Are you looking for the living among the dead?, Easter 2013

Are you looking for Christ among the dead?

Imagine if you will…. Go back 2000+ years ago. You have spent 3 years following a man who preached some pretty radical ideas. He told you that you could come to God without need of a priest. He told you to love one another the same as you love yourself. You have given up your own life to follow him, you believed He  was the long awaited Messiah…. And yet two days ago, you watched as the authorities of the time executed him in the most humiliating way possible…… you watched him breath his last, you watched as his body was taken and laid in a tomb…..

What would you be feeling? Sorrow of course. Maybe even a little betrayed? Now them imagine you are a female follower…. You are not allowed to be in the room with the men who are talking about what to do next…  what do you do? Well you do the only thing you can. After resting on the Sabbath (Saturday), you go to the tomb first thing in the morning with the spices and fragrances to anoint the body. But what you find there is not what you expect……

Luke 24:1-3

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

Imagine how these women felt. These women, including His mother, not only see the stone that had covered the tomb rolled away, but when they went in his body was not there.  Imagine the confusion, the anger…  Thinking that someone could not even leave Him alone once they had killed him. The had to further humiliate Him be desecrating His body….

But what happens next is the cornerstone of our Faith……..

Luke 24:4-5

 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

This question is one that we need to ask ourselves today. Are we still looking for a dead body when we go to Church? Are we still seeking the living among the dead?

My friends Jesus Christ IS NOT hanging on a cross. He is alive and well and living at the right hand of the Father and also living within us… Just like the Disciples, we sometimes forget that fact. When the Angels asked the women this question and they had no answer they had to remind them….

Luke 24:6

He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

When the Angels told them what had happen they remembered what Jesus told them and ran back to the other Disciples and told them that it had come to pass. What happened? They didn’t believe them of course… Peter ran down to see what was going on but still didn’t believe. Even after seeing the burial clothes laying there and the tomb empty he was still trying to figure out what happened….

Luke 24:7

Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

It wasn’t until Jesus appeared in to them that they finally believed……

Luke 24:36

And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

Today we celebrate the rising of The Lord from the dead. My friends He is no longer hanging on that cross…. He is alive and well. That cross is nothing but pieces of wood that I am sure have rotted away. It served it purpose and is no longer needed. Just as the veil is no longer needed…..

Yes we use the symbol of the cross to show our Faith, but that piece of wood has no power. Because He is no longer on it..

this sermon over the airwaves, don’t go expecting Jesus to be hanging on the cross. Go expecting Him to be risen and in all of His Glory….. 

I leave you with the wonderful song “Arise My Love” by Newsong.  Listen to the words and let the power of the Risen Lord flow in………..

God Bless you all and Happy Easter.

Pastor Brian  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY2w0cmFW2A

Are You A Casual Christian?...........

In the Church today,  you have many people who claim to be Christians, and yet they don’t have the first clue what being a Christian is all about. They claim to represent Jesus on this earth and yet they have never truly met Him. You even have “Ministers” who follow this same path…..

There are 2 types of people who do this. There are casual Christians, and there are Sunday Christians…..

Lets look at a casual Christian first…….

The word casual is an adjective and a noun (and I thought those English classes would never come in handy J )..   The dictionary meaning for both the adjective & noun casual is:

Adjective

Relaxed and unconcerned.

Noun

A person who does something irregularly

When used as a noun, it describes those who go to Church on Easter & Christmas or for some life event such as a wedding or funeral, but otherwise wont step foot inside. Most times these people consider and will even call themselves “cradle Christians”…..  They have the erroneous belief that because they were born,  raised and baptized into whatever denomination they identify with, that is all they need, and that they can ride the coattails of their parents or others into heaven. There is no personal sacrifice or commitment to the Faith.

When used as an adjective, it describes those who go to Church every Sunday, but are relaxed and unconcerned about their Faith. They may even pay Tithes, teach Sunday School, and some even claim the title Reverend/Pastor/Minister/Bishop/Whatever, but they do so out of obligation or to make a living, and not out of gratefulness for the sacrifice that The Lord made for them.

 I have some news for them though, no matter how you use this word,  it does not work that way and is not something that you want describing your Faith.  You want your Faith to be a Verb…. Something that describes and denotes ACTION…..  Being a Christian is something you DO not something you are.

Matthew 7:16 (paraphrased)

  Ye shall know them by their fruits.

Many people throw this phrase around casually not knowing what it really means. The process of producing fruit is a lot of work. Any farmer or even a person who grows a garden in their home will tell you this. You cannot just throw seeds into dirt and ignore it hoping that in a few months good fruit will appear…. You must tend to the field watching for weeds that would pop up and choke your fruit, you must provide water and fertilizer. Farmers work from dawn to dusk to be sure that their crop produces good fruit that is desirable to the people……. That is exactly what we must do as Christians. We sow our seeds by telling people about the Gospel, but that is not enough. We must tend those seeds carefully to make sure that they grow strong and produce.

Jesus talked about casual and Sunday Christians in Matthews Gospel:

Matthew 7:21-23

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Not a pretty picture……..

My friends today I tell you that you must live your life totally and completely sold out to The Lord. You must be a Christian 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The lost and dying world out there needs to see the light of The Lord shining through you at all times. Even those who don’t know The Lord should be able to see Him in you without asking.  You must be what The Lord told us we are in Matthews Gospel:

Matthew 5:14

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Ash Wednesday/Lent................

As today marks Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent, I thought I would share some thoughts….

I am sure that most of you are familiar with Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season, so I will not go into all the details and practices. This blog is more about the intention behind doing those things.

First I want to state the obvious…. Putting ashes on your forehead, abstaining from something or fasting CAN NOT save you… Only 1 thing can do that:

Romans 10:9

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

So then why do people all over the world, not just in the Roman Church, but many Protestant Denominations observe this day? Because although it can not save you, it can (an if done in the right frame of mind) bring you closer to God…..

The key to this day is to listen to the Holy Spirit and what He is laying on your heart. There are things that we do in our everyday life that The Lord wants us to give up, and Ash Wednesday/Lent is a perfect time to do this.

Some of the things that many people struggle with and should (for their own health) give up are smoking and drinking.  Christians who are struggling with these things,  but know that the Lord has laid on their  hearts to give them up should take this opportunity to do so. There is also overeating which can be a big problem for a lot of people can do the same. Basically it can be anything that the Lord has laid on your heart to lay aside because it hinders your walk with Him.

So why Lent if you are not a member of a denomination that celebrates it?

1)      Its as good a time as any, and

2)      This is a time of reflection and prayer leading up to Easter, and many people fell that they are being drawn closer to God during this time. If you are feeling that way that obey that voice (the Holy Spirit). It will work much better than a New Years resolution (which for most people has already been forgotten)

This is where you get into the intent behind your actions.

If you are laying aside something that the Lord has been telling you to lay aside and have been finding excuses not to do so, then God will honor your sacrifice and will help you through it, because giving God a sacrifice in the right frame of mind is pleasing to Him:

Romans 12:1

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

 It does not mean that you will not be tempted, Jesus himself was tempted (Luke 4)  during his 40 day fast in the wilderness (the event in His life that Lent commemorates).

And just as Jesus upon returning from His 40 days was even MORE powerful than He was before, so can you be.

Luke 4:14
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

On the other hand if you are doing it because of tradition or because it has always been done that way, your ancestors did it that way Etc., then it will have no effect. We are in fact warned by Jesus NOT to do things this way:

Mark 7:7-8

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do

He also says (and these are some pretty strong words here):

Mark 7:13

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

So if you want to observe the Lenten Season, then I ask you to please search your heart and spend time in prayer. Ask the Lord to tell you what it is in your life that needs to be laid aside so that you can draw closer to Him.  If you choose to fast for part of this season then do so in the attitude of prayer and humility, not to be seen by other people…………. 

Are you putting yourself in chains?

We are going to continue on in the book of Galatians this week. This book is a road map for the pure Gospel of Jesus, the Gospel Of Grace that was given to Paul. As we study this book we will see a problem that still exists today………..

Galatians 1:6

6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

When you study this book you will notice right off that Paul does not spend a lot of time on pleasantries… He writes a couple lines of greeting, but then get right into the subject of this letter. This shows that he was very concerned about what he was hearing from this Church that he had founded.

In our verse above the Greek word that is translated as “soon removed” is metatithesthe. In context, it means “ a deserter in the military or a turncoat”. By using this word we can assume that Paul was not only upset at what was going on, but was also broken hearted.  Paul was shocked that those in the Galatian Church would drop what he had taught them so quick. That they would listen to another person who was changing things was just unfathomable to Paul.

It is important to point out here that the people who were doing this DID NOT deny the facts of the gospel- that Jesus died and rose again.  What they denied was that The Lords sacrifice was adequate....

 Sound familiar? The teachings that these people were bringing in to the Galatian Church were that a person is saved by faith plus keeping the law, and that the believer is sanctified and enabled to live a holy life by faith plus keeping the law. My friends this is a total and complete lie.

 The Grace Of God IS sufficient for Salvation. You do not need to keep the law, to follow a set of rules, regulations or rituals in order to be saved.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee made this statement in regards to this teaching:

"This is one of the oldest heresies known, and it is still with us today.  It is adding

something to the gospel of grace; it is doing something rather than simply believing something. It

is faith plus something rather than faith plus nothing.  Every cult and 'ism' has something for you

to do in order to be saved."

Now think about Dr. McGee’s statement for a minute….. What he said is true. I have studied religions extensively, and I can tell you that each one that departs from the true Gospel adds things. We are of course told NOT to do this. From the Old Testament to the New, we are warned not to add things to the Gospel….

You will notice that the other “Gospel” that these people were trying to get the Galatian Church to believe was not really another Gospel at all, it was a PERVERSION of the Gospel Of Jesus.

Galatians 1:7

7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

These people used a tactic that is still used today. They take just enough of the Gospel as told by our Lord and then they add their own things into it so that it sounds plausible to those who are looking for a quick fix…..

 Do this, do that, give this, give that and you are saved. Why do they do this? Because by adding things in and by making it so you have to participate in a ritual or do a certain thing in order to be saved they can keep control of you. By making these rituals and telling you they are “mandatory” or that they are an “obligation”, they can withhold Salvation from you if you run afoul of their rules….

 When they do this they change the Gospel from what it truly is, a message (Good News) of FREEDOM, into the bad news of bondage. They do exactly the opposite of what the Gospel of Jesus is for, and that is to set people free from the bondage of the law.

 If a bunch of legalism, rituals and other mumbo jumbo could have saved us, then there was no reason for Jesus to suffer and die as He did. By adding this junk to the Gospel of Jesus, they make His sacrifice worthless……

We have to stay true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us in the next verse:

Galatians 1:8

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

My friends, the Gospel message is the message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Period.

 If you believe in that, and accept Him as your personal Savior that is all you need to do. Everything else is nothing but man made rules.

If we look in the book of Acts, where Paul and Silas were in prison and after praying and praising The Lord, they were set free by and earthquake, the jailer asked them what he needed to do to be saved. What was Paul’s reply?

Acts 16:31

 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Cant get much clearer than that…….

My prayer for you to take away from this message today is to stay true to the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are way to many Churches and denominations that  do not preach to the pure gospel of grace alone for salvation. 

  They try to bring us under the law.  Some teach dietary restrictions, some teach certain days must be observed.  Others will try to say certain church affiliations are necessary to gain salvation. Still others will tell you that you have to follow their rules to the T in order to be saved…….

  They do this through not only through pressure, but also through misguided education of those who are new to The Faith. There are denominations out there that require you to take classes on their rules and regulations in order to become a member of their Church.

  These new converts are not grounded in the pure gospel and do not know any better, but if they pick up their Bibles and read them they will see that all these rituals, traditions, whatever you want to call them are nothing but a bunch of man made rules designed to keep these young ones in Christ under their thumbs.

 They do this to build their membership rolls and by building their membership rolls, they fatten their bottom lines through giving. Their purpose is to keep you in bondage, but the purpose of Christ is to set you free.

 If you are a new Christian and you see the Church you are attending in this message, my advice to you is to run and run fast. Find a Church that preaches the true Gospel of Freedom in Christ. A person who is in bondage will not grow, but a person who if free in Christ will have no limit as to what He will do with your life……….

God Bless You Alll!!!

Pastor Brian

Millionaire Jesus????

The Prosperity “Gospel”

I have written sermons and done an audio series on this subject before, but while reading through Paul’s letter to Timothy this morning, I read some  verse’s that,  although I have read  before, the true meaning of this them did not strike me until now…. This is a great reason why everyone (even those of us whose career it is to preach the Word Of God) should actually read it with an open mind and no pre-conceived notions beforehand or agenda (like writing a sermon) beforehand. Instead we should just read the Bible for the pure JOY of reading it…

ON to our topic though………………..

The verses I ran across in my opinion shoots a HUGE whole in those who preach this prosperity “gospel” and also in those who pervert the Gospel Of Jesus Christ to line their pockets.

1 Timothy 5:5-9

5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

From the context of this letter, its seems that Timothy was dealing with some people who came into the Church that Paul had left him to oversee preaching that God wanted people to be wealthy.  The Apostle has some pretty strong words to describe these people (Verse 5).  The fact is my friends is that this kind of trash is nothing more than idolatry. These “Ministers” are making a mockery of our Faith for their own gain, and are collecting millions of dollars doing it. They come in, tell you to empty your wallet and trust that God will fill it back up as if by magic….. No work required….. It saddens me and it angers me when I see this thing going on.

While researching this blog, I listen to several videos of these “Preachers” taking about this subject. The worst one I saw was a man who was preaching in front of a large crowd, and instead of glorifying God in his “sermon”, he spent 45 minutes talking about the material possessions that he had. Everything from a Rolls Royce for him to luxury cars for his children to a $16,000.00 (no that is not a typo) DOG…..  Not once was giving to those less fortunate mentioned, not once was feeding the hungry mentioned, nothing. The only thing that was mentioned was that if you brought your money and gave it to them then God would bless you…. This is not only wrong on many levels, it is a PERVERSION of the Gospel.

Yes we are told to give, and if you are attending a Church you should give to that Church.  If you are attending a revival and The Lord lays it on your heart to give of the resources that He has entrusted you with then do it, but do not give expecting to get.

Jesus addresses this in Luke’s Gospel:

Luke 6:35
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil

Even some who do not identify with totally with this perversion of the Gospel still in some ways are influenced by it. I was told by the leader of an online Christian Church that I should DEMAND tithes and donations from those who I provide a “service” to.  Serving the poor and those in need is not conducive to this type of “theology”, and it goes against EVERYTHING that I stand for.  By demanding money from those who have nothing or by demanding that people give money to get a blessing, these false prophets are trying to one up the promise of our Lord:

Luke 6:37

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

This verse is Jesus telling us that if we give, then HE will cause people to give unto us. He DID NOT say to give and you will get a Mercedes….  Paul reinforces this teaching by telling us in our Verses above that we need to be happy with what we have. If we have food and clothing then be content.  Paul also mentions it again in his letter to the Philippian Church:

Philippians 4:11-13

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Notice the key words here are in verse 13, doing all things THROUGH CHRIST. Not through some preacher selling you some kind of program. My friends, these people are not true Ministers, they are motivational speakers who use our Faith to get rich.

You may ask me why it is a bad thing to have nice clothes or a nice car or a big house.  It isn’t. IF GOD HAS CHOSEN TO GIVE YOU THESE THINGS then rejoice in His blessings. The problem comes in when you get caught up in this mess and obtaining things becomes the primary focus instead of telling people that God sent His only son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. And from the videos I have watched and even from the meetings from these type of preachers I have personally attended, I can tell you that the focus is not on God supplying our needs, it is on (as one of these guys so “eloquently” put it, “releasing the money”.  

A final thought on this, and perhaps the worst thing of all. Some (in fact most) of these prosperity preachers say that poverty is a curse and that Jesus himself was rich because He could not have been cursed…. This goes against the teachings of Jesus… If He was rich then why did He have Peter catch a fish with a coin in its mouth to pay the temple tax? I mean come on folks, even if the treasurer (Judas) who held the common money bag for the Ministry was not with them at that point, it stands to reason that they would not have been walking around broke. I do not know any person who is rich or even well off that does not have SOME money with them at all times for expenses like that.  Why did he have to use the upper room of another person’s house to celebrate the Passover when he could have paid for a room at an inn? There are many other examples, but I will stop here. The fact is my friends that The Lord DOES want you to be blessed, but this does not justify pursuing material things at all costs.

I have included a link to one of the many videos I watched while researching this blog. I think you will be shocked when you view it…..

Get That Money???

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Be A Light In The Darkness...........

A candle is a small thing, but one candle can light another. When it does this,  it’s own light increases, and the original candle does not loose anything by giving its light to another……

And a candle, no matter what its size, provides light no matter how deep the darkness is around it. As Christians, we are called to be like a candle,  not only shining our own light in a world of darkness, but also giving that light to another who needs it.

When you are a Christian, and you truly have Christ living within you, you will be full of light. You will never again be in darkness because He provides light for your path and for the path of others. Jesus tell us in John’s Gospel:

John 8:12

 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Candles come in all different shapes, sizes and colors, and each one has a purpose. There are candles meant to light a whole room, there are candles that relax you, there are big candles, small candles, long and skinny candles, short and fat candles and  on… BUT all candles, no matter their shape or size all share the same traits.

They give light where there is darkness.

A candle that is not lit is just a piece of wax. The sole reason that a candle exists is to give off light. Now I know that there are “decorative” candles that people put in their homes because they like the shape or the color, but that candle never fulfills its true purpose until it is lit and starts burning. Paul talks about this in his second letter to the Church at Corinth:

2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Think about that for a moment…. The Creator of all things, the One who commanded light to be created is shining in our hearts. We then have an obligation to make sure that this light that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ shines bright in our lives and gives light to all who we would encounter.  How do we do this? By making sure that we are a shining example of the light of Christ. Once a candle is lit, it needs to be put in a place or on a candle stick so that the maximum amount of light is given off and can be seen by all. We cant just hide that candle… If we do, it is nothing but a waste. Jesus tells us this in Luke’s Gospel:

Luke 11:33

No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.

Way too many people whose lives have been lit by the light of Christ are putting their candle in a secret place. They let their light shine on Sunday’s and Wednesdays when they go to Church and are around other Christians, but when they leave the building, they put that light away.  The only way that people know they are Christians is if they see them walking into a Church building. Otherwise you could never tell by the way they live their lives.

 Why is this? Because they put that light in a secret place…. This my friends should not be. We must let that light burn bright. From the front pew of the Church to the daily grind of our jobs. If we do not show that light that The Lord has caused to burn within us, we are not doing anyone any good.  

Think for a moment about a lighthouse that would guide a ship into a safe harbor. When lighthouses first came into being, the light that came from them was little more than a huge candle (although made of wood and other materials instead of wax, but the principle was and still is, the same). A light was burned and reflected onto the water so that the ships captains would see where the rocks were and not run aground. As the old story goes:

A battleship lookout noted a light in the distance on a dark, foggy night. After noting the light’s coordinates, the captain recognized his ship was on a collision course with the light. The captain instructed, "Signal the ship: We are on a collision course, advise you change course 20 degrees."

 The return signal countered, "Advisable for you to change course 20 degrees."

The captain signaled, "I’m the captain of this vessel, change your course 20 degrees."

The response from the light was, "I’m a seaman second class, you’d better change your course 20 degrees."

By this time the captain was furious. His signal curtly ordered, "I’m a battleship, this is the captain speaking. Change course 20 degrees, this is an order"

 The reply: "I’m the lighthouse and if you do not change your course, you are headed for a shallow reef that will sink your ship”.

How many people do we know today that are in our lives who are like the stubborn captain? Family, friends, co workers? All headed for the rocks of destruction. WE, who have the Light Of The World shining through us, must stand steadfast and let that light shine so that those we come in contact with will not crash on those rock, but instead will be guided safely into the harbor that is the love of Christ. Like the stubborn captain, they may argue, the may refuse to change their course, but if we stand firm, if we keep showing them the light, it will make a difference……

In closing today, I want to share a couple things about candles and how we need to aspire to make our lives like a candle. 

A candle, being made of wax is mold able. It can be shaped into any form that the person doing the molding want it to be. So must our lives be. We must let The Lord mold our lives into whatever shape He wants them to be. Not all shapes will be the same and they shouldn’t be, but each shape will have its specific purpose.

Also, as I mentioned before, candles are just pieces of wax. In order to be used properly, they must be lit. But before they can be lit, they must have something inside them, something that can not be removed and that carries the flame.  In a candle it  is a wick, in our lives, it is Jesus Christ.  So get out there, find some darkness, and light it up with your candle.  There is a world in darkness that is waiting for the light and we, as Disciples of Christ are called to be that light….

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Not Against Us? Then you are for us.......

In the world today, it is estimated that there are between 30-35 Thousand Christian Denominations. While most of these hold the same core beliefs, they go about things in different ways.

 Some have set liturgical Worship, others freeform. Some dress in robes, others in suits and some very casual….. (I am guilty of this one, as I have been known to preach in shorts and a T-Shirt, and about the only time I wear a robe is when performing a wedding).

 Some view Communion/The Lords Supper/The Eucharist as central to the service while others only do it on special occasions. Then there is the whole Transubstantiation/Memorial debate (which is an entire sermon unto itself).

 The way things are done in Church and the reasons they are done that way are as varied as the members themselves….. Some are based on their interpretation of the Bible, others based on long held  Tradition’s.

No matter where you stand on these  or other Dogma issues, what we will be talking about today is the “my way or the highway” mentality, and why this is wrong and goes against the teachings of Our Lord…….

People, even those who were closest to Jesus when He walked this earth, have always bickered over this type of thing, and in the years since then it has not gotten much better. In fact it has, if anything, gotten worse, and has caused mass killings, crusades against others, witch hunts, you name it….. as we look at Luke’s Gospel we will see the start…….

Luke 9:49-50

49 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.

50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

The last portion of Verse 50 is the most important and profound statement that Jesus makes on the subject, and one that if we truly follow His teachings, should put the whole denominational debate and in-fighting to rest.

 If we look at what was going on before and after Jesus made this statement, and the context in which He made it, we will see that even though He was right there, some of the disciples thought that they were the only true Christians, and that everyone who claimed the name of Christ had to follow them,  or they could not be Christians. 

 Even His disciples, who had traveled with Jesus, spent a lot of time in His presence, and knew Him better than anyone on the earth, and should have known what He stood for,  still argued and fought over positions of power……

Luke 9:46

46 Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.

 This Verse from the King James Version, is kind of watered down. If you look at the original Greek passage, “a reasoning” means an argument. In fact, the first part of the Verse translates to “satan taking possession of them and thoughts coming to their mind”. We can assume from the context of the Verse that the Disciples were talking about this when they thought Jesus was out of ear shot…. But, He knew their thoughts.

Luke 9:47

47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,

So he takes a child and gives the child the place of honor next to Him. This is significant because children were seen as unimportant at that time. I am sure that their parents loved them, and they wanted to see them grow into adults, but the fact is, children were considered to be little more than their parents property. Kind of like the old saying that “children should be seen and not heard”.  But Jesus tells his most trusted advisors, the ones who he spent the most time with and who he trusted to carry on His message this:

Luke 9:48

48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

In this way, Jesus gently but firmly rebukes His Disciples by doing something totally out of character for a normal adult in Biblical times, let alone a Rabbi or teacher. He gives a child, who according to the customs of the time, should not even be close to Him, a place of Honor, and tries to show them that if they would be great, they must become the least of all. The message though doesn’t sink in as we see further on in Lukes Gospel:

Luke 18:15-17

 15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

Again here we have Jesus breaking with protocol and tradition of the culture and the religious people of his time by taking children and giving them a place of honor next to him. Why? Because a child believes what they are told without question. A child trusts those family members who are older than them without question and without asking for proof…. That is why we must receive the Kingdom of God like a child.

Now back to our original verses:

We can safely assume that the person who was casting out these demons was a true follower of Jesus (not like the seven sons of one Sceva mentioned in Acts 19). We don’t know anymore about this person than what is written, but we do know he followed The Lord and believed in Him, otherwise he would not have had the authority to cast the demons out. And yet John tells Jesus that he forbade him to cast out the demons and to call upon the name of Jesus because he did not follow along with them (or in modern terms was not part of their fellowship)… Sound familiar?

 This is what a lot of Churches do today. They claim that if you are not in communion with them, then you have no authority, you are not a real Minister, etc. etc. Don’t these people READ the Bible that they claim to know so much about? I guess not, because if they did, they would understand that even though you may follow a different path, as long as you believe in Jesus, and call upon His name, you are a Disciple of Christ.

So no matter what label you choose to wear as a Christian, be it Catholic, Pentecostal, Baptist, Lutheran, whatever, we still serve THE SAME LORD and we will all end up with Him at the end of our days on this earth.

My prayer today is that Christians, no matter what denomination they claim, will come together and build the Kingdom Of God. Lets lay aside our petty little differences and focus on what is important….  Only in this way will we ever be able to reach a lost and dying world with the message of Christ.

God Bless You All

Pastor Brian

Moving Forward In Christ, New Year's Sermon, 2013

As we stand here in the final 48 hours of 2012, and we look ahead to 2013, it is a good time to reflect on the year that is ending and to look forward into the year that is soon to begin. It is also a good time for God’s people to take inventory of their walk with the Lord. Of course just like every year, people all over the world are at this very moment pre-occupied with planning their celebrations for New Year’s Eve, and also are busy writing down their resolutions for the New Year. I ask you today that as we go through this sermon and more importantly, after the service has ended, the lights are off and we go our separate ways for the last time this year, to take some time and just be still, be with God, and reflect on what He has done for you this year and what He will continue to do in the coming year.

People celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in different ways. For some it is the “last hurrah” of the Christmas season, with a last party or dinner to be planned, cooked and served. Others attend a Church service (usually know as a “watch night” service. Some go to a fireworks show that is put on in many cities across the world.  Some don’t do anything special, maybe spend the last few hours of the year with family and maybe watch the fireworks from across the world on TV.

My wife and I (and sometimes the kids) usually spend New Year’s Day taking down the Christmas tree and packing away the decorations. I enjoy doing this (even though I do get a little sad because I love Christmas time), but it is a great time to reflect and remember special times and blessings not only of the Christmas season that has just passed, but also of Christmases from years past. For me doing this not only has a practical side in getting the lights and decorations taken down and put away, but also a spiritual side as we will see in going through our sermon today.

Some things must be kept; some things must be thrown away

While taking down the Christmas lights and decorations, I check them before packing them away. In the case of the lights, if I find frayed or exposed wires, or strands that have had one to many staples put through them, then these are thrown away because they are a danger.  In our walk with Christ, it is much the same… We must get rid of the things which are a danger to our Christian walk, the things that if we continue to use them become a danger that could hurt us. Paul tells us in his letter to the Church in Colossae that we have to put off these things:

Colossians 3:8

 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

These things are like the exposed wires on the Christmas lights. If you keep them around and plug them in, they could cause you a nasty shock and even start a fire. So you need to throw them away.

Think about Paul’s words in this verse above:

 Anger, wrath, malice:

 How many people who claim the name of Christ do we know that are full of these things. It is sad but it is true. This past year, we have really started to expand our presence on the various social networks online, and I see these things on a daily basis on the Christian and Church pages. People writing angry things toward one another, fighting over some small point of doctrine that they do not agree with, people fighting and ready to come to blows over insignificant things that they (NOT THE LORD) turn into this huge deal. This happened to me early in 2012 when I made a reference (based on a story that was told to me) of people using something other than “consecrated” hosts for communion (this story was of soldiers getting ready to go into battle not knowing if they would survive taking communion using what they had available which was their C-rations). I was blown away by the response from a “Christian leader” that was so full of anger, wrath and malice. It saddened me greatly that this person would be this way, but all I could do as turn the other cheek and not lower myself to that same level.  We need to take stock of ourselves and if we have these things against anyone, we need to throw them away and start fresh. We have to get rid of these things and live in the love of Jesus

Colossians 3:14

 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

Then there are the other two:

Blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth

When we think of blasphemy, we normally think of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29), but the context that Paul is using here in the letter as translated from the Greek writing means “to slander”. It can refer to slanders directed at God, but Paul is talking about slanders directed at other people, specifically other Christians. This happens when we insult and belittle others through gossip or when we put others down behind their backs.

 This goes right along with filthy communications…. Again when we thing of this we may think of Christian Brothers and Sisters telling dirty jokes or lusting after a person (either in their lives or that they see on TV). This of course should not be, and if that is in your life I tell you to throw it out as well. However, the translation from the Greek and the context that Paul is talking about in this letter means: “abusive speech”.  Words that are thrown around in an attempt to hurt or wound someone.   How many times do we see this in the Church?  Sadly, too many.  And my friends those who listen to such garbage without calling the person speaking it on the carpet, are just as guilty as those who utter it out of their mouths.

What else do we need to throw away out of our lives? In Chapter 2 verse 8, we are given some examples that we need to follow to make sure that our lives are pleasing to God:

Colossians 2:8
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

All of the things here could fall under the heading if false doctrines….

Philosophies – This refers to wisdom of men. Man has invented some strange belief systems over the years, and every single manmade belief system is at variance with Jesus Christ. If what a person teaches is not backed up by the Word of God; that system is to be avoided by the believer.

Vain Deceit – This phrase means “empty tricks”. It refers to those who deceive through trickery or through a slick message. Again, if the message is not Jesus it is not of God. If the focus is not on Jesus and His shed blood, it is not of God!

Traditions of Men – Believers are warned to be careful of long held beliefs. Just because people have believed something to be true and have been taught that something is true, does not make it true! We are not to base our faith and our walk on the traditions of men, no matter how godly or worthy of respect the man may be. We are to base our belief system on the Word of God alone!

The Rudiments of the World – Again, believers are warned against falling away from a mature faith to accept a simplistic doctrine. This phrase refers to an alphabet, or things in a row. It speaks of simple things in contrast to deeper truth. We are to stay with the Bible and try every teaching against the clear Word of God.

Then we have probably the hardest one for a lot of people to understand, and even harder for a lot of people to let go of:

Colossians 2:16

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days.

If we look at this Verse in context, Paul is talking about Foolish Demands that some Church leaders put on people.  As believers, we are to watch out for these people who would place us back under the Law. Jesus came to deliver us from legalism, and we are to stand in the liberty that we have been given in Jesus Christ. At the moment of His death, when He said the three most powerful words ever uttered by a human being, all that legalistic mumbo jumbo was put to rest there and then. When Jesus said IT IS FINISHED, the law was fulfilled once and for all time. Because that was the purpose for Jesus coming to this earth. So here now Paul is telling us that “no man has the right to be their judge”. If you have been saved by Jesus, then you have been delivered from the demands of the Law and are now under Grace.

I know I am stepping on some toes and so was Paul, but this is directly from the Word Of God, so if this offends, GOOD. That means that The Holy Spirit is pulling at your heart and telling you to lay these things aside and get back to The Word, because being a Christian does not consist in the keeping of man-made rules and rituals, but in a personal, relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we are taking stock of our lives and throwing those things out that hinder us in our walk we also have to remember those promises that will help us in our walk and keep these things in our hearts.

 When I pack away the Christmas decorations, I find ornaments and trinkets that remind me of good times and events. The ornaments that we purchased for each of our children for their first Christmas, Ornaments that belonged to my Grandmother or my Mother and Father in law, ornaments that my wife and I purchased for our first Christmas together and each time we purchased a new home….  

When taking these off the tree, and before they are packed carefully away, I pause and reflect on those events and remember the joy of watching my children open their gifts on Christmas Morning, and the joy of planning where the decorations would go when we had moved into a new home.  And even though these special things may be packed away, I know exactly where they are and could get to them if I needed to at any time of the year.  

So it must be with the Spiritual things. We must remember that God has given us things to keep in our hearts. The fact that there has been a death for all of us, and more than that, there has been a resurrection!! That we, by believing in Jesus and crucifying our old lives along with Him have also been raised with Him to a new life in Him:

Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Not only that, but we have a promise from God that this world is not the best that there is. That although we may live here for a short time, our hope lies in spending eternity with Him!! Everything we do must be filtered through this promise. And even though we may face battles with the flesh and with the devil here, we know that we have already won!! 

Through Jesus Christ we are truly destined to win and we can not be defeated!! One day we will stand in His presence, and no matter what we may have to go through here, when we look upon His face it will be worth it all!!

I know that this may be a lot to take in, but as we stand here on the cusp of a New Year, let us take a good, hard look at our lives and at our walk with the Lord.

Let us retain & remember those things that assist us in our walk with The Lord, and lay aside anything that would hinder it.

 Let us move forward into this New Year listening to the Voice Of God and asking Him to remove the blinders and open our hearts and minds to a greater understanding of His Word. 

Let us listen to Him as He calls us out from behind those stained glass windows and back into the streets so that we can carry His message to a lost and dying world.

 Let us make 2013 the best year of our lives to the Glory Of God!!

God Bless you all and Happy New Year

Pastor Brian

A Christmas Carol, 2nd Sunday Of Advent, 2012.....

 Today we are going to look at another Christmas classic and see what lessons we can learn. In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, there are many characters central to the story, but we will look at the most important two. Those of   Bob Cratchit, and of course Scrooge.  This work has resonated with people the world over so much so that the name Scrooge is used not just at Christmas but all through the year to define a person who hoards money or possessions and ignores the needs of those less fortunate that are all around him.

 Ebenezer Scrooge of course is the  unhappy, miserly old man whose reaction to Christmas was “Bah! Humbug.” To him, Christmas was a scandal, because it was only “a time for finding yourself a year older and not an hour richer.” Bob Cratchit on the other hand is the polar opposite who finds joy in Christmas simply because it is when the birth of Our Lord is celebrated.

So first let us look at Scrooge……

Leaving aside the way he treats Cratchit, we see from the story that Scrooge is concerned with nothing other than how much money he can put in his pocket. Even when given the chance to give a little money to the poor, he throws the gentlemen who are collecting for the poor out of his office with this piece of advice:

 “Are there no prisons? 
 And the union workhouses - are they still in operation?” 

When those who are attempting to collect money for the poor answer yes, scrooge replies:

 Oh, from what you said at first I was afraid that something had happened to stop them in their useful course. I'm very glad to hear it. 

 When the men persist and even assume that Scrooge will want to donate something but not give his name, he finally lays his feeling on the table:

Since you ask me what I wish sir, that is my answer. I help to support the establishments I have named; those who are badly off must go there. 

The prison Scrooge is talking about would be a debtors prison and the union workhouses were places where people could go to receive food and shelter BUT they were expected to perform manual labor, families were split up (only children under age 2 could stay with their parents, and spouses could not stay together), and the food was so poor and so lacking that there are recorded historical accounts of people fighting over bones that they were tasked with grinding into fertilizer so that they could suck out the marrow first……. In short, these were not nice places to be.  So it is no wonder then that when Scrooge said this,  the men collecting for the poor replied:

 Many can't go there, and some would rather die.

If we are to truly follow Christ, we must not be like this. We must not hoard money and refuse to help those in need. Jesus tells us to help those who are less fortunate than we are


Luke 14:12-14
12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.


Matthew 10:8-10

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

It’s a pretty good bet that Scrooge would never have invited the poor to a dinner (even if he spent the money to put one on). It is also a pretty safe bet that he would not have gone anywhere without money and that he would not freely give to anyone….

 Sadly there are so many people today who claim to be Christians who feel the same way…. If you to tell them that they were acting like Scrooge, they would strongly disagree, and yet these same people form cliques in the Church, they keep their money to themselves, when they see someone who is down and out they just assume that there is “someplace” they can go to get help (workhouse?), or some one will give them something… .As long as it doesn’t upset their little world and their perception of what Church should be, and as long as they can keep their wallets in their pockets or purses,  they are content to sit behind their rose colored stained glass windows.  This is the type of person who James The Just was referring to in his letter to the tribes….


James 2:15-16
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

If we look at Bob Cratchit, we see a totally different person. Here you have a person who has little, and is mistreated by Scrooge, underpaid, overworked, etc…. And yet, he does not let it dampen his Christmas Spirit. In short, Cratchit has learned to be grateful for who The Lord has given him.  Bob Cratchit is a great example of what Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians:

Philippians 4:11-12
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Even in the face of opposition from his family, Bob is still grateful for what he has and even honors Scrooge with a toast on Christmas day (much to his wife’s displeasure).

Now we know that Scrooge is visited by 3 spirits (ghosts) that finally bring about a change in him, but I cant help but think that once his heart was softened by these visits, that maybe, just maybe Scrooge thought back to the witness of his clerk Bob Cratchit who, no matter what was thrown his way, persevered and kept the Faith.

So as we continue on through the Christmas Season, and while we wait for the greatest blessing of all time, that most Holy of days when The Creator of all things humbled himself and became human so that He could redeem us all, please do not forget those who have less than we do. Take time to pause from our celebrations and gift buying, and the hustle and bustle of this blessed Season and share some of what The Lord has given to us with those who do not have what we do. After all, we are celebrating the greatest gift ever given to man, so why then would we not give a gift to someone in need. Just as the wise men brought their gifts which enabled that small and blessed family to flee to a foreign land and thwarted the plan of the devil working through an evil king to attempt to stop our redemption, we should do the same. By giving something to those in need. No matter if it is some food, a warm coat, a pair of shoes or just a kind smile, we are emulating what these wise men did. Because when we do give to those in need, we are giving a gift to that small baby who would become the redeemer of the world………

Matthew 25:35-40
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

Behave Like A Leader Should..........

Today I want to address something that has been on my heart for quite some time. This topic may make some people uncomfortable, it may make some people mad, but it WILL help people and that my friends is the whole point......

I am going to talk to you today about Pastoral bullying. 

There has been much said lately and many new laws enacted that outlaw bullying. Gone are the days when a bully in a school yard could call another child names, or beat them up for their lunch money etc. This is a good thing and I am 100% behind it. There is however a problem in the Church, and that problem is a Pastor or a leader who bullies those who seek advice from them.

This problem usually starts when there is a disagreement between the leader and a person within their Church or organization. Below are a couple of responses to people taken directly from the public Facebook page of the leader of a "Christian" organization that were in response to a couple others there who did not see things the exact same way that he did. 

 "Take your so called faith in Christ and his teachings and stick it"

"______ (name redacted) you can stick it too because the only reason you opt for Obama is because Obama says yes to homosexuals and marriage"

I wish I could say that I was shocked by this behavior, but sadly, I am not. This person has a history of abusing those who do not agree with him, and those who have the courage to leave his so called "church" are subjected to even worse. They have lies spread about them, they are told that they are "mentally unstable", they are defamed and slandered all because they would no longer subject themselves to the perversion of the teachings of Jesus that this person perpetuates. This is an all too common problem and behavior like this is indicative of a cult. 

Now I understand being passionate about your Faith, and even defending it when it is under attack, but by responding the way that is outlined above, you are doing the devil's work for him. It should also be pointed out that the conversations that lead to the above statements were not from a person attacking the Christian Faith, they were from other Christians who disagreed with this bully. 

This person is the poster boy for what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 23:

²⁵ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
²⁶ Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
²⁷ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
²⁸ Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

This type of behavior is not limited to cyber space. This goes on in Churches across the world on a daily basis. 

My friends, we must stand up to this type of thing no matter where we see it. If you are a part of an organization/Church that employs these type of tactics, I urge you to get out. Find a Bible believing Church where that Pastor and the people will accept you with love,  and will listen to what you have to say.  

Yes it is a Pastor's/Leaders job to guide those who the Lord has placed in their care, and sometimes that guidance can include discipline. But that discipline should be done in love and humility, not in a spirit of anger.   And before anyone brings it up, the type of anger shown above is not righteous anger such as Jesus showed when clearing the Temple of the money changers or when looking around at the pharisee;s when they were trying to trap him for healing a man on the Sabbath. What was said above is anger that is a tool of the devil, as will accomplish nothing except to destroy and divide........

God Bless you all and please lift this person up in prayer. Their name is not important, because the Lord already knows who it is.....

Pastor Brian

_________________________________________________________________________________

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Start your own Church or Ministry. We can help you. 

We are a REAL CHURCH that hold’s regular services at a physical location as well as online.

Don’t be mislead, if you are looking for Ordination as a Non-Denominational Christian Minister, but do not want to be Ordained by a Church that only exists in cyber space,  click on the link below.

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Terms Of Endearment?

The 23rd chapter of Mathews Gospel is a very rich chapter, and one that every Christian, especially those who are in or aspire to leadership should not only read but memorize and apply to our daily lives. Today we are going to look at the first few verses of this chapter, and I encourage you all to read it for yourself and really try to apply it.

Many times, Jesus did not mince words. Yes He spoke in parables a lot, but there were other times when he spoke plain and did not care if those who He was speaking to or about were offended.  We have to learn to do the same. To emulate The Lord in everything. There is a place for parables but there also comes a time that you must stand up and speak up.

In our Chapter today, Jesus did just that……

Matthew 23:5-8 (KJV)
5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

BAM……. Right between the eyes with this one. There are so many people today who claim to be Ministers and yet they fit this description. Anything and everything they do they make sure that everyone knows about it. Jesus tells us here they make “broad their phylacteries”. Phylacteries are small boxes that contained scriptures and were worn (and still are in some cases) by those of the Jewish Faith during weekday morning prayers. Of course the bigger the box the more devout they would seem… They also “enlarge the borders of their garments”. This is referring to the robes that the Pharisees would wear that denoted their status.  

Now, there is nothing wrong with wearing nice clothing, and there is nothing wrong with showing respect to those who The Lord has put in a position of authority over you. These verses when taken in context, are dealing with those in the positions who let it go to their heads.

Verse 5: those who help those in need and then brag about it anywhere they can, and those who HAVE to have the most elaborate vestments, or the most expensive suits.

Verse 6: those who insist on special treatment because of the office they are in.

Verse 7: those who go out of their way when in public to make sure that those around them know that they are important, and those who insist on being called “reverend”, “bishop”, “most reverend”, etc.

Verse 8 is the one that is probably the hardest one for a lot of Ministers to deal with and is the one that is often ignored.  This is a clear prohibition by The Lord against using religious titles for your own vanity.


What do I mean by that? I mean that if you use a religious title no matter if it is Pastor, Bishop, Apostle, Deacon, Evangelist, etc in order to “set yourself apart” from other Christians then you are going against the Word Of Our Lord.  The same thing goes for wearing special clothing, vestments, etc.
What it all comes down to my friends is, like so many other things, intent.

If you use a title solely as a designation of the office that The Lord has placed you in for the purpose of letting people know that they can come to you when they need help (for example a Physician putting Doctor on his business card) then there is nothing wrong with using that title. If on the other hand you are using that title in order to get special treatment, because you think you deserve to be “set apart”, or you think that you are better than others because you have a Degree hanging on your wall,  then you have a problem and a big problem at that…………………

God Bless!!


John 13:4-5
4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

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Start your own Church or Ministry. We can help you. 

We are a REAL CHURCH that hold’s regular services at a physical location as well as online.

Don’t be mislead, if you are looking for Ordination as a Non-Denominational Christian Minister, but do not want to be Ordained by a Church that only exists in cyber space,  click on the link below.

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The Guest Room, Sunday Sermon, 09/09/12......

Mark 14:12-15
12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” 
13 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. 14 Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us




These verses are, of course, detailing the events leading up to the Last Supper (The Passover Feast). Most everyone knows the story of the Last Supper and the events that transpired during it, so our focus today is not going to be on The Last Supper itself, rather we are going to look at how Jesus got to the upper room, and how we can apply this to real life……..


It is evident from many scriptures in the synoptic Gospels that in addition to helping Jesus teach and being sent on missions, the Disciples were also charged with taking care of the day to day needs of Jesus himself and the ministry as a whole.  We still see this even today where most traveling Evangelists (specially the ones who have a large following) have a team of people that support them during the meetings as well as go ahead of the Evangelist into the next city/town where they will be holding a meeting to make sure everything is in order so that when the Evangelist gets there, he or she can concentrate on delivering the message.


So it was with Jesus and the Disciples. We see them in 12 coming to Jesus for instructions as to where they should go to celebrate Passover. Having no set home or even a set “base of operations” for any period of time, they bounced around from place to place wherever Jesus was lead by The Father to go and preach. Jesus’ answer to them when they ask about preparing a place for the Passover is to go into a city, meet a man carrying a pitcher of water, follow him and when you see his house, ask him where is your spare room so that The Master (Jesus) and his disciples can celebrate the Passover.


We are not told anything about the man who let them use his room, the Bible does not record anything about him other than the fact that he would be carrying a pitcher of water. SO then what is so significant about this man? Why am I devoting an entire sermon to him? Because of his REACTION.


When the Disciples came to him and followed him home, Jesus was very precise in his instructions. He told the Disciples to ask him where is your spare room so that the master (Jesus) can celebrate the Passover there. Again, we don’t know who this man was, whether he followed Jesus or the Pharisee’s, nothing….Now this man could have reacted in a lot of different ways. Two guys that he doesn’t know follow him home and say hey, where is your guestroom, we are gonna celebrate the holiday there. In todays world he might have called the cops and reported them for stalking….. The room was already set up for the celebration, so it is not to far of a stretch to think that the homeowner may have had plans to use it himself for his celebration. He could have said uh no, I don’t think so, I was gonna use that myself. Or he could have said, who is your master? Who are you? But he does not do either of these things, instead he shows them to the room, says here it is, you are welcome to it, and that was that.


What we can learn from this man is to be ready to receive The Lord without asking questions, or without making excuses. Sometimes, in fact a lot of times, the Lord just shows up, or sends his disciples with a message telling you to do something. As with the man here in these verses, no choice is given, just an offer…. Could this man have refused? Of course, God gave us all free will. Had he refused, they would have went elsewhere to celebrate. So it is with us… At some point Jesus will send His messengers to you with an offer. A chance to do something for Him. How will you react? When they come to your door, will you show them the upper room, inviting them in without question, even if you had other plans, or will you turn them away and tell them that you have other plans for that room (portion of your life)?


 No matter whether it is The Lord wanting to work in a different way in your life, or something as simple as putting up the guest Preacher that is coming to your church this weekend, I urge you to show Him the upper room and tell him “it’s all yours, use it as you will”. If you do this, you will be blessed beyond measure. God will do great things with what you give him. You may have to change your plans a bit, but the reward will far outweigh any little problems you may have to deal with…..