Anything goes

" I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to
lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all
humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of
your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who
is above all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:1-6) NRSV

We live in a world where anything goes. Things we
counted on suddenly change. People break their promises. What we thought was
true turns out to be false. At times it
seems that there's little to hold on to any more. But life doesn't have to be
that way. We have one great choice. The
choice is Jesus. He doesn't change. Jesus never breaks his promises. His words
always prove to be true. You can hold
on to him. You can also hold on to the cross. Jesus died on the cross for one
reason - He loves you. After Jesus died and came back to life, he made a
commitment to you. He promised never to
leave you or forsake you. Jesus has kept his promise and always will. You can bet your life on it. Jesus only asks
for one thing: for you to make the same kind of promise to him. 

Committing yourself to Jesus doesn't mean
you won't have any tough times. But it does mean you'll have some help when you
do. But you can't do it halfway. You've
got to give it your all. And don’t
forget you have a large family here to support you and help you in your walk
with Christ, through Sunday school, Sunday Worship, Youth, small groups,
retreats, and mission trips.

Anything goes

" I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to
lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all
humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of
your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who
is above all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:1-6) NRSV

We live in a world where anything goes. Things we
counted on suddenly change. People break their promises. What we thought was
true turns out to be false. At times it
seems that there's little to hold on to any more. But life doesn't have to be
that way. We have one great choice. The
choice is Jesus. He doesn't change. Jesus never breaks his promises. His words
always prove to be true. You can hold
on to him. You can also hold on to the cross. Jesus died on the cross for one
reason - He loves you. After Jesus died and came back to life, he made a
commitment to you. He promised never to
leave you or forsake you. Jesus has kept his promise and always will. You can bet your life on it. Jesus only asks
for one thing: for you to make the same kind of promise to him. 

Committing yourself to Jesus doesn't mean
you won't have any tough times. But it does mean you'll have some help when you
do. But you can't do it halfway. You've
got to give it your all. And don’t
forget you have a large family here to support you and help you in your walk
with Christ, through Sunday school, Sunday Worship, Youth, small groups,
retreats, and mission trips.

What a weekend

Well this weekend was a longgggggggggggg weekend.

Had class 3-9 Friday and Saturday 9-5
And then preached all 3 services today.

Even though it was a lot of work..it was an amazing spiritual experience.

I learned a lot this weekend in class about interpreting the Bible.  My biggest insight was learning about how Gnostic viewpoints was a main force behind the writings of Paul.  I never really saw that before in all my years.  And once I understood that, it made me see Paul's letters in a new light.

And working on today's sermon, helped me not only honor my dad for father's day, but also help me take a look at my life.  Here's a little snip it of it.

 *One of the teachers of the law came and heard them
debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him,
"Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The
most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the
Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The
second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater
than these." *(NIV, Mark 12:28-31)

They are at it again.  They
enlist a lawyer to do what lawyers’ best- ask a question designed to put a
person on the hot seat.  “Which commandment of the law is the
greatest?”  If the law were only the Ten Commandments, this would be tough
enough.  But the written “Torah” included many more moral, ceremonial, and
dietary prescriptions.

Splicing together two passages from the Torah, Jesus gets them.  “You shall love the Lord your
God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind” (Deut
6:5).

 “This is the greatest and first commandment.  The second is like
it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Lev 19:18).”

 

  Read the Ten
Commandments (Ex 20:1-17)
and you’ll see that the first three are about loving God and the other seven
are about loving your neighbor.  If you read the Bible,
you’d be able to put each command in column A (love God) or column B (love your
neighbor).  So these two commandments are indeed the root of them all.

What a weekend

Well this weekend was a longgggggggggggg weekend.

Had class 3-9 Friday and Saturday 9-5
And then preached all 3 services today.

Even though it was a lot of work..it was an amazing spiritual experience.

I learned a lot this weekend in class about interpreting the Bible.  My biggest insight was learning about how Gnostic viewpoints was a main force behind the writings of Paul.  I never really saw that before in all my years.  And once I understood that, it made me see Paul's letters in a new light.

And working on today's sermon, helped me not only honor my dad for father's day, but also help me take a look at my life.  Here's a little snip it of it.

 *One of the teachers of the law came and heard them
debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him,
"Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The
most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the
Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The
second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater
than these." *(NIV, Mark 12:28-31)

They are at it again.  They
enlist a lawyer to do what lawyers’ best- ask a question designed to put a
person on the hot seat.  “Which commandment of the law is the
greatest?”  If the law were only the Ten Commandments, this would be tough
enough.  But the written “Torah” included many more moral, ceremonial, and
dietary prescriptions.

Splicing together two passages from the Torah, Jesus gets them.  “You shall love the Lord your
God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind” (Deut
6:5).

 “This is the greatest and first commandment.  The second is like
it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Lev 19:18).”

 

  Read the Ten
Commandments (Ex 20:1-17)
and you’ll see that the first three are about loving God and the other seven
are about loving your neighbor.  If you read the Bible,
you’d be able to put each command in column A (love God) or column B (love your
neighbor).  So these two commandments are indeed the root of them all.