossessed, and our house is in foreclosure, but I'm not worried about it."
"Not worried about it!" exclaimed his friend.
"No! I've hired a professional worrier. He does all my worrying for me and that way, I don't have to even think about it."
"That's fantastic. How much does your professional worrier charge for his services?"
"Fifty thousand dollars a year," replied the first man.
Fifty thousand dollars a year? Where are you going to get that kind of money?"
"I don't know," came the reply. "That's his worry."
.... In a sense, the Lord's people do have a professional worrier to do all our worrying for us...only He doesn't worry, he does!
As Peter says again in 5/7..."you can cast the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are His personal concern."
I love this that I am going to share with you now.....it comes from the writing of Martin Luther...........................................
He wrote, "I have one preacher I love better than any other; it is my little tame Robin who preaches to me daily. I put crumbs upon my widow-sill in the evening. He hops onto the sill when he wants his food and takes as much as he desires to satisfy his need. From thence he always hops to a little tree close by, lifts up his voice to God and sings his carol of praise and gratitude., He then tucks his little head under his wings, and goes fast to sleep, to leave tomorrow to look after itself." He is my example of trusting in my Lord.
.... Again, Cast...All your cares, anxieties, worries, stress upon the Lord, for he cares for you...............................................................
.... How many of you today, sitting here are stressed, worried, anxious, needy?
.....I am going to read to us the 23rd Psalm, and remember who wrote this and all that David, who became king, lived in dark caves, alone (except for the presence of God)....and wrote out of his loneliness and fear….these Spirit filled…beautiful words.
READ.........................................................
.....Along with casting our cares upon the Lord....there is also a secondary, hand in hand solution, that God would have us do...and that is...in our time of stress and anxiety...reach out to someone else to talk and pray, and to also do someone good. Help them, or simply pray with them and for them...and the cloud will begin to lift. I guarantee it! Selah
August 4, 2019
"Learning to Cast"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
Psalm 55:1-7, 16-17, 22
1 Peter 5:7
…..David, not yet a king but now in limbo, being sought by the mad King Saul, for fear of David’s popularity with the citizenry, and knowing in his periodic madness, that David will one day replace him. So King Saul is having him hunted down to be killed. Saul has already thrown spears at David in the royal court and David is on the run, both hiding in caves and at the same time seeking the Presence of God.
.....David cries out, saying “listen to my prayer, O God. Do not ignore my cry for help! Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles. My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked threats. They bring trouble on me and angrily hunt me down. My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me. Fear and trembling over whelm me, and...I can not stop shaking!
…..Caves are not the ideal place for morale building. There is a certain sameness to them all, no matter how many you have been in. Dark, wet, cold and stale. A cave becomes even worse when you are the sole inhabitant…and in the distance you can hear the dogs baying.
…..But just sometimes, when the dogs and hunters were not near, the hunted sang. He would start low, then lift his voice and sing a song the sheep had inspired him to sing. The cavern walls echoes each note just as the mountains had once done. The music rolled down into deep cavern darkness that soon became an echoing choir singing back to him.
…..During this time everything was being crushed out of him including hope for his life and future…but he continued to seek God and to sing, and in fact he sang a great deal, as he matched each note with a tear.
…..How strange, is it not, what suffering alone produces?
…..There in those caves, drowning in the sorrow of his song and the song of his sorrow, David became the greatest of hymn writers and the greatest comforter of broken hearts this world shall ever know!
.....He cried out to God, Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away....to the quiet of the wilderness. How quickly I would escape.
.....Cast your burdens on the Lord, David says, and he will take care of you, ultimately bringing you home.
.....Peter backs up verse 22 of David's Psalm in 1st Peter 5:7, stating simply; "cast all your worries and cares on God, for he cares about you."
I could subtitle this sermon; "Learning....to turn over to God worry that creates stress and distress.”
.....A personal note here, and by now most if not all of you have heard me say something similar before. When I prepare a sermon, no matter the inspiration, I find that I am talking to myself while also talking to you. This “learning process” is the journey of our lives, and at times when we think we have arrived, some new event, person or thing comes over the horizon, and not on any white horse, but at times a dark one, to remind us how much we need God in our lives and how much we rely on him to get us through.
.....Learning...based on each individuals capacity to learn, sometimes caused by stubbornness, or pride, or just plain hard of hearing can be difficult, Right? So... why make it difficult and why not save us some grief and CAST our cares, worries and stress out into the waters of the promises of the Lord?
.....Another of the reasons is we think, without even thinking about it, that we can control most, if not all that comes our way. Uh-Uh...come on, we here have all lived long enough and experienced enough to know the futility of that error of thinking.
.....David in Psalm 55 is in the situation where two men he trusted, two friends, Absalom and Ahithophel, who now were also out to kill him. Little hurts more than a wound from a friend.
.....I had this happen in one of the church's I started, where I had confided to one of my elders, a very deep and personal problem, for the purpose of needed someone to talk to, and for prayer and support. He in turn, turned and told a Christian brother/friend also in the church, who, then...well you know how that goes. The whole thing became a huge mess and the consequences though deep and hurtful at the time.... God turned around in time, not immediately though, and eventually, so very many good things came out of it.
.....I had to cast the whole situation upon the Lord...and He did prove to me over and over in the outflow, that indeed He did care for me...and for my family, though during the process when I could not see much further than in front of me, He was there making a way, where there seemed to be no way, for he works in ways we cannot see...and he did make a way for me. (SONG)
.....Did I handle the ensuing situation stress-free, absolutely not, and I still am learning, yet I do know...I know, he is with me whatever I am going through and is with you, whatever you are going through...EVEN right now, if you are?
....I am going to use an illustration here. I would surmise, that when all you fishermen and fisherwomen heard the sermon title, you thought it was going to be a spiritual sermon on fishing, right? Wrong....but the visual of casting that fishing line out upon the water....to that much studied spot you have been looking at, is exactly the same when it comes to casting your cares and worries upon the Lord. You have invested money, time and effort into "learning" the process of fishing, growing in knowledge and skill, and when you get a hit, the thill that comes up your arm into your shoulder, and the automatic response of your whole body and mind is suddenly deeply engaged in that connection. For you that is what it is all about.
.....In regards to what I am talking about here is the same, you have invested your life, your mind, heart and spirit into your faith in Jesus Christ.....and in doing so, hopefully, you have learned to trust Him and have learned that the very best thing you can do is, when you can't stand up under the stress and worry, CAST it out as if you were casting your line in the very best spot you can....watch it go with the current...and know that the very line you just CAST is connected to your faith....as you are therefore connected to Christ. That same connection I spoke of in fishing is how it is to “feel” when you are connected to Him. The assurance and thrill that “all things will work together for good” to those who are in the deepest and greatest relationship of all.
....The results of stress and worry....break us down. They are the unseen source of our headaches, backaches, heartaches, and belly aches. They produce everything from obesity to obscenity, from constipation to diarrhea, and from impatience to impotence. They give us knotted stomachs, sleepless nights, high blood pressure, low morale. They make our tempers short and our days long. They cause indigestion, irritation, chest pain, and muscle strain.
...."You do not get stomach ulcers from what you eat," said one doctor. "You get ulcers from what is eating you."
...."Those who are extremely anxious," said John Calvin, himself prone to anxiety, "wear themselves out and become their own executioners."
....Epictetus, the great Stoic philosopher, warned that we ought to be more concerned about removing wrong thoughts from the mind, than about removing "tumors and abscesses from the body."
...."Cast your cares upon the Lord....for he cares for you!"
As a side note here....by now you know coming to listen to my messages on Sunday morning.... you hear what I hope is "practical Christianity under-girded by Scriptural truth." The reason is....and don't get me wrong, I enjoy learning about who all our spiritual for-bearers are and what they had gone through....and we need those foundational things that came out of those lessons in their lives, but we to by our own experiences..... need to know how to apply on a daily basis as to how to live our Christian lives, with victory in Jesus, overcoming the things, events, people and circumstances that would pull down and even out. It is my goal to do this in a way that brings you and myself, life application to a place of practical and spiritual health.
"I have a mountain of credit card debt," one man told another. "I've lost my job, my car is being repossessed, and our house is in foreclosure, but I'm not worried about it."
"Not worried about it!" exclaimed his friend.
"No! I've hired a professional worrier. He does all my worrying for me and that way, I don't have to even think about it."
"That's fantastic. How much does your professional worrier charge for his services?"
"Fifty thousand dollars a year," replied the first man.
Fifty thousand dollars a year? Where are you going to get that kind of money?"
"I don't know," came the reply. "That's his worry."
.... In a sense, the Lord's people do have a professional worrier to do all our worrying for us...only He doesn't worry, he does!
As Peter says again in 5/7..."you can cast the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are His personal concern."
I love this that I am going to share with you now.....it comes from the writing of Martin Luther...........................................
He wrote, "I have one preacher I love better than any other; it is my little tame Robin who preaches to me daily. I put crumbs upon my widow-sill in the evening. He hops onto the sill when he wants his food and takes as much as he desires to satisfy his need. From thence he always hops to a little tree close by, lifts up his voice to God and sings his carol of praise and gratitude., He then tucks his little head under his wings, and goes fast to sleep, to leave tomorrow to look after itself." He is my example of trusting in my Lord.
.... Again, Cast...All your cares, anxieties, worries, stress upon the Lord, for he cares for you...............................................................
.... How many of you today, sitting here are stressed, worried, anxious, needy?
.....I am going to read to us the 23rd Psalm, and remember who wrote this and all that David, who became king, lived in dark caves, alone (except for the presence of God)....and wrote out of his loneliness and fear….these Spirit filled…beautiful words.
READ.........................................................
.....Along with casting our cares upon the Lord....there is also a secondary, hand in hand solution, that God would have us do...and that is...in our time of stress and anxiety...reach out to someone else to talk and pray, and to also do someone good. Help them, or simply pray with them and for them...and the cloud will begin to lift. I guarantee it! Selah
The Little Church in the Pines
Macks Inn, Idaho
July 28, 2019
“In Unity Dwell”
Psalm 133
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
…..This week I am again, as I did last week, revisiting a topic that was relevant two years ago and is even more relevant today. The sad part of needing to write this, is that in a sense, a very real one, the state of the nation, and by that I mean both politically and personally/relationally amongst we citizens, though then was not good…..today we are even in a more difficult place. Dis-unity is ratcheting up more every day. My position is not to point fingers at, or rail against any one person, or any one political faction, for this dis-unity is pervasive across all political parties, all spectrums of society and individuals. We are in a very difficult “state-of-the-nation”…and “state-of-society,” and even “state-of-the-individual.”
…..Is this the time spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24:4-14 & 30-31 (READ)
…..This I do not know….for I am not a prophet, nor a valid interpreter of the times we live in….but, it is sobering to read. My responsibility….and your responsibility is to every day, live as Jesus would have us live. In unity with both the brothers and sisters, first and foremost….and to not be double minded about our stand, calling and place in this world.
…..Also, we are to be united within our-selves…found in James 1:8 “their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do and also, in Mark 3:23-25 when Jesus called them over to Himself, using this illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan” He asked them, for kingdom divided by civil war will collapse.” Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.” We…are to be the “stable ones.
…..This encapsulates both the natural family and the church family. Unity is what we individually and collectively….as Christians/Believers…. are to have, and be known for. In times of turmoil most people are looking for a mooring to hold on to…a place to be, where a certain measure of peace…in the midst of this turmoil can be found. And that place is to be Christ as manifested by you and I….in you and I, and the church as a whole.
…..You and I have the manual, and it is time to really follow it. Like most men, not totally excluding women…we men often resort to reading the manual as a last resort, even though it is within reaching distance all the time. The manual of course being God’s written word….especially since the coming of Christ…The New Testament also called the New Covenant.
…..The ‘manual’ is the “ultimate” paradigm of genuinely Christian instruction, as based on the teachings and behavior of Jesus Christ himself, and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as coming forth from Jesus, Paul, Peter, Luke, Matthew, John, James, Jude and Mark, and these coming mostly from letters of correspondence between them and new churches being formed. Both Paul and Luke….veritable companions on most all of Paul’s mission journeys, these letters were written in their narration and correspondence.
…..The simplicity of the message is clear….but the outworking is (because we are human) not so easy to achieve. In most of us, the journey, as I spoke of last week and the previous seven weeks, (as we journey with Jesus) will involve both unlearning old habits and ways of thinking, and learning new ways of creating new habits, and new ways of perceiving, thinking and reacting. Attitude is almost everything in how we learn and how we unlearn…..This….as in the case of most of us, is an ongoing journey, and may take our entire lives. During this life-time journey with Jesus, along with our-selves…will have to exhibit and give a great deal of patience, and most of all GRACE, not only within and to ourselves, but with and to others…especially those we have deep differences with.
……I know I am repeating….often in my teaching times, some of the very same emphasis in my messages….but I believe with all my heart, that even more difficult days lie ahead….and we, you and I really need to know the manual well….and apply it to our every-day lives individually and collectively….if indeed we are to live our lives without fear…and without anger, retaliation, vengeance, or worse. Being one in the Spirit, and one in heart and action.
Psalm 133
Oh, how good and pleasant it is,
when brethren live together in “unity!”
It is like fine oil upon the head
that runs down upon the beard,
Upon the beard of Aaron,
and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
It is like the dew of Hermon
that falls upon the hills of Zion.
For there the Lord has ordained the blessing:
Life for evermore……
…..Though this is a short Psalm…it is well known and often quoted. Behold meaning….pay attention….read carefully and speak with meaning, and truthfully. By this Psalm many have been stirred as a clarion call to those who desire deeply to live in unity and harmony…..this Psalm is a summons by the Holy Spirit….to be sounded throughout all the earth, that they who have been divided, are to be gathered together…..”They shall see him who were not told of him…they shall understand who had not heard of him….This is of course in reference to the One who came in Peace, and is the Prince of Peace…our Lord.
…..David in this Psalm…states that harmony is pleasant and precious. Living in harmony also does not mean we will always agree in everything….for in this life that is impossible…for we have many opinions just as there are many notes in a musical chord as again as I spoke of last week. We are to be in one accord, and in that we must agree on our collective purpose in this life….and that being, we work ‘together’ for our Christ and God. For our outward expression of harmony…will reflect our inward harmony of purpose.
…..as another note about the oil already spoken of, especially in Old Testament times, was a precious commodity….expensive and never to be wasted. If you remember in Matthew 26, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive oil, perfume mixture and poured it over His, Jesus head. The disciples and religious leaders present were indignant…..What a waste!” they said. It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” Jesus said….”She had poured this on me to prepare my body for burial.”
…..in the situation noted in Psalm 133….expensive oil was used by Moses to anoint Aaron as the first high priest of Israel…and to dedicate all the priests to God’s service…spiritual unity, like the anointing oil, shows that we in doing this dedicated to serving God….wholeheartedly.
….now let’s briefly touch on this ‘brotherly’ topic. As you perhaps know, in Old Testament times….women were, well, more of a commodity in the culture of the day, although sometimes very prominent in some places of importance, in the both the Old and New Testaments. As examples, there was Mary, Mother of Jesus, Ruth the Moabite, Queen Esther, Pricilla, all Woman of God, Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, Rahab the Brave, and many more.
…..You see, and this is my opinion, it’s better for the brothers, when the sisters are in unity….and better all the way around, when the brothers and the and the sisters, and the sisters and the brothers, and the sisters and the sisters, and all the brothers….are ALL IN UNITY ‘TOGETHER.’ That’s just my opinion.
…..Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when the brothers and the sisters live together in unity.
John 17:23…..Jesus prayed…. “I am in them and you are in me….may they experience such ‘perfect unity’ that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. X2
Ephesians 4:1-10 READ………………………………………………………………………
In the center of a whirlpool, while the waters rush around,
There is a space of perfect stillness, though with turmoil it is bound;
All is calm, and all is quiet, scarcely even a sense of sound.
So with us….despite the conflict…when in Christ in unity…His peace can be found.
…..In one of Aesops fables, (Aesop was a slave and storyteller, living in Ancient Greece between 5620-564 BC. He describes a father who had several sons, who were always falling out with one another. He had often, but to no purpose exhorted them to live together in unity. One day he called them together, and he gathered s bundle of sticks, tied them together and asked each one of them to try to break the bundle. Each one tried as hard as he could, but none of them could do it. Then the father cut the cord that he had tired them together with and told his sons to break them separately. This was done with the greatest of ease. “See, my sons,” the father said, “the power of unity!” Bound together by love…you may defy almost every mortal danger, but divided, you will all fall prey to your enemies. “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Eccl.4:12
…..Our love of one another….our coming together in getting to know one another, holds us together in unity. Coming together also allows us the opportunity to see and experience both our strengths and our weaknesses. Where we are weak, others are strong and where we are strong….we then can support those who are weak. Collectively….together, we are much stronger, than we are going our own way alone. We can ONLY do this by standing by one another, and instead of looking at our weaknesses and finding in them reasons for thinking less of them, we stand with them, and them with us, to help shore us up….whether physically, mentally, emotionally, even sometimes financially and in prayer…..also sometimes just an encouraging word will mean the world to someone. Like me.
…..None of us is perfect….no, not one.
…..Please….open our eyes Lord to see, and our ears to hear….and our minds to receive….that we might see, hear and respond to one another in Christ….being of one heart and mind….letting differences bind us together, instead of separating us….
Around the table gathered, we
are one in sweet community,
For Christ has ransomed one and all
who answered to his loving call
We worship God in many ways;
We celebrate on different days;
But Jesus is the guiding star
For Christians near, and Christians far.
God’s plan for us is seldom clear;
We may a different drummer hear;
Yet, if we study and we pray,
The kingdom will be ours…someday.
So let us vow to never fight
About who’s wrong and who is right
Concerning truths we cannot fully know
That can turn our Christian friends to foe.
And let our worship fit our needs;
Let us unite in Christian deeds;
May we God’s love and mercy show
To those who don’t, the Savior know.
Now…is our time to come together in unity…to worship the Lord at His table….as one……………………………………………………………………….
Amen
Macks Inn, Idaho
July 28, 2019
“In Unity Dwell”
Psalm 133
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
…..This week I am again, as I did last week, revisiting a topic that was relevant two years ago and is even more relevant today. The sad part of needing to write this, is that in a sense, a very real one, the state of the nation, and by that I mean both politically and personally/relationally amongst we citizens, though then was not good…..today we are even in a more difficult place. Dis-unity is ratcheting up more every day. My position is not to point fingers at, or rail against any one person, or any one political faction, for this dis-unity is pervasive across all political parties, all spectrums of society and individuals. We are in a very difficult “state-of-the-nation”…and “state-of-society,” and even “state-of-the-individual.”
…..Is this the time spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24:4-14 & 30-31 (READ)
…..This I do not know….for I am not a prophet, nor a valid interpreter of the times we live in….but, it is sobering to read. My responsibility….and your responsibility is to every day, live as Jesus would have us live. In unity with both the brothers and sisters, first and foremost….and to not be double minded about our stand, calling and place in this world.
…..Also, we are to be united within our-selves…found in James 1:8 “their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do and also, in Mark 3:23-25 when Jesus called them over to Himself, using this illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan” He asked them, for kingdom divided by civil war will collapse.” Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.” We…are to be the “stable ones.
…..This encapsulates both the natural family and the church family. Unity is what we individually and collectively….as Christians/Believers…. are to have, and be known for. In times of turmoil most people are looking for a mooring to hold on to…a place to be, where a certain measure of peace…in the midst of this turmoil can be found. And that place is to be Christ as manifested by you and I….in you and I, and the church as a whole.
…..You and I have the manual, and it is time to really follow it. Like most men, not totally excluding women…we men often resort to reading the manual as a last resort, even though it is within reaching distance all the time. The manual of course being God’s written word….especially since the coming of Christ…The New Testament also called the New Covenant.
…..The ‘manual’ is the “ultimate” paradigm of genuinely Christian instruction, as based on the teachings and behavior of Jesus Christ himself, and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as coming forth from Jesus, Paul, Peter, Luke, Matthew, John, James, Jude and Mark, and these coming mostly from letters of correspondence between them and new churches being formed. Both Paul and Luke….veritable companions on most all of Paul’s mission journeys, these letters were written in their narration and correspondence.
…..The simplicity of the message is clear….but the outworking is (because we are human) not so easy to achieve. In most of us, the journey, as I spoke of last week and the previous seven weeks, (as we journey with Jesus) will involve both unlearning old habits and ways of thinking, and learning new ways of creating new habits, and new ways of perceiving, thinking and reacting. Attitude is almost everything in how we learn and how we unlearn…..This….as in the case of most of us, is an ongoing journey, and may take our entire lives. During this life-time journey with Jesus, along with our-selves…will have to exhibit and give a great deal of patience, and most of all GRACE, not only within and to ourselves, but with and to others…especially those we have deep differences with.
……I know I am repeating….often in my teaching times, some of the very same emphasis in my messages….but I believe with all my heart, that even more difficult days lie ahead….and we, you and I really need to know the manual well….and apply it to our every-day lives individually and collectively….if indeed we are to live our lives without fear…and without anger, retaliation, vengeance, or worse. Being one in the Spirit, and one in heart and action.
Psalm 133
Oh, how good and pleasant it is,
when brethren live together in “unity!”
It is like fine oil upon the head
that runs down upon the beard,
Upon the beard of Aaron,
and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
It is like the dew of Hermon
that falls upon the hills of Zion.
For there the Lord has ordained the blessing:
Life for evermore……
…..Though this is a short Psalm…it is well known and often quoted. Behold meaning….pay attention….read carefully and speak with meaning, and truthfully. By this Psalm many have been stirred as a clarion call to those who desire deeply to live in unity and harmony…..this Psalm is a summons by the Holy Spirit….to be sounded throughout all the earth, that they who have been divided, are to be gathered together…..”They shall see him who were not told of him…they shall understand who had not heard of him….This is of course in reference to the One who came in Peace, and is the Prince of Peace…our Lord.
…..David in this Psalm…states that harmony is pleasant and precious. Living in harmony also does not mean we will always agree in everything….for in this life that is impossible…for we have many opinions just as there are many notes in a musical chord as again as I spoke of last week. We are to be in one accord, and in that we must agree on our collective purpose in this life….and that being, we work ‘together’ for our Christ and God. For our outward expression of harmony…will reflect our inward harmony of purpose.
…..as another note about the oil already spoken of, especially in Old Testament times, was a precious commodity….expensive and never to be wasted. If you remember in Matthew 26, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive oil, perfume mixture and poured it over His, Jesus head. The disciples and religious leaders present were indignant…..What a waste!” they said. It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” Jesus said….”She had poured this on me to prepare my body for burial.”
…..in the situation noted in Psalm 133….expensive oil was used by Moses to anoint Aaron as the first high priest of Israel…and to dedicate all the priests to God’s service…spiritual unity, like the anointing oil, shows that we in doing this dedicated to serving God….wholeheartedly.
….now let’s briefly touch on this ‘brotherly’ topic. As you perhaps know, in Old Testament times….women were, well, more of a commodity in the culture of the day, although sometimes very prominent in some places of importance, in the both the Old and New Testaments. As examples, there was Mary, Mother of Jesus, Ruth the Moabite, Queen Esther, Pricilla, all Woman of God, Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, Rahab the Brave, and many more.
…..You see, and this is my opinion, it’s better for the brothers, when the sisters are in unity….and better all the way around, when the brothers and the and the sisters, and the sisters and the brothers, and the sisters and the sisters, and all the brothers….are ALL IN UNITY ‘TOGETHER.’ That’s just my opinion.
…..Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when the brothers and the sisters live together in unity.
John 17:23…..Jesus prayed…. “I am in them and you are in me….may they experience such ‘perfect unity’ that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. X2
Ephesians 4:1-10 READ………………………………………………………………………
In the center of a whirlpool, while the waters rush around,
There is a space of perfect stillness, though with turmoil it is bound;
All is calm, and all is quiet, scarcely even a sense of sound.
So with us….despite the conflict…when in Christ in unity…His peace can be found.
…..In one of Aesops fables, (Aesop was a slave and storyteller, living in Ancient Greece between 5620-564 BC. He describes a father who had several sons, who were always falling out with one another. He had often, but to no purpose exhorted them to live together in unity. One day he called them together, and he gathered s bundle of sticks, tied them together and asked each one of them to try to break the bundle. Each one tried as hard as he could, but none of them could do it. Then the father cut the cord that he had tired them together with and told his sons to break them separately. This was done with the greatest of ease. “See, my sons,” the father said, “the power of unity!” Bound together by love…you may defy almost every mortal danger, but divided, you will all fall prey to your enemies. “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Eccl.4:12
…..Our love of one another….our coming together in getting to know one another, holds us together in unity. Coming together also allows us the opportunity to see and experience both our strengths and our weaknesses. Where we are weak, others are strong and where we are strong….we then can support those who are weak. Collectively….together, we are much stronger, than we are going our own way alone. We can ONLY do this by standing by one another, and instead of looking at our weaknesses and finding in them reasons for thinking less of them, we stand with them, and them with us, to help shore us up….whether physically, mentally, emotionally, even sometimes financially and in prayer…..also sometimes just an encouraging word will mean the world to someone. Like me.
…..None of us is perfect….no, not one.
…..Please….open our eyes Lord to see, and our ears to hear….and our minds to receive….that we might see, hear and respond to one another in Christ….being of one heart and mind….letting differences bind us together, instead of separating us….
Around the table gathered, we
are one in sweet community,
For Christ has ransomed one and all
who answered to his loving call
We worship God in many ways;
We celebrate on different days;
But Jesus is the guiding star
For Christians near, and Christians far.
God’s plan for us is seldom clear;
We may a different drummer hear;
Yet, if we study and we pray,
The kingdom will be ours…someday.
So let us vow to never fight
About who’s wrong and who is right
Concerning truths we cannot fully know
That can turn our Christian friends to foe.
And let our worship fit our needs;
Let us unite in Christian deeds;
May we God’s love and mercy show
To those who don’t, the Savior know.
Now…is our time to come together in unity…to worship the Lord at His table….as one……………………………………………………………………….
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
A Reason to Sing.....a song to the Lord
June 22, 2019
by; Pastor Tom A. Shanor
.....Good Morning again, and God bless each of you today, and what a day to be alive in Island Park, also known by the locals as The Caldera.
.....For those of you who have been concerned for me, because I have let you know just enough to pray....and I thank you for those, and because of those prayers God by His Spirit keeps reminding me that He works "all things together for good, for those who love Him and are called by Him."
.....So...this morning I am hopefully bringing US a message of hope. A message based on the verse I am about to read, and with all my heart hope speaks to you as it did to me. This topic I have spoken of before, a few years ago, and simply felt again, a need to bring and deepen it.
.....So this is for all of us in and for all things.
.....Sing to the Lord a "new song," for He has done marvelous things! Psalm 98:1.
What exactly is a song? In broad terms, it is a single (and often stand-alone) work of music, that is also most often intended to be 'sung' by the human voice with distinct and fixed pitches and pattern using both sound and silence, along at times with a variety of forms, words and again at times, instruments. The words are meant to convey a theme, but most often of romance and love, and also in hymns and spiritual songs, and even there they are mostly love songs to or about Jesus and the Father. One seldom hears a song written by a composer because he or she 'likes' or 'hates'. At times songs are simple and clear....others times complex and intricate, but always with a message.
They can vary if about love, to love lost, to love seeking, to love found and with that variety comes joy, sorrow, sometimes mournful and happiness.
But....the bottom line is to express in words and notes in music, what lies within the mind and heart of the composer, whose intention is in most cases also to touch us. Music speaks to us like no other medium, bringing with it often a powerful range of emotions.
Coming back to Psalm 98:1
SING TO THE LORD....A 'NEW SONG,' FOR HE HAS DONE MARVELOUS THINGS!
SING TO THE LORD, SING TO THE LORD, SING TO THE LORD! Which I often do, mostly in private and often in my office, where I can go on U-Tube and pick out spiritual songs and hymns that moves me every time, one of which I will share with you later.
You see....the Lord has brought me through many trials and difficulties, most of which I brought on myself by flawed choices. I thought of how as a young man, He told me through His Word and His Spirit that "He would never leave me or forsake me." Ever, and He has not.
For this I am both presently and eternally grateful, even though still to this day make flawed choices.
In writing this I know by experience that not everyone is given the ability to sing well. I learned this the hard way, as in my first church as a staff member, I was given (amongst other positions) the responsibility of the Worship Leader. In that I could neither read music or compose a song of any kind, you could imagine my dilemma. I found out I did have a fairly good ear, and therefore could tell when a voice was off, and when all was good, but during the leading of songs with the congregation, the senior pastor was about six to ten feet away from my always singing his heart out and with a loud voice....always and I mean always off key. That...often caused me to also sing off key at times....much to my embarrassment and chagrin.
I spoke to him about it once....and his response to me was "I just have to sing to the Lord, because of all the wonderful things He has done for me." He did....love the Lord with all his heart, mind and spirit, and because of that answer I learned to deeply appreciate him, but he did move further away from me!
I called him at Christmas, my own Hark the Herald Angel that couldn’t sing!
.....In singing to the Lord......it is not about the quality of a voice, though we all of course deeply appreciate quality, but to the Lord, it is about the state of our heart when we sing. The other day I was watching and listening to a large choir that was perfect in pitch, never wavering on a note, standing perfectly still, all singing with choir lips and never moving their positions. It was perfection personified.....but without spirit. Beautiful, yes, but with little to no passion.
.....Then a men's choir sang....although in suits and ties, all sizes and shapes, beards and no beards they began to sing, and sing they did! No choir mouths....no standing perfectly still, but with JOY in their hearts and passion in their love of the Lord....sang and moved as though they meant every word....and they did! It gave me chills.....for He has done marvelous things!
This brought to mind 2nd Corinthians 3:6 (read)
....The Lord in His Church is not looking for perfection, but He is looking for Love and Passion....for we speak of the Passion of Christ. In that Passion there is strumming a song of love. His life-song! With His life-song comes the understanding and realization of what it cost Him to sing us that song, and in pondering marvelous things, I recall how through His three years of ministry, his resolute willingness to walk steadily toward the Cross, the instrument of His death for us, and toward all that would lead up to that final event.
.....The second marvelous thing I recall, and I do this often are His words as He hung there, having been tortured, spat upon, jeered at, angry words thrown at Him (if you are the Son of God, come down from that cross!) and so many more....wearing a flesh-piercing crown of thorns, He raised His head slowly, eyes filled with tears, blood running down His face, looking out over the crowd whose eyes were mostly full of hate, anger and disgust. Also present were those who had both followed and some who had now abandoned Him. He then proclaimed these words, that to me totally encapsulated the absolute essence and heart of who He was and is.....as He declared, "Father...forgive them, for they do not know what they have done."
"Father, forgive them" should resonate in our hearts and mind like a song, enabling you and I to be able to do the same. Telling us that as He proclaimed those words, we are to do the very same, when people turn on us, and how can we NOT do so, no matter what is done to us.
The next marvelous thing is, that when I do forgive, I am forgiven for the time, or times I have held onto unforgiveness, and suddenly I realize I am no longer a captive to unforgiveness, but instead I am suddenly able to bask in freedom from all that holding me captive, some of those things being bitterness, resentment, anger....any and all of those poisonous things that can destroy our lives.
To see this you must truly understand and believe, that, "when Christ sets us free, we are free indeed." and that choice is up to us. Our goal therefore, should be to live out the truths as a song, the words that He teaches us through His words, and the notes, resonance and harmony that is ours by design.....life giving words and music.
The Song....that each of us is capable of singing to the Lord, that I am talking about is much deeper than any song we can sing, because it is the song of our hearts.....that in itself is a living song....our lives....as it creates and moves deeply within us, in our personal and daily relationship to Jesus. This song does not need notes.......or even words. Though what I am going to read to you...is a song in itself.....but it goes much deeper within....and touches upon who we are to be in our life's song.
THE HEART OF WORSHIP....................
These are the lyrics...
I'm coming back to the heart of worship
and It's all about You, it's all about You Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You, it's all about You Jesus
King of endless worth
No one could express
How much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor
All I have is Yours
Every single breath
I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Than the way things appear
You're looking into my heart
I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You, it's all about You Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the things I've made it
For it's all about You, It's all about You Jesus
....My message this morning in essence and summation, is all about The Song that does or does not resonate in your or my heart and life, but our desire and our goal in believing and loving Him, is that "we" resonate together as One, with Him and in Him....our Lord.
.....The message is simple and pure, and each of us was born with us, our song waiting to be sung, the place where God in Christ, desire to song our song of belonging, our song of deliverance, our song of blessing, our song of contentment, joy and Love, as we make our way in our own journey, our continuous Journey with Jesus....to that final place of unity and harmony...with Him.
....To end this message this morning I am going to read all of Psalm 98, including the first verse from which of course the foundation of today's sermon is built on. it is a song of Joy and Victory. Because is victorious over all things that are not of Him, all those of us who follow Him are therefore victorious in and with Him.
Psalm 98 (read)
This choice to sing is our choice....no matter our age, health, social status or lack thereof, race, sex, etc., etc.....for He has done marvelous things.
Amen
A Reason to Sing.....a song to the Lord
June 22, 2019
by; Pastor Tom A. Shanor
.....Good Morning again, and God bless each of you today, and what a day to be alive in Island Park, also known by the locals as The Caldera.
.....For those of you who have been concerned for me, because I have let you know just enough to pray....and I thank you for those, and because of those prayers God by His Spirit keeps reminding me that He works "all things together for good, for those who love Him and are called by Him."
.....So...this morning I am hopefully bringing US a message of hope. A message based on the verse I am about to read, and with all my heart hope speaks to you as it did to me. This topic I have spoken of before, a few years ago, and simply felt again, a need to bring and deepen it.
.....So this is for all of us in and for all things.
.....Sing to the Lord a "new song," for He has done marvelous things! Psalm 98:1.
What exactly is a song? In broad terms, it is a single (and often stand-alone) work of music, that is also most often intended to be 'sung' by the human voice with distinct and fixed pitches and pattern using both sound and silence, along at times with a variety of forms, words and again at times, instruments. The words are meant to convey a theme, but most often of romance and love, and also in hymns and spiritual songs, and even there they are mostly love songs to or about Jesus and the Father. One seldom hears a song written by a composer because he or she 'likes' or 'hates'. At times songs are simple and clear....others times complex and intricate, but always with a message.
They can vary if about love, to love lost, to love seeking, to love found and with that variety comes joy, sorrow, sometimes mournful and happiness.
But....the bottom line is to express in words and notes in music, what lies within the mind and heart of the composer, whose intention is in most cases also to touch us. Music speaks to us like no other medium, bringing with it often a powerful range of emotions.
Coming back to Psalm 98:1
SING TO THE LORD....A 'NEW SONG,' FOR HE HAS DONE MARVELOUS THINGS!
SING TO THE LORD, SING TO THE LORD, SING TO THE LORD! Which I often do, mostly in private and often in my office, where I can go on U-Tube and pick out spiritual songs and hymns that moves me every time, one of which I will share with you later.
You see....the Lord has brought me through many trials and difficulties, most of which I brought on myself by flawed choices. I thought of how as a young man, He told me through His Word and His Spirit that "He would never leave me or forsake me." Ever, and He has not.
For this I am both presently and eternally grateful, even though still to this day make flawed choices.
In writing this I know by experience that not everyone is given the ability to sing well. I learned this the hard way, as in my first church as a staff member, I was given (amongst other positions) the responsibility of the Worship Leader. In that I could neither read music or compose a song of any kind, you could imagine my dilemma. I found out I did have a fairly good ear, and therefore could tell when a voice was off, and when all was good, but during the leading of songs with the congregation, the senior pastor was about six to ten feet away from my always singing his heart out and with a loud voice....always and I mean always off key. That...often caused me to also sing off key at times....much to my embarrassment and chagrin.
I spoke to him about it once....and his response to me was "I just have to sing to the Lord, because of all the wonderful things He has done for me." He did....love the Lord with all his heart, mind and spirit, and because of that answer I learned to deeply appreciate him, but he did move further away from me!
I called him at Christmas, my own Hark the Herald Angel that couldn’t sing!
.....In singing to the Lord......it is not about the quality of a voice, though we all of course deeply appreciate quality, but to the Lord, it is about the state of our heart when we sing. The other day I was watching and listening to a large choir that was perfect in pitch, never wavering on a note, standing perfectly still, all singing with choir lips and never moving their positions. It was perfection personified.....but without spirit. Beautiful, yes, but with little to no passion.
.....Then a men's choir sang....although in suits and ties, all sizes and shapes, beards and no beards they began to sing, and sing they did! No choir mouths....no standing perfectly still, but with JOY in their hearts and passion in their love of the Lord....sang and moved as though they meant every word....and they did! It gave me chills.....for He has done marvelous things!
This brought to mind 2nd Corinthians 3:6 (read)
....The Lord in His Church is not looking for perfection, but He is looking for Love and Passion....for we speak of the Passion of Christ. In that Passion there is strumming a song of love. His life-song! With His life-song comes the understanding and realization of what it cost Him to sing us that song, and in pondering marvelous things, I recall how through His three years of ministry, his resolute willingness to walk steadily toward the Cross, the instrument of His death for us, and toward all that would lead up to that final event.
.....The second marvelous thing I recall, and I do this often are His words as He hung there, having been tortured, spat upon, jeered at, angry words thrown at Him (if you are the Son of God, come down from that cross!) and so many more....wearing a flesh-piercing crown of thorns, He raised His head slowly, eyes filled with tears, blood running down His face, looking out over the crowd whose eyes were mostly full of hate, anger and disgust. Also present were those who had both followed and some who had now abandoned Him. He then proclaimed these words, that to me totally encapsulated the absolute essence and heart of who He was and is.....as He declared, "Father...forgive them, for they do not know what they have done."
"Father, forgive them" should resonate in our hearts and mind like a song, enabling you and I to be able to do the same. Telling us that as He proclaimed those words, we are to do the very same, when people turn on us, and how can we NOT do so, no matter what is done to us.
The next marvelous thing is, that when I do forgive, I am forgiven for the time, or times I have held onto unforgiveness, and suddenly I realize I am no longer a captive to unforgiveness, but instead I am suddenly able to bask in freedom from all that holding me captive, some of those things being bitterness, resentment, anger....any and all of those poisonous things that can destroy our lives.
To see this you must truly understand and believe, that, "when Christ sets us free, we are free indeed." and that choice is up to us. Our goal therefore, should be to live out the truths as a song, the words that He teaches us through His words, and the notes, resonance and harmony that is ours by design.....life giving words and music.
The Song....that each of us is capable of singing to the Lord, that I am talking about is much deeper than any song we can sing, because it is the song of our hearts.....that in itself is a living song....our lives....as it creates and moves deeply within us, in our personal and daily relationship to Jesus. This song does not need notes.......or even words. Though what I am going to read to you...is a song in itself.....but it goes much deeper within....and touches upon who we are to be in our life's song.
THE HEART OF WORSHIP....................
These are the lyrics...
I'm coming back to the heart of worship
and It's all about You, it's all about You Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You, it's all about You Jesus
King of endless worth
No one could express
How much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor
All I have is Yours
Every single breath
I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Than the way things appear
You're looking into my heart
I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You, it's all about You Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the things I've made it
For it's all about You, It's all about You Jesus
....My message this morning in essence and summation, is all about The Song that does or does not resonate in your or my heart and life, but our desire and our goal in believing and loving Him, is that "we" resonate together as One, with Him and in Him....our Lord.
.....The message is simple and pure, and each of us was born with us, our song waiting to be sung, the place where God in Christ, desire to song our song of belonging, our song of deliverance, our song of blessing, our song of contentment, joy and Love, as we make our way in our own journey, our continuous Journey with Jesus....to that final place of unity and harmony...with Him.
....To end this message this morning I am going to read all of Psalm 98, including the first verse from which of course the foundation of today's sermon is built on. it is a song of Joy and Victory. Because is victorious over all things that are not of Him, all those of us who follow Him are therefore victorious in and with Him.
Psalm 98 (read)
This choice to sing is our choice....no matter our age, health, social status or lack thereof, race, sex, etc., etc.....for He has done marvelous things.
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
July 13, 2019
"RECONCILIATION"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
2nd Corinthians 5:18-19
"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us (all believers) the message of reconciliation."
The root language for the word reconciliation comes from the Latin language, “reconciliation” which simply means to (re-instate, re-establish, restore, renew, and reconcile. In other words, to (put back together).
Of course, this includes the fact that at one time, whatever is being reconciled was together, either physically, intellectually, spiritually or even emotionally. At one time before their separation they were in unity, sharing the same core beliefs, etc.
.... The idea of reconciliation acknowledges the fact that, there is a separation between two or more parties, organizations, and or persons for any number of reasons, but in this case (2nd. Corinthians 5:18-19) as stated, it was the fact, that 'sin' (a word we don't hear very often anymore) had separated us from God, initially spoken of first, in God's relationship between himself and Adam and Eve. So....this reconciliation (because of what Christ did for us in His life, and on the cross) had to happen, to dissolve that separation between Himself and us, re-establishing our collective relationship as well as individual relationship on a whole new and clean level.
....because of this reconciliation, Jesus said to each of us..."I no longer call you servants, but now I call you friends." John 15:15. A new and powerful revelation.
....."Friends" Think about that.....what is a friend, a true friend? Two people, who find comfort and trust in their relationship, who also help each other in times of need, laughing with each other in times of fun and joy, and crying together when tragedy and difficulties come, sharing all that life beings their/our way.
.....In these two verses, God says, now that we are reconciled, and back in His good graces....forgiven, re-established into an actual 'relational friendship'....we, you and I have been given the ministry of reconciliation, and in being given that ministry by the Lord.....our entrusted message to each other and the world is, the 'message of taking what we have been given, and give it to others.....and as we all know, the world has and is in great need of mutual reconciliation, and in need of the same gift of forgiveness and friendship with Christ that we have been freely given.
…..This is where it begins to get uncomfortable if, we indeed believe it and put this action of reconciling, into every day action through our everyday lives. For then….it becomes rather personal.
.....We all know of people, including ourselves (who because of our differences politically, religiously, relationally, racially, financially, physically, sexually, denominationally, doctrinally, geographically, ministerially, educationally.....and many other (llys)....have long established wedges that often divide us, some lightly and some deeply to the point to resentment, anger, and even sometimes vengeance.
.....We have the 'right of refusal' to comply to what the Lord has given us in our friendship, but why would we as we are to be like Him....but much to our detriment, not only in friendship but other relational opportunities we say no.
Number one....if we fail to obey Him in this area, we are telling Jesus that what he gave us freely we are refusing to pass on....which really, is a 'sin, and an ongoing 'sin,' pure and simple. …..We have these deep feelings, prejudicial and otherwise, that we just either refuse, or can't seem to break through...but, (I hate those buts sometimes) but, if we love the Lord enough, and humanity enough, given that we have such a short time on this planet....we need, and I mean need to break those barriers down.....and pass the Great Reconciler and His truth onto everyone.....especially our enemies.
We are called to (Break Dividing Walls) (song) and once broken down to no longer build walls, but instead to make pathways from those once obstructing walls.
....The underlying message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the message of reconciliation....where in and through Christ, God has reconciled us back to Him. Hallelujah............Christ is Risen.
....Now things get a little rough...Colossians 1:19-22 "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to live, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, (not just people) whether on earth or in heaven, making peace 'by the blood of his cross. And you.... who once were alienated and even hostile in mind, living in sin, He has now reconciled (that word just keeps popping up) in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach to God.
(the gift just keeps on being expanded and revealed)
.....In the Old Testament's sacrificial system, animal sacrifices were used to show the seriousness of sin, and even though these could only cover sins, they could not take them away. It, (according to both Old and New Testament Scripture, took the (blood) (because blood is life) of one pure, spotless being, without the taint of sin.....and was the highest offering given to God that was possible, and the only one that could bring both the final and ultimate sacrifice....to end all other sacrifices. In Christ all that God had created and desired was accomplished.
.....Matthew 18:15 "If your brother or sister (or anyone close to you, or even your neighbor) sins against you, go and tell him or her their fault between you and they alone. If he or she listens to you.....you have gained them back."
.....Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. This one can be really a tough one. Really! Most of us would much rather just hold on to the grudge or offense, and both covertly and overtly dislike them...ignore them, or just let it ride. This is contrary to Scripture and the 'message of reconciliation, that we have been given and are 'required' to give back.
…..emotion that emanates from being wrong or wronging someone is the main barrier that prevents us from reconciling. Decisions based on just emotions will keep us bound (as in a personal prison) for our entire lives if we allow it.
.....I am going to turn this Scripture around a bit, by saying, that if YOU or I sin against others by offending through gossiping or worse.....we are to do the same thing, and that is to go to them....confess, ask for forgiveness and reconciliation. That does not mean we will achieve the reconciliation, but we will have tried and therefore it is no longer ours to bear.
.... One New Year's Eve at London's Garrick Club, British dramatist Frederick Lonsdale was asked by Seymour Hicks to reconcile with a fellow member. The two had quarreled in the past and never restored their friendship. "You must," Hicks said to Lonsdale. "It is very unkind to be so overtly unfriendly at such a time. Now…...go over and wish him a Happy New Year."
So... Lonsdale crossed the room and spoke to his enemy. "I wish you a Happy New Year" he said......"but only one."
.... This is a response forced...,, not from the heart, not of the soul and not of the Lord....though amusing initially, it tells a tale of bitterness and true un-forgiveness.
.... These Scriptures, this sermon....is not to necessarily cause guilt, but is to challenge and enlighten us, as to the base line teaching here.....that if indeed we call ourselves Christians....then we have to take to heart teachings such as this. The reason for this is 'freedom' from bitterness, a probable cause of ill health physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.....often has root in non-reconciliation....in holding to sin such as this. Not that guilt cannot be a good and even a necessary motivator, because it can, but is used too often in a mean and detrimental way.
.... She was an embittered woman. Charlotte Elliott of Brighton England, her health was broken, and her disability had hardened her. "If God loved me," she muttered, "he would not have treated me this way."
Hoping to help her, a Swiss minister named Dr. Cesar Malan visited the Elliott. Over dinner, Charlotte lost her temper and railed against God and family in a violent outburst. Her embarrassed family left the room, and doctor Malan, left alone with her, stared at her across the table. You are tired of yourself, aren't you he said at length? "You are holding onto your hate and anger, because you have nothing else in the world to cling to. Consequently, you have become a sour, bitter and resentful woman.
"What is your cure she asked sharply?
"The faith you are trying to despise." he answered.
.....As they talked Charlotte softened. "If I wanted to become a Christian and to share the peace and joy you seem to possess," she finally asked, "what would I do"? "You would just give yourself to God just as you are now, with your fighting and fears, hates and loves, pride and shame." "I would come to God just as I am? Is that right?:"
.....Charlotte did come just as she was. Her heart was changed that day. As time passed she found and claimed John 6:37 as a special verse for her "that the one who comes to me I will by no means throw away."
.....Several years later, her brother, Rev. Henry Elliott, was raising funds for a school for children of poor clergymen. Charlotte wrote a poem, and it was printed across England. The leaflet said: They that Cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out. Underneath was Charlotte's poem, which has become the most famous invitation hymn in history.
"Just as I am, without one plea,
But that thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou biddst me come to Thee,
O, Lamb of God, I come, I come!"
.....While reading this story and the hymn, I thought of over 90 young people in the youth detention facility.....that the Daisy’s Angels who call this church home, and mission outreach group from this church...having been instrumental in the Lord's hands, to introduce Jesus to....and the result of so many of them turning their lives over to Him....they, who so young, some of them never experiencing love before…..and acceptance on the scale they have....and forgiveness, along with reconciliation, and the beginning of restoration....I am overwhelmed with gratefulness. Jesus has become the way, the truth and the beginning of a new life for them.....................beautiful.
Prayer of Thankfulness..................
There is one more true story I am going to read to you in closing…….
READ (soldiers)
.....Before coming to the Table of the Lord this morning.....I am asking you to look at your own heart....your life....and if it and you are not free from unresolved pain, broken relationships, bitterness, anger, lacking the Joy in your life that you so desperately need. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what needs revealed.
.....If you are not free of any of these, ask the Lord to help you in the ability and knowledge of how you can begin to make things right.
.....This is an opportunity that the Lord is providing for anyone in pain today...from non-re-conciliation. Be reconciled first to him...and then to those who have harmed you or you them.
PRAYER...
July 13, 2019
"RECONCILIATION"
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
2nd Corinthians 5:18-19
"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us (all believers) the message of reconciliation."
The root language for the word reconciliation comes from the Latin language, “reconciliation” which simply means to (re-instate, re-establish, restore, renew, and reconcile. In other words, to (put back together).
Of course, this includes the fact that at one time, whatever is being reconciled was together, either physically, intellectually, spiritually or even emotionally. At one time before their separation they were in unity, sharing the same core beliefs, etc.
.... The idea of reconciliation acknowledges the fact that, there is a separation between two or more parties, organizations, and or persons for any number of reasons, but in this case (2nd. Corinthians 5:18-19) as stated, it was the fact, that 'sin' (a word we don't hear very often anymore) had separated us from God, initially spoken of first, in God's relationship between himself and Adam and Eve. So....this reconciliation (because of what Christ did for us in His life, and on the cross) had to happen, to dissolve that separation between Himself and us, re-establishing our collective relationship as well as individual relationship on a whole new and clean level.
....because of this reconciliation, Jesus said to each of us..."I no longer call you servants, but now I call you friends." John 15:15. A new and powerful revelation.
....."Friends" Think about that.....what is a friend, a true friend? Two people, who find comfort and trust in their relationship, who also help each other in times of need, laughing with each other in times of fun and joy, and crying together when tragedy and difficulties come, sharing all that life beings their/our way.
.....In these two verses, God says, now that we are reconciled, and back in His good graces....forgiven, re-established into an actual 'relational friendship'....we, you and I have been given the ministry of reconciliation, and in being given that ministry by the Lord.....our entrusted message to each other and the world is, the 'message of taking what we have been given, and give it to others.....and as we all know, the world has and is in great need of mutual reconciliation, and in need of the same gift of forgiveness and friendship with Christ that we have been freely given.
…..This is where it begins to get uncomfortable if, we indeed believe it and put this action of reconciling, into every day action through our everyday lives. For then….it becomes rather personal.
.....We all know of people, including ourselves (who because of our differences politically, religiously, relationally, racially, financially, physically, sexually, denominationally, doctrinally, geographically, ministerially, educationally.....and many other (llys)....have long established wedges that often divide us, some lightly and some deeply to the point to resentment, anger, and even sometimes vengeance.
.....We have the 'right of refusal' to comply to what the Lord has given us in our friendship, but why would we as we are to be like Him....but much to our detriment, not only in friendship but other relational opportunities we say no.
Number one....if we fail to obey Him in this area, we are telling Jesus that what he gave us freely we are refusing to pass on....which really, is a 'sin, and an ongoing 'sin,' pure and simple. …..We have these deep feelings, prejudicial and otherwise, that we just either refuse, or can't seem to break through...but, (I hate those buts sometimes) but, if we love the Lord enough, and humanity enough, given that we have such a short time on this planet....we need, and I mean need to break those barriers down.....and pass the Great Reconciler and His truth onto everyone.....especially our enemies.
We are called to (Break Dividing Walls) (song) and once broken down to no longer build walls, but instead to make pathways from those once obstructing walls.
....The underlying message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the message of reconciliation....where in and through Christ, God has reconciled us back to Him. Hallelujah............Christ is Risen.
....Now things get a little rough...Colossians 1:19-22 "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to live, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, (not just people) whether on earth or in heaven, making peace 'by the blood of his cross. And you.... who once were alienated and even hostile in mind, living in sin, He has now reconciled (that word just keeps popping up) in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach to God.
(the gift just keeps on being expanded and revealed)
.....In the Old Testament's sacrificial system, animal sacrifices were used to show the seriousness of sin, and even though these could only cover sins, they could not take them away. It, (according to both Old and New Testament Scripture, took the (blood) (because blood is life) of one pure, spotless being, without the taint of sin.....and was the highest offering given to God that was possible, and the only one that could bring both the final and ultimate sacrifice....to end all other sacrifices. In Christ all that God had created and desired was accomplished.
.....Matthew 18:15 "If your brother or sister (or anyone close to you, or even your neighbor) sins against you, go and tell him or her their fault between you and they alone. If he or she listens to you.....you have gained them back."
.....Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. This one can be really a tough one. Really! Most of us would much rather just hold on to the grudge or offense, and both covertly and overtly dislike them...ignore them, or just let it ride. This is contrary to Scripture and the 'message of reconciliation, that we have been given and are 'required' to give back.
…..emotion that emanates from being wrong or wronging someone is the main barrier that prevents us from reconciling. Decisions based on just emotions will keep us bound (as in a personal prison) for our entire lives if we allow it.
.....I am going to turn this Scripture around a bit, by saying, that if YOU or I sin against others by offending through gossiping or worse.....we are to do the same thing, and that is to go to them....confess, ask for forgiveness and reconciliation. That does not mean we will achieve the reconciliation, but we will have tried and therefore it is no longer ours to bear.
.... One New Year's Eve at London's Garrick Club, British dramatist Frederick Lonsdale was asked by Seymour Hicks to reconcile with a fellow member. The two had quarreled in the past and never restored their friendship. "You must," Hicks said to Lonsdale. "It is very unkind to be so overtly unfriendly at such a time. Now…...go over and wish him a Happy New Year."
So... Lonsdale crossed the room and spoke to his enemy. "I wish you a Happy New Year" he said......"but only one."
.... This is a response forced...,, not from the heart, not of the soul and not of the Lord....though amusing initially, it tells a tale of bitterness and true un-forgiveness.
.... These Scriptures, this sermon....is not to necessarily cause guilt, but is to challenge and enlighten us, as to the base line teaching here.....that if indeed we call ourselves Christians....then we have to take to heart teachings such as this. The reason for this is 'freedom' from bitterness, a probable cause of ill health physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.....often has root in non-reconciliation....in holding to sin such as this. Not that guilt cannot be a good and even a necessary motivator, because it can, but is used too often in a mean and detrimental way.
.... She was an embittered woman. Charlotte Elliott of Brighton England, her health was broken, and her disability had hardened her. "If God loved me," she muttered, "he would not have treated me this way."
Hoping to help her, a Swiss minister named Dr. Cesar Malan visited the Elliott. Over dinner, Charlotte lost her temper and railed against God and family in a violent outburst. Her embarrassed family left the room, and doctor Malan, left alone with her, stared at her across the table. You are tired of yourself, aren't you he said at length? "You are holding onto your hate and anger, because you have nothing else in the world to cling to. Consequently, you have become a sour, bitter and resentful woman.
"What is your cure she asked sharply?
"The faith you are trying to despise." he answered.
.....As they talked Charlotte softened. "If I wanted to become a Christian and to share the peace and joy you seem to possess," she finally asked, "what would I do"? "You would just give yourself to God just as you are now, with your fighting and fears, hates and loves, pride and shame." "I would come to God just as I am? Is that right?:"
.....Charlotte did come just as she was. Her heart was changed that day. As time passed she found and claimed John 6:37 as a special verse for her "that the one who comes to me I will by no means throw away."
.....Several years later, her brother, Rev. Henry Elliott, was raising funds for a school for children of poor clergymen. Charlotte wrote a poem, and it was printed across England. The leaflet said: They that Cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out. Underneath was Charlotte's poem, which has become the most famous invitation hymn in history.
"Just as I am, without one plea,
But that thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou biddst me come to Thee,
O, Lamb of God, I come, I come!"
.....While reading this story and the hymn, I thought of over 90 young people in the youth detention facility.....that the Daisy’s Angels who call this church home, and mission outreach group from this church...having been instrumental in the Lord's hands, to introduce Jesus to....and the result of so many of them turning their lives over to Him....they, who so young, some of them never experiencing love before…..and acceptance on the scale they have....and forgiveness, along with reconciliation, and the beginning of restoration....I am overwhelmed with gratefulness. Jesus has become the way, the truth and the beginning of a new life for them.....................beautiful.
Prayer of Thankfulness..................
There is one more true story I am going to read to you in closing…….
READ (soldiers)
.....Before coming to the Table of the Lord this morning.....I am asking you to look at your own heart....your life....and if it and you are not free from unresolved pain, broken relationships, bitterness, anger, lacking the Joy in your life that you so desperately need. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what needs revealed.
.....If you are not free of any of these, ask the Lord to help you in the ability and knowledge of how you can begin to make things right.
.....This is an opportunity that the Lord is providing for anyone in pain today...from non-re-conciliation. Be reconciled first to him...and then to those who have harmed you or you them.
PRAYER...
The Little Church in the Pines....
July 7, 2019
"Religion and Faith”
by; Tom Shanor, Pastor
Give me that old time religion, give me that old time religion, give me that old time religion, its good enough for me..........................................
Hmmmm, well, how do I interpret this? To me, that depends on when in time, given the expression of religion at that time, and the methodology used to maintain that "old time religion" in that time....for "religion" can be wonderful or it can be ugly and devastating. That hymn or song is not in our hymnal, for which I am ok about. The intent in it is I suppose, ok, but again, as to how in particular, any religion is expressed is critical.
What exactly is "religion?" By definition religion is a set of beliefs that is passionately held by a group of people that, is expressed in a world view and in expected beliefs and actions…..often which become rituals, ceremonies, etc. Religion, even if it is atheism, it can be described as a religion, adhering to its non-beliefs, for those beliefs affect those people and their everyday actions. And by the way the word "religion" is mentioned only 5 times in the New Testament and -0- times in the Old Testament. Religion...
Religions may or may not contain elements ranging from divinity, sacred things, or even faith...or even a supernatural entity or entities, and may or may not be transcendent, and may include meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, public service which, all together can give a deeper meaning to life...which all humanity desires to have, and even needs, for life not to have meaning beyond the basic human needs, is just existence.
There are an estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide. 84% of the world's population is affiliated with one of the five major religions, namely Christianity the largest, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and then forms of local 'folk religions, and for the most part, each of these believe they are the one true religion, which is often why there is strife, division and even wars, for religion for most of humanity is vital in our lives. Religion offers various explanations for the origin of humanity, thereby giving those of us who are religious, once again, deeper meaning to our lives that we would otherwise have. Belief or faith in life after death gives us comfort, believing that death does not mean we cease to exist. Even there different beliefs each hold to their own system of what is beyond death.
Jehovah Witness for example believe that only 144, 000 (anointed ones) will actually make it to heaven….while the rest of the faithful will continue to live on earth, while the 144,000 will co-rule with Christ.
This is just one small example of the myriad of beliefs within the realm of Christianity that exist. There are also the Flat-Earthers, and Hollow-Earthers who claim a measure Christian theology. Beyond both Judaism and Christianity the spectrum of religion and beliefs held by these folks is mind-altering.
As I said above, "religion" can be wonderful, fulfilling, give meaning and comfort, but also can be horrendous, devastating, frightening and as we know, bring death, depending on who is doing what in the name of their religion for the sake of being the one true religion.
You may have heard it said that religion (usually said by atheists) is the main cause of wars and human destruction, but that is not so, (though there are wars and death caused by religion) it is not the most prolific or main cause. In the course of human history, there have been 1,763 actual wars, of which 123 or 7% were principally religiously motivated. Is that still too many? Yes. One is to many in my way of thinking.
The Huffington Post (believe it or not) published this. They wrote "objectively, (love that word, especially today) an objective look at history, reveals that those killed in the name of religion have in fact, been but a tiny fraction in the bloody history of human wars."
Unfortunately, the cause for the majority of Christian, deaths have come from within Christianity itself, including in the Crusades. A very dark time in the history of the Church that lasted several hundred years.
Apart from the Crusades, each of these wars, pogroms, inquisitions I am about to speak of, were brought about by the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation, with a combination of Church Power and politics. Kings and Queens, fostering laws backed by the Church, to persecute protestants, and, to prevent Protestantism from spreading which threatened the power and authority of The Church, which was enormous.
Just like American broke away from England to gain independence, so it was with Protestants to gain freedom from what then was the corruption of power. All in all it was a tragic, very tragic time in the history of Christianity. As I speak of these…it is not for the purpose of bad-mouthing the Catholic Church, for I am simply and accurately describing historical facts.
As most of you know, the Catholic Service in Island Park is held here in this sanctuary every Saturday afternoon, and as I sit in my office, overhearing the Priest and service….it is a wonderful time spent in lifting up the name of Jesus and in worship of God. I am blessed by the change in the relationship between the Protestant Church and the Catholic Church.
1. The Eighty Years War in which the King of Spain implemented different religious rules that the entire Spanish dynasty, to prevent once again the spread of Protestantism.
2. The Thirty Years War that was fought between 1618 and 1648 which left more than 8,000,000 deaths including soldiers and civilians This was between the Holy Roman Church, again, against the spread of Protestantism.
3. The French Wars of Religion between 1562 and 1598. These wars were fought between the French Catholics and again the Protestants, which also overflowed into England and beyond with deaths not only by wars by assassinations, quartering, burning people alive and torture. There is no count of the number of death during this time, but it was many thousands.
4. There was also the German Peasant's War which for the same reasons as the others in which 200,000 poor farmers, civilians and untrained soldiers, and of course the Crusades, which were called the Holy Wars in which over half a million were killed from 1095-1303.
5. Also in our lifetime was the war between the Irish Catholics and Protestants, that went on for years, thousands losing their lives, and still to this day simmers beneath the surface.
Why am I speaking of these. One is because we should all know our church history as a reality check. Specifically from history, we can clearly see that the marriage of political power and religion only brings with it destruction, because of the corruption of corrupt men rising to power, and self-righteousness in that there is only one religion through whom salvation is assured....and by God, men who believe as such can go to any means and through any measure assure it.
Our Founding Fathers in giving us the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, knew what "religion" was capable of, when married to politics, thereby calling for the separation of religion from government. But, including in the Bill of Right, the right to freely express and embrace our religion. It is a fine line and one that I can embrace by remembering in our Religion as Christians.....we are saved by Grace and by Faith.
“Religion” does give us doctrine, truths to live by, parameters of behavior, and a system of beliefs that also give us comfort and assurance, plus many more virtues. But again....it is not our doctrine that saves us, it is our Savior and Lord, whose name is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of The One True God. With so many Christian denominations since the Reformation....you tell me of the 34,000 that exist today, which one has the one true doctrine? I...will cast my vote and life at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and his saving Grace, before any one doctrine, relying on that singular belief in faith that I will be in His Presence on the day I pass on. That, my church family and friends is enough to make me secure, and enough to make me smile in assurance of His unfathomable love.
With the combination of Religion lived right, and Faith understood as the means to salvation, and an assurance we can all stand and rejoice in the joy of our Salvation.
FAITH is confidence or trust in a particular Person, and all that He taught us as to how to live, and that Person is our Lord. Hebrews 11:1 say clearly that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
A few examples...........................................................................................
1. One of two mentions of the word faith in the O.T. Isaiah 7:9 "Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm."
2. Matthew 17:20 Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, if you had the faith of even a small mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."
3. Luke 7:50, "woman, your faith has saved you, go in peace."
4. Romans 3:27-28, "Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."
5. Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you, if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
Passing the test of faith, is by acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that there is no other as the begotten Son of God, and that He is among us. It is that simple....and beautiful.
Someone once said...."Faith is like a muscle which grows stronger with use, rather than like rubber, which weakens over time with us as it is stretched."
My singular purpose in this topic today, was not to point out the past failures of The Church....but to show that history has proven time and again that a religion, any religion that joins itself together with politics, creates over time a very potentially dangerous environment often with a deadly outcome. Power as we know can corrupt, even the best of people with the best of intentions over time. Power brings with it the desire for more power and with that power are perks that entice and corrupt.
We can and should take our faith with us everywhere we go, even in politics, but as a foundation on which to live our own lives as an example of the Lord, and as an example of what it means to be a man or woman of integrity in that walk. In-corruptible.
Religion and faith is a beautiful combination.....and an asset to any government, when as individuals we live our faith to the fullest, while extending to men and women of other faiths, the right to the free exercise of their own faith, which means as much to them as much as ours to us. By doing so, they may see and hear from us, the beauty and strength of our faith, and desire to know why we are who we are. We are to be a light to the world....not a ranting, finger pointing, self-righteous, arrogant, sin finding people...but as Scripture says, "they will know we are Christians by our Love." by our Love.
That Church and friends, is who we are called to be, God Bless you all!
Amen
July 7, 2019
"Religion and Faith”
by; Tom Shanor, Pastor
Give me that old time religion, give me that old time religion, give me that old time religion, its good enough for me..........................................
Hmmmm, well, how do I interpret this? To me, that depends on when in time, given the expression of religion at that time, and the methodology used to maintain that "old time religion" in that time....for "religion" can be wonderful or it can be ugly and devastating. That hymn or song is not in our hymnal, for which I am ok about. The intent in it is I suppose, ok, but again, as to how in particular, any religion is expressed is critical.
What exactly is "religion?" By definition religion is a set of beliefs that is passionately held by a group of people that, is expressed in a world view and in expected beliefs and actions…..often which become rituals, ceremonies, etc. Religion, even if it is atheism, it can be described as a religion, adhering to its non-beliefs, for those beliefs affect those people and their everyday actions. And by the way the word "religion" is mentioned only 5 times in the New Testament and -0- times in the Old Testament. Religion...
Religions may or may not contain elements ranging from divinity, sacred things, or even faith...or even a supernatural entity or entities, and may or may not be transcendent, and may include meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, public service which, all together can give a deeper meaning to life...which all humanity desires to have, and even needs, for life not to have meaning beyond the basic human needs, is just existence.
There are an estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide. 84% of the world's population is affiliated with one of the five major religions, namely Christianity the largest, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and then forms of local 'folk religions, and for the most part, each of these believe they are the one true religion, which is often why there is strife, division and even wars, for religion for most of humanity is vital in our lives. Religion offers various explanations for the origin of humanity, thereby giving those of us who are religious, once again, deeper meaning to our lives that we would otherwise have. Belief or faith in life after death gives us comfort, believing that death does not mean we cease to exist. Even there different beliefs each hold to their own system of what is beyond death.
Jehovah Witness for example believe that only 144, 000 (anointed ones) will actually make it to heaven….while the rest of the faithful will continue to live on earth, while the 144,000 will co-rule with Christ.
This is just one small example of the myriad of beliefs within the realm of Christianity that exist. There are also the Flat-Earthers, and Hollow-Earthers who claim a measure Christian theology. Beyond both Judaism and Christianity the spectrum of religion and beliefs held by these folks is mind-altering.
As I said above, "religion" can be wonderful, fulfilling, give meaning and comfort, but also can be horrendous, devastating, frightening and as we know, bring death, depending on who is doing what in the name of their religion for the sake of being the one true religion.
You may have heard it said that religion (usually said by atheists) is the main cause of wars and human destruction, but that is not so, (though there are wars and death caused by religion) it is not the most prolific or main cause. In the course of human history, there have been 1,763 actual wars, of which 123 or 7% were principally religiously motivated. Is that still too many? Yes. One is to many in my way of thinking.
The Huffington Post (believe it or not) published this. They wrote "objectively, (love that word, especially today) an objective look at history, reveals that those killed in the name of religion have in fact, been but a tiny fraction in the bloody history of human wars."
Unfortunately, the cause for the majority of Christian, deaths have come from within Christianity itself, including in the Crusades. A very dark time in the history of the Church that lasted several hundred years.
Apart from the Crusades, each of these wars, pogroms, inquisitions I am about to speak of, were brought about by the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation, with a combination of Church Power and politics. Kings and Queens, fostering laws backed by the Church, to persecute protestants, and, to prevent Protestantism from spreading which threatened the power and authority of The Church, which was enormous.
Just like American broke away from England to gain independence, so it was with Protestants to gain freedom from what then was the corruption of power. All in all it was a tragic, very tragic time in the history of Christianity. As I speak of these…it is not for the purpose of bad-mouthing the Catholic Church, for I am simply and accurately describing historical facts.
As most of you know, the Catholic Service in Island Park is held here in this sanctuary every Saturday afternoon, and as I sit in my office, overhearing the Priest and service….it is a wonderful time spent in lifting up the name of Jesus and in worship of God. I am blessed by the change in the relationship between the Protestant Church and the Catholic Church.
1. The Eighty Years War in which the King of Spain implemented different religious rules that the entire Spanish dynasty, to prevent once again the spread of Protestantism.
2. The Thirty Years War that was fought between 1618 and 1648 which left more than 8,000,000 deaths including soldiers and civilians This was between the Holy Roman Church, again, against the spread of Protestantism.
3. The French Wars of Religion between 1562 and 1598. These wars were fought between the French Catholics and again the Protestants, which also overflowed into England and beyond with deaths not only by wars by assassinations, quartering, burning people alive and torture. There is no count of the number of death during this time, but it was many thousands.
4. There was also the German Peasant's War which for the same reasons as the others in which 200,000 poor farmers, civilians and untrained soldiers, and of course the Crusades, which were called the Holy Wars in which over half a million were killed from 1095-1303.
5. Also in our lifetime was the war between the Irish Catholics and Protestants, that went on for years, thousands losing their lives, and still to this day simmers beneath the surface.
Why am I speaking of these. One is because we should all know our church history as a reality check. Specifically from history, we can clearly see that the marriage of political power and religion only brings with it destruction, because of the corruption of corrupt men rising to power, and self-righteousness in that there is only one religion through whom salvation is assured....and by God, men who believe as such can go to any means and through any measure assure it.
Our Founding Fathers in giving us the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, knew what "religion" was capable of, when married to politics, thereby calling for the separation of religion from government. But, including in the Bill of Right, the right to freely express and embrace our religion. It is a fine line and one that I can embrace by remembering in our Religion as Christians.....we are saved by Grace and by Faith.
“Religion” does give us doctrine, truths to live by, parameters of behavior, and a system of beliefs that also give us comfort and assurance, plus many more virtues. But again....it is not our doctrine that saves us, it is our Savior and Lord, whose name is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of The One True God. With so many Christian denominations since the Reformation....you tell me of the 34,000 that exist today, which one has the one true doctrine? I...will cast my vote and life at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and his saving Grace, before any one doctrine, relying on that singular belief in faith that I will be in His Presence on the day I pass on. That, my church family and friends is enough to make me secure, and enough to make me smile in assurance of His unfathomable love.
With the combination of Religion lived right, and Faith understood as the means to salvation, and an assurance we can all stand and rejoice in the joy of our Salvation.
FAITH is confidence or trust in a particular Person, and all that He taught us as to how to live, and that Person is our Lord. Hebrews 11:1 say clearly that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
A few examples...........................................................................................
1. One of two mentions of the word faith in the O.T. Isaiah 7:9 "Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm."
2. Matthew 17:20 Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, if you had the faith of even a small mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."
3. Luke 7:50, "woman, your faith has saved you, go in peace."
4. Romans 3:27-28, "Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."
5. Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you, if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
Passing the test of faith, is by acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that there is no other as the begotten Son of God, and that He is among us. It is that simple....and beautiful.
Someone once said...."Faith is like a muscle which grows stronger with use, rather than like rubber, which weakens over time with us as it is stretched."
My singular purpose in this topic today, was not to point out the past failures of The Church....but to show that history has proven time and again that a religion, any religion that joins itself together with politics, creates over time a very potentially dangerous environment often with a deadly outcome. Power as we know can corrupt, even the best of people with the best of intentions over time. Power brings with it the desire for more power and with that power are perks that entice and corrupt.
We can and should take our faith with us everywhere we go, even in politics, but as a foundation on which to live our own lives as an example of the Lord, and as an example of what it means to be a man or woman of integrity in that walk. In-corruptible.
Religion and faith is a beautiful combination.....and an asset to any government, when as individuals we live our faith to the fullest, while extending to men and women of other faiths, the right to the free exercise of their own faith, which means as much to them as much as ours to us. By doing so, they may see and hear from us, the beauty and strength of our faith, and desire to know why we are who we are. We are to be a light to the world....not a ranting, finger pointing, self-righteous, arrogant, sin finding people...but as Scripture says, "they will know we are Christians by our Love." by our Love.
That Church and friends, is who we are called to be, God Bless you all!
Amen
The Little Church in the Pines
TRUTH?
June 30, 2019
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
What is truth? Is there transitional truth, universal truth, temporary truth, proven spiritual truth, accepted truth, new truth yet to be discovered, lies passed off as truth...again, what is truth?
Let's see what those who debate truth can tell us about it.
Quote: "Truth is most often used to mean being in accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original standard. Truth is also sometimes defined in modern contexts as 'an idea' of "truth to self", or authenticity".
Truth is usually held to be opposite to falsehood, which correspondingly, can also suggest a logical, factual, or ethical meaning. He goes on to say, most human activities depend upon the concept, where its nature as a concept is assumed by the majority rather than being a subject for discussion or debate. These subjects include most of the sciences, law, journalism, religion and everyday life.
Some philosophers view the concept of truth as basic, and unable to be literally be explained in any concise terms. Some truths are the building block of much of what we can understand, comprehend and build on.
The final version of the Declaration of Independence declares: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
In these United States, these three are under fire, and I believe in time are in danger (for the greater good of all) so to speak, will be and are being moderated as I speak this. Life...Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Beautiful words, beautiful freedoms. Thank God for those who were led by Him to write such a magnificent Magna Carta for the United State of America. Let us pray..................
For we Christians, the teachings of Jesus are our spiritual constitution. It is in depth, for the most part explainable and understandable. His words alone began to change the world when first spoken over 2000 years ago. They continue to do the same, and through today the same effect. In the book of John, Jesus uses the word truth 10 times, and in Luke once. He did not use the word in Matthew or Mark one time.
Let's see what ways He used it.
John 4:23..."The time is coming (indeed it is here now) when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way.
TRUTH..."God is Spirit" means he is not a physical being, limited to one place. He is present everywhere, and he can and desires to be worshiped anywhere, at any time. It is not where we worship that counts, but how we worship. Is therefore our worship genuine and TRUE? Sincerity, not simply following form. From the heart and mind combined, not just the mind.
John 8:32..."Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall set you free."
TRUTH...Jesus himself is the Truth that sets us free (8:36) "So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." He is the source of TRUTH, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from continued slavery to sin, from self-deception, and from deception by the enemy. He shows us clearly the way to eternal life with God. Thus, Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to choose to follow God. He calls us to be all that God means for us to be.
John 14:6...Jesus told him, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. No one can come to the Father except through Me."
TRUTH..this is one of the most important basic messages in Scripture. How can we know the WAY to God? Only through Jesus. Jesus is the WAY because he is both God and man. By uniting our lives with His, we are united with God. Trust Jesus to take you to the Father, and all the benefits of being God's son or daughter will be yours.
John 14:15-17..."If you love Me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate. who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all TRUTH."
TRUTH...The word translated "Advocate" combines the ideas of comfort and also counsel. The word could also be translated Comforter, Encourager, or Counselor. The Holy Spirit is a powerful personage of God who is for us and not against us, working for and with us. Amen!
In John 18:33... Jesus is standing before Pilate having a discourse with Him, answering questions in His own way. Pilate asks Him, "are you a king?" Jesus responded, "You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the TRUTH. All who love the TRUTH recognize what I SAY IS TRUE!"
In faith we claim TRUTH spoken by Jesus is TRUE! His teachings are real and applicable to our everyday lives, which is where they are proven. His teachings and His life give us life. He is not a magician that answers our every so-called need or wants or even every question, but I believe in our every question there is an answer in His teachings if we will just take the time to search, pray and even wait. He said He gave us an ADVOCATE...the Holy Spirit....how many of us ever seek the Holy Spirit when it comes to finding answers to our thoughts and questions. How many of us take the time to search for answers in His written word? How many of apply the lessons and commandments we have been given to make both our lives and lives of others better. Giving comfort, bestowing kindness, loving our neighbor and honoring our Lord by doing so? Everyday?
Life can and does kick us around very hard sometimes, and sometimes those times come in swarms it seems. I truly believe we can ALL hold onto the lifeboat of the Lord in those times, and come out a better person, trusting Him more each day, and in and from those times we can learn to give to others from the experiences we go through with Him at our side.
There are accepted TRUTHS that change with additional research in the sciences, in law and in society. Truths once held onto even when proven wrong, holding onto those so tightly, that even when proof is in in their faces.... they deny it and retaliate.
As an example, the Church at one time believed and taught that the earth was the center of the solar system. In the Galileo affair as it is called, was a sequence of events, beginning around 1610, culminating with the trial and condemnation of Galileo by the Roman Catholic Church. At that time Galileo published his Starry Messenger as it was called, describing the surprising observations that he had made with a newly developed telescope. With these new observations he promoted the heliocentric theory of Copernicus, which had been published in 1543. Galileo's initial discoveries were met with opposition and in the 1616 Inquisition by the Church, declared heliocentrism to be formally heretical, when proven that earth and the other planets rotated around the sun and not the earth. Galileo’s teachings were condemned, his writings destroyed and he was put under house arrest for the rest of his life.
In society with slavery it was taught in our churches, primarily in the south, that Negroes were sub-human and therefore their only value was to be found in serving the white race. The ramifications of that untruth we are still suffering the ramifications of.
The list goes on and on. Women spoken of as not being intelligent enough to vote, to hold public office, to be doctors, lawyers, etc., and today still not being worthy enough to be ministers in many sects and denominations. All because they are not men!
Another in science, concerning the age of the earth has proven that it is not seven thousand years old, but a couple of billion. The age of Radio Carbon testing, soil layers telling the story of creatures, so outrageous as to be Science Fiction. Proof that, the continents at one time were joined as one…and that list goes on. The proof of this not accepted by some millions of people in the face of facts, because TRUTHS are sometimes to be feared because of the changes and challenges they bring with them.
Here are a few quotes about TRUTH that are worthy of repeating from some well-known and not so well-known people.
Fear hinders TRUTH, so we should all be seekers of TRUTH, willing to accept proven truths, even if down the road due to further research they have to be updated and changed. “Fear not…. for I am with you says the Lord.” And this leads into a story.
To wrap this up this morning…. I am going to read you a true story of a seeker of truth and justice. Her name originally was Isabella, and she had no last name. READ………….
In all the TRUTHS that there are…. the greatest truth is the TRUTHS that came for our Lord Jesus Christ….and the power available to us to overcome lies, sin and deceit. Power to overcome obstacles seemingly so overwhelming, as to be impossible to surmount. Isabella challenged that lie…. Jesus challenged all lies, and we too, along with many who already have overcome, can join together in TRUTH to assist one another, by the power of God to do the same.
Amen
"The truth of Jesus the Christ will set you free!"
TRUTH?
June 30, 2019
by; Pastor Tom Shanor
What is truth? Is there transitional truth, universal truth, temporary truth, proven spiritual truth, accepted truth, new truth yet to be discovered, lies passed off as truth...again, what is truth?
Let's see what those who debate truth can tell us about it.
Quote: "Truth is most often used to mean being in accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original standard. Truth is also sometimes defined in modern contexts as 'an idea' of "truth to self", or authenticity".
Truth is usually held to be opposite to falsehood, which correspondingly, can also suggest a logical, factual, or ethical meaning. He goes on to say, most human activities depend upon the concept, where its nature as a concept is assumed by the majority rather than being a subject for discussion or debate. These subjects include most of the sciences, law, journalism, religion and everyday life.
Some philosophers view the concept of truth as basic, and unable to be literally be explained in any concise terms. Some truths are the building block of much of what we can understand, comprehend and build on.
The final version of the Declaration of Independence declares: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
In these United States, these three are under fire, and I believe in time are in danger (for the greater good of all) so to speak, will be and are being moderated as I speak this. Life...Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Beautiful words, beautiful freedoms. Thank God for those who were led by Him to write such a magnificent Magna Carta for the United State of America. Let us pray..................
For we Christians, the teachings of Jesus are our spiritual constitution. It is in depth, for the most part explainable and understandable. His words alone began to change the world when first spoken over 2000 years ago. They continue to do the same, and through today the same effect. In the book of John, Jesus uses the word truth 10 times, and in Luke once. He did not use the word in Matthew or Mark one time.
Let's see what ways He used it.
John 4:23..."The time is coming (indeed it is here now) when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way.
TRUTH..."God is Spirit" means he is not a physical being, limited to one place. He is present everywhere, and he can and desires to be worshiped anywhere, at any time. It is not where we worship that counts, but how we worship. Is therefore our worship genuine and TRUE? Sincerity, not simply following form. From the heart and mind combined, not just the mind.
John 8:32..."Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall set you free."
TRUTH...Jesus himself is the Truth that sets us free (8:36) "So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." He is the source of TRUTH, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from continued slavery to sin, from self-deception, and from deception by the enemy. He shows us clearly the way to eternal life with God. Thus, Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to choose to follow God. He calls us to be all that God means for us to be.
John 14:6...Jesus told him, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. No one can come to the Father except through Me."
TRUTH..this is one of the most important basic messages in Scripture. How can we know the WAY to God? Only through Jesus. Jesus is the WAY because he is both God and man. By uniting our lives with His, we are united with God. Trust Jesus to take you to the Father, and all the benefits of being God's son or daughter will be yours.
John 14:15-17..."If you love Me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate. who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all TRUTH."
TRUTH...The word translated "Advocate" combines the ideas of comfort and also counsel. The word could also be translated Comforter, Encourager, or Counselor. The Holy Spirit is a powerful personage of God who is for us and not against us, working for and with us. Amen!
In John 18:33... Jesus is standing before Pilate having a discourse with Him, answering questions in His own way. Pilate asks Him, "are you a king?" Jesus responded, "You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the TRUTH. All who love the TRUTH recognize what I SAY IS TRUE!"
In faith we claim TRUTH spoken by Jesus is TRUE! His teachings are real and applicable to our everyday lives, which is where they are proven. His teachings and His life give us life. He is not a magician that answers our every so-called need or wants or even every question, but I believe in our every question there is an answer in His teachings if we will just take the time to search, pray and even wait. He said He gave us an ADVOCATE...the Holy Spirit....how many of us ever seek the Holy Spirit when it comes to finding answers to our thoughts and questions. How many of us take the time to search for answers in His written word? How many of apply the lessons and commandments we have been given to make both our lives and lives of others better. Giving comfort, bestowing kindness, loving our neighbor and honoring our Lord by doing so? Everyday?
Life can and does kick us around very hard sometimes, and sometimes those times come in swarms it seems. I truly believe we can ALL hold onto the lifeboat of the Lord in those times, and come out a better person, trusting Him more each day, and in and from those times we can learn to give to others from the experiences we go through with Him at our side.
There are accepted TRUTHS that change with additional research in the sciences, in law and in society. Truths once held onto even when proven wrong, holding onto those so tightly, that even when proof is in in their faces.... they deny it and retaliate.
As an example, the Church at one time believed and taught that the earth was the center of the solar system. In the Galileo affair as it is called, was a sequence of events, beginning around 1610, culminating with the trial and condemnation of Galileo by the Roman Catholic Church. At that time Galileo published his Starry Messenger as it was called, describing the surprising observations that he had made with a newly developed telescope. With these new observations he promoted the heliocentric theory of Copernicus, which had been published in 1543. Galileo's initial discoveries were met with opposition and in the 1616 Inquisition by the Church, declared heliocentrism to be formally heretical, when proven that earth and the other planets rotated around the sun and not the earth. Galileo’s teachings were condemned, his writings destroyed and he was put under house arrest for the rest of his life.
In society with slavery it was taught in our churches, primarily in the south, that Negroes were sub-human and therefore their only value was to be found in serving the white race. The ramifications of that untruth we are still suffering the ramifications of.
The list goes on and on. Women spoken of as not being intelligent enough to vote, to hold public office, to be doctors, lawyers, etc., and today still not being worthy enough to be ministers in many sects and denominations. All because they are not men!
Another in science, concerning the age of the earth has proven that it is not seven thousand years old, but a couple of billion. The age of Radio Carbon testing, soil layers telling the story of creatures, so outrageous as to be Science Fiction. Proof that, the continents at one time were joined as one…and that list goes on. The proof of this not accepted by some millions of people in the face of facts, because TRUTHS are sometimes to be feared because of the changes and challenges they bring with them.
Here are a few quotes about TRUTH that are worthy of repeating from some well-known and not so well-known people.
Fear hinders TRUTH, so we should all be seekers of TRUTH, willing to accept proven truths, even if down the road due to further research they have to be updated and changed. “Fear not…. for I am with you says the Lord.” And this leads into a story.
To wrap this up this morning…. I am going to read you a true story of a seeker of truth and justice. Her name originally was Isabella, and she had no last name. READ………….
In all the TRUTHS that there are…. the greatest truth is the TRUTHS that came for our Lord Jesus Christ….and the power available to us to overcome lies, sin and deceit. Power to overcome obstacles seemingly so overwhelming, as to be impossible to surmount. Isabella challenged that lie…. Jesus challenged all lies, and we too, along with many who already have overcome, can join together in TRUTH to assist one another, by the power of God to do the same.
Amen
"The truth of Jesus the Christ will set you free!"
"Continuing the Journey with Jesus III"
June 23, 2019
Scripture References, Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-36
by; Pastor Tom A. Shanor
This lesson or teaching I have never taken on before having preached over a thousand sermons. As I prepared, I had to look deep within myself during the whole research aspect, asking truthfully if I myself am capable of both understanding and living out these truths, which as I read them are seemingly impossible. But, then I remember the Scripture that in Philippians 4:13, says "I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength to accomplish that which He asks me to do." (TS Version) Everyday language.................
Starting with the Scripture references for today's messages!
Matthew 5:43-48 ~ READ
Luke 6:27-36 ~ READ
"You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor'* and hate your enemy. But 'I' say love your enemies! * Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He, give his sunlight to both the evil and the good and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, * how are you different form anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect."
These verses are part of the Sermon on the Mount, also called the Be-Attitudes, as spoken here are the attitudes we too are to have in regards to being like Him...once again, as He journeys with us on this spiritual road to perfection. (of which I will speak of later)
Scripture...."But...to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks...(I have gotten myself in trouble sometimes on that one by giving to known takers) Now moving on...and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back." Well...how are you doing so far? Anyone sputtering or mumbling yet?)
Onward Christian disciples...let us allow ourselves in for more. "Do to others as you would have them do to you!" Now that one I like, yet still, if we are talking about our enemies, this means no retaliation, no vengeance, no outward reaction or display of anger, no conniving or scheming to get back at them. Romans 12:19 says, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." This tells us He even remembers the wrongs done to us, oh, and let me add here, the wrongs we do to others.
You see.... there are times, even when fellow Christians become in a sense our enemies. What do we do then, when we are wronged? We follow implicitly exactly what the Lord is saying to all of us. Even when wronged, always choose to do right.
Now...on to the rest of these verses for these ties directly into Matthew 5. "If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit. Even sinner do that much! Again...."love your enemies! Do good to them. Oh, Oh, this is different here. Lend (what) lend to them without expecting to be repaid (what?)
There is not much to be said in doing research on this. (not much available) in fact I couldn't locate anything. I can honestly say that I don't know what situation(s) the Lord had in mind here. There are times I have given money without expecting it to be returned, but that was my intention. I have lent money though, expecting it to be returned, though without interest. That has not always happened, and I have had to let it go. But the world system today does not work this way. So....we, like all others in the system, move within it with the expectation(s)) (unless so stated) of being paid back. I can't find fault with our system though of course there are exceptions. What I believe we all need to do is to be fair. To treat others even in lending money or borrowing money, as we ourselves want to be treated. Yes, things go wrong or awry, and when that happens, our number one response is to try to understand and if necessary be compassionate. If the loss was deliberate or due to handling the loan badly, then there are certain established criteria (all spelled out in the document) as to how to handle just such a situation.
This....is simply my take and opinion.
So, we are still not done yet with the Scripture, and I hope I am holding your attention. As I said...this is a difficult topic to cover.
These verses end with, "You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate." I like that!
At this point there is something I want you to remember. This teaching and these verses I did not write, so remember that I am just the messenger. These are Biblical teachings and sayings. Now...perhaps my interpretation can be questioned, but I do try and I mean try to stay true to what I believe I understand in them.
Now...I am going to read a true illustration in regards to this topic, "Loving our enemies." Called Teach Me to Love, by Corrie Ten Boom.
It wasn't easy for Corrie Ten Boom to forgive the Nazi captors who had tormented her at Ravensbruck. They had caused her to suffer horribly. Even worse, they had caused the death of her sister, Betsy.
Ten years after her release, Corrie ran into a woman who would not look her in the eyes. Asking about her, Corrie was told the woman had been a nurse at a concentration camp. Suddenly the memories flooded back. Corrie recalled taking her sister Betsy to the infirmary to see this woman. Betsy's feet were paralyzed, and she was dying. The nurse had been cruel and sharp-tongued.
Corrie's hatred now returned with vengeance. Her rage so boiled that she know of but one thing to do. "Forgive me," she cried out to the Lord, "Forgive me for my hatred, O Lord. Teach me to love my enemy."
The Spirit given by Jesus Christ seemed to suddenly cool her embittered heart, and Corrie felt the rage being replaced with a divine love she could not explain. She began praying for the woman, and one day shortly afterward she called the hospital where the nurse worked and invited her to a meeting at which she was speaking.
"What!" replied the nurse, "You want me to come?"
"Yes, replied Corrie that is why I am calling you."
"Then I will she replied."
That evening the nurse listened carefully to Corrie's talk, and afterward Corrie sat down with her, opened her Bible, and explained 1 John 4:9: "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, His enemies. And that night, a former captive let her former captor to a "decision to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. God...had taken Corrie's subconscious feeling of hatred of her enemy, and transformed them using them a window of pain and hatred, through which His light could shine into a dark and angry heart, setting this woman free from the guilt, shame and pain of her past.
Here are some of the things that we are called to do by Jesus, on our life-long journey with Him and with each other. These are broken down into short not suggestions, but commandments, the Lord Himself is giving us.
1. Love your enemies
2. Pray for those who persecute you
3. Do not love only those who love you, but those who hate you
4. Do good to those who hate you, and spitefully use you
5. Bless those who curse you
6. Pray for those who would harm or hurt you
7. Give beyond what is expected of you
8. Do not plan or carry out vengeance or retaliation
Here is another illustration. Just as Jesus spoke in His parables in the Sermon on the Mount, and in his teachings as he traveled, stories tell the heart of what is in those teachings and yet sometimes having to listen closely to grasp the depth of what He is telling us.
Roy Anthony Borges was a prison inmate who, becoming a Christian had some hard lessons to unlearn. All his life he had been taught to hate, hate his enemies and those whom he envied and who had more than he had, even behind prison walls. One of his most vexing enemies was Rodney, who stole his radio and headphones one day while Roy was playing volleyball in the prison yard. It was an expensive radio, a gift from his mother. The earphones had been a Christmas present from his sister. Roy was angry and wanted revenge, but as he prayed about it, it seemed to him that God was testing him.
Day after day, Roy wanted to respond violently, to knock the wisecrack grin off Rodney's face, but Romans 12:20-21 kept coming to mind where Paul's instruction to avoid vengeance, and leaving it to God to settle the score. Roy began to look at Rodney through God's eyes and have compassion on him. He began praying for him. He began to trusting God to accomplish something in Rodney's life.
By and by, Roy's hatred for Rodney began fading, and he found himself helping his enemy and telling him about Jesus. Then one day, Roy later wrote, "I saw Rodney kneeling down next to his bunk reading his Bible, and I knew that good had overcome evil."'
I would say most all of us have people and reasons in our own mind that we feel we have the right to hate, but that is not to be the way of a Believer, a disciple of Christ. I will also say that in hating, we have the most to lose, for we can't have the peace of God that passes all understanding in hating, we can't have a full and rich spiritual life in hating, we, also can't have a good and fruitful life in our everyday lives by hating. Nothing good can come out of doing so.... nothing.
The meaning of the word love is
June 23, 2019
Scripture References, Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-36
by; Pastor Tom A. Shanor
This lesson or teaching I have never taken on before having preached over a thousand sermons. As I prepared, I had to look deep within myself during the whole research aspect, asking truthfully if I myself am capable of both understanding and living out these truths, which as I read them are seemingly impossible. But, then I remember the Scripture that in Philippians 4:13, says "I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength to accomplish that which He asks me to do." (TS Version) Everyday language.................
Starting with the Scripture references for today's messages!
Matthew 5:43-48 ~ READ
Luke 6:27-36 ~ READ
"You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor'* and hate your enemy. But 'I' say love your enemies! * Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He, give his sunlight to both the evil and the good and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, * how are you different form anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect."
These verses are part of the Sermon on the Mount, also called the Be-Attitudes, as spoken here are the attitudes we too are to have in regards to being like Him...once again, as He journeys with us on this spiritual road to perfection. (of which I will speak of later)
Scripture...."But...to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks...(I have gotten myself in trouble sometimes on that one by giving to known takers) Now moving on...and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back." Well...how are you doing so far? Anyone sputtering or mumbling yet?)
Onward Christian disciples...let us allow ourselves in for more. "Do to others as you would have them do to you!" Now that one I like, yet still, if we are talking about our enemies, this means no retaliation, no vengeance, no outward reaction or display of anger, no conniving or scheming to get back at them. Romans 12:19 says, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." This tells us He even remembers the wrongs done to us, oh, and let me add here, the wrongs we do to others.
You see.... there are times, even when fellow Christians become in a sense our enemies. What do we do then, when we are wronged? We follow implicitly exactly what the Lord is saying to all of us. Even when wronged, always choose to do right.
Now...on to the rest of these verses for these ties directly into Matthew 5. "If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit. Even sinner do that much! Again...."love your enemies! Do good to them. Oh, Oh, this is different here. Lend (what) lend to them without expecting to be repaid (what?)
There is not much to be said in doing research on this. (not much available) in fact I couldn't locate anything. I can honestly say that I don't know what situation(s) the Lord had in mind here. There are times I have given money without expecting it to be returned, but that was my intention. I have lent money though, expecting it to be returned, though without interest. That has not always happened, and I have had to let it go. But the world system today does not work this way. So....we, like all others in the system, move within it with the expectation(s)) (unless so stated) of being paid back. I can't find fault with our system though of course there are exceptions. What I believe we all need to do is to be fair. To treat others even in lending money or borrowing money, as we ourselves want to be treated. Yes, things go wrong or awry, and when that happens, our number one response is to try to understand and if necessary be compassionate. If the loss was deliberate or due to handling the loan badly, then there are certain established criteria (all spelled out in the document) as to how to handle just such a situation.
This....is simply my take and opinion.
So, we are still not done yet with the Scripture, and I hope I am holding your attention. As I said...this is a difficult topic to cover.
These verses end with, "You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate." I like that!
At this point there is something I want you to remember. This teaching and these verses I did not write, so remember that I am just the messenger. These are Biblical teachings and sayings. Now...perhaps my interpretation can be questioned, but I do try and I mean try to stay true to what I believe I understand in them.
Now...I am going to read a true illustration in regards to this topic, "Loving our enemies." Called Teach Me to Love, by Corrie Ten Boom.
It wasn't easy for Corrie Ten Boom to forgive the Nazi captors who had tormented her at Ravensbruck. They had caused her to suffer horribly. Even worse, they had caused the death of her sister, Betsy.
Ten years after her release, Corrie ran into a woman who would not look her in the eyes. Asking about her, Corrie was told the woman had been a nurse at a concentration camp. Suddenly the memories flooded back. Corrie recalled taking her sister Betsy to the infirmary to see this woman. Betsy's feet were paralyzed, and she was dying. The nurse had been cruel and sharp-tongued.
Corrie's hatred now returned with vengeance. Her rage so boiled that she know of but one thing to do. "Forgive me," she cried out to the Lord, "Forgive me for my hatred, O Lord. Teach me to love my enemy."
The Spirit given by Jesus Christ seemed to suddenly cool her embittered heart, and Corrie felt the rage being replaced with a divine love she could not explain. She began praying for the woman, and one day shortly afterward she called the hospital where the nurse worked and invited her to a meeting at which she was speaking.
"What!" replied the nurse, "You want me to come?"
"Yes, replied Corrie that is why I am calling you."
"Then I will she replied."
That evening the nurse listened carefully to Corrie's talk, and afterward Corrie sat down with her, opened her Bible, and explained 1 John 4:9: "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, His enemies. And that night, a former captive let her former captor to a "decision to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. God...had taken Corrie's subconscious feeling of hatred of her enemy, and transformed them using them a window of pain and hatred, through which His light could shine into a dark and angry heart, setting this woman free from the guilt, shame and pain of her past.
Here are some of the things that we are called to do by Jesus, on our life-long journey with Him and with each other. These are broken down into short not suggestions, but commandments, the Lord Himself is giving us.
1. Love your enemies
2. Pray for those who persecute you
3. Do not love only those who love you, but those who hate you
4. Do good to those who hate you, and spitefully use you
5. Bless those who curse you
6. Pray for those who would harm or hurt you
7. Give beyond what is expected of you
8. Do not plan or carry out vengeance or retaliation
Here is another illustration. Just as Jesus spoke in His parables in the Sermon on the Mount, and in his teachings as he traveled, stories tell the heart of what is in those teachings and yet sometimes having to listen closely to grasp the depth of what He is telling us.
Roy Anthony Borges was a prison inmate who, becoming a Christian had some hard lessons to unlearn. All his life he had been taught to hate, hate his enemies and those whom he envied and who had more than he had, even behind prison walls. One of his most vexing enemies was Rodney, who stole his radio and headphones one day while Roy was playing volleyball in the prison yard. It was an expensive radio, a gift from his mother. The earphones had been a Christmas present from his sister. Roy was angry and wanted revenge, but as he prayed about it, it seemed to him that God was testing him.
Day after day, Roy wanted to respond violently, to knock the wisecrack grin off Rodney's face, but Romans 12:20-21 kept coming to mind where Paul's instruction to avoid vengeance, and leaving it to God to settle the score. Roy began to look at Rodney through God's eyes and have compassion on him. He began praying for him. He began to trusting God to accomplish something in Rodney's life.
By and by, Roy's hatred for Rodney began fading, and he found himself helping his enemy and telling him about Jesus. Then one day, Roy later wrote, "I saw Rodney kneeling down next to his bunk reading his Bible, and I knew that good had overcome evil."'
I would say most all of us have people and reasons in our own mind that we feel we have the right to hate, but that is not to be the way of a Believer, a disciple of Christ. I will also say that in hating, we have the most to lose, for we can't have the peace of God that passes all understanding in hating, we can't have a full and rich spiritual life in hating, we, also can't have a good and fruitful life in our everyday lives by hating. Nothing good can come out of doing so.... nothing.
The meaning of the word love is