Tag: Sunday rest and reflection
Sunday rest and reflection!
Sunday February 2nd, 2014
Dear Friends of Jesus,
Greetings in the Blessed Name of Jesus Christ, the final sacrifice for sins!
Today we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper and we will prepare our hearts to remember the death of our Lord and His soon return. Through His death, we have forgiveness of sins and redemption from the curse of the Law. Through His stripes we have healing for our bodies. He bore the crown of thorns to relieve us from mental distress and anguish. His hands were pierced to sanctify our work and bless it for His purposes. His feet were pierced to sanctify our walk through this world. His heart was pierced to cleanse our hearts and give us the gift of eternal life!
We thank God that we no longer have to offer animal sacrifices or go to a temple somewhere to meet with a priest. We have something better! Jesus is always there for us and His sacrifice is always enough! He is praying for us and wants to meet with us today as we gather to worship! Make worship with a family of God a priority today!
In His Love,
Pastor John
Sunday rest and reflection!
January 19th, 2014
Dear Friends,
The stories of the patriarchs of Genesis show us that life back then was not much different than our day. There were quarrels among families, favoritism, jealousy, and scheming to get ahead. People of faith did not always get it right, but God used the circumstances and weaknesses to accomplish a bigger purpose. I believe He is still doing that today! Thank God for His mercy and for His promises!
As you order your day today, make God’s house and God’s Word a priority! Set your heart to seek out His bigger purposes for your life! God is up to something good–no matter where you are right now or what it feels like! God bless you and your family!
In His Love, Pastor John and Mary
Sunday rest and reflection!
Dear Friends,
This year we will be reading six days and resting on the seventh in the pattern outlined by God in Genesis and Deuteronomy. The only difference is that in the Old Testament times, the seventh day would have been Saturday. Because Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after His death by crucifixion, the early church celebrated their day of rest on Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead!
God set aside a day of rest for His people in order to help them re-connect with Him and enjoy His presence, Word, and rest. God understands the stressful world that exists now because of man’s sin and rebellion. He calls His people to enjoy rest and work out of a rest in Him every day. In New Testament thinking, each day is another day to rest in Christ’s finished work. “Today” is another “sabbath” day to rest. Hebrews 4:6-11 explains this understanding.
May the Lord refresh you today as you rest in Christ’s glorious salvation! He is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory every day on earth and forever in His Kingdom!
In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection:No Condemnation!
Dear Friends,
Greetings and hope today in Jesus Christ, our wonderful Lord and Savior. He has rescued us from eternal damnation and darkness and transferred us into eternal blessedness and light! As we approach this Thanksgiving holiday, we Christians have much to thank God for. Every day is a day of thanksgiving and rest in God’s great love! Every day is a feast of His blessings and provision. Take time today to gather with God’s people and to give Him thanks and worship!
One of the most encouraging passages in this past week’s reading comes from Romans 8:1-4. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering, and so He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.”
We are free from condemnation that comes upon all who are under the law of God. The ten commandments bring a knowledge of sin to those under the law. (Jews) (Romans 3:20) The Gentiles are also under a law written on their consciences that also brings a knowledge of sin and results in condemnation. (Romans 2:12-16) Therefore, all Jews and Gentiles alike have sinned and are under condemnation.
Because God is just, sin must be paid for by death. God provided a way to remove the condemnation through sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to be a sin offering. He met the righteous requirements of the law as a sin offering by offering Himself on our behalf. After His resurrection from death, He has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us to live in obedience to God and live victoriously as witnesses.
We have great joy and freedom as people bought back from eternal condemnation. What a blessing it is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all who will listen! Every Sunday is a celebration of resurrection and a coming Savior!
In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection:Missionaries
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this Sabbath day of rest! We can rest today because “It is finished!” was the victory cry of Jesus Christ from the cross as He gave up His Spirit and breathed His last! (John 19:30) We can rest today because on the first day of the week, Jesus rose from the dead, as the first-fruit from death! (Mark 16:6) We can rest today because He is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us! (Romans 8:34) We can rest today, because we are seated with Him! (Ephesians 2:6) We can rest today because He promised to come back for His followers and take them to be with Him! (John 14:3)
Out of this place of rest, we are commanded to go and preach the Good News to all nations and make disciples of all peoples. Missionaries are those who are called and willingly go. Missionaries are some of my favorite people! They have caught the Spirit of Christ and have a passion that inspires. Reading about the early missionaries and their exciting adventures makes me want to experience that for myself. There are three observations about missionaries I want to share with you today.
“And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 13:52)
First, missionaries must have the power of the Holy Spirit! We see them preaching, praying for the sick and casting out demons. We observe them following the directions of the Holy Spirit about where to go and when. We see them knowing how to address different cultures and effectively reach souls. We have read about some who suffered persecution and beatings and others who gave their lives sharing the Gospel.
Second, there is no joy like being in the will of God. Missionaries find great joy in preaching the Gospel. Even when run out of town or beaten for preaching, they counted it a privilege to suffer for Christ! When souls were saved, great joy filled the people. Paul and Silas rejoiced to see the Philippian jailer and his whole household come to Christ and rejoice! (Acts 16:31-34)
The third observation: “This Gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) Missionaries are hastening the coming of Christ! Let’s either go ourselves or send them!
In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection:John 17
Dear Friends,
Greeting on this day of rest in the finished work of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ! He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and the punishment that brought us peace fell upon Him! By His stripes we are healed! We have a great King to worship!
As I look back over this past week, there are many passages of Scripture that we did not get to look into. One of the most encouraging chapters is the prayer of Jesus for Himself, His disciples, and all who would believe as a result of their witness. This prayer is the longest recorded of Jesus Christ in the Bible. It is given as Jesus approached the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He was crucified.
Jesus begins this prayer by looking up to heaven and addressing His Father. He is aware that, and states that, the time had come for His final work. His prayer acknowledged that God had given Him authority to give eternal life to those who believed on Him. Eternal life involved knowing the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son. Jesus asked the Father to glorify Him in His presence with the glory He had enjoyed before the world began. (John 17:1-5) Wow! What a personal request for Jesus to ask of His Father!
Jesus then prays for the disciples. He asks the Father to protect His followers who will remain in the world. This protection would come through the power of God’s name and the unity of Father and Son that they would themselves enjoy. (John 17:6-19) Jesus wanted them to be kept from the evil one, Satan, and given a full measure of His joy. He also wanted them to be sanctified in the Truth of God’s word. The reason for this was the mission that Jesus had given them to go into the world to preach and make disciples.
Finally, Jesus prays for the believers down through history until He comes again. (John 17:20-26) Jesus prayed for all to be one, brought into complete unity as He and the Father were in unity. Jesus prayed that all who would believe would be with Him where He was to behold His glory. The power of this prayer is drawing each one of us heavenward. We are being prayed for even now! The best is yet to come!
Sunday Rest and Reflection:Taken Up Into Heaven!
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ! Another week has passed so quickly and the first day celebration is upon us! We celebrate the resurrection of our Lord on the first day of the week. It is something to celebrate because without Jesus’ resurrection, we would have no guarantee of resurrection. He is the first to be permanently resurrected from death and the grave. Elijah was picked up by a chariot and Enoch was taken up living as he walked with the Lord. Please join others in worship, prayer, and study of the Scriptures this celebration day!
As I look back on this past week, I want to comment on Jesus’ ascension to heaven as recorded by Luke. Jesus led his followers out to Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus as well as Simon the Leper. He lifted up His hands and blessed them. As He was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. (Luke 24:50-52) In Acts, Luke records Jesus’ answer to the disciples question about if He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus told His followers to wait in Jerusalem until they received power to be witnesses in Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. (Acts1:6-11) A cloud hid Jesus from their sight as He ascended to heaven. Luke records two men in white apparel who told them that Jesus would return in the same manner as he went into heaven.
These records of the ascension bring hope to us. Jesus left His followers with a clear command and mission. He encouraged them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised gift of power. He also informed them that He would be back, but did not leave a date or time. He did this so that every generation would seek to be ready. We know God’s word is true and Jesus did not lie. He is waiting for all who will be saved by the obedience of His followers. He is watching us exercise our faith and take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. What an exciting mission! What amazing power in the Holy Spirit! What hope we have of Jesus return! It could be today!
In His Love,
Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection:Who is He?
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this day of worship and rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ! I pray that all is well with your soul and that you are gathering with God’s people to celebrate our Savior and His victory over death, hell, and Satan! Nothing really replaces your physical presence with God’s people. You are needed and important to the function of His Body as they gather together. Each part is vital and completes Christ’s Body as they come together in common purpose.
As I look back on this past week’s readings, one of the key questions that Luke and the other Gospel writers sought to answer was the question of who Jesus was. Jesus, Himself, questioned His disciples about this. (Luke 9:18-21) As Jesus preached to the poor the good news and healed the sick and cast out demons, large crowds gathered to see what might happen and to try to get in on the action. There were many opinions about who Jesus actually was. In Jesus’ home town, He was just the “carpenter’s son”. To the Pharisee’s, He was a renegade teacher who broke their rules and threatened their monopoly on the people’s respect. To some, He was “John the Baptist” come back from the dead. To others, He was “Elijah” after raising the widow’s son in the town of Nain. To others, He was one of the old prophets come back to life.
The key question for Jesus’ disciples from Jesus was, “Who do you say I am?” (Luke 9:20-21) Peter answered immediately, “The Christ of God.” This is a key question for us who live in the last days. Many in the church have varying opinions of who Jesus is. Some think He was a great teacher. Others believe He is one of many ways to come to God. Others think He was just a “spirit”, not a man and certainly not the “Son of God.” The revelation that Jesus is the Christ can come only from God by the Holy Spirit as we open our hearts in faith. (Matthew 16:17) Confirm again today what you believe about Jesus Christ! Confess that with your mouth and your actions by attending public worship!
In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection:Jesus’ Mother And Brothers
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and coming King! What a privilege it is to gather freely today to worship and read God’s word! Many around the world do not have this privilege and meet secretly at great peril of being found out and identified. We should not take for granted what God has blessed us with!
As I reflect on the reading of this past week, I am fascinated by Jesus’ family and His response to them. After Jesus was baptized and tested, He called His disciples to follow Him. Jesus was doing many miracles and casting out demons in every place He went. Great crowds gathered seeking Jesus, and the disciples had so much to do they could not even take time to eat. (Mark 3:20-35) His own family heard all that was happening and apparently thought that Jesus was out of His mind! Then the teachers of the Law from Jerusalem came down accusing Jesus of being demon possessed!
When things happen that we can’t logically explain, we tend to label them as crazy. If we are threatened by what is happening, we want to be sure others know that we aren’t at fault or don’t think that way. Evidently Jesus’ own mother and brothers came to take Him home and away from the crowds. Jesus explained that if Satan cast out Satan, his end had come. A house divided against itself could not stand. He warned them that all sins and blasphemies of men could be forgiven, but that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would never be forgiven! He said this to counter the charge that He had an evil spirit in Him!
“His mother and brothers came and were announced to Jesus. “Who are my mother and my brothers?”, He asked. Then He looked around Him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”” (Mark 3:33-35) Faith in Jesus and obedience to Him brings adoption into His family. Natural relationships mean nothing in His kingdom. We must be careful in our assessment of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. Don’t be too hasty to label the things of God as phony because they threaten you or don’t make sense.
In His Love, Pastor John