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11-01 - End of Fear

Last night the country celebrated an ancient tradition of pagan origins.  We call it Halloween.  The ancient Celtic people called it Samhain.  October 31 was the last day of the Celtic year.  For the Celts that day was a time when the veil between the living and the dead was thin and ghosts could walk among the living for purposes of good and evil. The people built massive bonfires, performed ritual sacrifices to the gods, did fortune-telling, and wore costumes made from animal skins to disguise themselves from ghosts who had an evil desire. This Celtic practice began about 2,000 years ago.  It was a festival and time of anxiousness and darkness.  It was a time for people to be afraid.

Being afraid is a universal human trait.  All humans, regardless of country, culture, or century experience the sense of being afraid.  It is the third human emotion expressed in the Bible.  The first human emotion was joy.  We find joy first expressed in Chapter 2 of Genesis.  The man was alone and engaged in naming the animals of God’s creation.  Then God brought the woman to the man and the man said, “’Finally! One like me, with bones from my bones and a body from my body’” (Genesis 2:23).  The man was joyful.  The second human emotion was shame.  The man and woman had just eaten the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.  “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves” (Genesis 3:7). Shame entered the lives of the man and woman.  The third human emotion was fear.  After eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, “The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”  10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid”” (Genesis 3:8-10).

            The first human expression of fear was to be afraid of God.  Sin came into creation and the first effect was to give us a sense of shame toward one another and a sense of fear of God.  The man and woman who at first were naked, unashamed, and comfortable in one another’s presence felt the inner need to separate and cover themselves. Then sin gave the man and woman the inner need to separate and hide from God.  The man and woman covered themselves with leaves to dispel the shame and hid among the trees to put an end to fear.  But their actions did not work because the cause of their distress was sin.  Man and woman learned they cannot solve sin or the effects of sin.  Fortunately, God had a plan.

            So at about the same time the Celtic people were burning bonfires and dressing in animal skins, God sought to put an end to the separation between Him and humanity.  God entered the world dressed not in the skins of animals but in the flesh of a human, a man, named Jesus.  In his coming, Jesus sought to address sin and the effects of sin, particularly that of being afraid.  Today, I would like us to look at the work of Jesus to change our inner need or desire to be afraid.

            We encounter the first instance of Jesus confronting fear in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 5.  Jesus encountered a fisherman named Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “’Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’  Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.  When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’” (Luke 5:4-8).  Simon had witnessed a miracle only possible by the presence of God. Simon feared God. 

Fear is a funny thing.  Whatever we fear has not yet happened.  Did you know that?  Whatever we fear has not yet happened. Allow me to illustrate.  Suppose you are driving along, you get distracted, and inadvertently drive through a red light.  You realize your error as you make it through the intersection and then fear takes over as you spot police car at that same intersection.  You fear being pulled over for your mistake.  You have not been pulled over, but you fear being pulled over.  A few moments later, the police car is behind you with it’s lights on signaling you need to pull over.  You no longer fear being pulled over by the police because it is happening.  But you now fear an interaction with the police and possibly getting a ticket.  We fear what has not yet happened.

Simon was fearful not because he was in Jesus presence, in the presence of holiness. Simon feared judgment that would come from being a sinful man before God.  Simon feared what could be coming and wanted to escape judgment.  However, Simon could not hide in the boat and could not run from Jesus’ presence.  The only option was to ask Jesus to leave Simon’s presence.  “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”  It was at this precise moment that Jesus began to teach Simon why he had come.  Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid.” 

“Do not be afraid to be in my presence.”  The Apostle John witnessing this scene would later write that Jesus did not come “into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). Jesus wanted to restore Simon’s relationship with God and to teach Simon how to help others be restored in their relationship with God.  Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people” (Luke 5:10).  As we read earlier, the man and woman hid for fear of being in fellowship with God.  Jesus, God in human flesh, had come to drive away that fear and restore fellowship with God.

Jesus then began to teach people about the blessings of restored fellowship with God.  Jesus taught Simon, whom he would call Peter, and the other disciples these blessings of restored fellowship with God.  Jesus said: “Blessed [literally “Congratulations to you who”] are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:3-12).

            Restored fellowship with God changes the person.  With God we are made humble, merciful, reverent, repentant, compassionate, peace loving, and righteous.  The need to be fearful is removed.  The restoration of a relationship with God is to be blessed and receive the kingdom of heaven, comfort, inheritance, fulfillment, mercy, seeing God, being called God’s child, and being rewarded in heaven.  Jesus replaced the fear of being in the presence of God with the blessing of being in God’s presence.  He did not make this change by one little degree at a time as though we come into God’s presence with small incremental changes.  Jesus changed the situation all at once.

How did Jesus explain the transformation from fear to blessing?  Let’s look at a portion of a parable Jesus once told for an answer to that question. “21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’  22 Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times [or seven times seventy].  [Jesus said], 23 Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.  26 At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’” The man in debt feared the king. The man feared his wife and children would be sold into slavery and it still would not be enough to get the man out of debt.  What the man fear had not yet happened so the man promised to make good on the debt by working hard and paying the debt back in installment payments.  If you have ever had a mortgage or credit card debt you can relate to this man’s circumstance.  You pay and pay for years in the hopes of getting yourself out of debt. All the time you fear the consequences if you are unable to pay.

The king saw the man’s circumstances.  Jesus said, “27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.”  Jesus continued the story but the key to the story is found in three powerful words, “canceled the debt.”  The transformation for the indebted man occurred when the king “canceled the debt.”  In one single act of mercy, the king forgave the man’s debt of ten thousand bags of gold. The man went from fearful of the king to being blessed by the king.  He was in a word, the king saved the man.

Jesus was teaching Simon and his other disciples that forgiveness, canceling of the debt, is the key to transformation of the human spirit before God because forgiveness removes the fear, the dread, of what it means to be in God’s presence.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus], 20 and through him [Jesus] to reconcile to himself [God] all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.  21 Once you were alienated [separated] from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he [God] has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his [God’s] sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:19-22a). The debt, our debt, was paid by Jesus.

Fear and separation from God, the effects of sin, were removed from us through the horrible instrument of the cross.  Paul said, “13 When you were dead in your sins …God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14).  We moved from death to life as Jesus moved from life to death.  We became whole as Jesus body was pierced on the cross and we became clean as Jesus’ blood ran down his body staining his skin.  The scene on the cross is gruesome and the process of our reunion with God is hard for us to imagine.  There is not one of us here who would allow our child or family member to go through the ordeal of the cross for any reason.  Yet, God did, and Jesus did, because of an overwhelming love for one another and an overwhelming love for us.  What did God ask in return for canceling the debt?  Simply, that we would love and follow Jesus, and that we would love one another.

To help remind us of the mystery of the transformation from fear and separation to forgiveness and reunion, Jesus gave his disciples the simple elements of the bread to eat and a cup from which to drink. Jesus wanted his disciples then and his disciples today to feel the blessing of being in God’s presence.  Jesus did not want his disciples to be afraid nor does he want you and me to be afraid. 

The song writer offered to us these words of the bread and cup.

“Do you believe in me?  And in the words, I say? And in Him who sent me from above? Do you believe in my love?

I’ve tried so many ways to show you my love.  And to show who I am.  Sometimes I wonder if you’ll ever learn or if you understand.

Do you believe in me?  And in the words, I say? And in Him who sent me from above? Do you believe in my love?

This is my body that is broken for you.  Never forget what I’ve done.  This is my blood that is shed for you.  This is what makes us one.

Do you believe in me?  And in the words, I say? And in Him who sent me from above? Do you believe in my love?”

“Do not be afraid.”  Jesus’ love has canceled all your debts and has restored your fellowship with God and with one another.  This is the good news of the Gospel of Jesus.  Come and receive, and then share with those who are afraid.  Amen and Amen.

10-25 - Who Is Jesus

Last week, we started a conversation about fundamental truths of life with a simple question, “Who is God?”  We worked out an answer believing that, “God is the Creator of all life who imprinted His image of goodness and love upon us and with great love continually seeks us; desiring that we would love Him and be good to one another.”  I asked you to use this past week to meditate on our belief and to put that belief into practice by loving God and being good to one another.  What you believe matters enormously.  Our beliefs become evident in our behavior.  How we behave determines what our life will be. 

In our journey through fundamental beliefs, we began with God and now, as a Christian outpost in the world, we need to come to terms with our next simple question, “Who is Jesus?”  I watched a video the other day that asked this question, “Who is Jesus?”  Here are some of the replies.

  • Umm
  • He was born on Christmas Day
  • He was a guy, groovy like Gandhi
  • He was a man with long hair and a beard
  • He is “fictionary”
  • He was a guy who was probably made up
  • He is kind of a guy people have in their imagination to help them cope with things in their life
  • I think he really existed and was a little bit crazy
  • He is my savior
  • He is definitely somebody to live by
  • He is a savior sent by God to pay for our sins so that we can have eternal life
  • He was a man who lived a long time ago and had some good ideas
  • He is just someone out there and I believe in him.  He is someone you have to pray to him and have faith that he is there.  I do not know how to describe him.

 “Who is Jesus, indeed?” 

“Who is Jesus,” may be at first a simple question that is difficult to answer and we may not know where to begin.  Instead, let us say we started out by me asking you a much simpler question to answer, “Who are you?”  Given that question, I suspect most of us would respond with our name.  Depending on the circumstances in which the question is asked, we add to that our profession or a title.  If we were at the scene of a traffic accident and a police officer asked, “Who are you?” we might answer, “I am a witness.”  We meet hundreds of people who tell us who they are and we accept their response on face value.  There is no need to see if their own testimony is true. Go to a restaurant and the server will come to your table and say, “Hello, my name is George and I will be taking care of you today.”  We accept their testimony.  In some cases, we do not accept someone’s testimony of their identity until evidence confirms it is true.  In my prior 33 years with the US Government, every five years I filled out page after page of questions seeking information about me from me to answer the overall question, “Who are you?”  Then armed with my responses, government investigators fanned out across the country to see if what I said was true.  The government then used random drug tests and polygraph examinations throughout my career to supplement its investigations.  My testimony alone to the question, “Who are you?” was not sufficient.  The government needed its own evidence to confirm what I said about myself was true.

How does our discussion on answering the question, “Who are you?” help us to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?”  It helps because we can begin by examining Jesus’ answer to the question, “Who are you?” and then see what evidence confirms his answer as true.

From our New Testament reading in the prologue to the Book of Revelation, the author, presumed to be the Apostle John, writes about the revelation of Jesus Christ.  In those opening lines, John records these words of Jesus, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.”  John later wrote in Chapter 22 of Revelation Jesus’ words, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."  Jesus uses here a phrase, an idiom, indicating He is complete.  Using the Greek alphabet, He simply says there is nothing that precedes Him, the alpha, and there is nothing after him, the omega.  He is the beginning and the end.  This sense of completeness is not a new concept.  The Old Testament book of Isaiah, we have the words from God, “I am the first and I am the last.”  Jesus’ testimony then is that God and he are complete, the first and the last.  For that to be true then, God and Jesus must be one.  In an interview then, we might initially respond to the question, “Who is Jesus?” by saying, “Jesus is God.”  While this answer helps make the connection between Jesus and God, it may not be helpful to many seeking understanding; so we must press forward.

As we look closer at our passage from Revelation, we read John giving glory to Jesus as he “who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood.”  Blood is a physical substance suggesting there is another dimension to Jesus beyond being God, who is Spirit.  As we look elsewhere for Jesus’ testimony, we come to a scene on a hill called Golgotha. There we find Jesus nailed to a cross and looking down at those around him.  He saw the woman who was his mother and a disciple whom he loved.  He said to one of the women, “Woman, this is your son.” To the disciple, he said, “This is your mother.”  A short while later, those surrounding Jesus believed he was dead but a soldier seeking evidence pierced Jesus in the side with a spear.  Water and blood flowed from him.  The evidence from the testimony of Jesus, through his words to his mother and through his body itself, was that Jesus was human; a person. Then “Who is Jesus?”  We must then add to our answer, “Jesus is the personal union of God and man.”  Knowing Jesus lived a human existence is powerful and helpful to us because then we know he personally understands the challenges of life.  For others, this is a hard concept, God and man, so we must continue forward to see what else Jesus says to bring comfort to all.

In Revelation, 1:5, we read again that John called Jesus, “the faithful witness.” What then do we find in Jesus’ own testimony about being a witness or prophet.  In the Gospel of John, Chapter 8, we read that the Jewish leadership was upset with Jesus.  John wrote, “25 They [Jews] said to him [Jesus], “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Why do I speak to you at all? 26 I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”  Jesus testimony is then that he speaks words he heard as a witness, a prophet, or messenger sent from God.  Jesus’ testimony is courageous because he delivers these words as he faces a hostile crowd bent on killing him.  Jesus’ testimony then is that he is a willing messenger. 

 We would want to know more though.  What is central message?  We find Jesus’ testimony is the Gospel of Luke on this point.  Jesus said to a crowd of people from his hometown that He was fulfilling this message, these words, in their presence, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Think about His words.  Suppose you were a prisoner and were just unexpectedly set free.  Do you think you would be joyful?  Suppose you were blind and suddenly could see.  Do you think you would rejoice?  Suppose you saw no future, no life beyond finding the next scrap of food and unexpectedly a banquet is set before you.  Do you think you would have hope?  It is this sense of joy and hope Jesus declares He is bringing as the willing messenger.  The street interviewer asks us, “Who is Jesus?”  We might now respond, “Jesus is the personal union of God and man who serves as the willing messenger of God’s joy and hope for us.”  The central message of Jesus is about good news.

While it is uplifting to our spirits that God chose to give us a message of joy and hope.  We humans are really only capable of producing happiness; a sense of positive or content feelings generated through a variety of ways.  “The difference between shallow happiness and a deep sustaining joy is sorrow.  Happiness lives where sorrow is not.  When sorrow arrives, happiness dies.  It can’t stand the pain.  Joy, on the other hand, …can withstand all grief.”  Joy and hope are eternal gifts from God.  However, unless we live rightly, these Godly gifts are just ideas.  We humans need ideas played out in the life of another person for them to become real. Therefore, we go back to Scripture and find in our passage from Revelation that John described Jesus as a king who made us to be a kingdom.  As a king, Jesus set the framework for life in the kingdom.  He set the model for behavior but he was far different from an earthly king who rules by force.  Jesus’ self-testimony behavior found in joy and hope was this, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” [Mt. 11:29].  “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” [John 10:11].  “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” [Jn. 15:5].  Finally, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” [Jn. 14:6]. Jesus humbles himself to guide us in life; that is the kind of king he is and the type of behavior he leads us to imitate.  He loves us sacrificially.  He leads us. He reassures us that his way is true and yields life lived in joy and hope.  As we build our answer to the question, “Who is Jesus?” we realize that in Jesus, he gives the divine message of joy and hope and then leads us in human ways to live our life in joy and hope.  We, therefore, would need to update our answer to the interviewer’s question, “Who is Jesus?” perhaps in this manner.  “Jesus is the personal union of God and man who serves as the willing messenger of God’s joy and hope for us and the loving mentor who leads us to abundant life.”

Listening to our response, we might be satisfied that we have helped others understand, “Who is Jesus?”  We have. However, our response is self-testimony from Jesus.  As I said earlier, the self-testimony of someone waiting on us in a restaurant does not require proof.  The self-testimony of someone working in a national security position requires substantial proof.  What then is required for someone whose self-testimony is that He and God are one? How great must the proof be when that same person says, “Your sins are forgiven.”  “Follow me?”  In our New Testament reading, we have a starting point.  In prologue to Revelation, we read Jesus described as the “firstborn of the dead” and as he who “freed us from our sins by his blood.” The first phrase, “firstborn of the dead,” suggests to us that Jesus lived, died, and lived again.  The second phrase, “freed us from our sins by his blood,” suggests that there was purpose in Jesus’ death and it was to serve us. 

As we go back into Scripture, we read that Jesus provided some important self-testimony about these critical points.  He said to his disciples, “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.”  Those words are powerful words to speak, “I am who I am.”  Those words represent the unmistakable identity of God.  Moses, standing before the presence of God asked, “What name shall I give to the people who sent me?”   God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”   With the divine power and presence of God in a human frame, what things did Jesus intend to tell his disciples ahead of time to evidence his name?  These words are just part of Jesus’ testimony of what was to come, “One of you will betray me.”  “Peter, you will disown me three times.”  “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”  Jesus testimony paints a powerful picture of what was to come.  However, it is still just his testimony.  What testimony is there that validates the authenticity of what he said?  It is this. After Jesus told these things to his disciples, Jesus was taken by force from them.  He was beaten, flogged, nailed to a cross, stabbed in the side with a spear, died, and buried.  “19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”  Jesus had said, “I am one who testified for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”  The resurrection of Jesus validates all claims he ever made because it demonstrates the power of God in Him.  Because Jesus rose from the dead, it means that all of Jesus’ words are true.  Therefore, what we read in gospels are true.  Jesus came to intercede for us.  He came from God to bring us back to God.  He came to take our sins and in return give us eternal life with God.

“Who is Jesus?”   What would you say?   

  • Umm
  • He was born on Christmas Day
  • He was a guy, groovy like Gandhi
  • He was a man with long hair and a beard

“Who is Jesus?”  I think we could confidently answer the interviewer’s question, we could answer a question from a neighbor, and we could start a conversation with someone with great confidence.  “Jesus is the personal union of God and man who willingly serves as the living messenger of joy and hope for us, the loving mentor who leads us to abundant life, and the resurrected mediator taking our sin and giving us eternal life.”  This week, I encourage you to take time to pray about “Who is Jesus?” and imprint the answer to that question on your heart, act in a manner that makes your beliefs real, live a life that expresses joy and hope at every opportunity, and make evident your testimony to others.  Amen and Amen.

10-11 - Salvation

THERE ARE TWO AUDIO SEGMENTS AND ONE VIDEO SEGMENT THIS WEEK.

During the last couple of weeks, we have spoken about baptism and we shared the Lord’s Supper.  Through these symbolic acts we see and experience the truth of the transformation, power, and goodness of God through his Son, Jesus Christ.  Today, I would like us to continue explore the truth about Jesus that lays behind the visible symbols of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. That truth is call salvation.  Now when we spoke about baptism, goodness that overcomes evil, and the Lord’s Supper, we had visible reminders to help understand what God was doing in the lives of believers.  In baptism, we heard Paul’s explanation that “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4).  We visualize this transformation each time someone is baptized.  To understand goodness and overcomes evil, we had the Lord’s Supper comprised of bits of bread and a cup of juice symbolizing the body and blood of Jesus who overcame the powers of the world and displayed the goodness of God through his resurrection from the dead.  Having something visible helps us understand a truth, particularly a spiritual truth. This one reason Jesus spoke so often in parables or in story form.  Stories help us form images of an encounter or scene which aids our understanding of the message being conveyed.  In all the years since Jesus’ taught, we still learn best from stories.  In fact, if anything, we have become more adept at learning and communicating through visual representations and story.  Today, I want to begin our time together by making use of our power to learn through images, through story, so that we could explore the truth of salvation.  And so, I want to begin with these images.

The images we saw of a person trapped in a hole rescued from circumstances that may or may not have been of his own making gives us a sense of salvation.  The person had no way and no hope of changing his circumstances.  The circumstances only changed when someone intervened on his behalf by climbing down into the pit to lift him out.  This is visual depiction of salvation.  Salvation is saving a person from the confinement and constraint of sin, distress, and hopelessness.  Salvation is planting a person in a spacious environment, granting freedom, and preservation from dangers.  Salvation is granting peace, joy, praise, and faith.  Salvation is granted by grace and mercy.  Salvation requires no meritorious work, no offering of money, and no acts of repetitious prayer.  Salvation only requires a desire to receive.

            The underlying Christian belief in salvation is that salvation comes from one source, God through Jesus.  In the Gospel of John, we learn, “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).  Salvation comes from God and it is born out of love. God does not seek to condemn people but to save them.  Salvation is a God thing.  Let’s take a look at some of what Jesus taught about salvation and how he represented it.

            In the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 5, we read a story about Jesus encountering a man who was not in his right mind.  Mark said the man was possessed by an evil spirit. Neither we, nor the disciples with Jesus, saw or could see an evil spirit.  But Jesus disciples and we could see the circumstances of the man.  Mark wrote, “3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones” (Mark 5:3-5).  The man lived among the dead in a cemetery.  The people of his town, his neighbors, had once bound him in chains to control him, but now he was too strong for them.  Night and day, he lived alone, howling and screaming. He cut himself with sharp stones and rocks.  The man was hopeless and whatever possessed him, whatever controlled his life, would not let him go.  Many people today live in a trapped existence and cry out in pain. 

If we continued reading, we would find that Mark gave a detailed account of Jesus freeing this man from his possessor.  Once freed Mark wrote, “15 When they [the local townspeople] came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind.” (Mark 5:15a).  This is a picture of salvation.  The man who was controlled by influences other than God had been transformed by his encounter with Jesus and was now peace, joy, praise, and faith.  This man had been saved.

The Apostle Paul would later explain such a picture as this in a spiritual context this way, 21 At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, because the evil you did was against him. 22 But now he has made you his friends again. He did this by the death Christ suffered while he was in his body. He did it so that he could present you to himself as people who are holy, blameless, and without anything that would make you guilty before him” (Colossians 1:21-22 (ERV)).

From Paul’s description we understand that salvation is an end of being separated from God.  Salvation involves a new way of thinking and a new friendship with God.  The path to this friendship was created by God through Jesus death and we need only ask to come onto the path.

Jesus asked the man in the cemetery who he saved and restored to do only one thing in return. Jesus said to the man, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mark 5:19).  Jesus charge on the man was simple.  Tell others what God has done for you.

Now some church folk can make salvation overly complicated and legalistic.  I have heard people ask of others, “Do you think so and so is saved?  Do you think the church they went to was a believer’s church?”  I read this week that many people in the Roman Catholic Church may not be baptized.  Apparently, you are properly baptized if the priest or deacon says, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” You are not baptized if the priest or deacon said, “We baptize you…”  Pronouns apparently matter.  The question is raised about the authenticity of another person’s salvation and whether the source of the salvation was sufficient and credible.  These are not new questions.

Sometimes friends and church folk are unwilling to believe someone’s testimony about what God has done.  Even in Jesus’ day, people raised questions about salvation.

            Let’s look at some excerpts from Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John.  One day, Jesus and his disciples were walking along, and Jesus encountered a man blind from birth.  The man was left to sit on the roadside and beg for money to sustain his own life.  Jesus “spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 ‘Go,’ he [Jesus] told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing” (John 9:6-7).  This is another illustration of salvation.  The man who was blind a birth, no hope of change, no hope of a full future, living a life constrained along the side of the road is now free to see all things and move about safely.  This healing came about by grace and mercy from Jesus.

            Now the man returned to his home.  “8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, ‘Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?’ 9 Some claimed that he was.  Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him.’ But he [the formerly blind man] himself insisted, ‘I am the man’” (John 9:8-9).  We see here that the neighbors of the man who was once blind were unwilling to accept the man’s testimony that he was healed.  The man’s neighbors could only see the man defined by his past.  But salvation means our past is behind us. We are no longer constrained by our past.  Now some people will not accept that truth about salvation and will try to drag people back to their former ways.  They will say, “I remember you when…don’t tell me now you have changed because you have God.  I am not buy it.”  This is essentially what the man’s neighbors were saying.  This cannot possibly be the man who was blind; this is only someone who looks like him.  But the man persisted saying, “I am that man.” The man gave his testimony of the work God did through Jesus.

            The neighbors then brought this man to the religious authorities for them to question the man.  The man repeated his story of being blind and now able to see because of what Jesus did for him.  “18 They [the religious leaders] still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 ‘Is this your son?’ they asked. ‘Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?’

20 ‘We know he is our son,’ the parents answered, ‘and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.’ 22 His parents said this [Ask him] because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue” (John 9:18-22).  The religious leaders refused to acknowledge Jesus was the source of salvation and that Jesus was working in the lives of one person, here a “nobody” who deserved no special grace from God.

            This scene teaches us that Jesus does not work through nations or people groups or race or any other sort of political affiliation or identity that people may chooses to assign to others.  Jesus works through a person; one at a time and offers salvation.

            In the Gospel of John, Jesus described the act of salvation using another illustration.  Jesus said, “3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3).  Jesus illustrated salvation as a second birth, a spiritual birth. Everyone here experienced a natural birth, that is we were born into this world.  Our life was derived from our parents.  Our birth did not come about by our own will or through our own provision.  In a similar manner, our spiritual birth will not come about through our own will or through our own provision.  Our spiritual birth will come about through the action of God through Jesus.  In that second birth, the source of our life is Christ living within us.  In this way, Christians do not believe they God will love them because they are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.  This is salvation.  We are no longer trapped in a hole.  Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:7b).

            Salvation is our avenue to joy, peace, praise, and faith. Salvation is our path to an ongoing relationship with Jesus.  Salvation is forgiveness, mercy, and grace given to us simply because we asked for it. Salvation is God’s to give and ours to receive.  Be willing to ask and receive and embrace salvation.  Amen and Amen.

10-04 - Good 'N Evil

            There was a very popular Broadway musical entitled, “Jekyll and Hyde.”  One of the songs from that show was entitled, “Good ‘N Evil.” Included among the lyrics of that song were these words, “The battle between good and evil goes back to the start - Adam and Eve and the apple tore Eden apart!  The key thing about good 'n' evil - Each man has to choose!”  Because the Broadway musical is a dark story the song concludes with “Evil's for me - you can have good!”

            Good and evil are truly as old as time.  In the beginning of time, God had one and only one commandment.  The man and the woman were not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Everything around the man and woman, including they themselves, had been described by God as “good.”  All that existed was good, everywhere, through and through.  Evil, as the man and woman, might understand it, was not present. Well, we know the story.  The man and woman ate the forbidden fruit and their eyes were opened.  “7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.  8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:7-8). Immediately, we see good has changed. The man and woman were ashamed of their nakedness and they were afraid of God.  As we read further, God found the man and woman. He asked the man if he ate the forbidden fruit.  The man replied, ““The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (Genesis 3:12).  The man admitted he ate the fruit but only because God put woman with him, and she is the one who gave it to him to eat.  Good has changed.  The man learned quickly to blame others and admit only what is provable. The woman learned from the man. She said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:11).

            How might we visualize the change from good alone to good and evil together?  One way might be to think about a hole.  Now a hole is not a real thing.  Right? You cannot go to Home Depot and buy a hole.  Kids cannot dress up for Halloween as a hole because holes are not real things even though they exist.  A hole exists as a missing part of something else.  We might have a pair of pants and observe, “I have a hole in my pants.”  A hole is the absence of what was once present. We know there is a hole present because we remember what those pants were like when we they were in tack.  In similar manner, we might think of evil as the absence, a hole, in what was once good.  We know that it is evil because we still retain memory of what it ought to have been like, that is good.  Confused? Think of it this way.  The only way we know a line is crooked is if we know what a straight line looks like.  The only way we know something is evil is because we retain a knowledge of what is good.

            So evil marred good.  Through sin a hole was punched into what was good but more in the way of punching a hole through a folded piece of cloth.  It was not just single hole, but a hole in many places. And life is still very much like a folded piece of cloth.  Every sin puts new holes into the cloth of goodness.

            Now God, who created good, has been unceasing in his desire that man and woman would seek good.  God sent Jesus, his own Son, to earth to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom.  The good news was that in receiving Jesus our sins would be forgiven and we would be called away from evil and called to do good.  In that calling and accepting of Jesus, our tattered cloth representing our life before Christ is replaced with the seamless and complete cloth representing the sinless life of Christ.  This happens because Christ loves us and forgives us.  This is the good news God offers through Jesus.

            And even though we may accept Jesus in this life, we know, God knows, that we are still inclined to sin and still want to punch holes into what is good.  Goodness is still a memory imprinted upon humanity and like all memories we do not recall things perfectly.  The Apostle Paul expressed the sense of seeing things as they are this way. First, Paul said, “12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).  In the present, we still see in part and thus are more than capable of acting in ways other than good.  The second thing Paul said was, “These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” (Colossians 2:17).  The reality, that which is good through and through is found in Christ.

            Knowing that we do not always see things clearly, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to give instruction on how to live our lives continually moving in the direction of good.  From our New Testament reading today, Paul wrote, “9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”  Love here is not an emotion, it is an action.  Paul’s point was that we must love with sincerity. How do we display such love?  We begin this way, “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”  Have you ever been the edge of very high point such as the edge of a roof or to the edge looking into a very deep canyon?  For many people who come to that edge, there is almost a magnetic-like pull over that edge.  Paul was saying do not go to edge of hole, to the edge of evil.  Step back from evil with the feeling hatred toward it. Instead, cling to the safety of goodness.  Do not let your hands go of what is good.  What is good?  The person of Jesus.  Hold tight to him.

            Paul then went into rapid succession of actions that represent love and goodness. “10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”  Be willing to serve other people because of love.  I read that we make friends for one of three reasons.  When we are young, we make friends based upon pleasure.  Our friends are those people who make us happy because we enjoy doing similar things.  Now when we no longer enjoy doing those things, our pleasure friends will disappear. As we age, we begin including friends in our life because we are useful to them and they are useful to us.  We have friends who are co-workers or neighbors. We might not even like these people that much, but we are friends because it is useful to get along.  When that usefulness ends, those friends will disappear. The third friend we make are virtue friends.  They are the people who become our friends in a deep and personal way.  Their friendship is true whether the moment is pleasurable or useful.  They want to do good for us simply because it is good for us.  These are rare friends indeed.  Paul was saying be that rare friend.  Devote yourself as a friend to others and be good to them simply because it is good for them.

            Paul continued.  “11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”  In expressing love and seeking goodness, we must remain vigilant to recognize that the strength to live our life comes from seeking God’s will and wisdom. We need to be excited about our faith and joyful about the hope we have because of the Lord.  Billy Joel’s song pokes fun at Christian behavior.  In the song, Only the Good Die Young, Billy Joel wrote, “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints, the sinners are much more fun.”  Paul’s point was nonsense!  Christians should be the people abounding in joy.  Paul wrote famously, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).  With great sincerity, we need to show others why we have hope and they can as well. And we need to pray for one another. I mean by name and specific.  It is a humbling experience when someone says to you, “It is so good to see you.  I have been praying for you.”  Prayer builds intimacy in our relationships.

            Paul said our love and goodness must be practical. He said, “13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”  We should be a giving people who express and show what goodness looks like and feels like by helping to solve needs of fellow Christians whether those needs are for food, clothing, shelter, companionship, or wisdom.  Quite frankly, these should be easy things for us to do and doing these things gets us in practice for the heavy lifting that love and goodness demand.

            Paul turned his attention to those difficult things.  Paul wrote, “14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”  Now that is tough stuff.  Blessing those who are unkind is not natural.  I learned that lesson as a young child.  My brother, who is four years older than I am, used to say to me, “If you punch me, I will punch you back 10 times and harder.”  I, of course, would have to punch him and he in turn would have to punch me back.  There was not a lot blessing going on when my brother and I were wrestling and fighting. We wanted revenge.  Paul went after this point a little further in this passage.  Paul wrote, “17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.”  “19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head’” (Romans 12:17, 19-20) 

            Instead of revenge, we are to imitate Jesus, who when insulted and injured did not retaliate.  When Jesus suffered, he did not seek revenge.  This does not mean we have to be everyone’s punching bag.  It simply means we will seek ways for God to bless them and move them toward goodness.

            Paul then concluded with these words, “21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).  God created us with free will.  If we are free to pursue good, then we are also free to pursue evil. Because we have free will evil is possible, but free will is also the only thing that makes possible love, goodness, and joy.  Paul said that we are faced with alternatives.  We can either be overcome by evil or we can overcome evil.  To be overcome by evil is to live a life making holes in the fabric of our life.  We can seek revenge for harm done to us but that makes as much sense as eliminating a small hole in our pants by making it bigger.  “You don’t see that small hole in my pants any more do you.”  No because you replaced it with a larger one.  We can seek to blame others for our problems and failing in life, but we know that will only result in us suffering alone in our failings.  Or we can overcome evil with good.  We can listen to God and follow the goodness revealed to us.  We can imitate Christ and be a source of hope.  We can practice the virtues of life and be the type of friend who never tires of doing what is good for our friends simply because it is good for them.  We can be part of God’s plan to overcome evil with good.  And by the way, in case you were wondering, there is no other plan available.

            As part of that plan we learn that on the evening that Jesus was betrayed and arrest, itself an act of evil, Jesus said to his disciples, ““As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other” (John 15:9-17).

            Jesus gave his friends what we now call the Lord’s Supper.  He gave them the bread and the cup to remind them that in the middle of evil seeking to destroy him, he had overcome evil.  Jesus gave his friends the bread and cup because it was good for them.  Through the bread and the cup his friends could hold in their hands the goodness of Jesus’ presence in their lives.  You and I are Jesus’ friend as well and he is offering us the bread and the cup because it is good for us.  It is good for us hold goodness in our hands.  Let us come together to remember what is good and be strengthened to overcome evil with good. Amen and Amen.

09-27 - Baptism

Today, I would like us to explore baptism. There are three reasons why I think we should talk about baptism.  The first reason is that we are Baptist and even the word “Baptist” appears in the name of our church.  Therefore, it stands to reason that baptism must be an important part of who we are. The second reason is that some people here have not been baptized and it would be important for you to understand baptism.  Finally, we should talk about baptism because some people here were baptized and we might only think about our baptism an event from our life and not essential element of our daily faith walk.

Let’s start with baptism as it is portrayed in the Bible.  While there are some historical accounts of ritual washings among the Jewish cultures and even pagan cultures, the concept of baptism was introduced by a man named John. This man, John, and baptism were so linked together that John became known as John the Baptizer or John the Baptist. For another day, we will look at John in detail, but for today, we will look at John as a matured man.  We find John introduced to us in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 3.

“3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:  ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’  John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River” (Matthew 3:1-6).

            Let’s take a look at a couple things about John and baptism.  John was a vocal preacher far removed from the mainstream of religious life.  Jerusalem was the center of Jewish religious life and John was in the wilderness, in a place called Bethany by the Jordan River.  In John’s day, it was a 20-mile walk from Jerusalem to Bethany and people from all over came to hear what John had to say.  John had a simple message, “Repent!”  Today, when we hear someone say “Repent,” we might be inclined to picture a street preacher screaming at folks as they passed by his corner proclaiming the end is near. We are not sure what to make of such people but generally most of us are inclined to cross the street and avoid the drama.  “Repent,” properly understood means to “turn around because God is behind you and you are walking away from Him.”  Repent means to turn around and agree to walk with God in your life. John, from his wilderness outpost, called people from the Temple of Jerusalem and the synagogues of other cities pointing out that following rules and religious practices, participating in ritual sacrifices, and wearing the right religious clothing was not the same walking with God.  Religiously practicing traditions does not mean you are with God.  Listen to how John address the most respected members of the religious community:

“7 When he [John] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he [John] said to them: “You brood of vipers [snakes]! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:7-10).

John was blunt.  He was saying, do not talk the talk of faith and believe you are walking the walk of faith.  The talk of faith alone produces nothing.  The walk of faith produces fruit in keeping with repentance.  When we repent, that is turn and genuinely follow God, then we can produce fruit that reflects the goodness of God.  When we repent, we stop doing things that we know are not pleasing to God and we begin doing things consistent with God’s character of truthfulness, honesty, compassion, empathy, patience, kindness, and love.  We are concerned less with the idea that God is to be found in religious traditions, rules, and rituals and we become focused on becoming the person God wants us to be.

John said to his listeners that once you have repented, once you have come into agreement with God, be baptized; be immersed and submerge yourself under the water as an outward sign of your decision to repent.  Let that baptism signify to the witnesses of your decision and desire to turn fully toward God and let that moment remind you that you are in God’s presence.  And people were baptized, submerged under the waters of the River Jordan, by John for their decision to repent.

So we learn that baptism began as a decision to repent and water was used to symbolize the change of direction.  That is what John’s baptism meant.

Then, in that remote location, “13 Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’  15 Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he [Jesus] went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he [John] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him [Jesus]. 17 And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:13-17).

            In the baptism of Jesus, we see God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit present.  In the baptism of Jesus, God was signaling that he would change John’s practice of baptism forever.  Baptism would no longer be simply about repentance, a turning toward God. Instead, baptism would come to represent a supernatural involvement of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit into the life of the person being baptized.  Baptism was still a human response to the presence and call upon an individual by God but now baptism would reflect the work of God’s Son and the involved of the Holy Spirit.  Like many of the things that happened with Jesus or Jesus taught and said about himself, the significance would not be fully understood during Jesus’ life on earth.  The same would be true of baptism.

            Let’s see what I mean by that.  After Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection from the dead, Jesus said to his disciples, “19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).  We see a couple of things here about baptism as Jesus would now define it.  First, baptism was for those who would follow him as a disciple; that is one who would seek to do what Jesus would do.  A decision is made for the individual to accept the forgiveness Jesus offers for all sin, past and future, and then as a confirmation of that acceptance, they are baptized.

            Now, I, like many of you, was baptized as an infant. I was only a few weeks old and I was baptized in a very religious ceremony.  I had no choice in the matter.  My baptism was done by my parents out of love for me, but I express no love for Christ, no repentance, no acceptance of Jesus’ offer of forgiveness, and no decision of discipleship.  I was a few weeks old and was simply present to get water splashed upon me.  Later, in my twenties, I thought again about baptism. The first and most overriding thought of that moment was, “When I get my act together and become a better person, then I will be baptized.  I cannot be baptized as I am now.  I must make myself better.”  This proved to be a fruitless exercise and one that is not found in the Bible.  Jesus did not say to his disciples, “When people get their act together, baptize them.”  He said tell them the good news that I have shared with you.  Invite them to follow me.  And when they do so, welcome them as your equal through baptism. I then came to realize that I needed to make the decision to follow Jesus.  I needed to accept Jesus’ offer, and I needed to be baptized as an outward sign of a spiritual change within me.  And so, as a man, I was immersed and submerged in the baptismal pool.  I wanted God and those who witnessed my baptism that a serious thing had happened to me.  That serious thing was explained by Jesus this way, I was baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  I was moved to repent and turn toward the Father.  I was moved to imitate the Son.  And God was moved to grant me the Holy Spirit to make it all possible in the moment and for the rest of my days. 

            The Apostle Paul was one person who fought against Jesus until he encountered Jesus and knew Jesus was the Son of God.  When Paul accepted Jesus was finally baptized, this is how he described the experience.  “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:4-5). Paul’s point was that baptism is the symbolic act of the death of our old life, that is our life without Jesus. That old life is then buried under the baptismal waters and we arise from the waters and draw in the breath of new life.  In that new life we are united forever with Jesus including joining him in his resurrection.  The promise is that Jesus is present with us in our daily living and that we will be united with him even in our death.  For Paul continued, “38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).  Baptism is a mutual expression of love.  Baptism is offered by Jesus as his expression and promise of love and it is our clearest way of showing our love toward him.

            We are a Baptist church because we believe that baptism is a personal decision that each person must make for themselves.  We do not believe Mom, Dad, or God parents can make a faith decision for the children under their care.  We, you and I, need to make that pivotal decision in and for our life.  Perhaps you have been waiting for the perfect moment to be baptized.  Do not wait. Come and follow Jesus and be baptized. Choosing to be baptized is likely the most significant act you can take in your Christian walk for the reasons I have mentioned and for these next thoughts.

            We can make use of our baptism daily by remembering three simple words, “I am baptized.”  How can those three words offer us daily strength.  Here is how.  When I think no one cares about me or my difficulties, I can say, “I am baptized.” When sadness overwhelms me, I can say, “I am baptized.”  In the long hours of the day, I can say, “I am baptized.”  When we are uncertain of our next step in life, we can say, “I am baptized.”  And because “I am baptized,” Christ Jesus lives within me now and forever. Because “I am baptized,” my sins are forgiven.  Because “I am baptized,” I have a family with many members.  Because “I am baptized,” God will share with me wisdom.  Because “I am baptized,” the Holy Spirit will lead me in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22).  Because “I am baptized,” the Lord will call me to meditate on things that are true, things that are noble, things that are just, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.  Because “I am baptized,” my life no longer belongs to the world, my life belongs to God and I know I am his child.

            “I am baptized” is the source of my spiritual healing.  Christian writer, C. S. Lewis wrote, “As long as the natural life is in your body, it will do a lot towards repairing that body.  Cut it, and up to a point it will heal, as a dead body would not.  A live body is not one that never gets hurt, but one that can to some extent repair itself.  In the same way a Christian is not a man or woman who never goes wrong, but a man or woman who is enable to repent and pick themself up and begin over again after each stumble – because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him or her all the time.”

            I am baptized therefore, Christ is within me renewing my life, repairing the spiritual cuts and scrapes from this world made of hard corners and sharp edges.  For those who have chosen baptism and been baptized, remember hold close each day the words, “I am baptized.”  For those who have not yet chosen baptism, I invite you to be baptized in the name of Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Make the choice to say, “I am baptized.”  Amen and Amen.

09-20 - Philip

As we have discussed during the last couple of weeks, I want us to explore the lives of some New Testament people and to see their lives through their encounters with Christ.  We spoke about Anna, the prophetess and Mary, mother of Jesus. Today I would like us to look at man, one of the Twelve, who was called Philip.

We first become acquainted with Philip through the ministry of John the Baptist.  Philip was in the area where John was preaching and baptizing and he in the company of other men from his town.  We are told that Andrew and his brother Peter present and that the three of them, Philip, Andrew, and Peter were from the same town of Bethsaida (Bet’ – say – da). The name of the town meant “house of fishing” which seems appropriate for the disciples and their profession.  Also by way of background, we need to know that Philip’s name is of Greek origin.  The Greeks, under Alexander, had conquered and ruled the territory of Palestine spreading Greek culture and language.  His name in Greek meant “fond of horses.”  

As we said, Philip was at the area of John the Baptist.  This suggests to us that Philip was someone who was searching for a deeper meaning to his beliefs.  He was there to hear John preach and, although we do not know for certain, he might have been baptized by John.  Jesus was present at that same time and had just been baptized by John.  Philip must have caught the attention of Jesus because Scripture tells us in John 1:43:

The next day [that is after his baptism] Jesus decided to leave for Galilee.  Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 

Here the Greek to “follow” means to be in the same way with, that is, to accompany, specifically as a disciple.  The term here is not limited to physically following someone on a journey.  It is call to follow me and become like me.  We see here that Jesus sought Philip.  Their meeting does not seem to be by chance nor does it sound like their first encounter.  Jesus is leaving the area but first wanted to find Philip.

What was Philip’s response to Jesus’ invitation? Let’s look at John 1:44 and 45:

Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.  Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Although Philip’s immediate verbal response to Jesus was not recorded, we do get a sense that he was excited about having been asked and intended to follow him.  Moreover, his excitement is such that he wanted to share his news with someone who must have been close to him – Nathanael.  Philip, who Jesus found, now finds Nathanael.  He tells him about Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph.  This tells us that Philip had enough conversation with or about Jesus to know of where he came from and of his assumed heritage. However, more importantly Philip told Nathanael that “we” have found the one – implying that Philip and others (perhaps Andrew) were of the same mindset about Jesus spiritual identity.  He believed Jesus to be the Prophet spoken about by Moses.  We heard the description from our Old Testament reading today in Deuteronomy 18:18:

18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

Philip perceived Jesus to be a great Prophet.  One who would be powerful in word and deed.  He would be one who would lead the Jews back to the relationship they once had with God and with the Promised Land.

So what can we learn about and from Philip in his initial encounter with Jesus?  The first thing we learn is that Philip was responsive to the stirring within him to seek the deeper truth of God.  He wanted to know God and to be right with God.  He was in the presence of the Baptizer who called for repentance.  He was open to the leading of God and his need to seek his righteousness.  We need to remember that everyday God is calling us to come closer to him.  He wants us to give up struggling with our natural will and to come to him.  We can learn from Philip by being open to the leading of the Spirit and follow the call on our lives.  The second thing we can learn about Philip is that he wanted to share what God had revealed to him.  When Jesus found him and asked him to follow him, Philip immediately went and found his friend.  He must have cared more about his friend coming to know Jesus than he cared about what his friend might have said in response to his invitation.  Philip had decided to follow Jesus but thought it sweeter to have someone he cared for come with him.  This raises the question to us.  Do we care more about having someone come with us as we follow Jesus than we do that they might reject our invitation?  Are we as excited as Philip, and willing to go and find our friend? Philip probably had an idea how his friend would react.  When Philip told Nathanael about Jesus and where he is from, Nathanael replied, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael was showing his prejudice and sharp tongue.  However, Philip was undeterred.  He took no personal sense of rejection from Nathanael’s comment.  He responded simply by saying, “Come and see.”  Philip has given us the best response to rejection of the invitation.  Calmly and with the peace of Christ, he simply said, “Come and see” then you decide for yourself.  We all can follow the Philip’s example - invite people we care about to come and see the Lord. Each of us has a Nathanael in our life. We have someone in mind that does not know the Lord or we have someone who has not been with him lately.  However, are each of us a Philip and willing to find your friend and say I want you to come with me to be with the Lord – won’t you just come and see?  I leave you to ponder that question.

We see Philip again later in Jesus’ ministry.  They are in the vicinity of Bethsaida.  A great crowd of people had followed Jesus because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.  Jesus went up onto the mountainside and sat down with his disciples.  We pick up the story in John 6:5-6:

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”  He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Jesus’ question is natural to ask of Philip since he was from that region. He asked, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" Philip does not answer the question, at least not the one asked by Jesus. Phillip’s response is "A month’s wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite." This does not answer the question where are we going to buy food.  Philip’s response told us what he was thinking, “Why discuss where to buy the bread when we do not have enough money to buy all that would be need for a crowd of this size?”  Jesus understood that they could not buy enough bread.  He only wanted to know from Philip of the possible source of bread the crowd.  Philip’s response is completely and clearly human.  We do not want to act unless we understand the whole picture.  We want to know that all the resources are accounted for and that we cannot fail.  Once we know all the facts, then we might be willing to proceed with acting.  Jesus was asking Philip for a demonstration of faith through dependence on God.  Jesus knew that God had always provided sufficiently for his people.  Scripture tells us that Jesus was testing Philip. He wanted Philip to be part of the miracle that Jesus would perform in which he did by feeding 5000.  In the process, Jesus was also teaching Philip to expand his minded and come to understand that Jesus was far greater than any prophet spoken about in the Old Testament.  Moses was able to feed the Israelites in the wilderness to the grace of God heaven. Jesus had performed miracles for many and now intended to show that there was no limit to the power available to Christ. Philip’s response suggests that he had not yet grasped who was in his presence.

We can learn from Philip that God will place opportunities before us to expand our understanding of his love for us and his capacity to provide for us.  Do we, like Philip, miss these opportunities because we are too interested in knowing God's entire plan before we move forward?  Are we willing to step out in faith and do as he asks us?  When faced with daunting challenges as Philip was in feeding the 5000, are we willing to step out in faith and simply find a source of bread without fully understanding how that source will be sufficient?  Faith requires that we proceed one step at a time without knowing with certainty how the journey will be completed but only knowing that the one who guides us love us.  Look today for the opportunities God is giving you to act in faith.

We meet Philip again in John 12:20 -- 21:

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus."

At this time, Jesus was preaching to crowd and a group of Greeks approached.  Here, in this context, most likely the term “Greeks” means they were Gentiles attracted to Judaism, to its high moral standards.  They would not likely however have been true converts to Judaism itself. This Scripture reveals to us some important truths about Philip.  The first truth is that Philip must have been identifiable as a follower of Christ.  The Greeks knew enough to ask Philip for the opportunity to speak to Jesus.  Do others see us that way?  Do others see in us the presence of Christ? Do they see us as identifiable as Christians?

Let me illustrate this point with an example through my own life. In my day job, I am a senior government manager responsible for security at a number of nuclear facilities throughout the country.  One day a contractor mail handler asked my secretary if he could speak with me.  She ushered the man into my office.  He was somewhat nervous given the difference in our positions but he pulled out a small pamphlet with a question on it. The question was "Do you know if you're going to heaven?"  He asked me if I knew if I was going to heaven.  We had a good conversation and I told him that I believe I would go to heaven.  However, this experience told me two things.  The first was this man was not sure that I was identifiable as a Christian.  Why else would he have asked me that question about going to heaven?  The second thing it told me was that he was more concerned that I would go to heaven then he was about my reaction to his question.  At that moment, he was acting like Philip and I was his Nathanael.  That experience caused me to look differently at how my conduct and demeanor would demonstrate to others that I was identifiable with Christ.  I needed to reflect that Christian is not a Secret Service job.  How about you?  Are you identifiable to those around you as a Christian?  Do they recognize you as someone that might introduce them to Christ?  It has been asked before but if Christianity became a crime; would there be enough evidence available to convict you?  It certainly was true of Philip because he was identifiable as a follower of Christ.

The second thing this short encounter with the Greeks revealed to us about Philip was that he was not only identifiable as a follower of Christ but also that he was accessible.  We would do well to understand that our ability to witness to others is related to how accessible we are to them.  Philip, as we recall who may have been of Greek origin, may have been seen as more approachable and accessible to the Greeks seeking Jesus. We can then learn from Philip that we need to be accessible to others.  Are we accessible to others or do we only associate with other Christians? Are we not accessible to others who may be seeking Christ?  We therefore should look for opportunities to be with others who we share interests with, be accessible to them, so that they too may come to us, identify us as followers of Christ, and ask how we too can see Jesus.

We encounter Philip again later in the Gospel of John.  Jesus told his disciples that he would soon be leaving them and going to a place where they could not follow him.  We pick up the story at John 14:5 -- 7:

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  From now on, you know him and have seen him." 

This is a very important passage.  Jesus is using the very powerful "I am" statement.  He said, "I am the way".  Following in his way does not just mean physically but it means following what I have revealed to you.  It means you need to desire the things Jesus’ desires, live and love as he lived and loved. This is the direction Jesus is calling us to follow and that in doing so we will come into the presence of the eternal loving God.  He is telling us that no one comes to the Father except through me.  This is hard for many to accept because there is no room for negotiating.  Jesus is accessible to all but all are accessible to God only through Jesus.  Being good, doing good, or being the child of Christian parents or being from any other religion simply will not suffice.  All of these approaches to God no matter how noble necessarily deny Christ.  Jesus made it clear, you cannot get to the Father through such ways.  This is the good news of Jesus that salvation is accessible to all but at the same time is reserved exclusively for those who call upon his name and live according to his will.

Philip now enters the scene for his final act: 

Phillips said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."

Here Philip does not seem to understand what Jesus has revealed to him.  He does not seem to appreciate that he has seen through the life Christ the living God.  Jesus responds but not in anger or resentment. He says somewhat painfully:

"Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say ‘show me the Father?’  Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?  The words I say to you are not just my own.  Rather, it is the Father, living in me who is doing his work.  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

So what can we learn about Philip through this encounter?  Philip wanted to see the Father and he knew that Jesus could show him.  However, Philip still thought Jesus was strictly human, Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph son.  He did not understand, he did not comprehend the miracles and the love Jesus had shown as evidence of God living among.  However, we should not be too harsh on Philip for at times we seem to behave in the same manner.  At times, we do not see that Christ has shown us who the Father is.  We need to understand that Jesus is in the Father, the Father is in him.  When we believe that, then Jesus is in us, and we are in him. Through his grace, we then can come into the presence of God the Father. And in that love relationship we come to love one another.  The love we have for the Father is shared with those around us, united by Christ upon the cross.  Philip understood that Jesus could show him the Father.  He did not however understand that Jesus had already done so.  Do we understand that?  Do we see in Christ his revelation of the nature and the character of God?  How awesome and wonderful he is.

Today we have seen Christ through the eyes of one of his disciples, Philip. We have seen Philip is a man seeking Christ, a man willing to share the good news of his discovery with those that he loved.  We came to see Philip also has a man who was growing in his faith and learning to rely upon the grace of God.  As he matured, he became identifiable with Christ, accessible and approachable to others who are seeking Jesus. Though he did not fully understand Jesus, he knew that all things were possible through him.  How are we exhibiting the attitude of Philip?  Are we willing to seek Christ, share him with others, grow in our faith, be identifiable as a follower of Christ accessible and approachable to others who are seeking him, and do we fully understand that all things are possible through him? May God grant us the humility, the wisdom, the courage, and the grace to be a maturing disciple willing to invite others to come and see.   Amen.

09-13 - Andrew

            This morning I would like us to consider Christian character through the exploration of the first of the called apostles, Andrew.  Although, first called, Andrew was one of the least conspicuous apostles; yet he was very effective in ministry.  There is an immediate lesson for all of us from observing Andrew.  Key among those lessons is this: every person, regardless of the size of his or her voice is significant to and valued by God.  Every person, regardless of the age or size can be a powerful minister to others through Jesus.

We begin looking at the Christian character and these lessons through the person of Andrew in our New Testament reading today from the Gospel of John, Chapter 1, starting at verse 35.  This passage begins on page 92 of the New Testament section of the pew Bibles. As this scene opens up, we find ourselves in the wilderness of ancient Israel, along the River Jordan; a place we can still find today.  The river serves as a boundary line these days between the modern nations of Israel and Kingdom of Jordan.  It was in this remote location that we find a man named John engaged in baptizing people of all social class.  John’s baptism, being submerged under the waters of the river, was an outward sign of a decision by those being baptized to repent; that is to change the direction of their life from self-oriented to God-centered.  When John baptized he called on people to show evidence that with God at the center of their lives their conduct with other people now would be different.  John was a bit of an odd character who distinguished himself by living in the wilderness on locust and honey and being fashionably dressed in camel hair clothing. In this small, out of the way place, far from the major cities, John said of himself, he was just one voice speaking into the wilderness.  He was faithful and patient to do what God wanted him to do.

Patience and faithfulness are often in short supply.  In the Book of Exodus, we learned that Moses was upon the mountain speaking with God while the people of Israel camped near the base of the wilderness mountain.  The people of Israel grew impatient, believing Moses was gone too long on the mountain and that his fate was now uncertain.  So the people, together with Moses’ brother Aaron, collected all of their gold together, melted it, and formed a golden calf; an object that they could see, they polish to shine in the sun, and carry with them.  They declared the golden calf the source of their freedom from Egypt and set about to worship the golden calf.  We hear those words and might say to ourselves, “How silly.  How much more advanced are we than them.  We would never worship an object.”  Anyone holding onto their phone at this moment?  The people were faithless and impatient.  They wanted things to happen on their timetable and in their way. They were self-centered and unwilling to live in accordance with God’s standards.  When Moses, this historically great leader and powerful speaker, came down off the mountain and called the people to repent; change the direction of their lives from self to God.  That message must be said over and over.

As we look to our New Testament text, John the Baptist is doing the same thing; calling people to turn from self and toward God.  John was a powerful speaker with a personality that could attract others to hear his message to change.  One of those people who heard John’s message in the wilderness was a young man named Andrew.

Andrew was a fisherman, physically strong from throwing nets into the Sea of Galilee and pulling them onto the shore or into his boat.  He lived in a small town of Bethsaida, in the northern part of Israel.  Yet, as we open our New Testament text today we will discover that Andrew is now 85 miles south of his home and is a disciple, a follower, of John the Baptist. Andrew knew John well.

Verse 35, “The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”  The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.  When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”  He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.  One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.”

Let’s take a moment and look at what we know about Andrew from this short passage.  Andrew was present at the side of John the Baptist, supporting and serving John’s historic mission to all the people calling them to focus their hearts and minds first on God and then live with others from God’s perspective.  At first, Andrew was unnamed; he was just a disciple of John’s standing next to John.  Yet, he was open to God’s leading and when he saw Jesus, and heard John’s testimony, that this is God’s Lamb, Andrew knew then that Jesus was a person through whom Andrew could experience God in a personal and powerful way.  In a book by Christian philosopher, Elton Trueblood, he wrote, “because persons are superior, in kind, not only to all things but even to all ideas, I need a person to whom I can give myself and thereby find myself.”  Jesus was God incarnate, meaning in the person.  Andrew could see that and followed the person Jesus because Jesus was superior to anything, idea, or other person.  When asked by Jesus, “What do you want?” Andrew’s reply to Jesus, in essence, was to be wherever Jesus called home.  Through Andrew we see Christian character begins with repentance; changing our focus from self to God.  From Andrew we also see that to understand what that means to be God focused, we need to experience the personality of God by spending time with the person of Jesus.

Andrew spent the day with Jesus and then with the perspective of God he knew how he must deal with other people.  What did Andrew do?   Verse 41, “He [Andrew] first found his brother Simon and said to him [Simon], ‘We have found the Messiah!’”  Andrew understood that Jesus was the person sent by God to make right all things. This was news that Andrew now equipped with God’s perspective could not imagine keeping to himself.  Verse 42, “He [Andrew] brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).”  Andrew the unnamed disciple of John the Baptist had become the first disciple of Jesus and the first to share the good news of what it meant to be wherever Jesus was. To whom did he share that news? It would be his brother, a very dominate personality; so dominate that Andrew is introduced to us as Simon Peter’s brother.  We learn though that being the dominate personality in the room meant nothing to Andrew.  Knowing that his role was to follow Jesus and then introduce others to Jesus was foremost in his mind.  Andrew demonstrates to us the Christian character is more often found in the small acts of life being inconspicuous at times and yet ministering to others as God sees them.  The Christian character is not about being the biggest voice or the most prominent person in the room.  Small voices matter and that sharing the experience of Jesus is not just something to do, it is a need within each Christian.

Let me give you an example of small voices from the fourth century.  An Asian monk, named Telemachus, was living in a little remote village, spending most of his time in prayer or tending the garden.  One day, he thought he heard the voice of God telling him to go to Rome. Believing in what he heard, he set out. Weeks and weeks later, he arrived in Rome.  He followed a crowd into the Coliseum, and there he saw the gladiators come forth, stand before the Emperor, and say, ``We who are about to die salute you.'' Telemachus realized to his horror they were going to fight to the death for the entertainment of the crowds.  He cried out, ``In the name of Christ, stop!'' However, his small voice was lost in the noise of the crowd in the great Coliseum.  As the games began, he made his way down through the crowd, climbed over the wall, and dropped to the floor of the arena.  Suddenly the crowds saw this scrawny little figure making his way out to the gladiators and saying, over and over again, ``In the name of Christ, stop.''  They thought it was part of the entertainment, and at first, they were amused. Then, when they realized it was not part of the show, they grew belligerent and angry.   As Telemachus pled with the gladiators, ``In the name of Christ, stop,'' one of them plunged his sword into Telemachus’ body.  He fell to the sand of the arena in death, his last words of his small voice were, ``In the name of Christ, stop.''  It was then that, a strange thing happened.  Silence fell over the Coliseum.  Then somewhere from the upper tiers of the great stadium, an individual made his way to an exit and left, and others began to follow.  In the dead silence, everyone left the Coliseum. That was the last battle to the death between gladiators in the Roman Coliseum.  Never again, did men enter the stadium to kill each other for the entertainment of the crowd.  Lives changed that day because one small voice hardly heard above the noise said in peace but a few words. ``In the name of Christ, stop.''

Andrew, in our Scripture today, said in a small voice to his brother, “We have found the Messiah.”  With those few words, the model for sharing the experience of Christ was born.  It is what each of us can and must imitate today; invite others we know to experience the person of Jesus.

Later in the New Testament, we see Andrew appear again. Some 5,000 people had gathered to hear Jesus teach and now they needed food.  Jesus said to his disciples, “You feed them.”  His disciples were dumbfounded.  How could they feed 5, 000 people?  Andrew appeared with a small boy at his side and said to Jesus, “Here is boy with five loaves of bread and two fish.”  Andrew, the follower of Christ, did not understand how all things would work but he was willing to introduce people to Jesus and faithful enough to know that even small offerings in Jesus’ hands could yield mighty works.  It does not take much to change someone’s life. I am learning that through ministry of those suffering in grief.  We cannot solve the big problem that people face; the loss of someone they love. Yet, in small things, such as just listening to their stories and fears, our presence is a great comfort and serves as a reminder that God is real and present in this world.  Are we following Andrew’s model and being faithful in many small things that comprise our lives?

We have one final example of Andrew’s character in Scripture.  Jesus was again speaking and some Greeks approached one of the disciples, Philip, and asked if they too might meet Jesus.  Philip, unsure of himself, sought out Andrew.  Andrew brought Philip and the Greeks with him to meet Jesus.  The character of Andrew was that of someone who was willing to invest time in others.  Andrew wanted Philip to overcome his uncertainty and become a more productive disciple.  Andrew put aside whatever occupied him at that moment and helped Philip.  Some time ago, I attended a meeting this week among the clergy and representatives from the school system.  One of the issues I encouraged school administators to explore was to tap the resource among our churches that have many seasoned people capable of serving as mentors for students.  Andrew exhibited the character of mentoring by walking with Philip as Philip learned how to meet the needs of people who approached him.  Even if work with the schools does not lead to a formal mentorship program, each Christian should model Andrew’s character and behavior by mentoring others.  It is part of having a Christ centered focus to life and with that perspective knowing how to treat other people.  We need to make ourselves available to others.  What we know and our experience with Jesus is of great value, that God perspective, but it is only valuable if we use it and share it with someone.  If we hold onto what we know and do not share it, it does not have the full value God intended.  Andrew understood.  His focus was on God by experiencing Jesus.  From that vantage point, Andrew then understood how to treat others.

We can learn much about the nature of Christian life by carefully observing the character of Christians God put in our path through the Scriptures.  Andrew was one of those people.  He was a man willing to be overshadowed by other personalities; it did not keep him from his primary mission of introducing others to Jesus.  Andrew was willing to be faithful in small things; he knew small things in God’s hands yield great results.  Andrew was willing to mentor others; he knew the power of ministry only increases when we equip others to meet their full potential. Andrew was a sharing individual because his heart was focused on God, he was experiencing God in a personal way through Jesus, and he was willing to then see others as God sees them and minister to them.  We should follow Andrew’s example of faithfulness, patience, and concern for others from a God centered life, rich with our personal experiences of Jesus. Amen and Amen.

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