Mid week service, Peace!

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After Memorial Day and the fervor of support for the warriors; I feel the need to express caution to the leaders on the effects of war.

This is from a book written in 1521. Europe was once again torn apart by war, and as always, the loss to all was far greater than the gain to any combatant. Here Peace herself laments:

Now, if I, whose name is Peace, am a personage glorified by the united praise of God and man, as the fountain, the parent, the nurse, the patroness, the guardian of every blessing which either heaven or earth can bestow; if without me nothing is flourishing, nothing safe, nothing pure or holy, nothing pleasant to mortals, or grateful to the Supreme Being; if, on the contrary, war is one vast ocean, rushing on mankind, of all the united plagues and pestilences in nature; if, at its deadly approach, every blossom of happiness is instantly blasted, every thing that was improving gradually degenerates and dwindles away to nothing, every thing that was firmly supported totters on its foundation, every thing that was formed for long duration comes to a speedy end, and every thing that was sweet by nature is turned into bitterness; if war is so unhallowed that it becomes the deadliest bane of piety and religion; if there is nothing more calamitous to mortals, and more detestable to heaven, I ask, how in the name of God, can I believe those beings to be rational creatures; how can I believe them to be otherwise than stark mad; who, with such a waste of treasure, with so ardent a zeal, with so great an effort, with so many arts, so much anxiety, and so much danger, endeavour to drive me away from them, and purchase endless misery and mischief at a price so high.

Beautifully stated, eh?

Bastiat wrote a fable that shows the error of thinking loss can somehow create gain. His story of the broken window counters the falsehood that somehow destruction is good for the economy or the world. This complete essay is one of my favorite works by Bastiat.

To ground all of this in reality; Jesus is know as the Prince of Peace. He brings the offer of peace to our personal lives by creating a pathway to God. Jesus Christ also promotes peace between and within mankind with his insistence on our being a good neighbor to everyman.

Jesus said unto him "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:35-40 ( KJV), see also Luke 10: 25-37

Jesus is Lord!

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Praise @ our Sunday Service

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Praise ye the Lord!

Praise is an affirmation of the simple logic that God loves us and cares for us. God has done everything necessary for us to enter into fellowship with him.

It is natural to praise those who sacrifice for us. This Memorial day we in America are celebrating the sacrifice of those who fought for the principles of liberty. Many have given their lives, or been crippled for life, defending their families, friends, and cherished beliefs. Thank someone who has done great things for you, give them praise, and don't just wait for a holiday.

But in your reflection on sacrifice and results, don't overlook the sacrifice of Jesus and what it means to you now, and for eternity. As Bob Bauman, a former US congressman, just said in a regular email:

Each of us always needs to be prepared for that unexpected hour of death, we know not when. The call to duty and service remains distant and unreal to many. As a nation we need always to be certain that in any war, including this war on terror, our cause is defensible and just.

Do not scorn those who sacrifice. Their beliefs in what we are, have been shaped by what we were, and what we could be. Praise and honor those who do for us, what we are increasingly unwilling to do for ourselves. Praise and honor those who gave before, hoping we would retain what they were sacrificing to defend. They are worthy of praise.

There are those who ask why we praise God, they accuse him of being in need of sycophants. Here is one of the answers; God is worthy of praise. God has sacrificed to make available to us adoption into his family, that should fill us with wonder.

And here is a second cause of praise to God; when you see a beautiful sunset; you want to grab somebody, share it, and talk about it's wonders. God is the greatest of wonders, and he loves you. Join us in praising Him, know that he is able to turn everything in your life to good if you will have the faith to praise him in and for everything.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. II Chronicles 16:9a

Praise is a natural response to love, to sacrifice, to overwhelming glory.
Join us in this praise:



Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him in his excellent greatness.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.

Praise ye the Lord.

Psalm 150

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Decently and in order

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I have heard the above phrase often. Sometimes it is spoken from the pulpit, frequently it is said by laymen who have heard it from the pulpit.

It is usually intoned as a reason to not do something that extends beyond other's comfort zones.

To get the scripture quoted read all of ICorinthians. To get a strong taste of the context, read ICorinthians chapters 13 and 14. For just the verse that "decently and in order" is pulled from, see ICorinthians 14: 40 "Let all things be done decently and in order."

That's it; "decently and in order" is scripture.

Now read it again.

Do you want to take the scripture decently in order? Then your first commandment is "Let all things be done." Once you try all things, learn how they may be decently performed, then establish order.

"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembreth that we are dust." Psalms 103: 13, 14

God watched us learn to walk, he knows we drag the tablecloth down when we fall. God wants us to try. As we become conversant in his will, he will guide us into further understanding of the proper way to act. But, the first step is; do all things you are exhorted to do by scripture.

One of my favorite preachers is Arthur Blessitt he walks around the world, witnessing to all he encounters; and he does it with LOVE! I'll paraphrase a journey he described about walking across Africa. In each village he entered he would ask if any one spoke English; God always provided a translator. Arthur would preach and the Holy Spirit would lead many to Jesus. Arthur would appoint the English speaker as pastor, and hand him a New Testament. He would exhort the new pastor to read the gospels and discover all about Jesus, then the new leader of the flock was instructed to read Acts and do everything he read.

Jesus said "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he will not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." John 16: 13, 14

The Bible is so simple and direct you have to be taught how to misunderstand it. With no scripture teacher but the Holy Spirit, the new pastor was way ahead of those who are taught their limitations first.

Often people teach what they have learned from people taught by others. It is best to go to the source of knowledge and investigate for yourself. The nice thing about reading the Bible with the Holy Spirit directing you is there are no filters required, the truth is not clouded by personal interpretation. If I say something, read the scriptures to check it out; if the Bible says something, believe it.

Pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance.

Read the four Gospels.

Read the book of Acts;

Do all things,
decently,
and in order.

The guidance system does nothing when the rocket is sitting on it's pad. The Holy Spirit is our guidance system; get off your pad so the Spirit can take over. God is more than big enough to correct our errors and work everything to good. Our job is to act when and how he directs.

"Let all things be done decently and in order."

Jesus is Lord!

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Relax; The Sunday Service

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Gary S. Paxton wrote and sang some wild songs, and he wrote some solid Christian music. One of my favorite tunes is "laid Back." It sings of how you have to be laid back, "in His love."

Jesus is who He said He is. God loves you as much as His sacrifice indicates. The Holy Spirit directs your life.

If you believe the above.

Then don't worry about anything.

IPeter 5: 7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

God loves you more than you love yourself. God is smarter and wiser than you are. Relax.

Romans 8: 28 "And we know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

If you believe God, act like it.
Praise Him in all things.

Philippians 4: 4 "Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, rejoice!"

Ya need to get laid back;
in His love.

I Thessalonians 5: 16-18 " Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you!"


Jesus is Lord!
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Mid week service, Don't Tithe!

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WHAT?

Yeppers, don't tithe.

Now the point. The most important thing, the only truly important thing until it is complete, is your relationship with Jesus. If you are not close to God, look at last Wednesday's service and hook up with God.

It won't do you any good to give if you are not first following God.

God is smarter and wiser than you are and God loves you more than you love yourself. If you want what is best for you, for those you love, for God, for everyone; do what God tells you to do.

Read this from the Junior Partner Ministries web site:

Tithes and offerings. A very touchy subject, easy to approach, difficult to escape. The first step is to realize there is more then just one tithe, and there are many types of offerings. The second step is deciding where to begin. God said to the delivered through Jeremiah "For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices; but this thing I commanded them saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you." Jer 7: 22,23

We now, due to our acceptance of the cleansing sacrifice of Christ, have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. With this access we can seek God's will concerning all areas of our life, including financial. How and where to tithe and / or offer gifts unto God? We must ask him, our obedience to His will confirms that we are His people, and it will be well with us.

Read all of ICorinthians chapter 9. Paul shows that those who preach the gospel should live by the gospel. Notice he does not mention a tithe. Notice he states he has not accepted any gifts lest he create a hindrance to the spread of the gospel. As Christ said in Luke 10:5 "And into whatsoever house you enter, first say, peace be to this house." and then in Luke 10:7, "And in The same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire." If you read the whole chapter in Luke you will see there is no reference to a tithe, just such food as those in the house are willing to give.

Read also all of IICorinthians chapter 9. We will start about half way through verse 6 :
"He which soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."

No tithe mentioned, just the admonition to give only if you can give cheerfully. If you are not filled with God's Joy and finding pleasure being led to give; don't give.

Seek God and get in fellowship with him first.

Giving is fruit that should come from a healthy vine rooted in good soil.

The final step is to realize; "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." Are you brilliant, talented, wealthy, consistent, flexible, or strong? What can you share cheerfully at God's direction? What are your attributes? You have much, seek where God will use you much, that it may be well with you.

If God is telling you to tithe or make an offering, do what God says. Do it now. For more on this read our 04/03/2005 service about faith.

God Loves you more than you love yourself, if God tells you to do something, it is for your good.

Do it.

Jesus is Lord!

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Can they hear you? Sunday Service 5/15/2005

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Here is a telling quote from a travel log in Sweden, written by a nonbeliever who is vistiting people in Europe he admires, people who are aggressive and obnoxious for politics.

"Scandinavians tend to score the highest for irreligion in the Western World on public opinion polls. Nominally, Swedes belong to the State Church, and 1& 37; of their income is taxed to finance the Church. Any Swede can avoid the 1& 37; deduction simply by making a formal request to the government, but most don't bother. Henrik said that the government will probably privatize the Church within the next five years, but there are evidently people who are concerned that a private church might become aggressive and obnoxious."

Christ said "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Matthew 5:13

It sounds like the government supported Scandinavian churches have lost their savour. They have been thrown out of the lives of their countrymen. The vast unbelieving majority think the churches only function is to be trodden under foot.

Read chapter 3 of Revelation. I'll give you just a taste of what is written to the church from verse 15 through 20: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

With a history of state supported churches in Europe, the church is having little impact there. The Swedes are obviously comfortable with a tame church, and have no respect for it. A church supported by the government is weak, luke warm, without flavor or effectiveness. This is another great reason for separation of Church and state. (this download by Pufendorf was written in 1687, the argument for keeping the state out of the Church has a long history.)

If the Church chooses not to be free, if it accepts government financing and control, it is making itself a bond-slave to the political system. It can not be effective for God. SPUE.

Now to get personal:

As a Christian; what is your temperature?

Do you still add saltiness to the stew?

Are you a free Christian?

Lets look at Matthew 5:14-16, the verses after the one on salt. "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill can not be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Jesus Is Lord!

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Wednesday Service

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We have posted the May first sermon onto the Junior Partner web site, with a few alterations. We may as will post the salvation message from Junior Partner here. Everyone isn't curios enough to read both sites; a bit of reciprocity seems in order. I sometimes need to be reminded of the frustation I left behind, and the cause for the joy that now fills my life:

And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Jude 23

Salvation!

For those who chose Jesus Christ, it all starts here; joy, fulfillment, comfort, direction, peace, and much more.

The best just keeps getting better.

Jesus already paid your entry fee to Gods presence. All areas in your life where you have done less than the best, (sin), are removed from your record. Jesus, as God come to earth, led a perfect life, (no sin). Tempted, he did not dwell on temptation or give in. When he died on the cross as punishment it was not for his sin, it was for your sins. He gave his life to save yours. Ask him to forgive you of your sins, and to be your Lord; accept his gift of his life. That’s just the start. He sent you part of the Godhead, The Holy Spirit, to dwell with you and guide you. You have the Bible, as you study God’s written word, his voice will be easier to recognize. You have other believers, as you meet with them you will gain understanding of the great work God has started in you. God will show you infinitely more blessings as you stay in his presence.

The amazing reality is you did not earn salvation, it is a gift. You will grow in Jesus Christ only by his continued giving. In the Bible it says, “What is begun in the Spirit is not made perfect in the flesh.” That means He will complete the work He has begun in you, if you will let him. Your effort, worry, and work did not save you, it will not cause you to grow. Your job is to get to know him better, and follow him closer. Your Joy will grow as you draw closer to him.

Where do you go from here? You are saved and able to fellowship with God. You need to make and keep him as Lord of your life. You have moved from a slave in this worlds system, destined for hell, to a willing servant of the living God. You are now adopted into his family; there to grow. As you mature, you may reach a transition that sometimes happens as kids turn into adults. They change from children of their parents to friends of their parents. As you continue to grow you are seeking to be a friend of God.

As his child you are promised a wonderful inheritance. Your desire's goal (hope) should include becoming close friends with the eternal, loving God.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

God cares about every part of your life.

Every Part.
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Sunday Service, step(s) to salvation

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I am busy setting up Bastiat Free University so that our School of Theology will have a home; Come visit BFU during construction.

Here is a quick cut and paste from the Junior Partner web site. If you do not have a personal relationship with God, start one today. ---behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. IICorinthians 6: 2b

So often our arguments are over small things. It's not important, it could divide a family or a church, but it really doesn't matter all that much. Let's not start a new denomination to preach each different view of every little point. One of these stumbling blocks is how to commit to God. Is the stairway to salvation three steps, four steps, or even more. The thief on the cross used one step when he said to Christ "remember me when you come into your kingdom." Luke 23:42,43 Read how Jesus dealt with Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, and the nobleman, in the New Testament book of John, chapters 3 and 4. You will see that God deals with each of us according to who and where we are. The Holy Spirit knows you intimately, and he also fully knows each person to whom you talk. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in your witnessing so that what you say or don't say will be exactly correct. There is only one step to salvation, the one God has specifically designed for each of us as an individual. If you are comfortable using "the 4 steps to salvation," use them. Leave room however for differing strategies. God is more than big enough to compensate for our errors. Better yet, learn to be led by the Holy Spirit. Let God use you His way to reach the hearts He has prepared.

God Loves You!

Take a look at Billy Graham's 4 steps, these are here for you!

Jesus is Lord!
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Midweek Service, Count it all Joy

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And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8: 28

There is a lot of comfort in this verse. First the conditions:

Accept Jesus and start that close relationship with God. As God's joy begins to fill your life you will feel the love of God. It is natural to return that great love, and your joy will continue to increase.

Study the Bible and learn to recognize God's voice. God has a purpose for your life, a calling, that you will fit into perfectly; you were created with this purpose in mind. Start to walk in your calling and His joy will fill you.

Rejoice, all thing work together for good, you are in the sweet spot of the plan of God. You will not start doing everything perfectly, people's actions will not magically start being what you wish, you won't always say the right thing. BUT, God, will still work it out for good.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1: 2-4

You just said the wrong thing to the wrong person. Time for prayer. Thank God that he will use what you just said to your good, that person's good, the good of the kingdom of God. Now stay open to God's leading.

All things work together for good.

You just realized that person cheated you. You have a choice, you can worry, scream, cry, etc, or you can praise God. Let God work it out. All things work together for good. "Thank you Jesus that you will work that out to my good, that person's good, your good, everyone's good."

Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5 11, 12

Rejoice and be exceeding glad. God will work it out for good. For you, for those who persecute you, for everyone who will allow him to work in their lives.

Love God. Trust God. Listen to God's leading.

Rejoice!

Rejoice in the Lord alway, again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4: 4

Jesus is Lord!

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