To My Flock at Marion:

A Call for Unity

This Sunday on the Presbyterian calendar is designated as Trinity Sunday. This usually calls for a very deep study on the triune God and can be very challenging to preach without losing people to the boredom of details. I have found in the past that I spend a lot of time getting myself to the point of understanding and then I am faced with the task of explaining the Trinity in a way that is understandable to the whole congregation. I was going to steer away from this topic today because of the unrest that is taking place in our nation, but as I started to pivot I found that the two subjects make sense when placed together.

The word Trinity is not found in the bible, but what you will find from the very beginning are references to God in the plural sense. In Genesis 1: 26 the scripture says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man-kind in Our image, in Our likeness.’” Very clearly God is being referred to in the plural sense, and the triune God, not just God the Father, is creating all things. In 2 Corinthians 13: 11 – 14 we hear this: “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God’s people here send their greetings.” Now I will get back to those verses, but for now let us focus on verse 14. You hear me say this at the end of every Sunday’s worship, and I will say it in my own words. “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” A very clear reference to the three parts of the God head. So, as we put the references from Genesis and 2 Corinthians together, we see God in three persons working as one in creation. We must recognize that God the Father was still active while God the Son, Jesus, was on the earth, for many times we see that Jesus is praying to Him. And Jesus very clearly told His disciples that He was sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in them after He ascended to heaven, as we celebrated last week on Pentecost.

I want us to take notice of the call to the church, the body of Christ, in verses 11 – 14. We are called to restoration, to be encouragers, to be of one mind, to live in peace. We are called to unity in Christ, the same unity that we see in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. With that in mind I would like to share with you from my daily devotional Daily in His Presence by David Jeremiah. “Some things in life don’t go together; oil and water, nuts and chewing gum, love and hate, criticism and unity. Constructive criticism can lead to greater unity. But when the criticism is motivated by selfishness, envy, or anger, it can never lead to unity.” I have said this many times in the past, but I believe that the church today needs to hear this, the church cannot resemble the world. The church has to be different and we must display that difference to the world, especially in these days of difficulty and strife. Our nation seems to be exploding around us and coming apart at the seams. Most of you, like me, lived through the ‘60s. I grew up during those turbulent years and as a young person, I probably didn’t fully appreciate the magnitude of what was going on around me. It is easy to look back and romanticize and gloss over the bad actions and only see the wrong that was being protested and the change that seemed to be so necessary. As an adult I can clearly see that no matter the wrong that might be perpetrated, violence is never the answer. The policy of “an eye for an eye” and “a tooth for a tooth” will eventually leave all of us blind and toothless. What happened in Minnesota to that young man was a crime and should be punished as such, no matter who committed it, and I do believe that there is a need for real change in this nation, but eight days and counting of rioting, looting, killing, and destruction is uncalled for and will never bring a solution. This is how the world reacts. This is a reflection of the sin and evil that is all around us. This should never be the reaction of religious leaders and especially Christians who are very clearly called to unity. We should not be judging or standing with those who are committing these violent acts. Our opinion, as Christians, should never be that the ends justify the means, as I have seen some so called religious leaders do. We are the church of Jesus Christ, and our Lord left us an example of how we should respond. Jesus gave His life for us and never as much as raised a finger to defend himself.

Why does this matter in the whole scheme of our Christian existence? The answer is found in my last scriptural reference of the Triune God. Matthew 28: verse 19 – 20, otherwise known as “The Great Commission.” “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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” We can never achieve the goal of making disciples for Jesus if we do not stand united in His name. The world may be against us, and our stand for Jesus might put us at odds with society, but we are to be the peace-makers, the salt of the earth, the light that shines in the darkness. That is what will draw people to us so that we can point them to Jesus. My devotion ends with these words: “Unity comes when individual Christians submit their will and agenda to the Lordship of Jesus Christ—it’s a good way to begin every day.” Our nation needs a call to unity, and Christians should be leading the way.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each of us and all of us, this day, and every day. Amen.

In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob 6 June 2020

Views: 10

To My Flock at Marion:

Living Water of Joy

This Sunday we will celebrate Pentecost. This year things are different; our celebration seems more limited. I don’t know about you, but I think that I have taken the celebration of Pentecost for granted in previous years. Like everything else in our lives this pandemic has reminded us that nothing in this life is assured so maybe we should learn to appreciate the special occasions in life. By not being able to worship together most of the symbolism has been removed from Pentecost. We will not gather together dressed in red to symbolize the tongues of fire that fell on those first disciples or share the bread and the cup of Holy Communion, remembering the body of Christ broken for us and the blood of Christ poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. We will celebrate together again. I can say that with confidence because I know according to the Word of God that even if our earthly celebration is taken from us, we will one day celebrate in heaven with our Savior.

So how do we celebrate Pentecost without the usual rituals and things that we are accustomed to? Pentecost is a celebration of the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer in Jesus Christ. The Spirit marks us for salvation and moves in our lives encouraging, guiding, and sustaining us. It is a wonderful luxury to be able to come together in the Spirit and celebrate together but even when we can’t gather together the Holy Spirit moving in our lives should be celebrated. From my devotional readings this week I was drawn to a subject that I have preached in the past, the difference between happiness and joy. This fact stuck out to me, the words happy and happiness occur slightly more than twenty times in the bible while Joy and Rejoice occur more than four hundred times. Here is the difference between the two. Happiness is an emotion that is dependent on circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, is a deep-seated conviction that is based on truth and faith, not circumstances. Joy is specifically listed as part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We strive for happiness because it is an emotion that makes us feel good. We long for the usual things in worship because they have given us moments of happiness and comfort. The early church, because of persecution, was often separated and denied the opportunity to worship together, but the joy of the Lord, the salvation that God had provided, sustained them and even gave them joy through their faith in Jesus. Your joy as a Christian can’t be taken from you unless you allow it to happen. My devotional puts it this way. Don’t let anything steal your joy. Trust in the Lord, be filled with His Spirit, and trust His sovereign will for your life.

The scripture that I have focused on this week is: John 7: 37 – 39. Just four verses so it should not be too difficult to read for yourselves. Halfway through the Festival of Tabernacles Jesus goes up to the temple courts. Today’s scripture picks up on the last day of the festival and calls it the greatest day of the celebration, comparable to our day of Pentecost. On the final day the priest group would go to the pool of Siloam and draw water into golden pitchers, which they would pour onto the altar of sacrifice at the temple. They would sing songs from Isaiah 12: 3 and Psalm 114: 7-8. This ritual was a reminder of God’s provision in the wilderness. Water represents life. Without water we cannot physically live. To pour out water in the wilderness where it was scarce was a great sacrifice. The statement that it makes before God is: we know that true life comes from you, so we pour out what we trust in for life, trusting in you and you alone to sustain us. What a wonderful concept to give back the things of this world that we need and trust in God who is the source of all life and creator of all things to sustain us.

On that last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” What is this living water? It is the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer and it was first given on the day of Pentecost. If this sounds like something that you have heard before in scripture it is. Go back to chapter four and we find the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Jesus says to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Living water is the gift of the Holy Spirit to everyone who believes in and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior of their life. This is a joy that can never be taken away. It is a joy that you carry with you. It doesn’t matter where you are, the circumstances of your life, whether you are with a crowd of people in church or alone in your home. I recall the story of Paul and Silas in prison. They were cold and alone and facing uncertainty, possibly death. What did they do? They sang to the Lord with joy in their hearts, the joy of salvation and the promise of eternity in heaven with Jesus. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the festival. He is both the Rock from which the living-water flows and the living-water itself. Listen to me for just a moment. Life is difficult and we are living in trying times. Things aren’t the way that we want them to be and we miss the very things that used to make us happy, like worship. Maybe your life has been one anxious situation after another. Maybe you have been searching for happiness all of your life only to find disappointment and frustration. Maybe we are looking and searching for the wrong thing, maybe we need to acknowledge and accept the lasting joy that Jesus can provide. I preached a sermon once that I named after a song, “Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places.” It’s just what we do; we look everywhere for the love that our souls crave and need. We just want to be happy, but happiness never lasts. Maybe it’s time to give it all to Jesus. Maybe it’s time for the joy that comes in the morning when you follow the Lord. It is never too late; Jesus is always waiting, and He will change your life and give you Living Water of joy.

In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob

30 May 2020

Views: 12

To My Flock at Marion:

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

The question “Why does God allow suffering?” is a complicated one. We believe in an all-powerful God who has everything in His control. This is true; God the creator of all things could control every detail of every life and every circumstance of life. What is difficult for us to understand as human beings is why would anyone who has the power to control everything choose not to. Unfortunately, we see control as the absolute best way to create order in our world. Fortunately for us, God, in His ultimate wisdom gave mankind free will, the freedom and ability to choose between right and wrong. Sin was mankind’s choice, not God’s, and with sin came death and suffering. Now that does not completely answer the question. God can still stop suffering and bring healing, and He does, all of the time. Suffering is a natural part of life and nobody is immune to it. Like everything else in our lives we tend to look at and dwell on the negatives and look past the blessings. Why does God ever intervene to make our lives better? Why does He protect us from so much evil which is all around us? We make it through a day and our attitude is “Why wouldn’t we?”, or we get through a tough situation or survive an accident and we attribute it to luck. There is no such thing as luck. God keeps us from far more than He ever allows us to go through.

The other question that we hear a lot is: Why do bad things happen to good people? This is another flawed question. Most of you know how I preach about this. Jesus, in His own words says, there are none who are good except God. Jesus is not comparing us to each other in that statement; He is comparing us to a Holy God and when compared to God none are good, and all fall short of His glory. God doesn’t judge mankind based on good or bad, God looks at one fact and one fact alone. When we stand before God all that will matter is have we accepted Jesus as our Savior or not. God has given all of mankind a way back to Him: accept the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus the Christ. I repeat this to you often because it is really the only thing that matters in this lifetime. But I bring this out again today to illustrate how God uses hard times and sufferings in the lives of both the saved and the unsaved.

Let me speak first to anyone who might be reading this who has not yet made a decision for Jesus. You are going through this life handicapped. What do I mean by that? Because of your refusal to accept Jesus you are going through life without access to God. No matter what happens in your life you can’t ask God for help through prayer. You can try to pray, you can sit down and maybe put together some nice words hoping that God will respond to your prayer, but if you have not come through Jesus you have no access. Jesus very clearly in the bible tells us that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Here is the other half of the equation: while you have no way of communicating with God, He loves you so much that He is still allowing bad situations and suffering to take place in your life. Now don’t get me wrong here, God is not sitting in heaven trying to make you miserable. He is not punishing you for not coming to Jesus. I truly believe this. If you are meant to be in God’s kingdom and you are repeatedly turning away from Him, God will pursue you. If you are one of God’s lost children He will give you no peace until you claim your salvation. When nothing seems to go right, when everything that you try fails, when no matter what direction you try to go you end up in the same bad situation, maybe, just maybe, God is waiting for you to finally choose His way, Jesus. Choosing Jesus will not guarantee that life will be smooth, but you will at least be going in the right direction and have the ability to ask for help. In a very real sense if God is pursuing you and you continue to go the wrong way, you are running against the wind.

For those of you who have committed your lives to Jesus, God allows you to go through some bad times and suffering for different reasons. I would like for you to read 1 Peter 4: 12 – 14 & 5: 6 – 11. There you will find some clarity for why we go through things as Christians. We must always remember that God loves us and causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him. God is making and molding His people into the perfect bride of Christ. We can always grow and become more in tune with God’s will for our lives. Sometimes God is seeking to make us more obedient. How many times do we just go our own way and never bother to ask God? When things don’t work out it’s not God’s fault, but through the failure we can learn to ask before we run ahead. How patient are you? We might think to ourselves that we could be more patient if people and things would go our way, but from God’s point of view the way for us to achieve patience is to put us in situations where it is required until we learn. I know, that is not how we want to learn, but God knows that it is the only way that we will. How proud are you? All of us can fall into the sin of pride. It is probably the most common of all of our shortcomings. Pride is dangerous. We are told in God’s word that pride comes before a fall. Over and over again we are told to humble ourselves; but it is a very difficult discipline. That’s why God many times puts us in humbling situations. It is not fun to be humbled; many times we have to discover that we don’t know everything, and others may see that we are wrong. Sometimes we can get so full of ourselves that we think that we are right about everything. God knows that our pride is leading us into danger, so He corrects us for our own good. The temporary suffering is far better than what the end result could have been. These are just a few of the many reasons why some suffering is necessary in the lives of Christians. I challenge you, the church, to study this scripture and find some others.

In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob

23 May 2020

Views: 10

To My Flock at Marion:

Pledge, Prepare, Proclaim

Let me start this message, as I often do, with a reading from one of my devotionals. It is based on Luke 19: 10: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” In America it’s called “lost and found”, in Great Britain “lost property” and in Canada “lost articles.” More than just a phrase, these are usually designated places in a facility or building where lost articles are collected and can be retrieved. The first modern “lost and found” office was organized by Napoleon in Paris in 1805. Its purpose was to collect all objects found on the streets of Paris and make them available to their owners.

Lost and found might also be an appropriate way to describe the theme of the Bible. Ever since Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden, humanity has been lost. Thankfully, as soon as the predicament of lostness was realized, God put in place a means of finding lost humanity and reconciling them to Himself. He sent Jesus Christ to the world “to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Some people today feel lost but don’t know why. Others don’t believe they are lost at all. The Church’s mission is to declare not only man’s lost condition but also God’s rescue mission to find us and bring us home.

We sing the hymn Amazing Grace over and over again, but I wonder if it has lost its meaning to us. This is a favorite hymn of many; we hear it in church (do we all remember church?), we hear it at funerals, we even hear this very Christian hymn sung and played in the media, but do we still feel the magnitude of the words. “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.” Our appreciation for what God has done for us has diminished through the years. We did not mean for this to happen. We did not set out and make up our minds that we would lose our passion for our faith. It happens slowly, over years of time, a result of living in this sinful world that demands so much of our attention. For the most part, we don’t realize it, but sometimes even when we do, we choose not to correct ourselves. How can we regain what we have allowed to slip away? How can these wonderful words of salvation have meaning and purpose in our lives once again? We must remember how lost we were, maybe how lost you still are, without God’s intervention in your life. We must confess anew that we fall short of the glory of God and that we have fallen short in our walk with Jesus. Once we have done that, then, and only then, we must follow through. We must Pledge, Prepare, and Proclaim.

Our scripture for today is 1 Peter 3: 13-22. I ask that you take a moment and read it for yourself. Our initial pledge takes place when we profess our faith publicly. This might take place at our baptism, if we were baptized after we came to Christ, or it could have taken place when we joined the church, anytime that we stood before God in public and confessed Jesus as Savior. That assures us of our salvation but I believe that our pledge to follow Christ should be made on a regular basis. The most common pledge that I can compare it to is the pledge of allegiance. Remember when you were in school and every morning before the learning started everyone stood and recited the pledge of allegiance. We still know that pledge by heart and can recite it at the drop of a hat. This is where our pledge to Christ should be. Every morning we should renew our commitment to our faith. Baptism, a profession of faith is an outward sign to the world around us of our inward faith and commitment to Jesus. We need to become comfortable with our pledge and regularly say the words in the company of others. Our faith, the faith that saves us, should be on display in deeds and words every day.

Verse 15: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.” How do we do that? “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect.” We are in a situation during this pandemic where most of us have time. What are we doing with that time? Every Christian has a story; what is your story? How did God rescue you and what does God do in your life every day? God, moving in your life is creating a wonderful story about your life but a story needs to be told in order for it to make a difference for anyone but you. God does not waste time or effort. Your salvation and your life have a purpose beyond your own good. Use this time to recall your story, write it down, recite it to yourself many times, get comfortable with how God has blessed you, and prepare for God’s work while you have time.

If you will continually renew your pledge and do the work of preparing your story, the next part, the important work of proclaiming your faith will come easily. Read in verse 19, it says that after the resurrection of Jesus, when He was made alive again, the first thing that He did, He went and made proclamation. We, like Jesus, have been made alive again. We have moved from death to eternal life. What will we do with this wonderful gift of life? Maybe we have fallen short of God’s plan for us. Maybe the circumstances that surround us today are a wake-up call to us, the true body of Christ. Our God is a God of second chances. Not only that, He allows us to start over again and again and again, as many times as we need. Maybe today, as you read this, you will realize that this is your time of renewal. I can never get this image out of my head. The
image of Jesus standing before us with His arms wide open. If you have been running from Him, avoiding the commitment because the world and the life that you are living has become too important to you, Jesus simply says, turn around, look at me, if you do, you will see that His arms are still wide open. If you have simply just not lived up to your commitment that you made a very long time ago and you are afraid that Jesus won’t take you back, Jesus says, turn around, look at me. My arms are still open, that amazing grace is still applied to your life; you are always welcome back. Pledge, Prepare, and Proclaim, Jesus is waiting for your response.

In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob

16 May 2020

Views: 10

To My Flock at Marion:

Jesus Stands for Us

It seems like a very long time since we last gathered together as a congregation. In conversations that I have had with some of you the same question arises over and over, when will we be able to have church. I wish that I could give you a reasonable answer to that question, but the truth is, I don’t know. The old saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder seems to hold true in this instance. We seldom recognize just how important something or someone is to us until separation occurs. It is my hope that when we can gather again that we will have a new appreciation for the blessing of corporate worship. On Sunday we will celebrate moms, the women of the church. It will seem strange not being in church for this celebration and being able to wish all mothers a happy mother’s day. Personally, this is the second mother’s day for me since I lost my mom and it does seem different to not at least be sending a card. I’m sure that many of you have been going through this feeling, this emotion of loss, and a kind of emptiness on this special day. I only bring this up to help all of us realize that we take people for granted, and we only realize that when they are no longer here. If you are blessed to still have your mom this mother’s day, thank God for that blessing and celebrate the day. If, like me your mom has gone to be with the Lord, praise God for the time that He blest you with her presence. Godly women and moms are a blessing from God.

Our scripture for today comes from Acts 7: 55 – 60. I hope that you will take the time to open your bibles and read this scripture. It is the account of the testimony and stoning of Stephen. His crime that resulted in his execution was testifying to the truth of the word of God and calling the Jewish leaders out for their rejection and crucifixion of God’s Son Jesus. Stephen became the first of many disciples of Jesus to die for their faith. This account always makes me think of my own resolve for my faith and causes us to question ourselves about our loyalty and our willingness to stand for our Savior in the face of ridicule and maybe even persecution. We have all seen the stories about churches and pastor’s who feel that they are being persecuted because they are being told not to gather in worship due to the pandemic. This is not true persecution, and in many ways, it gives a bad view of Christians and their leaders, and really sets the stage for real persecution to one day take place. When we go against civil authorities, something that is clearly unbiblical; we make it easier for the world to accept true persecution when it one day will be forced upon us. It is the equivalent to crying wolf. If you cry wolf when he is not really there, one day the wolf, in the form of the anti-Christ will be at the door and the cry will sound like normal from an over reacting church.

Here is what caught my attention in today’s scripture. Scripture tells us that after His ascension into heaven, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16: 19). His sitting is evidence of having completed the work of redemption for which He was sent to earth. Yet when Stephen saw Jesus, He was standing. Why? There are two possible reasons. Some have suggested Jesus was standing to welcome Stephen into His presence in heaven as soon as he died. This would have been a tremendous reassurance to Stephen in light of what he knew he was about to experience.

Another idea was set forth by James M. Boice in his commentary on Acts. He refers to Jesus’ promise in Matthew 10: 32: “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. “ Boice suggests that Jesus was standing to confess Stephen to the Father. Perhaps Jesus was saying something like; Stephen is my follower; He is confessing Me; I am bringing him with Me into heaven forever. What a wonderful thought for God’s people. We know that Jesus stands for us as our advocate before the Father as we go through this life, but this is a wonderful picture to keep in our minds. We always wonder what it will be like when we face that moment of death. What will we see, what will we open our eyes to? Jesus standing before God the Father, arms wide open to welcome us into heaven and introducing us to His Father and ours as His followers. If we acknowledge Him before others, He will also acknowledge us before His Father. Is Jesus Lord of Lords and King of Kings over your life? When push comes to shove, when inconvenience becomes real persecution, when you are called upon to take a stand for what you truly believe, will you confess Jesus? If your answer is yes, when your day comes and you make it to heaven, Jesus will stand for you.

In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob

9 May 2020

Views: 12

To My Flock at Marion:

The Future
As Christians we believe and rely on the Word of God, or at least we should. The quote, “I know not what the future holds; but I know who holds the future” is attributed to Homer. I do not know “who” Homer was thinking of, but I know that Jeremiah had the Lord in mind when he wrote, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29: 11). Our hope for the future does not come from knowing what the future holds; it comes by standing in the Lord’s past faithfulness. Standing in what we know; what we have seen. Repeatedly we see the Lord telling His people to remember what He has done in the past to give them hope for the future. The Lord shows us His faithfulness to give us things to hang our faith on. Remembering how he carried us through difficult times in the past gives us courage to face today’s troubles. If we forget His past faithfulness it is easy to lose hope for the future. We need to remember that the Lord has purposed to “give you a future and a hope.” If you belong to Jesus you have a bright future, but the faith that we need for today must come from our past experiences with the Lord. What has God delivered you from? How has God been faithful to you in the past? I want you to look at just one aspect of this; look at the people that God has blessed you with throughout your life. Every one of us has at least one person that we can point to in our lives that has been used by God to help us and show us His mercy. At least one person in your life pointed you in the right direction.
There is a quote that says, “Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window.” As Christians who should be grounded in God’s word, we have access to some of what the future holds. Scripture tells us that in the last days perilous times will come, and there will be wars and rumors of wars. Just as the world reaches a crisis point, Jesus will come to rapture His people. The Bible tells us much more about what the future on earth will look like after that, and it is a terrible picture that does not even need to be discussed unless you have not committed your life to Jesus. Rapture is when Jesus will pull His people out of a dying world before things get really bad. We will be taken up to meet Jesus along with all the saints that came before us; this is our future, and God’s word makes it very clear. Let me take a moment here to speak to those of you who might be reading this and thinking to yourselves, this just cannot be true. God in His great love and mercy died on the cross for all of mankind so that all might have a future with Him in heaven. There is only one thing that can keep you from that future: rejecting the sacrifice that Jesus made for you. God will honor His word and give a wonderful future to those who have accepted His Son Jesus the Christ, the Savior. If you do not make that choice you will be left behind to live in the world of your choosing.
So as followers of Jesus, what should we do in the meantime? We might think to ourselves that it would be nice and very convenient if Jesus would come back right now. After all the world does seem to be spinning out of control; we have had plenty of wars and right now as we face a plague and are stuck in the house, wouldn’t this be a good time for Jesus just to take us home. Well, there is no bad time for the rapture to happen from a Christian’s point of view, but that can’t be our focus. Our scripture for today points us to the mission that Jesus has called us to. I invite you to open your Bibles and read 1 Peter 2: 19-25. I would call your attention to verse 21 that says this, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.”
Listen to this story: The good people of Central Congregation Church in Topeka, Kansas, could never have imagined their pastor doing such a thing. Dressed as a tramp, Pastor Charles spent the week wandering the streets, his tattered coat offering little warmth against the cutting wind. His thin-soled shoes pounded the icy sidewalks; store to store he sought work and asked for help during the blizzard. For almost a week, he drifted through the streets, seeking a kind word. He spied several of his parishioners, but they didn’t recognize him. Finally he found a job shoveling coal for fifty cents a day.
The next Sunday, imagine the surprise on the faces of his listeners as he described his adventures and challenged them to begin walking as Jesus had walked. He wanted them to exhibit the compassion of Christ. Out of his experience, Pastor Charles Sheldon wrote one of history’s best selling Christian novels, In His Steps. This book posed the famous question, “What would Jesus do?” Peter tells us that we should follow in His footsteps, the footsteps of Jesus. We need to ask ourselves these two questions. The first one could be asked whether you are a Christian or not. Where is your daily walk heading? If you have not made a decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life then your daily walk is leading you closer and closer to tribulation and eternity separated from God. This should scare you to death, or at least to consider your rejection of God’s mercy. This question is an important one for Christians as well. Our daily walk needs to be heading in the right direction and with purpose. Every day we should be looking to what we can do to be more like Jesus. The second question is a little more challenging: Are you in step with Jesus? Not just, are we doing something, but are we doing what Christ would have us do. Are we in step with His will for our lives? Are we looking to God’s word daily and spending time in prayer asking for His direction? Our future is bright and we know the glory that awaits us, but it should not be our intention to get to the future by standing still. There is work coming! Will you be ready for the future?

In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob

2 May 2020

Views: 12

To My Flock at Marion:

How Will We Respond

I have been giving some thought to this issue of time. Most of us right now have too much time on our hands. We are tempted to complain about this; it’s only natural for us to complain about our circumstances; it’s almost automatic. Just a few short months ago we were in the Christmas rush and most likely complaining that there was just not enough time to get everything done. My favorite complaint is that I would just like to get finished so that I could have some time to relax and enjoy the holiday. During Holy Week and Easter, we had nothing but time; how did we use it? Did we use the time to draw closer to God and allow ourselves to truly experience the wonder of resurrection? I believe that this time that we have been given by God is a very important time in the life of the church. I truly believe that God is speaking to His church and calling us to the work – the commission that Jesus revealed to us. This is a time like no other in our lifetime. In God’s perfect timing this is the time that He set aside before the foundation of the earth for the church, the body of Christ, to prepare for what is about to take place. Do you know that every Great Awakening that has taken place since the resurrection of our Lord has been preceded by devastation, upheaval, and a major shakeup of the world. I am speaking to the Church, the Body of Christ, those of you who have accepted Jesus as their Savior because you are the only ones who can, through the power of the Holy Spirit, see God’s plan in all of this devastation. It is to you that I pose this question. How will we respond?
Psalm 116: 1-4: “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice, he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord, save me!” When we consider what God has done for us through the sacrifice of his son Jesus on the cross, we realize that God responded to the cry of humanity; he heard our voices and intervened on our behalf. How will we respond? Verses 12 – 14: “What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.” God’s people, I want you to think about how you do this. You have time right now. God has put all of us in a position where time is not the issue and we have no excuses. It’s time to think, how will we respond? When we are free to resume our service to the Lord will we be ready? Ready to lift up the cup of salvation to the world and call on the Lord? Will we be ready to fulfill our vows to the Lord? Do we remember our vows? The vows we took when we joined the church and committed our lives to Jesus. This is important because we are living in a time of great opportunity for the unsaved souls of this world. Many of you know the stories that I have shared with you about a group of us ministers that used to meet for prayer three times a week at 6 am. There were others from the churches who joined us occasionally, but for the most part, it was four to six of us and we did this for many years. We prayed for every need that was brought before us, but the theme, the reason that we came together, was to pray for revival. We would talk and sing and pray, we shared our concerns and our vision for the church. I remember on many occasions we would ask this question: What would happen if God responded to our prayers and sent revival? We envisioned being so busy ministering to all of the new Christians that we would be overwhelmed and unable to do anything else. Our response was always the same; wouldn’t that be wonderful. To see God move in such a way, what a blessing that would be. God may be ready to answer all of those years of prayer. Are you ready? How will we respond?
In the gospel of Luke chapter 24 starting in verse 13 we hear the well known story of the road to Emmaus. These two disciples are walking home from Jerusalem. They our upset and depressed. The news of the past week and even this resurrection day was disturbing to them. You see, resurrection has no power in your life unless you believe and except it. Until the story becomes personal to you and you feel the presence of Jesus in your life, resurrection is just a nice story. Is Jesus personal to you today? Jesus walks with them and he talks with them. What’s the next line church? And he tells me I am his own. Sorry, I needed to finish that because it’s a nice thought for us today. Jesus takes the time to show them what they have missed and then as he sits and breaks bread with them their eyes are opened to whom he is, and for the first time they realize his real purpose. Listen: This is my body broken for you! This is my blood poured out for the forgiveness of your sins! Do you understand now? This is our time to sit with Jesus and be reminded of who he is and what he has done in our lives. Right now in the stillness and quiet, the time that God has given us, we need to ready ourselves for the work of revival that God will bring out of this darkness. When the plague has passed and the doors of the church are open once again, will we be ready for the hurting, the wounded, those who have suffered loss, those who are searching and seeking a new life in Christ, those who are ready to respond to God’s call. We will need teachers, and preachers, and caregivers. We will need the church to be the church that Jesus has called us to be. Are you getting ready? HOW WILL WE RESPOND?

In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob

April 23, 2020

Views: 10

To My Flock at Marion:

Peace Be With You
Are you struggling to find peace in these trying times? It’s kind of an odd question given the circumstances in which we find ourselves. When we think of peace the next word that usually comes to mind is quiet. How many times have we heard someone say or maybe exclaimed ourselves; I wish that I could have some peace and quiet? I don’t know about you but in my house these days it is very quiet, more so than I can ever remember. There is a stillness, the pace of life has slowed to a grinding halt, and the atmosphere for peacefulness seems to be perfect. The problem is not external but internal. We have what we many times hope for, the quiet and the time to feel God’s peace but we find that our hearts and our minds are troubled. It turns out that the peace that we often seek has nothing to do with our surroundings or our schedules; what we are really looking for is tranquility, serenity. Inner peace, calmness of spirit is not easy to find. Sometimes having too much time on our hands can have the opposite effect on our minds; when we slow our body’s down our minds speed up. We have time to think about and dwell on our troubles and that can leave us in a very unpeaceful place.
Our scripture for this second Sunday of Easter comes from the gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 19 – 31. After the death and resurrection of Jesus the disciples are afraid. They are gathered together in fear of the Jewish leaders, probably afraid that they would be crucified next. The door is locked. I am sure that they were being as quiet as possible. They were listening to hear what was taking place in the streets outside. I’m sure if they had had TV back then they would have gathered around it to hear the latest news. If you have any peace in this life and want to lose it just turn on the news. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” This is important for us to grasp today. Jesus is not offering them physical peace, He is not there to protect them from the Jewish leaders and the persecution that they are about to face; He shows them His hands and side, the proof of His crucifixion and resurrection and He repeats, “Peace be with you!” The peace that Jesus offers to His disciples is an inward peace, a confidence to know that no matter what happens we are secure in Him. We need to focus on that peace in these trying times because that is a peace that we can have no matter what happens around us.
Doubting Thomas, when told of Jesus’ visit responds like many of us have responded to the peace that Jesus offers. Unless I see Him with my own eyes, see the nail marks in His hands and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. One week later, on the second Sunday of Easter, Jesus shows up again and reveals to Thomas the nail marks and His pierced side. My Lord and my God Thomas exclaims; Jesus says, “Because you have seen me you believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This blessing is echoed in 1 Peter 1: 3-9. Peter speaks of our great hope: our living hope because of the resurrection of Jesus; of the inheritance that awaits those who believe in Jesus the Christ. Listen to the words starting in verse 6: “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Now listen: Verse 8: “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
I keep hearing on the news that people are anxious, nervous, worried. They keep saying that all of this time off is causing mental health problems and that the rate of suicide is up. The unsaved of this world look around and they see their finances disappearing and their lives crumbling; they don’t know where to turn because they have always trusted in their possessions. They feel helpless because they are no longer able to be self-sufficient; they have put all of their trust and faith in the world and their ability, and now none of that can help. I hope and pray that as Christians we can see clearly now that our faith in Jesus is the only thing that we can depend on. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. The words from that hymn ring loud and clear in a time such as this. Jesus stands with us, among us, and says, “Peace be with you!” Remember, faith and fear are opposites; if you trust in Jesus you can have peace; you just have to claim it. “Peace be with you!”

In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob

19 April 2020

Views: 12