Bartimaeus Baptist Temple

Paul has laid out the problem for us in detail. We are all deserving of God's judgment. Now we come to the solution. His name is Jesus.

As we continue our study, we now come to a passage that may be familiar to us, either because we were trained to use it as we share the good news, or because we ourselves were ushered into the faith by someone who read from it. You might call it the head of the "Romans road." Paul wraps up his indictment of humanity by quoting from the Psalms and the prophet Isaiah. He draws from passages concerning those who never knew God as well as those who forgot Him. The verdict, "There is none righteous, not even one." (Roman 3:9-18)

As we move into Romans, Chapter 3, Paul has shown us the hopeless condition of both Gentile and Jew. In Chapter 2, he has addressed the Jews in particular, for these had the advantage as direct recipients of His favor and His word. Now he will address some objections we might have from our limited human perspective. Has God acted unjustly? Absolutely not! This week we cover Romans 3:1-8.

God commanded circumcision as a sign of His covenant with His people, but from the beginning, it was always about the condition of their hearts. So it is with us. The trappings of religion are worthless if they do not extend beyond the surface. We continue our study with Romans 2:25-29.

Priscilla brings encouragement out of the fiery furnace.

As I read in preparation for the next passage in our progression through the book of Romans (2:17-24,) one phrase grabbed my attention, “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” (from 2:24.) The context is Paul's condemnation of his fellow Jews for their hypocrisy. He appears to be referencing Isaiah 52:5, which addresses Israel's oppression by the Assyrians. This happened because they turned away from Yahweh. They knew God's law, yet their hearts remained unchanged. The message can as easily be for us today. We know the teaching. We are quick to spot it when others don't live up to it, but we had better be examining ourselves. How many falls have we witnessed? They make the news far too often. The world turns away in justified disgust, and our Lord is grieved. We spend a lot of energy in concern over what people might think or say about us. With maturity we may care less, but there remains a desire to leave some kind of legacy. What will be said of us when we are gone? God's people should be asking different questions. We are Jesus' representatives on this earth. We should be asking, "what do people think of Jesus based on what they see in me? Does my life reflect His?" May our lives lead people to glorify the name of Jesus and not to curse it.

In Acts 1:6-11, Luke gives us an account of what happened just as Jesus was taken up into Heaven.  Imagine being one of the disciples on that day.  You've already seen so many amazing Miracles that you can't remember them all, and most amazing of all is the man you know was tortured and crucified just over 40 days ago is standing in front of you.  There's no doubt anymore of who He is.  You think you understand it all now, and wonder if now is the time for Him to finish what He started and restore your nation, something you've hoped for all your life. But not so fast!  When asked if the time had come, Jesus says in effect, “none of your business.”  “There's more for you to do, and I'm going to give you the power through the Holy Spirit to do it.”  Then, up He goes!  We're told that the disciples stood there looking into the sky. No doubt they were awestruck at what they had just seen, but I think they might have been wondering, “What now?”  Their leader has been taken from them.  The Holy Spirit is coming, but they don't yet understand what that means.  So, there they stand, staring up at the point where they last saw him disappear into a cloud.  How long that lasted we don't know, but it would seen not long before the angels made an appearance.  They had just one question, “why do you stand looking into the sky?”  Jesus already promised He would be back.  Meanwhile, the disciples had a mission to complete. When things get tough, we have a tendency to look back longingly at the way things used to be.  When something is lost that we think we can't live without, we can focus on that thing to the exclusion of all others, missing out on the life still going on around us.  Now I get that this is not a very good analogy when it comes to Jesus.  After all, we really can't live without him, and we don't have to.  We have the Holy Spirit.  But God was doing something bigger than they could ever have imagined, and Jesus's  temporary departure was part of the plan.  I'm sure I'd be right there with them.  After all, they were in the presence of the risen Lord!  They had given up everything to follow Him.  He had been their teacher and their friend.  This had to be a difficult transition for them.  So God sent the angels to remind them that He would be back and to prod them on to the next phase of His grand plan.  They obeyed, they prayed, the Holy Spirit came, and the world was changed forever! All of us right now can probably look back on times that seemed better.  We had our health.  WE had more money.  Our loved ones were still with us.  Our relationship with god seemed stronger. But let's not stand here staring off at what once was.  Let us instead embrace what is.  Let us continue to seek the Lord, learn to hear His voice, and do what He has told us.  I believe that great revival is possible, if we His people will only humble ourselves and pray, turn from our sins, and seek His face.

We continue our study of Paul's letter to the believers in Rome. He begins has case with the power of the good news of Jesus to save us all, then describes why it is that we need saving. He shows that regardless of our heritage or background, we are all without excuse. His law has been written in our hearts. The focus this week is on Romans 2:12-16.

Priscilla gives a testimony of her troubles over the past few weeks, and her victorious faith comes through. Be encouraged.

We continue our study in the book of Romans with Chapter 2, verses 1-11. Paul now turns his attention to the hypocrites. If the unbeliever is without excuse, how much more the one who knows the truth? Paul had in mind those Jews who thought they were superior to others and yet did not keep God's law themselves. His message rings true today and applies to all people. We cannot presume that because we go to church or come from a Christian background that we are somehow shielded from the consequences of sin. If anything, our judgment is greater because we knew the truth. If we are committing the same sins, we have no place to judge others and we will suffer the same judgment.

As we continue our study of Paul's letter to the believers in Rome, we come to a passage that may be the most controversial of our time. (Romans 1:26-32 will be the text.) It's in here, so let's address it. I believe Paul puts emphasis on a particular sin for two reasons: its prevalence in Roman society, and its affront to God's design for His creation. However, if we keep reading, Paul will cover a vast range of human depravity. This is the end result of having rejected His truth in favor of lies. Observe the world around you, and know that he speaks the truth. But God has not left us there. Before Paul begins describing the state of those who reject God, he proclaims the power of the good news of Jesus Christ to save. I am blind. If you see me about to walk out in front of a car, I hope you will call out to warn me. If I believe that you are on a path that leads to death, to call out to you to turn around is not hate, it is love. As you listen, I hope you will here God's heart and mine.

We continue our study of Paul's letter to the believers in Rome with Chapter 1, verses 18-25. Having attested to the saving power of the good news of Jesus Christ, he now turns his attention to the reasons why we need saving, and the consequences that follow the rejection of the one true God. No one gets a pass. We are all without excuse.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17) Join us as we continue our study of the book of Romans with these powerful verses.

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:2) Linda beautifully summarizes what we need to do to follow this instruction.

In this second installment of our study in the book of Romans, (1:18-15) Paul expresses his sincere desire to visit the believers in Rome. As he expresses the reasons why he has been so intent on visiting them, we get a glimpse into the heart and mind of a missionary. Paul was a missionary in every sense of the word, but we are all called to be missionaries. Few of us may travel to other lands, but all of us must carry the "good news" to everyone who will hear. Thus his words are instructive for us, showing us the missionary mindset.

In this electronic age, fewer of us are getting actual letters, but most of us are still old enough to have one or more that we treasure. Maybe they came from someone we love. Maybe they represent a milestone achievement in our lives, or maybe they simply make record of something we need for legal purposes. I don't have a lot of printed letters, but I do have some birthday cards sent by my parents over the years with some meaningful things written in them. My beloved wife and I are firmly planted in the shadow of the shining screen. She may have some things I made for her over the years because I thought they would be meaningful to her, but my record of romance lives in an Outlook folder. Letters have played a significant roll in history. The letters from our country's founders help us to understand what they intended. We have probably all learned in school about Martin Luther King's letter from the Birmingham jail, a powerful defense of nonviolent resistance to racial segregation. But there is one collection of letters that have truly changed the world. Some were written to individuals, others to churches, and others to people in a certain region. We have them in our Bibles. I doubt that any of the writers suspected that two thousand years later we would still be intently studying their correspondence, but God knew. Arguably most significant among these is Paul's letter to the believers in Rome. I have often said that if I could share only part of the Bible, I would want to include two books in particular. I would choose the gospel of Jon because it so clearly shows us who Jesus is. I would choose the letter to the Romans because it explains why that matters and what to do about it. So, with this message, I invite you to join me on a journey through this remarkable book. Honestly I'm a little intimidated by the proposition that I should lead you on this journey. People far more learned than I cannot agree on everything in it, and there is so much! Yet I am drawn to the challenge, and I trust that His Holy Spirit will guide us all as we go. We begin with just the first seven verses of Chapter 1. Paul wastes no ink as he begins right away to lay the foundation for his letter. It is quite a greeting, and from it we can begin to unpack some of the themes he will expound in the rest of the text.

I think many times in church we have approached the subject of money in ways that are harmful even if well-intentioned.  God doesn't need our money.  If we give it to Him from a sense of compulsion or fear, I dare say He doesn't even want it.  But we read in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 that He loves a cheerful giver.  Motivation has always mattered more to God than material.  He wants our devotion.  When He has that, we will freely and joyfully give Him anything else that He wants.  We will find in so doing that we ill not lack for anything that we truly need.  I share with you some principles that will help us to become cheerful givers.

In our daily conversation, we often speak of life in less than glowing terms. We say that life isn't fair. We describe it as unpredictable and often unpleasant. Yes, unpredictable and unpleasant things happen to us as well as do good things, but these are not the definition of life. Life is a gift from God. Life is good! We are instructed to choose life. What does it mean to choose life? Given the issues of our day, it may be that abortion comes to mind. Certainly choosing life has a very real application in that case. It may also come to mind as we consider the value of life for those who are suffering. We speak of quality of life, but we are not equipped to judge such things. Life belongs to God. Only he is fit to assess its quality. Our ideas about these issues are informed by our relationship with the author of life. In Deuteronomy 30:15-20, we find Moses speaking to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the promised land. They have been given God's law. He has just explained in stark terms the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. Serving Yahweh leads to life. Serving anyone or anything else leads to death. We have largely abandoned pagan idols, but we still worship false gods. We have dispensed with the surrogates and simply worship ourselves. Israel would fall as Moses prophesied that they would, but he also prophesied her redemption, and we know Him as Jesus. Israel could not keep the law, and neither can we. None of us is able to stand before a holy God. We have all sinned and fallen short of Hid glory. Yet because He loves us so, he sent His only son to pay the penalty for our sins. It remains for us to choose the life that He has freely given. When we accept His lordship over us, we gain His life, and that begins to affect our life choices. We must actively and always choose life. Choose good over evil, life over death, love over indifference. God gives life, and life is good!

I was once asked why it is that the Lord's name, Yahweh, given to Moses at the burning bush and recorded in Exodus, chapter 3, is not widely used or taught by churches. I suggested that it probably has more to do with tradition and familiarity than anything else. Only recently have we seen some bible translations begin to use it where it is appropriate. But we might not need to make too much of this. The apostles quoted from a Greek translation of the Old Testament that rendered His name the same way most translations still do today. If they didn't make an issue of it, we probably shouldn't either. I think that every Christian should know His name, but there is more to a name than the letters or sounds we used to express it. Yahweh chose His name for it's meaning. When he gives it to Moses, we see this first, “I AM”. There is no better description of Him. He defines existence. He is beyond space and time. He cannot be defined, because he is the definition. In the New Testament, that name never occurs. What happened? In a word, Jesus! In Hebrew His name would be known as Yeshua, or Yashua. That is, Yahweh saves, or Yahweh is salvation. The name didn't go anywhere. It was given to the Son. He Himself said, “before Abraham was, I am.”.

Micah 6:8 New International Version: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. The goal is doing what is best for the person that you are trying to love.

In the first letter we have from Paul to the church at Corinth, he addresses a number of issues, among them a question about whether it was acceptable to eat meat that had been part of a sacrifice to an idol. His characteristically lengthy answer appears in 1 Corinthians, Chapters 8-10. It could be summarized, "Yes, but not if it compromises your ultimate objective. That objective in this context is the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ that all may hear and believe, and the promised reward for all who are His. Paul holds himself up for an example. We might think that's rather arrogant, but it is actually a picture of good discipleship. Every one of us, especially as we mature, should be able to say to those who may look to us, "Do as I do." If we can't, it probably means we need to be doing things differently. He draws a parallel to an athlete competing in the games which were held periodically near the city (1Co 9:24-27.) We can appreciate the same imagery, consider an athlete training for the Olympics. These people are laser focused on their goal. They intend to be the winner. Every aspect of their lives reflect that goal. The runner constantly strives to shave just one more fraction off of his time. He runs every day. He strictly controls his diet. Even sleep must be managed in support of the objective. That is the kind of focus we should have. In Paul's day, the prize was a wreath. In mere days it would be shriveled and worthless. Modern metals have a bit more staying power, but sooner or later become little more than trinkets. The reward we run for has eternal value that will never fade, but instead will only grow more wonderful. Only one can win that gold, but all who seek the Lord will find Him. Knowing this, we should push aside anything that may distract from our mission. Sometimes, these appear helpful on the surface, but subtly divert us from the track we are supposed to be following. This happens because we are chasing the wrong things. We take our cues from the world. We see something we like, and dress it up in Christian clothing to justify our pursuit of it. When we feed the flesh, we fan the flames. If we will seek the Spirit, we will see salvation.

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will make you mighty, surely I will help you; Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent. For I am Yahweh your God, who strongly takes hold of your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.' (Isaiah 41:10-13LSB)

Joshua 1:9 reads, “Did I not command you? Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.” (Lexham English Bible) This is part of the Lord's commission to Joshua as he is given the charge to lead the Israelites into the promised land in the place of Moses. As we read the surrounding scripture, we find this command repeated 6 times beginning at Deuteronomy 31:6: once from Moses to the people, twice from Moses to Joshua, and 3 times from God Himself to Joshua. We think of these adjectives, strong and courageous, as qualities one either possesses or doesn't. We know they must be developed, but we think of them in the present tense. How then can we be strong when we are weak, and courageous when what we feel is fear? If God commands it, there must be a way. The answer is in the verse we just quoted, “Yahweh your God is with you.” Our strength is His strength. Our courage comes from knowing that the power that created the universe is on our side and will never leave us. I believe that god is telling us at Bartimaeus Baptist Temple, “Be strong and courageous! Complete the mission that I have given you. Be the light that the blind may see. Speak the word that the deaf may hear. Smooth the way that the lame may walk. I am with you always”

Priscilla teaches from 2 Timothy, Chapter 3.

We may think of God as being somewhat remote. If we've been taught correctly, we know better. WE know that His Holy Spirit lives within us as believers,, that He hears us when we pray,, that He guides and protects us, and most of all that He loves us. But most of the time, we can't feel Him. We can't see Him. He usually doesn't speak to us so that our physical ears Hear Him. How are we supposed to know Him? Here's a great place to start, assuming for our purposes that You have already chosen to follow Him. Look closely at the life of Jesus. We reveal ourselves through our emotions. I can tell you a lot about myself. most of us are really good at that. But it is in those times when the feelings come out that we really begin to know each other. What makes us sad? What makes us angry? What brings us joy? As we read the accounts of Jesus' life, we can see the kinds of things that moved Him. He told his disciples that if they had seen Him, they had seen the Father. He also said, "I and the Father are one." So, if we look at the things that moved Jesus, we learn the heart of God. We learn what pleases Him and also what displeases Him. I did not include a central passage this week because we will be all over the place. We will explore the Gospels as well as some other key passages to get to know God a little better. It is my hope and prayer that you will be blessed

Priscilla reads from Ephesians Chapter 4 and shares truth and testimony.

As part of our traditional Christmas celebration, I read the story from Luke 2:1-14 and add a little commentary.

The Gospel of Luke gives us two accounts of angelic visitations in the first chapter. The first is to Zacharias, a priest serving in the temple. The second is to Mary, a young lady engaged to be married who learns she's about to be pregnant! Both receive news of a miracle, but their responses differ in one very important detail. They both ask questions, but one asks from doubt, the other from faith. Few if any of us can expect a visit from an angel, but we are confronted with the same choice that Zacharias and Mary had. Will we choose to believe God even when what He says doesn't seem possible, or will we question him in doubt. Mary's question was one of faith and of curiosity. In other words, “How are You going to do that?” Zacharias' question was one of skepticism, “prove to me that You can do that.” We all have questions, and that's OK. Let them be questions from faith and not from doubt.

Linda encourages us to choose peace.

Jesus fulfilled a minimum of 300 old Testament prophecies while He lived among us. Some put the number much higher, based on the reading of more scripture as having a messianic prophetic intent. As we enjoy the Christmas season, lets consider just the five prophecies mentioned in the book of Matthew, Chapters 1-2. Only one prophet actually gets named. His readers would have known who they were, but can you name them?

She's back and she ain't backin' down! Join Priscilla as she pounds home the message that we should not loose our focus.

Are there parts of the Bible you read just because you're supposed to? Maybe you use one of those reading plans that takes you through the Bible in a year, and so you struggle through the numbers, the pages of prophecies of doom, or the long list of laws. You know it's important, but sometimes it's hard to stay focused. You might wonder what you are supposed to be getting from it all. I've been there, too. Allow me to take just one small passage from the first chapter of Matthew, and show you just how exciting a boring list of names can be when you know the history behind them.

Joy is one of those words that gets loaded with layers of meaning when it gets run through the Christianese dictionary. We'll say things like, "You may not always be happy, but you can always have joy." What? When I have taught on this in the past, I have added to the pile by telling you that you can and must choose to rejoice! What does that even mean? We can certainly manufacture joyous expressions, but how can we change what we're feeling inside? I do believe that we can take control of what we feel, but it isn't automatic. It takes discipline, and I'm still learning. The joy comes as we draw closer to the Lord and He becomes our source. There is no passage of scripture that I can readily point to that sets forth Joy as an objective and gives you a set of instructions for attaining it, but the whole Bible leads you to Jesus, and that is where the joy comes from. Our God is good. He is not like the Pharaoh of Egypt, commanding that the Israelites do the work without giving them the resources to do it and then punishing them for failure. If he tells us to do something, He will give us the means to obey. So if he tells us to rejoice, to celebrate, always, it is possible for us to live that way. It does not mean that we should never have "negative" emotions. Jesus Himself experienced grief, and even anger. We are made in God's image, and he experiences these things. It does mean that we can choose to rejoice in the Lord even in the tough times, knowing that He is good and that He is always working for our good. As Paul wraps up his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, he gives a series of simple instructions which taken together will help us to grow and bring us to a place where we can truly observe the first of them, "Rejoice always." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24)

Linda encourages us to spend time in prayer and to make it meaningful, starting from the "Lord's Prayer" in Matthew 6:10-13.

We like to think that if we do everything right, our lives will be easier. There is some truth in that. In general, when we do life God's way, it works better. But when we really set out to serve Him, there's no guarantee of smooth sailing. Jesus warned us that we would face opposition. He also told us what to do about it, and some of those instructions are contrary to our natural inclinations. He said in Matthew 5:11-12, "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." The early apostles took this to heart. consider Paul and Silas (Acts 16.) They went where God told them to go, and immediately began to share the good news of Jesus with the people there, starting with some women they met at a place of prayer by the river. When a slave girl who was a fortune teller began to follow them, annoying Paul, he made the evil spirit leave her, thus depriving her masters of the profits from her profession. So, they stirred up the local officials, and Paul and Silas were beaten with rods and thrown in jail. Wrongly imprisoned, wounded, chained to the wall in filthy conditions, their only company some number of criminals locked away with them, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing. If they felt any anger or discouragement at their circumstances, they put it aside, knowing that God would turn even this for their good and His glory. It didn't take long! The earth shook. the doors flew open, and the chains fell away. Everyone's chains! We don't know what happened to the other prisoners that were there that night, but we know that they were listening as Paul and Silas prayed and sang. It must have affected them sufficiently that they did not run for the doors when given the chance, because when the jailer was about to kill himself, thinking his charges escaped and no doubt dreading what the Romans would do to him, Paul yells out, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” (v. 28) By the end of that night, the jailer and all of his family had become believers and had been baptized. A new family was added to the fledgling Philippian church. This account should encourage us all. Trouble will come. Sometimes we make it for ourselves, but even then God can turn it around. Sometimes it comes just because we live in a trouble world. Other times, it comes because we did exactly what we were supposed to do. If we will first turn to the Lord in prayer, and then continue to openly and unashamedly praise His holy name, we will see Him do great things. Not only will we be set free, but so will those who hear us.

This week, I want to offer you some comfort and encouragement if I can. We're all facing trials. Some, if not most, are simply the results of living in a fallen world. Accidents happen. We age. We get sick. Eventually, we die. All of us to one degree or another have made our own trouble at times, and may suffer the consequences. Or, it may be that we suffer because we did something right. Whatever the cause, it is easy to become discouraged unless we work to maintain the proper perspective. Consider the apostle Paul. Once a persecutor of the church, he became one of the most effective evangelists the world has ever known. As one of the Lord's star witnesses, some might think his life should be pretty good. People were healed and even raised from the dead. He preached the Word everywhere he went. No one would question his faith. Actually some may have done that, as he writes in part to address false teachers coming against him at Corinth. But Paul's life was full of trouble. Almost everywhere he went, he encountered opposition. Sometimes that opposition was violent. He was slandered, beaten nearly to death, and put in prison on multiple occasions. He is believed to have been martyred in Rome. But Paul does not express anger or disappointment at these things. Instead, he writes in Colossians 1:24, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and I fill up what is lacking of Christ's afflictions in my flesh, on behalf of His body, which is the church..." In the second of his letters to the Corinthian church that have been preserved for us, Paul writes of the difficulties faced by himself and fellow missionaries. He defends the truth of the Gospel message, and points out that it is through the humanity of his messengers that God's glory becomes evident. Twice he says in Chapter 4, "We do not lose heart." The truth of the message, the certainty of the eternal promise, and the knowledge that the truth continues to spread through their efforts sustains them through every hardship. They knew that a glory awaited them far beyond any trouble this life may bring. They could endure any hardship, secure in the knowledge that nothing in the world they could see could compare to the promises yet to be fulfilled. They might have remembered the words that David wrote, "In God, whose word I praise, In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?" (Psalm 56:4) "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) These men had the boldness to preach the gospel in the face of any opposition, knowing that not even death would stand in their way. They would eventually be taken from this world, but only to enter their rightful realm in Heaven. When we become that convinced that God is with us, we, too can step out in boldness into the mission that He has given us. We may also take comfort in the knowledge that every trial that we endure can be turned to our good and His glory. Yes, if you love the Lord, even your mistakes and their consequences will be redeemed. Do not lose heart

Election season is almost over. The official election day is this Tuesday. If you have not taken advantage of early voting, I strongly urge you to check your Bible, then check your ballot. A few months ago, the political parties met to select their candidates, take care of party business, and produce a platform. The platform is the set of core principles and objective of the party, and it provides a standard by which one may learn the supposed values of a candidate running as a member of that party. If you have nothing else to go on, this can help you make good decisions. But there is a bigger question that needs answering before you go to the polls. What is your platform? If you had to write out the principles that you believe should govern your life, what would they be? Is your platform stable, or will it collapse under the weight of real life? There is only one foundation strong enough to withstand the storms. That is, the Word of God. (Matthew 7:24-27)

As Halloween approaches, we see many representations of supposed beings from the dark world. Is it all fun and games? Is Satan nothing more than a silly cartoon character, or a real enemy with whom we must contend. As Christians, we do not need to fear him, but neither should we ignore him.

None of us have met Jesus in person, so what do we mean when we talk about knowing Him? How is it that any of us can say that we do? It is by the gift of His Holy Spirit and the power of His word. As we recognize His lordship and seek to obey, we become more aware of who He is and of the depth of His love. The Word speaks plainly that a mark of those who know Him is obedience. The apostle John tells us that if we say that we know Him and yet do not keep His commands, we are liars. We will all fall short. We will all miss the mark. That's why Jesus stands as our advocate, having paid the price for our sin with His own blood. But we cannot live a life of willful sin and claim to be His. Listen as we consider His word from 1 John 2:1-6.

What is worship? That may seem like a childish question, but many of us may answer it differently depending on the traditions that are familiar to us. When we come to church, many people call that a worship service. So it should be. Whatever happens within the walls of our buildings should reflect reverence and service to our Lord. But worship is more than the songs we sing. It is more than the traditions we observe wherever they came from. Worship is a lifestyle. Worship comes from the heart. Worship flows out of the doors and into the streets, touching lives and offering hope. Jesus said that "the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers." (John 4:23) Why should a God who created everything and lacks nothing desire worship? He doesn't need His ego stroked. He seeks it because he desires that we know Him. To know Him is to recognize who He is. As we come to know Him, we will worship Him because He is the only one worthy of worship. We offer it freely. We love him because He first loved us. That worship will take the form of open expressions of praise and adoration. It will also take the form of service. We desire to please Him, so we treasure His word and obey His commandments, which are always for our own good.

Christians believe that no one is beyond God's reach, but do we really? I'll bet every one of us can think of particular individuals that seem to us to be unreachable. They may be people we know personally, or people we think we know about because of their fame. But God specializes in unlikely redemptions. The apostle Paul may be the most well known to us. A man who once violently persecuted followers of Jesus became foremost among them. These were my thoughts as I read a story well known to us who group up in Sunday school. We even have a little song about it. We read it in Luke 19:1-10. Jesus Himself could often be found reaching out to those with whom no one else would have anything to do. We're not too fond of tax collectors today, but imagine if we were overrun by another nation, and the tax collectors were Americans who went to work for the invading country. That was the situation for the Israelites of Jesus' day. A tax collector was a special category of sinner worthy of utter contempt. Not only did they collect taxes for the invaders, they lined their own pockets by taking more than they were supposed to. Imagine now the controversy that would be created if a well-known religious figure took one of these people onto his staff, and starting hanging out with his friends. That's what Jesus did when he called Matthew to follow Him. Then later when He was passing through Jericho he befriended another one, and everyone saw him do it. This guy was the worst of the worst. He was a chief tax collector and had made himself rich by this ill-gotten gain. But Jesus saw who Zaccheus was about to become. In a move that we would consider rather rude in our culture but was an honor in that time and place, Jesus looked up into the tree where Zaccheus, a short man, had climbed up in order to see him over the crowds, and invited Himself to his home. Jesus was communicating acceptance to this man, and Zaccheus eagerly responded. We see evidence of Zaccheus's change of heart as he promises to give away half of his wealth and restore fourfold anything he took by extortion. Contrast this man with the rich young ruler from Chapter 18. He was a pretty upstanding guy, at least by his own account. He was looking for the one work he could do to achieve eternal life, but Jesus exposed his real problem. His wealth was his idol. Jesus said elsewhere that what we treasure will reveal where our heart is. Zaccheus showed by his vow that his heart was now with Jesus. So, let us never presume that we know who God will choose. Let us be always ready to share the hope that lives within us. Let us be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Let us love even our enemies, because he told us to do that, and He did it himself.

I felt like we all could use some encouragement this week. As I was praying, i remembered some of the instances when Jesus talked about our rewards. Even after studying it, I am not sure how to think about rewards from God. If you asked me, I would say that He is our reward. What more could we want but eternity in His presence, being involved in His next big thing. And besides, a reward is something you get for something you did. We all know that we cannot earn salvation, so what are these rewards? I still don't have a clear answer for that, but I know that they exist, because Jesus talked about them, and His disciples did too. I am certain of this. However small you may think your contribution to be, God see it. His accounting is different than ours, so you might be surprised at his assessment of what you have done. However you may feel that what you do goes unnoticed, God sees, and he will reward you. Besides, if you are doing it to be seen, Jesus says you already have all the reward you're going to get. Not even a simple act of kindness like giving someone a cup of cold water in service to our Lord goes unnoticed. We're not necessarily working for the rewards, but they come as evidence that He is pleased with us, and that's a wonderful thing. There is so much we could talk about, but since we don't have all day, I'll stick to Matthew 10:44-22 and bring in just a few other things.

Encouragement and exhortation from our fav Sunday School teacher. :)

It's still pretty easy to call yourself a Christian in the U.S. You may experience some ridicule from time to time and even some real persecution, but most of us can expect little pushback for declaring our religion. I wonder if that's a good thing. Maybe it means we aren't different enough from the world around us for it to matter that much to them. The pitch we make to get people to join us sure doesn't sound much like what Jesus told His would-be followers. If Jesus were preaching in our streets today, I don't think he'd be invited to many seminars on how to draw a crowd. He said things like, (highly paraphrased from Luke 14:25-35) "If you want to follow me, you have to hate your family, march toward your own death with the implement of your torture on your back, count the costs and decide whether you can really do it, surrender to a greater power, and give up everything you have." Where do I sign up? The Gospel is truly good news! It is a wonder and a joy to know that the creator of the universe came and lived among us, subjected Himself to a horrible death on our behalf, and then rose from the grave that He might give us life. We should loudly and joyfully proclaim it to everyone who will listen. But we seem to think we need to soften the message. We want to relegate the hard parts to the find print in hopes that we can close the deal. A life committed to Jesus will not be easy, but it will be worth it. We may be assured that wen we set our feet upon the narrow path, He will always be there to make sure we reach the destination.

Pris encourages us with 5 things that God has appointed for us.

We serve a good God. In fact, He is the very definition of good. I am so thankful that He loved us so much that He made a way for us to be part of his family. As His children, we can come right to the throne of almighty God! ! Do you ever stop to think how amazing that is? For us still living here, that's metaphorical, made possible by Holy Spirit, but some day it will be actual! Lord, may that day soon come! We could save ourselves so much disappointment and heartache if we could grasp this one thing. Prayer is not a tool to get what we want from God. If Jesus's instruction through what we call the Lord's prayer is taken as example, the first priority of prayer is to recognize the holiness of God, and the second is to align ourselves with His will. Only then do we come to the petition part. We tend to make prayer more complicated than it is. Just open your heart and talk to Him. He already knows what you need and everything about you, and He still loves you! In this message, we'll take a closer look at the "Lord's prayer" and the other things Jesus said as He gave it to us. I'm praying that you will be blessed by it.

Linda encourages us with the message that when we lose things that are important to us, God may be making room for new and better things.

Our good friend brings us a message from the book of Philemon.

A few years ago, I was praying, writing it down as I sometimes do, looking for inspiration for my next message. I started thinking about what I would do if things changed in the future. There was a good chance I could be laid off. How would I care for Linda? What about the church? I sat there for a minute, then the story of Martha and Mary from Luke 10:38-42 came into my head. I started to write down my thanks for the idea for a message, but that it didn't have much to do with what I was just praying about. Then it hit me. It had everything to do with it. The circumstances are different, but the message is the same. In that moment He might have said to me, “Larry, Larry, ‘you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary.” Our lives are full of distractions. It's not that they aren't important. Jesus didn't say that what Martha was doing didn't need doing, though I wonder if she felt that way at the moment. The truth is, we wouldn't function very well without the Marthas among us making sure everything gets done and practical needs are met. Martha was a faithful servant, and Jesus loved her as much as He did her sister Mary and brother Lazarus, whom he would later raise from the dead. The question that came into my mind as i read this story was, “why did Luke, lead by the Holy Spirit, feel it important that we read about this incident. We have so little recorded of what Jesus said and did. Every detail has been given to us for at least one reason. I think there are several here, but to put it in a few words, it might be that we know more about who Jesus is and know that there is no better think than to be His disciple. Only one thing is necessary. Let us choose the good part. I did lose that job, and the one after that, but we were provided for and now I have an even better one. The time off was put to good use. I didn't need to worry about anything. I just needed to listen to Jesus.

Priscilla tells us how to come through the crazy with our faith intact.

How often do you hear the word, repent. It just doesn't come up in normal conversation. We mostly hear it in church, and even there in many cases not as often as we should. One of the ladies who used to attend would stop me every time I used the word to ask me what it meant. I don't know if because of her condition she truly could not remember from the last time or if she was making another statement entirely, but some questions only God can answer. It is something we can all use reminding about from time to time. Repentance is an essential part of the message. We better know what it means. We love to share, and rightly so, of how Jesus died to pay the price for our sins. We urge people to accept Him, but if we leave out repentance, we have accomplished nothing at all. The hearer is left in the same condition as we found him, destined for Hell. Many people who attend church and do all the "right things" are in no better condition. They have never truly changed direction. Once when Jesus was teaching, some people came up and told him about how King Herod had killed some worshipers even as they were making their sacrifices. Jesus asked them if they supposed these people to be worse sinners than everyone else. He says, "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3) He then offers a second example with the same conclusion. Jesus preached a message of repentance. His disciples preached a message of repentance. So did John the Baptist, and so did the early church. God is good and full of mercy. He will wait, but He will not wait forever. Our passage this week is from Luke 13:1-9.