Whose Church Is This Anyway...........

A mother looked out a window and saw Johnny playing church with their three kittens. He had them lined up and was preaching to them. The mother turned around to do some work.

A while later she heard meowing and scratching on the door. She went to the window and saw Johnny was BAPTIZING the kittens. She opened the window and said, "Johnny, stop that! You’ll drown those kittens.

Johnny looked at her and said with much conviction in his voice: "They shoulda had thought about that before they joined MY church."

This story, although funny, shows a real problem in the Church today. Now when I say “The Church”, I am talking about the ENTIRE body of believers from every Denomination. From Catholic to Pentecostal…

And yet, even though we are all walking the same road and believe in the same Lord, we tend to forget who the Church belongs to….

 Like little Johnny in our story above, we do things and tell people who come into our Church doors that they must do things because it is OUR Church and that is just how it is. 

  Maybe because of tradition that has been taught and handed down for generations, maybe because we have a very charismatic (in the physical sense not the denominational sense) Pastor who teaches things that way and people follow them to a fault, or for whatever reason, the fact is that many people think just like little Johnny and forget that the Church is not ours, it belongs to Jesus. The Church is HIS Bride and like any good husband or fiancé, He will not put up with another usurping HIS place……….

As I spoke about in last weeks sermon there are an estimated 30,000+ Christian Denominations active today, each one conducting their Worship services a little differently, and yet they all Worship the same God.

 

Here is a question; have you ever seen a person, maybe a co-worker that you do not know all that well, that has a cross on their desk or some other Christian symbol near them. You strike up a conversation and usually the first thing you ask (because you see the symbol) is “Are you a Christian?”. What answer do you get? When this has happened to me, I normally get answers such as “I am Catholic” or “I am Pentecostal, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, whatever”…… My point is that they did not answer your question. Instead of saying “Yes I am”, they instead told you what Denomination they claim.

The biggest problem facing The Church today is this sort of thing. These Denominations claiming that they are the only way. They claim that if you do not do things their way then you are not truly saved…. My friends nothing could be further from the truth.

If we turn to Pauls letter to the Ephesians, we will see that he lays it out. This is what we called in my teenage years “straight up talk”:

 Ephesians 4:2-6

2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

When this Epistle was written, it was to address a newly formed, multi-cultural Church. There were some problems that were arising in this Church because new converts were separating themselves from others IN THE SAME CHURCH based on their culture.

If we look at the Church today, it is plain to see that most have forgotten or choose to ignore verses 2-3…

2- With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love

Way too many Pastors/Leaders and even members of Churches today are not practicing lowliness and meekness. Instead, we see their faces plastered on billboards, their pictures displayed as soon as you walk into the Church, and even printed material that tells you how to be a Christian (from their perspective, not from a Biblical perspective).  That is not lowliness, that is self-promotion…..

If we look at the word meekness, we will see that it is an even stronger warning to the Church. In the English language today, meekness has become something of an insult. People equate being meek with being week. But if we look at the original Greek word that was used we find a whole different meaning…

In the original Greek, the word translated as meekness is “prautes”, and its meaning is "openness to God and man."  In the context then that Paul used it in this letter,  it implies a determined effort toward a conciliatory attitude,  involving tolerance and flexibility towards our fellow man, and a readiness to accept the Word and the will of God.

  So if we apply that to the universal Church, it means that even though we may not agree with some of the things that people do in their Worship services and we may do things differently, as long as they hold to the core belief of the Christian Faith, they are still or Brothers and Sisters in Christ and we should not be fighting with them. What is the core belief? That is easy as it is probably the most quoted and memorized scripture:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

You will notice that it does not say “whosoever believeth in him AND speaks in tongues, whosoever believeth in him AND recites the Lords Prayer, whosoever believeth in him AND ANTHYING….” No, it says WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH.

In a nutshell my friends that is the whole message. If you believe in Jesus and what He has done for us, then everything else is man-made doctrine and dogma that has nothing to do with the core message.

So instead of getting hung up on all these man made things that people try and tell you that you must do or follow, we need to get back to the basics of the Scripture above, and strive to do as we were instructed to do in Verses 3-6 of our text;

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

God Bless you all and I ask today that you go in peace with a new found love for our Christian Brothers and Sisters.

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. 

Its A Wonderful Life, 1st Sunday Of Advent, 2012

The classic Christmas film “It’s A Wonderful Life” is beloved the world over. It somehow manages to do something that most filmmakers today are not capable of, kind of a “lost art” if you will. What this film does is take us back to a simpler time. A time where God was honored, where children still prayed in school, when The Bible was a textbook, where most everybody young or old honored Jesus and knew without a doubt that He was there and strived to live as if he was standing right next to you.  Even most of those who “strayed from the path” knew that God was still there and admitted such in public. As we go through the next four Sundays, we will be using this film along with some other literary works to illustrate how even though these films and books were made or written for entertainment, they can and should teach us a lesson on how to live……


We come into the film during the last dinner that George Bailey and his father will ever have together. Georges Father (Peter) had spent his life laboring away at a small building and loan (what we would call today a credit union). They had more lax rules for lending to people who wanted to buy a home, and generally were more involved with their customers. Peter Bailey was a good man and was hoping that his eldest son would one day take over this business. George of course, wants more out of life. He wants to travel and have adventure. He does not see himself sitting in that small business in that small town for the rest of his life. But sometimes The Lord has other plans for you even if they are not your plans……

If we turn in our Bibles and look at Joseph when he finds out that Mary is pregnant, even though they were not married, we will see a prime example of this.

Matthew 1:18-20
 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Just as George Baileys life changed when his Father died in our film, so did Josephs life change when he found out that Mary was pregnant.

There are two schools of thought on how Joseph felt after getting the news. One is that he thought Mary had been unfaithful to him, the other is that she had told him what happened and he was blown away by it. Either way, the fact is that he pondered or considered all that had been presented to him and also pondered what to do about it. Now according to the law, Joseph could have had Mary stoned to death for being unfaithful, but he did not want to do that. Why? Because as the Scripture tells us, he was a just man. I am sure that (if he did believe that she had been unfaithful to him) he was very sad and probably angry, but still his love and devotion to her would not allow him to make a public spectacle of her and see her die because of a mistake. On the other hand, if he did believe Mary and believed that she was pregnant through an act of God, he was probably a bit overwhelmed and feeling unworthy to be the earthly Father of the Son Of God……

Either way, we see that he had determined to send her away privately so that she could avoid a public scandal at best and death at worst. Even if it meant that he would have to endure some shame or ridicule, so be it. His love for Mary and  his devotion to God would not allow him to subject this young girl to that.

But then God sends an angel and tells Joseph not to be afraid and that the child is in fact the Son Of God. Can you imagine how overwhelmed that Joseph must have been?  What thoughts must have been going through his mind? That he was to be the earthly Father of Gods Son? I don’t know about you, but I think I might have passed out…….. But what does Joseph do?

Matthew 1:24

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:


  So Joseph gets up from bed and takes Mary into his home so that everyone around them would think that the marriage had already taken place. In Biblical times a couple that were engaged were not considered married until the husband took the wife into his home to live with him. Of course it was assumed that the couple would have sexual relations and that the wife would bear children. So by Josephs act of obedience to God, even though I am sure this was not what he had planned for his life, the way was set for the Savior to be born and for the world to be redeemed…..


As you start this Christmas Season, and things get busier and busier as the big day approaches, do not forget to take time out and reflect on the real reason for the season…….

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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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…..