Jonah and the Whale - Jonah 1:1-4:11

Jonah and the Whale—Jonah 1:1-4:11

The ancient Assyrians had been the enemies of the Israelites for as long as anyone could remember. All his life Jonah had heard horror stories of how his fellow countrymen were being captured by the dreaded Assyrians during their many brutal raids. Husbands, wives and little children were being carried away by the Assyrians to become their slaves, never to be seen again by their grieving loved ones. Raping and pillaging as they attacked, the powerful Assyrians left fear and destruction wherever they went. Jonah as a committed patriot and a devout Jew, had learned to hate these pagan Assyrians with all of his heart. The year was around 760 B.C. and religious Jews everywhere were praying that God would destroy their enemy, the Assyrians. And Jonah was praying for Assyria’s destruction too.



It was into this mix that God came to Jonah and instructed him to go to the Assyrians with a message, - a special message from God. Jonah was told to go to Nineveh, a city in Assyria, and tell the people of Nineveh that God wanted them to repent of their violent ways and turn from their sins. Jonah was to warn the Ninevites that God would destroy their city in forty days because of their wickedness.



Jonah didn’t want to obey God or do what God had asked him to do. He didn’t want to be Gods’ prophet and missionary to the heathen Assyrians. He wanted God to destroy the people of Nineveh. Jonah decided to run away from the presence of God. He got on a ship headed for Tarshish – the opposite direction from Nineveh! Surely God’s presence couldn’t follow him all the way to Tarshish. Jonah paid his fare and climbed down into the lowest part of the boat out of sight. Now God couldn’t find him, he reasoned, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.



The sailors shoved off from shore and the ship sailed out into the Mediterranean Sea.

The ship cruised along in the night for several hours over the moonlit waters. But it wasn’t long before problems began to occur. A gale force wind came up and soon the sailors were struggling to keep the little ship from going under. Jonah kept sleeping as the winds grew worse and the boat swayed dangerously from side to side. The frantic sailors started throwing cargo overboard to lighten the load. But still that wasn’t enough as the storm raged on. The desperate captain and sailors prayed to their gods and cast lots to see what was causing all the trouble. And when the lot fell on Jonah they climbed down into the lowest deck and woke him up.



“Throw me into the sea and the storm will be calmed” Jonah insisted. “I was running away from God,” he told them. “I know that this great storm is because of me,” Jonah 1:12. The men rowed harder through the storm to get back to the shore but to no avail. And finally when it became certain that the ship would sink and they would all die, they reluctantly had to throw Jonah into the stormy waters.



Jonah was sure he would die right then and there, but God wasn’t through with him yet. Scripture says that God prepared a great fish whose purpose it was to swallow up Jonah And for three days and nights Jonah lived in the belly of the fish. Not a pretty place to be. Jonah describes it like this: “The waters surrounded me, even to my soul: The deep closed around me: Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains: The earth with its bars closed behind me forever: Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God.” Jonah 2:5-6.



Jonah prayed to God from the belly of the big fish. You and I would have prayed too if we were to find ourselves stuck inside a fish! There are no atheists in fox holes. I think Jonah was finally learning that he couldn’t run away from God! Jonah promises God that he will obey. Then God speaks to the fish and Jonah is vomited out onto dry land.



This time Jonah obeys God and goes to Nineveh. He still doesn’t want to go, but God has gotten his attention with the fish incident. Jonah knows that God is merciful and kind. What if the people of Nineveh are sorry for their sins? Then it would be just like God to forgive them and let them live. That’s why Jonah doesn’t want to warn the people of Nineveh. He wants them all to die. Jonah sulks around the city calling out Gods’ message: “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Jonah 3:4b. He hopes the people don’t hear him. When he has finished warning Nineveh, Jonah goes to a spot east of the city. He decides to campout there for the forty days so he can watch the destruction of Nineveh. God causes a vine to sprout up near Jonah and give him shade from the sun. Jonah loved this vine. Now he will be able to watch from his comfortable seat as all the people of Nineveh are being killed. He can’t wait!



An amazing miracle takes place in Nineveh after Jonah gives them God’s warning. The Bible tells us that every single person in the city believes Gods’ message. As the depressed Jonah shuffles through the streets calling out, every man, woman and child listens and is personally convicted of their sin. Each one pours ashes on themselves and begs God for forgiveness! From the poorest peasant woman to the richest lord, every last person in Nineveh stops eating and drinking and calls out to God. They all put on sackcloth and ashes to show how sorry they are for their violent ways. When the king hears Jonahs’ warning he proclaims a fast throughout all of Nineveh. The king orders his people: “Let neither man nor beast, herd or flock,taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.” Jonah 3:7b-8.



And what do you think God did then? Of course our loving God forgave Nineveh. God changed His mind and didn’t destroy the city as He had said He would, since all the people of Nineveh had turned from their evil ways. The book of Jonah teaches us that God has mercy and compassion for all people and always forgives when people confess their sins...



And how did Jonah feel about all of this? Well, sadly Jonah was furious. He did not share Gods’ love for the heathen. Instead of Jonah being glad that God had been able to use him to help save Nineveh from destruction, he was outraged. He wanted Nineveh to get what was coming to them! The Lord wanted to share His compassion for the lost with Jonah. He urged Jonah to look beyond his anger and be concerned about human suffering. God asked Jonah: “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah 4;4



.God tries again to get His point across with more object lessons and reasonings. He prepares a worm which ate the vine that had shaded Jonah from the hot sun, - the vine that Jonah loved so much. The vine dries up and dies. Jonah is so outraged and upset over the loss of his little vine that he wants to die and lashes out again at God. “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” Jonah 4:9b.



The book of Jonah ends with God trying once more to reason with Jonah. God observes that Jonah cares deeply about losing the vine that grew up overnight and gave him shade. But Jonah doesn’t care at all about the thousands in Nineveh who have just been saved from death.. God points out to Jonah that twenty thousand persons living in Nineveh don’t even know their left hand from their right (babies and little children?) And God continues by mentioning that many animals in Nineveh have been saved from death also. Doesn’t Jonah care that innocent children and animals have been saved from a painful death? Why does he care more for his vine (his comfort) than for suffering humanity? Aren’t his priorities mixed up?



Jonah is still angry when the story ends. There is no record that he ever changed. We have no hint that Jonah ever even tried to see things Gods’ way or listened when God pleaded with him to have compassion. He seemed to stubbornly cling to his old hatreds. He even asked God to let him die in his bitterness. God spoke directly to Jonah and performed amazing interventions right before his eyes and still Jonah refused to give up his prejudices.



If there is one lesson we can learn from Jonah, that lesson might be to not let anger take over our lives. Jonah let his anger keep him from all that God had for him. Let’s not make that same mistake. Jonah had the privilege of being one of Gods’ chosen prophets, and yet he hardened his heart. And even God couldn’t persuade him to soften that heart.



Each of us, though we belong to the Lord, like Jonah, have our own prejudices and hatreds. God is asking us, like He asked Jonah, to put away our anger and change. God longs to share His heart with us and His vision. He desires to love others through us. He is gracious and He wants us to be gracious too. God wants us to have concern for the thousands who don’t even know their right hand from their left, and for the animals too. God isn’t satisfied with just blind obedience. He wants our hearts and our souls. Let’s not hold back on God like Jonah did. Let’s give Him everything we’ve got.













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Praise The Lord - Psalm 100

Praise the Lord –Psalm 100








The Hebrew title of the Book of Psalms is ‘Tehillim’ which literally means the Book of Praises. The Book of Psalms or “Praises” was actually the songbook for worship events in the temple in ancient Jerusalem, and the Psalms were especially designed for singing. Psalm 100 is a short poetic psalm that begins by urging us all to praise the Lord. “Make a joyful shout unto the Lord, all you lands!” Psalm 100:1.



The importance of praising God is stated right off and the rest of the Psalm just keeps on going with this message. “Serve the Lord with gladness: Come before His presence with singing.” Psalm 100:2. Verse two reiterates what verse one has already said, but then adds a bit more. The child of God is told to sing and be joyful while serving God.



Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit: a gift that we are given when we believe. Christians have much to be joyful about and this hope and joy gives strength to our lives. Nehemiah 8:10 says: “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” So let’s take this joy gift out and use it by singing praises to God. .This can be a remedy for times when one may feel weak or depressed. David built himself up in the Lord by praising Him, and we can do that too.



Psalm 22:3 says that God is present (enthroned) in the praises of His people. I have been in church groups where I could feel the warm Presence of God while the group was singing their praises. The verb ‘inhabit’ in Hebrew is ‘yawshab’ which means; -“to sit down, to remain, to settle, or marry.” In other words, God doesn’t just visit us when we praise Him, but His Presence abides with us. There’s power in praise.



Psalm 100:3 goes on with: “Know that the Lord, He is God: It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” This verse just gives us more reasons to praise God. He created us for Himself to be His children, to do His work. Our birth wasn’t an accident. We were planned and loved before the foundation of the earth.



If we were to stand before a nice house and be told that the structure just accidentally evolved over millions of years, the timbers, cement and all the details of construction just falling into place over time; we would laugh at such a story. Obviously someone has to plan and build a house! No one could believe that a house could bring itself together even over extended periods of time! Is it easier for a house to just evolve over millions of years without human builders or a live person to be born without God creating her/him? Psalm 100:3 tells us that God made us and we didn’t sprout all by ourselves. Another reason to praise God, our Maker and our Creator.



“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4 This little Psalm just doesn’t quit. It continues encouraging us to praise and thank God, and to bless His name. Perhaps thanking God doesn’t seem that important to us. But Scripture tells us that it is. I know it’s important to me. When I send gifts year after year and never ever hear a response or a thank you, I become discouraged and wonder if I should continue sending gifts. Remembering to be grateful may seem like a small thing, but little things mean a lot. And Psalms 100 reminds us to enter His gates with thanksgiving.



Psalm 100:5 ends with: “For the Lord is good: His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” Three reasons to praise and thank God with joy and gladness. When we see troubles and problems everywhere we can remember that God is good, His mercy is everlasting and His truth will be there forever. In the end good will overcome evil. It’s written in the Book. So let’s just praise the Lord.

The Lord Is My Shepherd

The Lord is My Shepherd



The twenty-third Psalm is a favorite of Christians everywhere. We all love this Psalm because of all of the comfort that it brings. This song begins by telling us that the Lord is our Shepherd.



“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1 We need to be reminded that the Lord is our Shepherd, that He is leading us through this dark and troubled world. Especially when our lives don’t seem to make sense and we become discouraged, it’s comforting to remember that our Shepherd is still there guiding us and praying for us. We shall not want because He will take care of our needs. Jesus our good Shepherd “gave His life for the sheep.” John 10:11



“He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters.” Psalm 23:2. Jesus, our Shepherd promises us peace and rest. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you---“John 14:27. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 The outside world will never know the joys we receive when we are being led by our Shepherd.



“He restores my soul, He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” Psalm 23:3. Daily restoration of the anxious weary soul is a major human need. We read in 2 Corinthians 4:16 that: “---Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” Our body is aging and wearing out but our soul is being restored! It’s comforting to know that our Shepherd leads us into good living for His name’s sake. Our walk with the Lord brings Him joy too.



“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For you are with me: Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4. Our Shepherd will be with us when we are dying and we will be comforted by Him at that time. We will not have to fear death.



“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.” Psalm 23:5. Our Shepherd blesses us and favors us. He gives us His Holy Spirit and makes our lives to overflow with abundance.



“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” Psalm 23:6. If we look over our shoulder we can see “goodness” and “mercy” following after us wherever we go. Yes we will have troubles and problems but God’s mercy and goodness are always with us too.



And Psalm 23 closes at the end of our earthly journey, when the Shepherd has led us all the way to our eternal home. The journey is over and we have everlasting life. –“---And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” Psalm 23:6 It doesn’t get any better than that!

Look and Live - Numbers 21:5-9

Look and Live – Numbers 21:5-9






The Israelites had been traveling in the wilderness almost forty years. This group of two to three million Jewish people with Moses as their leader, had some advantages that we can only envy. Even though God takes care of us, we don’t usually see His care in such a visible manner as they did. For these traveling Israelites, God was leading them each step of the way from Egypt to the Promised Land with signs and wonders.



Gods’ Presence in the form of a pillar of cloud moved ahead of them each day to guide them and His Presence each night became a pillar of fire in the middle of their camp to keep them safe. The Lord opened up a path in the Red Sea for them and stopped their enemies from harming them. And the Lord kept their clothes from wearing out and personally fed them manna the whole forty years they were on the journey. God gave them water from hidden springs when they were thirsty and He gave them Moses and Aaron to teach them with accompanying signs and miracles.



Scripture describes Gods’ tender parenting on this journey in Hosea 11:1-3 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. ---I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms, but they did not know that I was the One healing them.”



Since God hovered over them in such a visible way; hand feeding them and taking care of their every need, the trip through the wilderness should not have taken more than a year to make. But even though these traveling Israelites were given deliverances and miracles they still doubted and rebelled against God. When they crossed the desert and arrived at their destination they refused to go in and take the land God had promised them. And so it was that because they refused to believe God and go into their land, they were left to wander in the wilderness for forty year. Their disobedience kept them in the desert, and their unbelief stopped them from getting the land God had promised them.



Nearly forty years had passed by now and the Israelites were nearing their Promised Land once more. And it didn’t seem like they had learned their lessons. Once again they were grumbling and speaking lies against God and against Moses. Numbers 21:.5. Scripture tells us that because of their grumbling, God stopped protecting them from the poisonous snakes that were there in the wilderness. Many Israelites were bitten by these snakes and died.



So the people came crying to Moses and begged him to pray to God to save them from the snakes. “We have sinned, for we have spoken against God and against you” vs. 7 they cried. Moses prayed and God as always answered. Then God said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it he shall live.” Vs 8.



And so Moses did as God instructed and made a bronze serpent and put it up high on a pole in the middle of the camp. And Scripture records that every person who suffered from a poisonous snake bite only had to look up at the bronze serpent on the pole. Just one look at the snake and they were healed and saved from death!



These stories of the children of Israel during their wanderings in the wilderness leave so many rich lessons for us. The doting Father God who led this group and took care of their needs in the wilderness promises to lead us too and take care of our needs. The Israelites back then could see God in their midst as a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud. And today we can know that God is with us by the witness of the Holy Spirit that He gives to each one of us when we believe. Our disobedience can keep us in the wilderness just like theirs did. And our unbelief can stop us from receiving the blessings God wants for our lives, just as theirs did. God has a promised land waiting for us, but we have to go in and take it.



God allowed the Israelites to be bitten by the snakes because they had murmured against Him. Does that mean that God only wants us to say nice up-beat things and never complain? I don’t think so. Jesus railed against the church leaders of His day, the scribes and the Pharisees. In love we are supposed to speak up against something that isn’t right. But the children of Israel were not murmuring against something wrong. They were lying and rebelling against God. Let’s make sure we have the facts, before we spread negative rumors or use scare tactics.



In our story, just one look at the bronze snake held up on the pole by Moses acted as an anti venom. The person didn’t have to take medicine, or be especially privileged by God. Whoever looked at the bronze snake would live. John 3:14-15 says,” And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”



So there it is. The bronze serpent lifted up back then to save the Israelites from death is a picture of our Savior, who must be lifted up to save us all from eternal death. The serpent was held up for the benefit of everyone in the camp and Jesus’ sacrifice is also there for everyone. Salvation is never limited, -whosoever will may come. One look at the bronze serpent was the only way a person dying from the poisonous snake bite could be healed and live. And looking to Jesus is the only way we who are dying in sin can be forgiven and live eternally. - John 14:6 God has made it so simple for all of us. Let’s hold up Jesus for everyone to see; and let’s look to Him and live.

Biblical Faith -- What It Is and What It Isn't

Biblical Faith -- What It Is and What It Isn’t

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” So Scripture defines faith as “substance” and “evidence.” The footnotes in my Bible state that the Greek word translated “substance” literally means “a standing under” and this word was used to describe a “title deed”. The idea here is that of standing under the claim to the property to support its validity. So faith is the title deed to the things hoped for. In Scripture, faith is described as believing God’s promises. Biblical faith is not faith in your own faith or faith in another persons’ word. Scripture tells us that a person who has faith is a person who believes that Jesus paid the price for their eternal victory. Faith is trusting God’s promises even when everything seems to be going wrong. Habakkuk 3:17-18



There are many “faith” healers in our country today who preach that the poor or the sick should exhibit “faith” by sending in their money offerings. Then the healer will pray and God will bless the one who sent the money with health and wealth.



Over a period of several years, one woman with cancer sent many thousands of dollars to a local faith healer who claimed to be “God’s Anointed”. This pastor promised her that God would heal her and make her rich if she exhibited her “faith” by sending him her many “faith” offerings. Her cancer and her money problems were evidence that God had not blessed her because of her lack of “faith”, the preacher said. If she would just exhibit her “faith” by giving to his ministry then God would bless her with a healing and money to pay her bills. Her willingness to send the preacher her money was called her “seed faith”. And this “seed” would grow into a “harvest” of healing and personal wealth the pastor insisted.



This sick woman lived just above the poverty line but she continued struggling and doing without in order to send this preacher every dollar she could spare. And she felt guilty when her cancer didn’t go into remission as the preacher had promised that it would. This dying woman tortured herself with the thoughts that she hadn’t had enough “faith” or given large enough offerings for God to take away her cancer. It was only after this woman’s death that her grieving family read her diary, and discovered how much money she had sent and how she had suffered from believing the preaching of this so called man of God. This well known “Christian” leader is still out there misleading thousands of other people today. And he is still out there using the name of Jesus while whipping up his followers to send their offerings. And he is still promising God’s blessings of health and wealth to those who show their “faith” by sending their money.



This prosperity and health gospel is being broadcast by several “Christian” television stations and taught by “pastors” all over the United States. “Faith” is being reduced to a formula for getting God to give us things. These “faith” teachings bear little resemblance to the Biblical “faith” described in the Bible. Real Biblical faith believes God no matter what happens..



Generally these “faith” preachers are wealthy and claim that because of their faith, God has blessed them with their private jets, mansions and expensive cars. They promise their followers that God will bless them as well with health, nice automobiles and fine clothes if they will exhibit their “faith” by making their cash pledges.



Hebrews chapter eleven has been called the “faith” chapter in the Bible. This “faith” chapter records a list of special men and women who won great victories for God because of their strong faith. But then this chapter goes on to describe many more people who also had a strong faith but died, “not having received the promises,” vv.13-16. Scripture goes on to describe these champions of faith as “having seen the promises afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God” vs16.



After describing many faith filled children of God who moved mountains and raised the dead with their faith, Hebrews 11 goes on to describe the many others who had faith but lived miserable lives and had to wait until they went to heaven to see God’s promises fulfilled for them.



“Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned and sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. tjeu wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” vs35-40.



We see here in Hebrews that having faith in God doesn’t always assure prosperity and fun times. Half of the champions of faith described in this eleventh chapter lived very painful lives. If all Christians became rich when they believed in the Lord, then non-believers would be drawn to Christ so that they could get the goodies and become wealthy too. I don’t think God wants us to be drawn to Him for the wrong reasons. Biblical faith is lived out with humility and obedience. In fact Scripture promises that each of us will have to take up our cross when we follow Jesus.



The key to the confession vs 13 of the group in Hebrews 11 whose faith pleased God is that when they were given a promise by God they became persuaded that the promise was true. They embraced God’s promises in their hearts and confessed them, leaving their testimony.-which was pleasing to God.



Whether or not we receive what we pray for here on earth does not change the behavior or the attitude of the steadfast believer. Faith’s worship and walk do not depend on answered or unanswered prayers. Our confession of His Lordship in our lives is to be consistent – a daily celebration. Let’s never follow the Lord in hopes of getting power and money. Let’s follow our Lord because He is our Lord.









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Fitting In

                                                                        Fitting In

Dorothy had always been a Christian. Her faith in Jesus was her life. Her church was her family: she belonged and fit right in. The first time Dorothy saw Jim out on the streets passing out gospel tracts she was attracted to him right away because he loved Jesus so much. That’s the kind of man Dorothy wanted to marry. When the two began dating no one was surprised because they were so much alike.



Driving a nice car or earning a big salary didn’t impress these two. The evangelical church in the early ‘50’s preached against Christians having material possessions. And Dorothy and Jim believed everything the church taught. Dancing and drinking were considered ‘sinful’ and going to the movies was ‘worldly’. Jim slept on the hard floor without a mattress because back then fundamentalist Christians considered it virtuous to suffer. And Dorothy wouldn’t wear lipstick since wearing makeup was discouraged by her church. They would gladly give up everything to follow the Lord.



Dorothy and Jim married after they finished Bible school and both started teaching in cash strapped Christian schools. Jim taught adult classes at the Bible school and Dorothy taught third grade at a neighborhood Christian school. She could have doubled her salary by teaching third grade at the local public school, but Dorothy would never consider doing that. She wanted to influence children’s lives for Christ and if that meant earning a small paycheck to stay in a Christian school then that is what she would do. Both Jim and Dorothy’s salaries never amounted to enough to allow them to buy a house or take a nice vacation, but none of their fellow church friends had anything either. Their church was their family: they belonged and fit right in.



The years passed by and the apartment they rented seemed crowded as their three boys were growing up. The constant worry over how to pay the bills began to take its’toll on Jim. And after working all week, Dorothy had to baby sit on weekends to help make ends meet. The police caught their oldest boy with marijuana and some of their church friends quit speaking to them. Behind their backs there was the whispering. “If they had been good Christian parents surely their boy wouldn’t have gotten into drugs.” Dorothy and Jim felt judged by their church family and they tried harder to fit in.



The Christian school where Jim taught eventually become an accredited college and had moved into a larger more impressive campus. New wealthy trustees were chosen to run the Christian college in hopes that these successful businessmen could attract more funds for progress. Jim had always received minimum wages and as the years went by his salary remained low. He didn’t mind sacrificing so that more could be spent to improve the school. He worked as an electrician on weekends to help pay the bills. The welfare of his students and the mission of the college became his life. Members in his church gossiped because Jim drove an older model car and Dorothy was still babysitting. Their church had changed and they hadn’t. This couple wasn’t making the proper impression in order to fit in.



Because Jim and Dorothy had raised their children as Christians they had great expectations for them. Their boys were their world. When their youngest son married, his bride refused to invite the oldest brother to the wedding because his hair was too long. Soon the newly married couple had also distanced themselves from their parents. The young people made it clear that they didn’t want anything to do with Dorothy and Jim. The heartbreak took its’ toll but Dorothy couldn’t share her sorrows with her church friends. As a Christian she had to keep up the appearances of a victorious Christian life. Dorothy and Jim kept going to church and pretending that all was well. But by now they weren’t included in the life of their church, even though they wanted so badly to fit in.



Even though Jim had been teaching at the Christian college for thirty-five years and had always been popular with the students, several fellow professors began spreading rumors around that he should go. Since the school had developed a reputation for excellence, the word spread that Jim no longer fit in. Old friends at the college were barely speaking to Jim now and each class he taught was evaluated and criticized. The people at church quit speaking to Dorothy and Jim and the Sunday school classes they had taught, as well as the jobs they had been doing over the years, were taken away.



Dorothy and Jim were frightened and confused. They didn’t know what they had done to cause their Christian community to turn against them so. There must be something wrong with them or this wouldn’t be happening. It seemed that within a few years these two had become scapegoats at their church as well as at the college. Everyone seemed to be gossiping about them even though they didn’t know what was being said. The judgments and bullying from their fellow Christians didn’t let up and Dorothy and Jim clung to each other for support. Why couldn’t they fit in?



And then Jim had a heart attack! Fearful that the toxic work environment would eventually kill him, Dorothy begged Jim to quit teaching. And after several more difficult years of harassment, Jim retired early. Things had not turned out the way Dorothy and Jim had dreamed that they would. They couldn’t afford to move and the church they had served for decades was not there for them. Lonely and disillusioned, Dorothy developed high blood pressure and arthritis. Eventually she wasn’t able to continue teaching her third graders. Alone and without purpose the couple struggled to pay their bills. Their son and daughter-in-law still weren’t speaking and Dorothy was feeling desperate about it. How had she failed as a Mother? Why didn’t she fit in?



A few months ago I got the news that Dorothy had died. They said that a stroke had taken her, but I wonder if she didn’t die of a broken heart. I wonder if she would be alive today if the people in her church had spoken to her. If the “Christian community” at the college had not isolated the couple, would things have turned out differently? If the couple had been valued by their fellow Christians, if they had been allowed to contribute something, would Dorothy still be with us today?



We think it’s terrible when we hear about school children committing suicide because they are bullied by their classmates. But is it possible for a Christian community to bully or ignore a member so totally that they no longer have the will to keep going? Is it possible that some older Christians become set in their ways and aren’t willing to change? Have we ever been part of a Christian group that indulges in gossiping or judging a fellow member? Let’s serve our Lord and be part of the answer and not part of the problem. Let’s be generous and loving to everyone, even the unattractive. Let’s make sure that everyone is able to fit in.

Where Have All the Young People Gone?

Where Have All of the Young People Gone?

Our church denomination (United Methodist) is struggling with an ongoing concern. Young people aren’t joining our church family in the numbers that they used to some years ago. And when Generation X and Y do join a church they often want to set up a separate worship service from the one the older folks attend. There are fewer young people answering the call to become pastors and church leaders today than in previous generations. This seems to be a trend as our denomination isn’t alone with this problem. We’re worried and casting about for answers! Where have all the young people gone? How can we bring them back?



When I was young the whole church worshipped together. As a young adult I gained so much spiritually from the mentoring and teaching that I received from the older Christians in my church. And I believe that when we were young we were a blessing to the older Christians too. The body of Christ is made up of all ages and we do need each other. Today we often have whole congregations made up of mostly just young people. And of course that leaves groups of only older folk worshiping together too. I personally believe that this gap may harm us all. We’re all missing out!



Our church newspaper has published articles from young people explaining why they have quit going to church. One youth wrote that she loved God just not the church and she didn’t want to be confined by walls. Another wrote that many of the churches were political institutions and preached their political views as if they were the Christian way. He was turned off as he believed that Christ taught us to live communal lives. Another youth was afraid of all of the scare tactics and judgments he had observed in the political churches he had attended. He insisted that how a person lives is more important than what they believe. (Can’t we have both?)



Some of the younger church leaders insist that the church they are envisioning should be changing to meet the needs of our postmodern world. They believe that a church that would attract the youth would 1) identify with the life of Christ, 2)transform the secular realm, 3) live communal lives, 4) welcome the stranger, 5) serve with generosity, 6) participate as producers, 7) create as created beings, 8) lead as a body, and 9) take part in spiritual activities. These all sound like very good goals for the body of Christ. We older Christians can take part in these aims while we encourage the younger generations not to forget to hold fast to Christ as Lord and Savior and to the tenants of our Faith.





Perhaps the youth have good reasons to be afraid of the faith we older Christians project today! I believe that we need to have right beliefs (the truth of Christ) and right living (loving and serving) both. It isn’t one or the other. All too often our correct words have led to horrible wrong practicing of the faith. Our hate and anger have not represented our loving Lord. An up-tight critical church isn’t a witness for Christ or an encouragement to the next generation to come to church.



Christ’s call to discipleship is still the same to this generation as it has been to all the generations in the past. It really can’t be improved on. The ultimate authority must lie with Christ who is God incarnate. We dare not water-down or add to the Truth, A vague theism will not do. Entertainment isn’t the answer! The younger generations will be attracted to Christ’s Church if they can see our love and generosity while we are holding up Jesus as Lord and Savior. They will know we are Christians by our love. Let’s be sure our Christian witness is a loving witness. If we can clean up our act maybe we won’t still be asking, “Where are all of the young people?”

TRUE LOVE

True Love

“It isn’t good for man to be alone,” God proclaimed right after He created Adam and placed him in the Garden.-Genesis 2:18. And so God immediately created a wife for Adam. One of the very first gifts God gave mankind was the covenant gift of marriage. And what a good gift it is! God wanted His children to belong to one another, to love and be loved, to share, be intimate and to be family. It doesn’t get any better than that!



And as always God had lofty ideals and dreams when He gave this amazing gift. Romance and intimacy, commitment and true love were all tucked into His plans when He ordained marriage. Each and every couple down through all the ages could enjoy their own unique attraction to one another, share their own special romance and chemistry, and write their own love story. And God would be there standing behind every marriage union and blessing and upholding each one. It doesn’t get any better than that!



The book in the Bible that perhaps best describes God’s ideal for marriage is the Song of Solomon. This whole book is given over to describing the passionate desire and love relationship between a man and a woman. These two lovers are referred to as the ‘Beloved’ and the ‘Shulamite’ woman. The Song of Solomon employs exotic symbolic language to describe the romantic and sexual exchanges that transpire between this bride and groom. Some believe that the imagery in this book that portrays this ideal marriage may also be describing our mystical covenant relationship with Christ as His bride.



The bridegroom in the Song of Solomon is described as a king and the Shulamite woman is portrayed as having had a difficult life. “My mother’s sons were angry with me. They made me the keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.” Song of Solomon 1:6. The ‘Beloved’and the‘Shulamite’are caught up in a whirlwind romance. They can’t get enough of each other. The Shulamite tells everyone that will listen that her Beloved is the most wonderful man in the world. And the Beloved never stops praising everything about his lover.



The book begins with the Shulamite proclaiming that her Beloveds’ kisses are better than wine. Throughout the whole book both lovers never stop telling of their love and attraction for one another. They continually talk about the magic of their intimacies. True love is a banner flown high for all to see.



And I believe God wants all of our marriages to be just as grand and glorious as the one portrayed in this Song of Songs. Millions of husbands and wives today are blessed with such great love stories and live out their lives together enjoying marital bliss. Perhaps these romances are somewhat overlooked and invisible to society today. It seems that Hollywood and the news media only broadcast stories of divorce scandals, lurid affairs, unfaithfulness and broken dreams. And with the bad news of what can go wrong in marriage ever before us, it’s no wonder that many young people are cynical of true love and.afraid to commit to marriage.



The God who planned and ordained marriage has much to say about it in His Word. First of all the Bible tells us to be faithful to our spouses. Indeed the seventh commandment instructs us not to commit adultery. In this competitive society some persons never fully commit to their spouses and forever continue shopping around for another partner. True love has a hard time blooming in such relationships where faithfulness and trust are lacking. In describing the unfaithful wife, Scripture tells us: “With her own hands the foolish woman tears her house down..”. Proverbs 14:1.



Scripture tells us to be kind to one another and forgiving, to be loving and respectful of one another. Indeed these traits are all the building blocks of true love. Selfishness and trying to control the other partner have no place in a good marriage. The Old Testament tells us that Moses allowed divorce because of the hardness of heart of the couple divorcing. Num. 13:14. Hardness of heart is the great enemy of love, since everything depends on receptivity,freedom and openness in a good marriage.



Throughout the book of the Song of Solomon the lovers are shown continually affirming and praising one another. The whole book is filled with the lovers’ proclamations of desire and love. Partners in good marriages have learned to affirm one another, to see the good in the other, and to take time to express their love and appreciation for the other. Scripture instructs us to: “Most important of all continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” 1Peter 4:8. When we see a marriage dissolve we often learn that one of the partners has consistently criticized the other over a long period of time.



God has given us the institution of marriage. All of His gifts are good. He promises to be with us and help us create our own unique and beautiful love story. But we have to do our part .Let’s learn to be faithful and kind. Let’s respect our partner and find new ways to show our love. With Gods’ help we too can have true love. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Wisdom is Calling

Wisdom is Calling

In the book of Proverbs, Wisdom is described as a woman who walks back and forth through the towns and cities of the world calling out loudly to each person she passes. Proverbs 1:20-33. This woman called ‘Wisdom’ is a warm concerned person! She seems to seek out and care about each person she meets. Like a paper boy on the streets selling his newspapers, Lady Wisdom is also in the city square advertising her wares.



Then later we see Wisdom again in the book of Proverbs as a woman preparing a fine dinner and inviting all to come. Proverbs 9:1-4 Lady Wisdom again urgently cries out to all of her neighbors; “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding.” Proverbs 9:5-6.



She scolds and threatens those who won’t listen: “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord…Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them. And the complacency of fools will destroy them.” Proverbs 1:29-32. And she makes promises and gives encouragements to those who are about to try out her product, “But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” Proverbs 1:33.



What is this ‘Wisdom’ that Scripture describes as coming into our neighborhood and searching us out hoping to gain entry into our lives? Let’s look in the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament to find some answers since wisdom is the main theme of Proverbs.



For one thing Proverbs makes it clear that wisdom apart from God is impossible. Wisdom and righteousness go together and lead us to eternal life. A unifying message throughout Proverbs is that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” Proverbs 9:10. Wisdom is not a legalistic letter of the law, but it is alive-a living mystery. God comes along with the gift and promises us blessings and protection if we take it. Wisdom can not be found in a “How to succeed” handbook, but it entails the ability to do God’s will, to follow His truth, to love mercy and kindness.



And how does one get wisdom? Proverbs 2:1-6 tells us that the Lord gives wisdom. And God will give this valuable gift to those who really want it. He stores up wisdom for the humble and the upright. To receive wisdom we are instructed to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not on your own understanding-- Do not be wise in your own eyes, Fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Proverbs 2:5-7. Scripture seems to be telling us that pride and arrogance can keep us from receiving this gift of wisdom that God wants to give us. And if we insist on following an evil lifestyle, we won’t be able to receive this valuable gift either. The book of Proverbs mentions persons who enjoy violence as lacking wisdom. And those persons who are unfaithful to spouses or friends are also without wisdom.







Scripture tells us that wisdom is calling out to every person on earth. What each person will do with this call will make all the difference between life and death. When Lady Wisdom comes our way holding out this special Gift, let’s not let anything keep us from taking it!

Good Friday - the Day Christ Died

Good Friday – the Day Christ Died





Christianity can not be compared with any other world religion! No other faith system –Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc, espouses the belief that God so loves His people that He has given His Son to die for them. Followers of other religions don’t believe in a humble Savior who sacrificed and bled and died on the cross for their sins. They are on their own. They must work to receive any rewards and to avoid eternal punishment. Moslems believe that Allah has a scale to measure and judge their deeds throughout life – the good works, observances and pilgrimages are weighed against sins. Other major religions teach their followers that they must work their way through many reincarnations in order to finally reach Nirvana or perfection.



We Christians don’t have to work our way through reincarnations to reach perfection. Our good deeds don’t have to be weighed carefully on a measuring scale against our sins. We have Jesus, the Man of sorrows, who stood condemned in our place and sealed our pardon with His blood. What a Savior! In Him we have the Way, the Truth and the Life! We are given the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us. God did it all for us. We don’t have to struggle with a works righteousness system. We have Jesus Christ and that makes all the difference. Christianity can not be compared with any other of the world religions!!!



So this is the time of year that we Christians remember our Saviors’ passion, and we observe the day Christ died on Good Friday. Because He died for each of us He becomes our personal Savior. He is our Vine and we are His branches. Scripture calls Him our bridegroom and we are called the bride of Christ. Other religious groups cannot comprehend these amazing truths. We have so much! We can never comprehend how much has been sacrificed for us or how high the price that was paid for our salvation.



The story of His agony as told in Matthew 27 is hard to read. There was darkness over all of the land from the sixth hour of His crucifixion up to the ninth hour,(noon till 3:00p.m) when He finally died there on the cross. An earthquake shook the land just after His death and the veil of the temple was split in two from the top to the bottom. Even though signs and wonders accompanied Christ’s death, the religious Jews of His day didn’t want to acknowledge the truth and refused to believe. Seven hundred years before Christ’s death, stories of His suffering and His death had been foretold in detail by the prophet Isaiah. - Isaiah 52:23-53:12. These evidences are overlooked by those who don’t want to believe.



Because we believe that Christ died for us, we have been given the privilege not only to reign with Him in glory but also to suffer with Him. The Christian is promised victory but he/she is also promised persecution and suffering. Christ has warned us that since the world hated Him, it will also hate us. Jesus bore the cross for us and each of us will also have a cross to bear for Him. Jesus had His Good Friday and we will have ours.



Good Friday has come to symbolize death and darkness, betrayal and suffering. And there is an inevitable Good Friday element to our lives. At some point Good Friday finds us all. Sometimes it’s a set of circumstances that appear to be unredeemable and sometimes we are betrayed by those we have trusted the most, even family. Good Friday sometimes seems to be winning in our lives. When we read the seven last words of Christ on the cross, at one point we find Him praying, “My God, my God, Why have You forsaken me?” And sometimes we pray those words with Him. There are moments when everything can seem so dark and hopeless in our lives. But we’re Christians and we’ve read the whole Bible. We know the rest of the Story. We know that after our Good Friday, Easter is coming.

The Judgment

The Judgment

Scripture doesn’t let us off the hook! Over and over the Bible speaks about the judgment. The return of the Lord will usher in a judgment with Jesus sitting on His throne in all His glory and with all of the nations and peoples before Him. And the first thing Jesus will do will be to divide the people into two group; putting some of the people on His right hand side and some on His left. Matthew 25:31-46 relates the story comparing those put on His right side to sheep, ( the righteous) and those on His left to goats, or ( the acursed).



After Jesus has divided all of the worlds’ people into these two groups He will first speak to the ‘sheep’ at His right hand. “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, thirsty and you gave Me drink: I was a stranger and you took Me in: naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you took care of Me, I was in prison and you came to Me” Matthew 25:34-36.



The amazing part of this Bible story is that the righteous sheep didn’t understand why Jesus was pleased with them. Why were they special? They had never remembered feeding Jesus when He was hungry or seeing that He got health care when He was sick. Did they never realize that they were following the Lord when they reached out to their neighbor in trouble? Had they never discerned the Lords’ presence there with them as they gave their time and money to help the needy or say a kind word to the discouraged?



They went about their generous lives doing what little they could to relieve the suffering around them because they cared and because it was the right thing to do. They volunteered and sacrificed because their concern for the needy compelled them to get involved. And they had never realized that it was Jesus who was compelling them to care. It was Jesus who had taught them to be compassionate. It was His Call that they had answered when they had fed His sheep. All along as they had opened their hearts to His voice He had been guiding them. And only now could they fully see this miracle.



And Jesus answered the sheep on His right hand,” Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” Matt. 25:40. Jesus equates our treatment of those who are destitute or distressed with our treatment of Himself. What we do for them, we do for Him. We must not allow our Christian walk to be only a spiritual enterprise, but we must not fail to care for social need, to work for social justice. The still small voice of the Holy Spirit is calling to each of us to put aside judgment and to reach out. We dare not harden our hearts to that command.



After Jesus finishes speaking to those on His right hand He turns to the group on His left side, the ‘goats.’ “Depart from Me you cursed into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food: I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not try to help.”



Just as the ‘sheep’ had never completely discerned the Lords presence in their charitable lifestyle, so the ‘goats’ on Jesus’ left hand side had never realized that the Lord was absent from their pious selfish actions. Why they had gone to church, paid their bills, even gone to war in the Lords’ name! They were a proud group, those goats. Jesus must have it wrong . Shocked and unbelieving they argued with the Lord, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name?, cast out demons in Your name?, and done many wonders in Your name?” Matthew 7:22.



It sounds like the ‘goats’ in the judgment story had been full of themselves. They were so much better than all of the ordinary sinners around them. These ‘goats’ even quoted Bible verses as they carefully learned to harden their hearts to the pressing needs of those around them. They actually believed their own lies- that God was involved with them in their greed. They had worked hard for the things they had and God had blessed them with their nice homes and expensive cars. And no one was going to take any of that away. Surely God would never expect them to share with those lazy inferior poor folks! Their freedom to do whatever they wanted was their God given right, and they would fight to the death to keep it that way.



They had proudly used Gods’ name all of their lives, they insisted. Their judgments and their prejudices were made in Gods’ name. And as they took advantage of the poor or criticized and hated the folks that got in their way, they had done it all in Gods’ name. They had all of the correct answers and God was on their side, (or so it seemed.)



And Jesus replied to them: “I never knew you: depart from Me you who practice lawlessness!” Matthew 7:23. These ‘goats’ must have been stunned. The god they had been following had not been the Lord Jesus. All their lives had been a delusion. A mere verbal profession that Jesus is Lord without obedience to His commandments to love others hadn’t been enough. And now it was too late.



It’s strong stuff, reading what Scripture says about the coming judgment after our earthly life is over. Maybe it’s good to get a sneak preview now so we won’t be taken off guard when the time comes. The judgment will be based on moral character, and that character is revealed by charitable deeds, or lack thereof. A tree is known by its’ fruit. And outward evidence demonstrates inner righteousness or unrighteousness.



Of course we are saved not through good works but through faith in Jesus Christ. But Scripture tells us: “faith without works is dead.” James 2:26. If we believe and accept Jesus into our lives He will begin to change our lives, to mold us into the humble loving people that make up the ‘sheep’. Jesus speaks to us: “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” John 14:15. Let’s take Jesus’ commandments to love one another and help the needy seriously. Let’s take Jesus seriously. Let’s be one of His sheep on the judgment day.







.

Standing on the Promises

Standing on the Promises

A favorite old hymn is titled “Standing on the Promises”. We sing it sometimes but do we know what promises God has given us and are we standing on them?



“The gospel is the power of God to everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16. Does this mean that when we believe (accept) the gospel (Gods’ promises) those promises become real and powerful for us?



I remember reading an old fairy tale about a princess and an ugly frog. Only if the princess were to kiss the frog would he magically turn into her charming prince. If she were to never kiss him he would remain a frog forever. These old fairy tales were passed on to convey bits of wisdom and nuggets of truth. And the truth for us is that Gods’ promises only become real for us when we accept them – believe them. Like the princess, we have to actively do something (believe) before these promises become ours. Belief (faith) is the key that will un-lock Gods’ storehouse of blessings.



And what a vast storehouse of promises God has prepared for His children – those who believe and repent. Jesus’ death has not only purchased our salvation but through Jesus Christ we receive all of our provisions, -and healings being part of that inheritance. So many promises are ours. But today lets look at a few of our promises for healing.



Christ commissioned the twelve disciples to heal the sick. Matt. 10:7-8 . Later His commission was given to all who believe. Mark 16:17-18. Part of the commission reads, “They will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.” vs.18. The great commission has never been revoked. We have been commissioned not only to spread the good news of salvation, but to heal the sick in Jesus’ Name



Some of our promises for healing are:

James 5:14-15 “Is anyone sick among you? Let him call the elders and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him, up, and if he has committed sin, he will be forgiven.”



John 15: 7 “If you live in Me, and My Words live in you, ask whatever you will and it will be done for you.”



Isaiah 53:5 “He was wounded for our transgressions and by His stripes we are healed.”



John 16:23 “Whatever you ask the Father in My Name, He will give it to you.”



These are just a few of many promises we have been given. There are so many more. Just a little faith on our part and we will see the power – the provision given from God. All of Scripture tells us that God requires faith. If our faith is weak we can ask and continue asking our Father for more faith, and He will give us more. Also our faith grows when we study the Bible. “Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.” Romans 10:17 .



Our faith is so important to God. Let’s build up our precious faith, study Gods’ Word, and keep asking God for more faith. Let’s do what it takes. Let’s make sure we are standing on the promises..

The Stern Law of Love

The Stern Law of Love

How do we miss it? What causes us to overlook the obvious? The commandment to love one another is a serious assignment from God. A commandment that is emphasized again and again in Scripture. Jesus tells us that all of the commandments and the prophets are fulfilled in the laws of love: “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and all of your soul, and all of your mind and ---love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37 and 39. There is no wiggle room in this commandment to love. Why do we try so hard to avoid this unavoidable law?



We start out so well trying to follow Jesus. We begin by loving everyone through Him. But when we follow our loving Lord and hold up Gods’ marvelous banner of love, how quickly we are attacked with temptations! A brother irritates us and a sister is rude. We are treated unfairly and even the church tries to scare us and arouse us against a leader or a group or a race. We Christians are supposed to be known by our love the Bible says. But sadly some churches have been labeled by their hate! So the temptations not to love come at us from all directions!



“Whoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of judgment” the Lord stated. The words sound harsh. But Jesus is only being realistic. The poison of hate is dangerous. Anger tends to destroy the body and Jesus says that it is also dangerous for the soul. God created us to love one another. Love is a power – a fire – and there are consequences when we forsake the living fire of love and play with the deadly fires of dislike and hatred. But it is so easy to do!



So what can we do? First perhaps we can ask the Lord to help us – to increase our love – to give us His love for the people in our lives that we find so easy to dislike. Scripture tells us that we are children of light: but that light is given to us by our Lord. So let’s ask Him for more light and more love. God is standing before us with a gift for us in His hands:-the power to love our enemies. Let’s take this gift and thank Him.



We can also take the unkind words and acts of others as assignments from God, or spiritual exercises, in learning to love, instead of excuses to be angry. Each day you can try a new love experiment – a new exercise in loving the unlovely. Let’s lighten up and have fun with our new work. We can have fun practicing loving the critical relative or friend and forgiving them. With Christ we don’t have to be overcome with evil, but we can overcome evil with good.



We learn to love the people we previously disliked by trying to do it – by practice. To become a musician we need to practice difficult scales and pieces over and over. And to follow Jesus into His kingdom of love we need to practice loving and forgiving the difficult people in our lives again and again.



Un- love and judgments are in the air we breathe and all around us. We have been carefully taught to dislike and hate. It will require much practice to correct each old habit of dislike with a new habit of love. But Jesus will give us the power to do this if we ask. Let’s make this practice to love a fun adventure.



In her famous book, “The Healing Light” Agnes Sanford writes that when we pray for our enemy and forgive and bless them, we can picture that person in our minds as the marvelous person God created them to be. And then we can pray in faith that God will make them that way. Agnes Sanford reminds us that we are made in His image and likeness. Since God is first of all a Creator, then so are we. Through our prayers new blessings can be created.



She continues that when we pray blessings over our enemy we are like a gardener. As the prayer of forgiveness and blessing is poured out upon this person, often this former enemy comes to life as a parched plant comes to life when water is poured upon it. The forgiven one is often re-created by love. Mrs. Sanford insists that this forgiving and blessing in the Lords’ Name is a fun exercise – as we who try it can look with expectancy for the changes that the Lords’ blessing will accomplish in the one we are praying for.



You can read the Bible from cover to cover and still find no excuses anywhere to let yourself off of the hook from loving those you’d rather not love. The Lord has given us a stern law of love. He has asked us to follow Him and His example –to be crucified with Him and to live victoriously in Him. And that means to love one another. No excuses. Let’s get going.

As A Hen Gathers Her Chicks

As A Hen Gathers Her Chicks






“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Luke 13:34



Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when He cried out these sad words. He had been warned not to go to Jerusalem, but Luke tells us that even though he knew he was facing death in Jerusalem, he kept on going. He was willing to pay the price for His message.



His heart was breaking for these people of Jerusalem – His Jerusalem! He wanted to gather them like a mother hen gathers her brood under her wings to protect them. He longed to bless His beloved Jerusalem. But they “were not willing” Luke 13:34b.



Many a parent has experienced the sorrow that Jesus had, when their hopes and dreams for their children’s welfare have been dashed. The children weren’t willing to avoid the temptations that drew them away. A beloved child has rebelled has run away into a lifestyle that would destroy them. And the distraught parents can only watch as their beautiful child is corrupted. The parents do everything they can to try to save their wayward child –but their best efforts aren’t enough. The child is not willing.



I’ve been told by those who have visited Jerusalem that there is a small chapel on the Mount of Olives that overlooks the whole city. And over the chapel window that opens to the panorama of all Jerusalem below, these verses are written: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem how often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings: but you were not willing!.” And beside the chapel window stands a statue of a hen with her brood of chicks under her wings.



Why were the people of Jerusalem not willing to accept the love and protection of their Messiah? Why did they refuse to let Him take them under His wings? Scripture tells us that at this time in history, the nation of Israel was overrun with political and religious corruption and legalism. Jesus’ message of love and grace threatened the status quo. His call might have messed up the power structure and the wealth of Israel’s religious hierarchy. In the eternal battle between good and evil-the religious community of Jesus’ day weren’t willing to choose the good – to choose their Messiah! Not willing to let Him take them under His wings. Not willing to let Him change them!



Jesus cries out to us with the same message that He had for His beloved Jerusalem! He also loves us and wants to take us under His wings. He wants to save us from our selfishness and our hate and our legalism. He’s waiting for our answer. But are we willing to let Him change us, mold us, shake up our status quo? We say we want Him to take us under His wings. We say all of the right words. But are we willing? Are we willing to pay the price?

Should Churches be as Friendly as Bars?

Should Churches be as Friendly as a Bar?




An article in this months’ Christianity Today caught my eye. The title is, “Should churches be as friendly as a bar?” The author quoted a survey taken where 800 respondents, mostly Christian, were asked whether they felt that their local churches were as friendly as their local restaurants and bars. Unfortunately the restaurants and bars won out! The results of the survey also showed that when their pastors were rated on the “friendly index” they too didn’t make the grade! The pastors fell below the friendliness of neighbors and co-workers and pastors and were rated at just a notch above store clerks in their friendliness!



If this wasn’t bad enough, to my horror the author continued by insisting that churches and pastors don’t need to be that friendly! He proposed many intellectual reasons why the Church shouldn’t strive to be friendly and make people comfortable! Before I finished reading the article I found myself walking down memory lane.



My husband and I unfortunately have been part of several unfriendly churches—like the ones this senior editor must be writing about! We lived in a wealthy artsy town and raised our children in this striving community nestled between the tall mountains and the perfect beach. My husband was a professor in a private Christian college there – one that had a reputation for excellence. And church fellowship for us consisted mostly of important people striving to impress other important people! Fellow Christians in this snobbish oasis knew their Bibles so perfectly and were quick to judge anyone who didn’t measure up. After many years of trying to be a part of these competitive Christian groups, both my husband and I left depressed, isolated and lonely.



We left it all and moved across the country. It had been such a long time since we had enjoyed real Christian fellowship! Did it still exist? We had never attended a Methodist church before but a few weeks after our move we nervously snuck into a Methodist church down the street from our new home, A young man with a “Greeter” button on his lapel met us at the door with a big smile and a hand shake. When he discovered that we were visitors he suggested that we join a Sunday School class, and before we could answer he grabbed our arm and began pushing us around proudly pointing out one Sunday School class after the other.



On impulse we decided to try the smallest class-the Searchers Class. We were immediately invited into their circle and offered a cup of coffee. Everyone introduced themselves and told us that they take turns giving the lesson each week. It felt good to be in a friendly group, so we decided to give this new Searchers class a try.



We’ve been part of this small Christian group now for six years and it’s so good to be equal with others and belong! We share Scripture and pray for one another in our little circle. The Searchers don’t look too impressive to the outsider. So what do we have now that we missed out on for all of those years in all of those unfriendly churches? For one we all treat each other like family. We eat together once a week and go on mission trips together – cook at the local shelter together, collect money each week for the poor and distribute it. We don’t judge one another and everyone is welcome always.



I can think of so many folks who fell by the wayside while going to the pretentious unfriendly churches we tried to attend in the past! Unfriendly churches and unfriendly pastors are responsible for so many lonely ones never enjoying Christian fellowship, never finding our Lord! A very real tragedy! There will be an accounting!

Are You Hiding in the Secret Place? Psalms 91

Are You Hiding in the Secret Place?

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” The 91st Psalm starts out with this comforting declaration. And then this amazing Psalm continues by describing what will happen to the person who stays in this secret place.



Verse 3 declares that if you love God, you will be delivered from the traps of sin and from the perilous pestilence. If you follow the Truth the Lord will cover you with His wings! Verses 5-8 goes on to remind you that you don’t need to be afraid of anything, the terror by night, the arrow by day, the pestilence that walks in the darkness or the destruction that lays waste at noonday. The believer won’t ever suffer the reward of the wicked.



More comforts and promises are lavished on you if you trust God. No evil shall befall you or any plague will come near your home. Verse 11-12 promises that Gods’ angels will watch over you and keep you from all harm. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra and trample the serpent underfoot. And because you put God first He will answer your prayers, give you long life and honor you and give you His Salvation.



We all know Christians who love God and have had many troubles. In fact Scripture tells us that we will share in Christ’s sufferings. And certainly we have all been sick. We can’t walk over serpents and lions! And where were the guardian angels when tragic accidents happen to children of God? What is this 91st Psalm trying to say?



We believe that these wonderful promises are addressing who we are spiritually. We are so much more than flesh and blood. Jesus said, “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends: and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost.” - Luke 21:16-18. What is Jesus saying here? If not a hair of our head is harmed but we are put to death –how can that be? Surely the Lord is not saying that our physical bodies ( hair on our heads) aren’t harmed in death!? He seems to be telling us that even death can’t hurt who we really are in Him. Jesus speaks again about this, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul,”- Matthew 10:28.



Jesus spoke often about His kingdom. But his followers didn’t seem to understand that He was talking about a heavenly kingdom. They kept believing that his promises of a new kingdom were about money and power and the here and now. Soon Jesus would overthrow the hated Romans and free Israel, they thought. “ My kingdom is not of this world,” Jesus told them. But they didn’t seem too understand. And we don’t always understand either. Psalms 91 is promising God’s children active deliverance. Part of that deliverance is for our physical well being of course, but we believe that Psalms 91 is addressing its’ most glorious promises perhaps to our spiritual security. In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus taught us to pray, “Deliver us from evil” Matthew 6:9 I believe that the dramatic promises in Psalm 91 are about keeping us away from the traps and bondages of sin and delivering us from evil. What stories our guardian angels may have to tell us when we reach the other side! Were there times when we might have been taken in by Satan’s lies but were strengthened and protected by unseen forces?



Other passages in this Psalm state that we will tread upon the lion, the cobra and the serpent. Some Fundamentalist Christians take those passages literally and actually handle poisonous snakes and serpents. –often to their own detriment! But I believe that the Lord meant so much more! Through Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit we can tread all over Satan – we can stand up against strong temptation, and walk right over the pit. Through Christ we will not be overcome with evil but we can overcome evil with good!



Psalms 91 describes the one who is blessed with these many glorious promises and protections, - this blessed one who is hiding in God’s secret place. What has this special person done to deserve this honor? We are told that this blessed person trusts God.-Psalms 91:2. He has made the Lord his refuge,vs.9 and she has set her love on God , vs. 14. This person doesn’t have to win the Olympics or be a special hero to dwell in God’s secret place. If we want to be that blessed person according to Psalm 91 we just need to love and trust the Lord and come to Him. And we can even ask Him to help us do that. He does it all. We can’t do our salvation ourselves. We just have to be willing to be willing. So what are we waiting for?

The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37

The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37




Jesus told his followers many stories or parables; and the parable of the “Good Samaritan” was one of His many story lessons. We believe that our Lord gave us these lessons or parables to impart spiritual truths to us. Let’s look closer at this parable of the “Good Samaritan”. What is Jesus trying to teach us with this story?



First of all, Jesus told this parable in response to a lawyer who ask Him how one could inherit eternal life. Verse 25 states that the lawyer was trying to “test” Jesus. Did this lawyer really want to know the way to eternal life or was he just trying to trick our Lord? We aren’t sure. But Jesus asked the lawyer what the Scripture says. And the man answered with the rabbinic summary of Old Testament Law (Deut. 6:5)- that the way to eternal life is to “love the Lord our God with all of our heart and our soul and our strength and our mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves”. Jesus agreed that he had answered correctly. “Do all of this and you will live,” Jesus assured him. - Luke 10:28.



It sounds so straightforward and simple doesn’t it? The Old Testament Law –the Bible - spell it out, it tells us legally what we need to do to obtain eternal life;- but wait – think about it! Maybe it isn’t so easy after all to love your neighbor as yourself! “Who is my neighbor?” the man asked Jesus. Maybe the lawyer senses how difficult a task this would be. Does this lawyer suggest that there must be some folks to whom the obligation to love might not apply? Surely the ones we love as ourselves must have some worthiness for us to love them that totally; shouldn’t they? Surely the Jewish Law, with Jesus in agreement, isn’t saying that we need to love everybody in such a personal way, is it? And Jesus answers with His radical parable of the “Good Samaritan”.



`We all know this famous parable. What have we learned from it? I suppose that most of us feel that Jesus is teaching us in this parable to be like the Samaritan and to stop and help those we see who are in need. While the lawyer is quibbling over a definition of who is his “neighbor”, Jesus is telling him – and us- that love is not a matter of theoretical discussion, but of practical demonstration. We may say the right words and quote the correct verses. We may place the Ten Commandments on the front of our buildings. But if we don’t respond to our neighbors needs even when he doesn’t measure up – our religion isn’t worth much!



This parable may be saying more. Jesus tells us that a traveler is attacked by thieves and beaten up and left alone on the side of the road half dead. Soon a priest walks by, but surprisingly this man of God pretends not to see the wounded man. He passes on the other side of the road and doesn’t want to get involved. If he stopped to help he might be late for his religious service. And then another religious person comes along the road – a Levite. But alas, he also is too busy and doesn’t want to get involved. Jesus had not had good experiences with the religious leaders of His day – the priests and Levites. In fact they were the very ones who later plotted to kill Him.



The wounded man must be feeling desperate by now. Two men of God have passed him by. But wait, another person is coming along the path. Maybe there’s still hope! No, this one is a hated Samaritan – a man of a mongrel race and of a polluted religion. Everyone knew that Samaritans were heathens –they were enemies of the Jews. Why should this Samaritan stop and help his enemy?



But Jesus’ stories were always full of surprises. That is exactly what happened! The hated Samaritan had pity on this wounded man after his religious leaders had turned their backs on his need. The heathen Samaritan stopped and bound up his wounds and cleaned him and put him on his donkey. Then the Samaritan carried him on to the next village where they stopped at an inn for the night. The Samaritan spent the night at the inn with the wounded man, feeding and watching over him. And in the morning the Samaritan paid the innkeeper to take care of the wounded man until he could come back and check on him and his welfare.



“So which of the three was the neighbor to the wounded man?”. Jesus asked. “The one who stopped and helped”, the lawyer answered. “Go and do likewise.” Jesus instructed. Jesus is telling us here in this parable to reach out to the needy. That love is practical. That everyone is our neighbor and that we should help everyone. Without the Holy Spirit leading us and giving us the ability to love we would never be able to obey Christ’s command here. On our own we could never love everybody and reach out to the unlovable. But Jesus promises to be with us and help us.



It’s interesting that in this parable Jesus has the good religious leaders turning their backs on their needy brother, and the bad foreigner having compassion and doing the right thing! Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Why does Jesus always shake up the status quo? Is He trying to tell us something? Is Jesus suggesting that just reading the Word and going to church isn’t enough if we don’t show compassion to the needy? Is He saying that even heathens who act in love and do the right thing are following Him even though they don’t know Him?. Let’s make sure we aren’t so busy going to church and saying the correct political and religions words that we overlook the wounded stranger laying right there in our path..-















The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37




Jesus told his followers many stories or parables; and the parable of the “Good Samaritan” was one of His many story lessons. We believe that our Lord gave us these lessons or parables to impart spiritual truths to us. Let’s look closer at this parable of the “Good Samaritan”. What is Jesus trying to teach us with this story?



First of all, Jesus told this parable in response to a lawyer who ask Him how one could inherit eternal life. Verse 25 states that the lawyer was trying to “test” Jesus. Did this lawyer really want to know the way to eternal life or was he just trying to trick our Lord? We aren’t sure. But Jesus asked the lawyer what the Scripture says. And the man answered with the rabbinic summary of Old Testament Law (Deut. 6:5)- that the way to eternal life is to “love the Lord our God with all of our heart and our soul and our strength and our mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves”. Jesus agreed that he had answered correctly. “Do all of this and you will live,” Jesus assured him. - Luke 10:28.



It sounds so straightforward and simple doesn’t it? The Old Testament Law –the Bible - spell it out, it tells us legally what we need to do to obtain eternal life;- but wait – think about it! Maybe it isn’t so easy after all to love your neighbor as yourself! “Who is my neighbor?” the man asked Jesus. Maybe the lawyer senses how difficult a task this would be. Does this lawyer suggest that there must be some folks to whom the obligation to love might not apply? Surely the ones we love as ourselves must have some worthiness for us to love them that totally; shouldn’t they? Surely the Jewish Law, with Jesus in agreement, isn’t saying that we need to love everybody in such a personal way, is it? And Jesus answers with His radical parable of the “Good Samaritan”.



`We all know this famous parable. What have we learned from it? I suppose that most of us feel that Jesus is teaching us in this parable to be like the Samaritan and to stop and help those we see who are in need. While the lawyer is quibbling over a definition of who is his “neighbor”, Jesus is telling him – and us- that love is not a matter of theoretical discussion, but of practical demonstration. We may say the right words and quote the correct verses. We may place the Ten Commandments on the front of our buildings. But if we don’t respond to our neighbors needs even when he doesn’t measure up – our religion isn’t worth much!



This parable may be saying more. Jesus tells us that a traveler is attacked by thieves and beaten up and left alone on the side of the road half dead. Soon a priest walks by, but surprisingly this man of God pretends not to see the wounded man. He passes on the other side of the road and doesn’t want to get involved. If he stopped to help he might be late for his religious service. And then another religious person comes along the road – a Levite. But alas, he also is too busy and doesn’t want to get involved. Jesus had not had good experiences with the religious leaders of His day – the priests and Levites. In fact they were the very ones who later plotted to kill Him.



The wounded man must be feeling desperate by now. Two men of God have passed him by. But wait, another person is coming along the path. Maybe there’s still hope! No, this one is a hated Samaritan – a man of a mongrel race and of a polluted religion. Everyone knew that Samaritans were heathens –they were enemies of the Jews. Why should this Samaritan stop and help his enemy?



But Jesus’ stories were always full of surprises. That is exactly what happened! The hated Samaritan had pity on this wounded man after his religious leaders had turned their backs on his need. The heathen Samaritan stopped and bound up his wounds and cleaned him and put him on his donkey. Then the Samaritan carried him on to the next village where they stopped at an inn for the night. The Samaritan spent the night at the inn with the wounded man, feeding and watching over him. And in the morning the Samaritan paid the innkeeper to take care of the wounded man until he could come back and check on him and his welfare.



“So which of the three was the neighbor to the wounded man?”. Jesus asked. “The one who stopped and helped”, the lawyer answered. “Go and do likewise.” Jesus instructed. Jesus is telling us here in this parable to reach out to the needy. That love is practical. That everyone is our neighbor and that we should help everyone. Without the Holy Spirit leading us and giving us the ability to love we would never be able to obey Christ’s command here. On our own we could never love everybody and reach out to the unlovable. But Jesus promises to be with us and help us.



It’s interesting that in this parable Jesus has the good religious leaders turning their backs on their needy brother, and the bad foreigner having compassion and doing the right thing! Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Why does Jesus always shake up the status quo? Is He trying to tell us something? Is Jesus suggesting that just reading the Word and going to church isn’t enough if we don’t show compassion to the needy? Is He saying that even heathens who act in love and do the right thing are following Him even though they don’t know Him?. Let’s make sure we aren’t so busy going to church and saying the correct political and religions words that we overlook the wounded stranger laying right there in our path..-















The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37




Jesus told his followers many stories or parables; and the parable of the “Good Samaritan” was one of His many story lessons. We believe that our Lord gave us these lessons or parables to impart spiritual truths to us. Let’s look closer at this parable of the “Good Samaritan”. What is Jesus trying to teach us with this story?



First of all, Jesus told this parable in response to a lawyer who ask Him how one could inherit eternal life. Verse 25 states that the lawyer was trying to “test” Jesus. Did this lawyer really want to know the way to eternal life or was he just trying to trick our Lord? We aren’t sure. But Jesus asked the lawyer what the Scripture says. And the man answered with the rabbinic summary of Old Testament Law (Deut. 6:5)- that the way to eternal life is to “love the Lord our God with all of our heart and our soul and our strength and our mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves”. Jesus agreed that he had answered correctly. “Do all of this and you will live,” Jesus assured him. - Luke 10:28.



It sounds so straightforward and simple doesn’t it? The Old Testament Law –the Bible - spell it out, it tells us legally what we need to do to obtain eternal life;- but wait – think about it! Maybe it isn’t so easy after all to love your neighbor as yourself! “Who is my neighbor?” the man asked Jesus. Maybe the lawyer senses how difficult a task this would be. Does this lawyer suggest that there must be some folks to whom the obligation to love might not apply? Surely the ones we love as ourselves must have some worthiness for us to love them that totally; shouldn’t they? Surely the Jewish Law, with Jesus in agreement, isn’t saying that we need to love everybody in such a personal way, is it? And Jesus answers with His radical parable of the “Good Samaritan”.



`We all know this famous parable. What have we learned from it? I suppose that most of us feel that Jesus is teaching us in this parable to be like the Samaritan and to stop and help those we see who are in need. While the lawyer is quibbling over a definition of who is his “neighbor”, Jesus is telling him – and us- that love is not a matter of theoretical discussion, but of practical demonstration. We may say the right words and quote the correct verses. We may place the Ten Commandments on the front of our buildings. But if we don’t respond to our neighbors needs even when he doesn’t measure up – our religion isn’t worth much!



This parable may be saying more. Jesus tells us that a traveler is attacked by thieves and beaten up and left alone on the side of the road half dead. Soon a priest walks by, but surprisingly this man of God pretends not to see the wounded man. He passes on the other side of the road and doesn’t want to get involved. If he stopped to help he might be late for his religious service. And then another religious person comes along the road – a Levite. But alas, he also is too busy and doesn’t want to get involved. Jesus had not had good experiences with the religious leaders of His day – the priests and Levites. In fact they were the very ones who later plotted to kill Him.



The wounded man must be feeling desperate by now. Two men of God have passed him by. But wait, another person is coming along the path. Maybe there’s still hope! No, this one is a hated Samaritan – a man of a mongrel race and of a polluted religion. Everyone knew that Samaritans were heathens –they were enemies of the Jews. Why should this Samaritan stop and help his enemy?



But Jesus’ stories were always full of surprises. That is exactly what happened! The hated Samaritan had pity on this wounded man after his religious leaders had turned their backs on his need. The heathen Samaritan stopped and bound up his wounds and cleaned him and put him on his donkey. Then the Samaritan carried him on to the next village where they stopped at an inn for the night. The Samaritan spent the night at the inn with the wounded man, feeding and watching over him. And in the morning the Samaritan paid the innkeeper to take care of the wounded man until he could come back and check on him and his welfare.



“So which of the three was the neighbor to the wounded man?”. Jesus asked. “The one who stopped and helped”, the lawyer answered. “Go and do likewise.” Jesus instructed. Jesus is telling us here in this parable to reach out to the needy. That love is practical. That everyone is our neighbor and that we should help everyone. Without the Holy Spirit leading us and giving us the ability to love we would never be able to obey Christ’s command here. On our own we could never love everybody and reach out to the unlovable. But Jesus promises to be with us and help us.



It’s interesting that in this parable Jesus has the good religious leaders turning their backs on their needy brother, and the bad foreigner having compassion and doing the right thing! Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Why does Jesus always shake up the status quo? Is He trying to tell us something? Is Jesus suggesting that just reading the Word and going to church isn’t enough if we don’t show compassion to the needy? Is He saying that even heathens who act in love and do the right thing are following Him even though they don’t know Him?. Let’s make sure we aren’t so busy going to church and saying the correct political and religions words that we overlook the wounded stranger laying right there in our path..-















The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37




Jesus told his followers many stories or parables; and the parable of the “Good Samaritan” was one of His many story lessons. We believe that our Lord gave us these lessons or parables to impart spiritual truths to us. Let’s look closer at this parable of the “Good Samaritan”. What is Jesus trying to teach us with this story?



First of all, Jesus told this parable in response to a lawyer who ask Him how one could inherit eternal life. Verse 25 states that the lawyer was trying to “test” Jesus. Did this lawyer really want to know the way to eternal life or was he just trying to trick our Lord? We aren’t sure. But Jesus asked the lawyer what the Scripture says. And the man answered with the rabbinic summary of Old Testament Law (Deut. 6:5)- that the way to eternal life is to “love the Lord our God with all of our heart and our soul and our strength and our mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves”. Jesus agreed that he had answered correctly. “Do all of this and you will live,” Jesus assured him. - Luke 10:28.



It sounds so straightforward and simple doesn’t it? The Old Testament Law –the Bible - spell it out, it tells us legally what we need to do to obtain eternal life;- but wait – think about it! Maybe it isn’t so easy after all to love your neighbor as yourself! “Who is my neighbor?” the man asked Jesus. Maybe the lawyer senses how difficult a task this would be. Does this lawyer suggest that there must be some folks to whom the obligation to love might not apply? Surely the ones we love as ourselves must have some worthiness for us to love them that totally; shouldn’t they? Surely the Jewish Law, with Jesus in agreement, isn’t saying that we need to love everybody in such a personal way, is it? And Jesus answers with His radical parable of the “Good Samaritan”.



`We all know this famous parable. What have we learned from it? I suppose that most of us feel that Jesus is teaching us in this parable to be like the Samaritan and to stop and help those we see who are in need. While the lawyer is quibbling over a definition of who is his “neighbor”, Jesus is telling him – and us- that love is not a matter of theoretical discussion, but of practical demonstration. We may say the right words and quote the correct verses. We may place the Ten Commandments on the front of our buildings. But if we don’t respond to our neighbors needs even when he doesn’t measure up – our religion isn’t worth much!



This parable may be saying more. Jesus tells us that a traveler is attacked by thieves and beaten up and left alone on the side of the road half dead. Soon a priest walks by, but surprisingly this man of God pretends not to see the wounded man. He passes on the other side of the road and doesn’t want to get involved. If he stopped to help he might be late for his religious service. And then another religious person comes along the road – a Levite. But alas, he also is too busy and doesn’t want to get involved. Jesus had not had good experiences with the religious leaders of His day – the priests and Levites. In fact they were the very ones who later plotted to kill Him.



The wounded man must be feeling desperate by now. Two men of God have passed him by. But wait, another person is coming along the path. Maybe there’s still hope! No, this one is a hated Samaritan – a man of a mongrel race and of a polluted religion. Everyone knew that Samaritans were heathens –they were enemies of the Jews. Why should this Samaritan stop and help his enemy?



But Jesus’ stories were always full of surprises. That is exactly what happened! The hated Samaritan had pity on this wounded man after his religious leaders had turned their backs on his need. The heathen Samaritan stopped and bound up his wounds and cleaned him and put him on his donkey. Then the Samaritan carried him on to the next village where they stopped at an inn for the night. The Samaritan spent the night at the inn with the wounded man, feeding and watching over him. And in the morning the Samaritan paid the innkeeper to take care of the wounded man until he could come back and check on him and his welfare.



“So which of the three was the neighbor to the wounded man?”. Jesus asked. “The one who stopped and helped”, the lawyer answered. “Go and do likewise.” Jesus instructed. Jesus is telling us here in this parable to reach out to the needy. That love is practical. That everyone is our neighbor and that we should help everyone. Without the Holy Spirit leading us and giving us the ability to love we would never be able to obey Christ’s command here. On our own we could never love everybody and reach out to the unlovable. But Jesus promises to be with us and help us.



It’s interesting that in this parable Jesus has the good religious leaders turning their backs on their needy brother, and the bad foreigner having compassion and doing the right thing! Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Why does Jesus always shake up the status quo? Is He trying to tell us something? Is Jesus suggesting that just reading the Word and going to church isn’t enough if we don’t show compassion to the needy? Is He saying that even heathens who act in love and do the right thing are following Him even though they don’t know Him?. Let’s make sure we aren’t so busy going to church and saying the correct political and religions words that we overlook the wounded stranger laying right there in our path..-















The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37




Jesus told his followers many stories or parables; and the parable of the “Good Samaritan” was one of His many story lessons. We believe that our Lord gave us these lessons or parables to impart spiritual truths to us. Let’s look closer at this parable of the “Good Samaritan”. What is Jesus trying to teach us with this story?



First of all, Jesus told this parable in response to a lawyer who ask Him how one could inherit eternal life. Verse 25 states that the lawyer was trying to “test” Jesus. Did this lawyer really want to know the way to eternal life or was he just trying to trick our Lord? We aren’t sure. But Jesus asked the lawyer what the Scripture says. And the man answered with the rabbinic summary of Old Testament Law (Deut. 6:5)- that the way to eternal life is to “love the Lord our God with all of our heart and our soul and our strength and our mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves”. Jesus agreed that he had answered correctly. “Do all of this and you will live,” Jesus assured him. - Luke 10:28.



It sounds so straightforward and simple doesn’t it? The Old Testament Law –the Bible - spell it out, it tells us legally what we need to do to obtain eternal life;- but wait – think about it! Maybe it isn’t so easy after all to love your neighbor as yourself! “Who is my neighbor?” the man asked Jesus. Maybe the lawyer senses how difficult a task this would be. Does this lawyer suggest that there must be some folks to whom the obligation to love might not apply? Surely the ones we love as ourselves must have some worthiness for us to love them that totally; shouldn’t they? Surely the Jewish Law, with Jesus in agreement, isn’t saying that we need to love everybody in such a personal way, is it? And Jesus answers with His radical parable of the “Good Samaritan”.



`We all know this famous parable. What have we learned from it? I suppose that most of us feel that Jesus is teaching us in this parable to be like the Samaritan and to stop and help those we see who are in need. While the lawyer is quibbling over a definition of who is his “neighbor”, Jesus is telling him – and us- that love is not a matter of theoretical discussion, but of practical demonstration. We may say the right words and quote the correct verses. We may place the Ten Commandments on the front of our buildings. But if we don’t respond to our neighbors needs even when he doesn’t measure up – our religion isn’t worth much!



This parable may be saying more. Jesus tells us that a traveler is attacked by thieves and beaten up and left alone on the side of the road half dead. Soon a priest walks by, but surprisingly this man of God pretends not to see the wounded man. He passes on the other side of the road and doesn’t want to get involved. If he stopped to help he might be late for his religious service. And then another religious person comes along the road – a Levite. But alas, he also is too busy and doesn’t want to get involved. Jesus had not had good experiences with the religious leaders of His day – the priests and Levites. In fact they were the very ones who later plotted to kill Him.



The wounded man must be feeling desperate by now. Two men of God have passed him by. But wait, another person is coming along the path. Maybe there’s still hope! No, this one is a hated Samaritan – a man of a mongrel race and of a polluted religion. Everyone knew that Samaritans were heathens –they were enemies of the Jews. Why should this Samaritan stop and help his enemy?



But Jesus’ stories were always full of surprises. That is exactly what happened! The hated Samaritan had pity on this wounded man after his religious leaders had turned their backs on his need. The heathen Samaritan stopped and bound up his wounds and cleaned him and put him on his donkey. Then the Samaritan carried him on to the next village where they stopped at an inn for the night. The Samaritan spent the night at the inn with the wounded man, feeding and watching over him. And in the morning the Samaritan paid the innkeeper to take care of the wounded man until he could come back and check on him and his welfare.



“So which of the three was the neighbor to the wounded man?”. Jesus asked. “The one who stopped and helped”, the lawyer answered. “Go and do likewise.” Jesus instructed. Jesus is telling us here in this parable to reach out to the needy. That love is practical. That everyone is our neighbor and that we should help everyone. Without the Holy Spirit leading us and giving us the ability to love we would never be able to obey Christ’s command here. On our own we could never love everybody and reach out to the unlovable. But Jesus promises to be with us and help us.



It’s interesting that in this parable Jesus has the good religious leaders turning their backs on their needy brother, and the bad foreigner having compassion and doing the right thing! Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Why does Jesus always shake up the status quo? Is He trying to tell us something? Is Jesus suggesting that just reading the Word and going to church isn’t enough if we don’t show compassion to the needy? Is He saying that even heathens who act in love and do the right thing are following Him even though they don’t know Him?. Let’s make sure we aren’t so busy going to church and saying the correct political and religions words that we overlook the wounded stranger laying right there in our path..-