2011-2014 Something For The Refrigerator Compilation

Something for the Refrigerator
Compilation
2011-2014
This is a compilation of the Something for the Refrigerator documents that was started in 2011
by Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz as a supplement to the sermon of that particular Sunday.
Something for the Refrigerator is intended to be placed on the refrigerator when the parishioner
got home so they can read the Sunday Scripture daily and ask themselves the questions and
challenges the document contained.
On the reverse side of the document the weekly church calendar was printed as an easy access
to the life of the church for the parishioner.
This method allowed for those who wanted to know more about the history and culture of the
Bible to have access to such information. For those who didnt want to know, well, they probably
disposed of this writing when they left church.
Education is an area the church is lacking in. Rev. Adam Hamilton of Resurrection Church said
preachers should educate the people in the pews about the Bible. For so many it is the only time
they will be exposed to Bible study. The Something for the Refrigerator augments this by giving
more detail to the culture and history of the Bible.
The documents are not in chronical order because of the way they were saved on my PC hard
drive. However the document is searchable by date or Scripture. I pray you find these writings of
some value.
God bless,
Mike
@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz
Page 2 of 76
SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

WEEK STARTING SUNDAY 12/25/11
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2
He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was
made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines
in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6 There came a man who was sent from
God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through
him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9
The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world,
and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that
which was his own, but his own did not receive him.12 Yet to all who received him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural
descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who
came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Joh 1:1-14 NIV)
Contemplation questions:
1. Why does this Gospel start with the words in the beginning instead of at the birth of
Jesus?
2. What was John the Baptists task according to this passage?
Challenge of the week:
Think about the events in your life. Can you see the glory of Christ in it?
Additional information:
The wording of John 1:1-2 is quite interesting. The Word was with God and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning. This seems a bit odd. Was the Word God or not? These two
verses go in both directions. The Word was with God always but the Word is also God. Was the
author trying to cover the bases here? Those who believed that the Word was God are covered
and those who believed that the Word was always present but not necessary fully God are
covered.
Johns Gospel will dance from time to time around the question of Jesus divinity. In Johns Gospel
Jesus himself tells the disciples that He is truly God incarnate. But in the synoptic Gospel Jesus
doesnt come out and make that same declaration.
Logos Theory is what this section of Johns Gospel is all about. Christian Scholars for years have
told us that Johns Gospel was probably written to a gentile community. They created that
assessment because of chapter 1. Logos come from Greek and means word. There was a strong
believe in the pagan world that the Word of God would one day come to be with us in flesh and
blood.
However the Essences, Jews who lived around the Dead Sea, also believed that the Word of God
would one day become flesh and blood and would be the Messiah God promised the people. This
wasnt known until after the discovery and translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls (in 1968). Some
scholars have changed their view of Johns Gospel but many still cling onto their original thoughts.
Johns Gospel is full of Jewish cultural metaphors. To fully understand the writings you have to
understand the cultural background. Therefore, Johns Gospel could not have been written to a
pure gentile church or people. There must have been Jewish-Christians available to explain the
metaphors.
Page 3 of 76

38
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel
left her. 39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where
she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she
exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am
I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your
greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed
that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!" 46 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for
me-- holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
51
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their
inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his
servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he
promised our ancestors." (Luk 1:38-55 NIV)
Would you respond positively to whatever God called you to do?
Would you risk your life for God?
Sacrifice something for God!
During Marys time an unmarried young girl becoming pregnant was a ticket to the poor house
and a life on the streets. Her family would have disowned her because of the disgrace that would
taint the family name. It was also against the Leviticus Laws. So even though the angel Gabriel
told Mary about what was to happen Mary had the free will choice to decide to be with the Lord
or not. Thank God she chose God.
Each of us has the same choice. Are you with God or not? When we choose to go to church
instead of work, when we choose church over other events, when we choose church over doing
nothing you are choosing God. It is a good sacrifice to give up the ways of the world for God.
Jesus smiles every time we do it.
When we know we should be acting or doing something for Jesus and we need a little
encouragement look to Marys song. Read about the 14 or so year old girl who was a virgin who
became pregnant with Gods Son. In the face of death Mary stood up and did exactly what God
wanted.
I pray that you will always respond to Gods calling with enthusiasm.
Merry Christmas
Page 4 of 76

14
Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter
Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away your punishment; he has turned back your enemy. The
LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will
say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The LORD your God is
with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no
longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." 18 "I will remove from you all who mourn
over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. 19 At that time I
will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them
praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. 20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the
earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the LORD. (Zep 3:14-20 NIV)
Try reading this passage as a poor Mexican. What hope does it bring?
Ask the Lord to remove any burdens or troubles from your life this week.
The minor prophet writings were created while Judah was either controlled by Babylonians or
Persians. The writings about the Greeks and Romans can be found in the Apocrypha. It is hard
to imagine that God would let His people be persecuted. Perhaps we should look at it from Gods
point of view.how can we as humans persecute other humans?
While in Mexico 12 years ago I got to engage a group of ladies who worked in a Levi pants factory.
They felt oppressed because the work conditions were terrible and they got paid next to nothing.
But they had no choice because American wanted Levis jeans and they didnt want to pay much
for them.
Did you ever think about the people who work to put together all the cool stuff that we enjoy today?
Since just about everything has a China component, think about how those people are exploited.
We like to blame the companies who are trying to make more money by manufacturing overseas.
But then we look at our 401K and retirement investment accounts and realize that we want those
dividends and those stocks to increase in value because we want a nice easy retirement.
Unfortunately you cannot have it both ways.
For the workers in the Mexican factory they cant wait for God to intervene. Their government is
corrupt and doesnt create laws to protect their workers. Unfortunately some US companies do
the same type of exploitation here in the States.
So how do we balance a consumer driven economy toward God?
Page 5 of 76

46
Mary said, "My soul gives glory to the Lord. 47 My spirit delights in God my Savior. 48 He has
taken note of me even though I am not important. From now on all people will call me blessed. 49
The Mighty One has done great things for me. His name is holy. 50 He shows his mercy to those
who have respect for him, from parent to child down through the years. 51 He has done mighty
things with his arm. He has scattered those who are proud in their deepest thoughts. 52 He has
brought down rulers from their thrones. But he has lifted up people who are not important. 53 He
has filled those who are hungry with good things. But he has sent those who are rich away empty.
54
He has helped the people of Israel, who serve him. He has always remembered to be kind 55
to Abraham and his children down through the years. He has done it just as he said to our people
of long ago." (Luk 1:46-56 NIRV)
1. Of the attributes of God Mary lists which do you most appreciate and why?
2. Are you a humble servant of God? Can you provide an example if asked?
What would your first response be if an angel came before you and gave you a dangerous
job to do for God?
Thinking about the challenge of the week reminds me about when the Passion of the Christ
movie hit the big screen. I was listening to WJTL (Christian radio station out of Lancaster) and
they were interviewing people as they left the movie theatre. Through the sobs almost everyone
interviewed indicated that they were going out immediately and do something for God. They felt
this calling because of the torture that Jesus endured for our freedom and salvation.
In some cases this happened. For many when God told them what He wanted them to do they
disappeared from the church. Where would we be today if Mary said No God, dont think so.
There was a huge risk to carrying a baby before being married. The penalty for adultery was
death! Mary did not violate the law but would the people have accepted the virgin birth? I think
not. If Mary was divorced by Joseph and not stoned how would she live?
Her family would not have taken her back because from their point of view she stained the family
honor. She would have become a prostitute. Luckily for us Mary accepted openly the huge task
God placed on her.
Let us not forget Joseph. He was brave and faithful to his God. How many of us today would
accept the angels explanation as to how his virgin wife got pregnant? Seriously, how many of
you? Joseph isnt mentioned much after Jesus birth and we tend to forget about him. However,
he played and incredibly difficult role and did it well.
Page 6 of 76

14 Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter
Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away your punishment; he has turned back your enemy. The
LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will
say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The LORD your God is
with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no
longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." 18 "I will remove from you all who mourn
over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. 19 At that time I
will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them
praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. 20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the
earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the LORD. (Zep 3:14-20 NIV)
Try reading this passage as a poor Mexican. What hope does it bring?
Ask the Lord to remove any burdens or troubles from your life this week.
The minor prophet writings were created while Judah was either controlled by Babylonians or
Persians. The writings about the Greeks and Romans can be found in the Apocrypha. It is hard
to imagine that God would let His people be persecuted. Perhaps we should look at it from Gods
point of view.how can we as humans persecute other humans?
While in Mexico 12 years ago I got to engage a group of ladies who worked in a Levi pants factory.
They felt oppressed because the work conditions were terrible and they got paid next to nothing.
But they had no choice because American wanted Levis jeans and they didnt want to pay much
for them.
Did you ever think about the people who work to put together all the cool stuff that we enjoy today?
Since just about everything has a China component, think about how those people are exploited.
We like to blame the companies who are trying to make more money by manufacturing overseas.
But then we look at our 401K and retirement investment accounts and realize that we want those
dividends and those stocks to increase in value because we want a nice easy retirement.
Unfortunately you cannot have it both ways.
For the workers in the Mexican factory they cant wait for God to intervene. Their government is
corrupt and doesnt create laws to protect their workers. Unfortunately some US companies do
the same type of exploitation here in the States.
So how do we balance a consumer driven economy toward God?
Page 7 of 76

6
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to
testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the
light; he came only as a witness to the light. (Joh 1:6-8 NIV) 19 Now this was John's testimony
when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.20 He did not fail to
confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ. " 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are
you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." 22 Finally they said,
"Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about
yourself?" 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the
desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' " 24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25
questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
26
"I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the
one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." 28 This all
happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (Joh 1:19-28
NIV)
1. Why were the religious leaders so concerned about what John was doing? Today we
ignore people like John, dont we?
2. What do you think Johns life goal was?
3. Should Johns goal be one of your goals?
Witness to one person the need to know God through Jesus Christ.
Additional information: (from Wikipedia)
Although the term "baptism" is not used to describe the Jewish rituals, the purification rites
in Jewish laws and tradition, called "Tvilah", have some similarity to baptism, and the two have
been linked. The "Tvilah" is the act of immersion in natural sourced water, called a "Mikvah"[80][81]In
the Jewish Bible and other Jewish texts, immersion in water for ritual purification was established
for restoration to a condition of "ritual purity" in specific circumstances. For example, Jews who
(according to the Law of Moses) became ritually defiled by contact with a corpse had to use
the mikvah before being allowed to participate in the Holy Temple. Immersion is required
for converts to Judaism as part of their conversion. Immersion in the mikvah represents a change
in status in regards to purification, restoration, and qualification for full religious participation in
the life of the community, ensuring that the cleansed person will not impose uncleanness on
property or its owners (Num. 19 and Babylonian Talmud, TractateChagigah, p. 12). This change
of status by the mikvah could be obtained repeatedly, while Christian baptism, like circumcision,
is, in the general view of Christians, unique and not repeatable.[82] Even the so-called rebaptism by
some Christian denominations is not seen by them as a repetition of an earlier valid baptism and
is viewed by them as not itself repeatable.
During the Second Temple period the Greek noun baptismos was used to refer to ritual washing
in Hellenistic Judaism.
Page 8 of 76

NIV
Luke 3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar-- when Pontius Pilate was
governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis,
and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene-- 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word
of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the
Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book
of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for
the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill
made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will
see God's salvation.'" (Luk 3:1-6 NIV)
1. Why does Luke mention so many Roman officials?
2. What is so radical about Johns message? Is it radical today?
Is there a clear road for Jesus to travel that leads to your heart?
As it turns out John the Baptist was using an Isaiah passage in his proclamation. However if you
use your NIV or NRSV or even KJV Bible and locate the Isaiah passage it will be similar but not
quite an exact match. Lukes Gospel was written using Septuagint passages. The Septuagint was
written around 225 BCE and is a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Therefore it is
a Greek Old Testament. The Greek New Testament refers to passages in the Greek Old
Testament. That makes sense. We have to remember that our English Bibles with some
exceptions are based on the Hebrew version of the OT and the Greek version of the NT. Therefore
there will be some differences.
But the essence of the passage, the spirit of the passage, is still the same. Is there something
blocking you from truly feeling Gods love and grace? If so what is it? Become self-aware of whats
going on inside of you and once you identify the block you need to remove it. That block is
preventing you from fully feeling the love of God.
The workshop I took in November was about Emotional Intelligence. This introductory workshop
concentrated on self-awareness. The workshop turned out to be the most useful one I have taken
in a long while. After the initial resistance I took the first steps of self-awareness of emotions. This
has been leading to other learning opportunities. I feel a block has been removed and I can feel
the love of God and Christ even more.
I encourage everyone to become aware of what might stop you from knowing Jesus Christ. He
waits knocking at the door of our hearts. Are we going to answer him? Are we going to fully commit
to him? Actually you need to ask these question of yourself.
Christs love is available through a faithful discipleship. I can think of no better gift on Christmas
than knowing Jesus was born to bring the message of loving God and neighbor.
Page 9 of 76

25
"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and
perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of
what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see
the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take
place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." 29 He told them
this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for
yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you
know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 "Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass
away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will
never pass away. 34 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness
and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on
all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you
may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the
Son of Man."
(Luk 21:25-36 NIV)
1. How has God protected you in a time of hardship?
2. Does the understand of an end of times have an impact on your attitude toward life?
If you were to meet Jesus face to face today what would you say to him and how will you
answer him when he questions your life?
God sends us so many warnings and what do we do? Most of the time we simply ignore them.
Why? Lets be honest about it, we dont want to do it. Dont feel bad because we are not alone.
This attitude has been a part of human history since the beginning. Adam and Eve were told one
thing not to do and they just had to see what happened if they did it. Now we suffer along with
them.
Rick Warren in his book The Purpose Driven Life talks heavily about money and giving to God.
He tells us how God uses money as a test. We must give our tithes to God no matter how we are
feeling about the church we belong. People like to show their objection to the direction of the
church with their tithing envelopes. This is not an acceptable behavior before the Lord. This is just
one example of attitudes, behaviors and actions we tend to do that we must not be doing.
Each of us will stand before Jesus either upon or death or his return. Last week we read about
Jesus telling Pilate the TRUTH. The TRUTH of the Scripture is difficult because it does go against
our instincts. However on judgment day it is our actions that will be judged. During this week
search your heart for the reasons you do what you do and ask yourself am I following the Word
of God?
Page 10 of 76

NIV
Isaiah 64:1 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would
tremble before you! 2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make
your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! 3 For when you
did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before
you. 4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God
besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. 5 You come to the help of those who
gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were
angry. How then can we be saved? 6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our
righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us
away. 7 No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face
from us and made us waste away because of our sins. 8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We
are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isa 64:1-8 NIV)
1. Have you ever felt that God was not working in your life? Then you realized that He was
really there all the time!
2. Why is it so difficult to completely remove sin from within us?
3. Have you ever thought that God doesnt understand what you are going through? How did
you communicate this emotion to God?
Ask the Lord to shape you into what He wants you to be. John Foster, in his book Prayer,
wrote: prayer changes us. Allow your prayer to change you.
It is so difficult for us to understand the disorientation and panic the people of Judea where going
through at this time in history. Solomons Temple was destroyed! The people believed that
Yahweh (our God) only resided with in the territorial boundaries of Judea and more especially His
throne on Earth was constructed by the cheribums wings that pointed toward each other (there
were two cheribums on the Ark of the Covenant) which resided in the center of the Temple.
How could they possible call upon God? The writings of the time tell us that the people
acknowledged it was their sin which caused their situation. God made a covenant with the people
on Mount Sinai when they accepted the Law, the Ten Commandments. The treaty said that God
would take care of the people as long as the obeyed the laws. Unfortunately as history unfolded
the people didnt follow the laws. That was their sin.
The same effect occurs today. When we violate Gods law we can feel as alone as the ancient
Jews did. God eventually forgave the people and restored them to the land and a new Temple
was built. For us we have our Lord Jesus who died for our sins so we dont have to be in exile for
70 years to be forgiven.
Wouldnt it be cool if we never had to call upon Jesus for forgiveness because we stopped sinning.
I know you are thinking, utopia! I am tooto many temptations in this world, to much evil still
exists in the world, how can we protect ourselves? Remember St. Paul told us to pick up the
helmet of salvation and the armor of God. These items translate today into one document, the
Bible. Always use it to protect yourself from evil and to insure that we can always know of Gods
great love and grace.
Page 11 of 76

NIV 33
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king
of the Jews?" 34 "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?" 35 "Am
I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you
have done?" 36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to
prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place." 37 "You are
a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was
born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
(Joh 18:33-37 NIV)
1. Peter caved in when asked about his knowledge of Jesus and so did Pilate. Why do
we honor Peter and condemn Pilate?
2. Barabbas received his freedom through Jesus sacrifice. How do you feel about Jesus
sacrifice for you?
Think about the Kingdom of God and what it means to you.
The Judeans were looking for a Messiah and King who would push out Rome and restore the
Kingdom of David and the throne of David. Why did they react so negatively to Jesus? Why didnt
they embrace him after all Jesus had performed so many signs and miracles during His three
year ministry with them.
Jesus offered to the people a return to the Word of God. The powers in charge spent a great deal
of time and energy trying to stop him, not just Judean but Roman also. It is obvious the men in
power werent ready to give it up. It is also possible that they didnt believe the Word of God with
respect to the return of the Messiah. Since Jesus didnt evict the Romans, which was their
interpretation of the prophecies, they couldnt come to grips with a different role for the Messiahs
return.
The Kingdom of Heaven has a King and his name is Jesus. He is also the King of the Earth and
the Universe. He accepts us freely as subjects of His Heavenly Kingdom. As citizens of the
Kingdom of God what does our King expect of us? The words of the Gospel and the Christian
Scriptures makes it pretty clear what to do.
Serve the King! Long live King Jesus.
Page 12 of 76

14
"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his
property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another
one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had
received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also,
the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent
went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 "After a long time the master of
those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five
talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have
gained five more.' 21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been
faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's
happiness!' 22 "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with
two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful
servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come
and share your master's happiness!' 24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came.
'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and
gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent
in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?
27
Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned
I would have received it back with interest. 28 " 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one
who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an
abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that
worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
(Mat 25:14-30 NIV)
1. If Jesus returned today, what would he say about the way youve used what He gave
you?
2. What will you do with your God given talents to prepare yourself for Jesus return?
Create a list of the talents that God has given you. Then review the list and determine
which you have used for God and which you havent. Ask yourself how can I use these
other talents for the Kingdom of God?
The English word TALENT is used as the translation of a monetary unit. A talent was
approximately 75 pounds of either gold or silver. It represented 15 years of labor by the average
worker. So one talent was a considerable amount of money. This parable is one of three in chapter
25 which are associated with the Parousia. OK a fancy word for saying the end times or the
second coming of Jesus.
Acknowledging that all talents come from God is the major theme of this passage. Each of us are
given talents. However, it is our decision what to do with them. We have the free will and choice
to decide whether or not to use our talents for God.
I offer thanksgiving to God that so many of you offer your talents to the work that Jesus places
before us. If you havent done this yet or you wish to give more of your talents to the church please
come see me!
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NIV
Matthew 25:1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps
and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish
ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along
with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and
fell asleep. 6 "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 7 "Then
all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some
of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 9 " 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us
and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' 10 "But while they were
on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him
to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they
said. 'Open the door for us!' 12 "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' 13 "Therefore
keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Mat 25:1-13 NIV)
1. Why is being ready to meet Jesus so important?
2. At the final wedding banquet where will you be standing?
3. Do you relate better to the 5 wise or 5 foolish virgins?
Are you ready for Jesus return? What do you need to do if you knew you would meet
Jesus tomorrow? Of course once you figure that out, do it.
From the 10/16/2011 publication: spreading the Gospel without words:
To say Merry Christmas whether or not its politically correct

Resist gossip & gossiping. Look for & say something good about people
Dont give into evil or temptations
The wedding ceremony is the key to understanding this parable. After man gets engaged to a
woman he returns to his fathers home and builds a room onto the house for them to live in. When
he is within 14 days of coming to get his bride he sends word out to the bride to be prepared. The
bride gathers 10 virgins, friends or family members, and they created a lit path from the edge of
the town to the brides home so the groom can find the house. Why? Because the groom will
come sometime between 6 PM and midnight on one of the 14 days. Since the bride does not
know which day the groom will arrive the virgins have to stand vigil until he arrives. Each virgin
would bring a lamp and plenty of oil to last the 6 hours (each day). It is anti-cultural that any of the
virgins would run out of oil or not bring enough. The virgins would have been awake until after
midnight. So there are two major cultural twists in this story.
A first century listener would have picked up on these two twists when he/she heard the parable
and would have been on the edge of their seats waiting to hear what was going to happen. Do
we come before God prepared fully to engage ourselves with what God asks us to give back?
The virgins that came prepared will see heaven while the foolish ones who tried to give less will
not. God asks us to give a tithe of our resources and our time to Him.
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NIV
Ruth 1:1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from
Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of
Moab. 2 The man's name was Elimelek, his wife's name was Naomi, and the names of his two
sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to
Moab and lived there. 3 Now Elimelek, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.
4
They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there
about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and
her husband. 6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by
providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With
her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that
would take them back to the land of Judah. 8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go
back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown
kindness to your dead husbands and to me. (Rut 1:1-8 NIV)
1. Have you ever felt along?
2. What did you do about it?
Like Ruth have you ever dealt with someone from a different culture or ethnic group? If not
consider how you can do this?
Think about Naomi in the story of Ruth. Her family moves to Moab because of a famine in
Bethlehem (the House of Bread). Her husband and two sons come. While in Moab the boys meet
two Moabite women and marry them. Then tragedy strikes and Naomi finds herself alone.
She did have the two daughters in law but they were foreigners to Naomi. As far as she could see
she was very alone. No support, no money, no place to live. What was she to do? She decides
to go back to Bethlehem and perhaps she could get help from her family.
Ruth decides that Naomi must not be along so she clings onto Naomi. They return to Bethlehem
and as the story goes Ruth marries Boaz and their son Obed has a son named Jesse and Jesses
youngest son is King David.
Through Ruth gentiles are biologically grafted into the chosen people of salvation. Jesus tells
us that salvation is for all. Ruths story tells us the same things.
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Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees
sit in Moses' seat. 3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what
they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on
men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 "Everything
they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their
garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the
synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.' 8
"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9 And
do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you
to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you will be
your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be
exalted. (Mat 23:1-12 NIV)
1. What was the Moses seat?
2. What is the main evil of the Pharisees?
3. Why was Jesus angry?
Have you created any laws that you follow and say they are in alignment with Gods Word
when you know they really arent? If so, rid yourself of them?
This picture to the left is the TALLIS. This is a prayer shawl
that Jesus and his disciples would have worn all day. In
Deuteronomy God said wear the Word of God on the
corners of your garments. A tallis is a rectangular piece of
cloth that has tzitzit on each corner. They represent the 5
books of Moses. The story of the women with internal
bleeding and seeks out Jesus to touch the fringes of his garment refers to the
tzitzit. It was believed that the tzitzit had the power of God when worn by the Messiah.
The other picture (to the right) is the tefillin or phylacteries in English. Each box contains a small
scroll with the Deuteronomy passage wear the Word of God on your forehead and forearm. One
box is placed on the forehead and held in place by a leather strap. The other one goes on the
right forearm and the strap is wrapped around the arm. Jesus refers to the length of the tefillin
because in his day the more righteous would extend the straps until they touched the ground. It
was believed that your righteousness was outwardly expressed by the length of the tefellin.
Page 16 of 76

Rev. Dr. Michael Koplitz
46
Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were
leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means "son of Timaeus"), was sitting by the
roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus,
Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted
all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they
called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50 Throwing his cloak aside,
he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked
him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." 52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you."
Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
(Mar 10:46-52 NIV)
Have you ever been approached by a beggar on the street? If so, how did you react?
Do you have the same faith in Jesus as the beggar did?
If Jesus came to you and said he would give anything you wish what would it be?
Spiritual blindness is the main subject of this healing story. When the beggar is cured, by his faith,
he gets up and follows Jesus. How many of us truly follow Jesus since the time of our baptism or
confirmation in the church? There are a lot of people who call themselves Christians but never
participate in worship, fellowship or mission for Christs church. These people are a part of the
Spiritually blind group.
How easy it is to forget what the true meaning of our baptism. Gods kingdom is so opposite ours.
How we react to Gods calling upon our hearts is a test from God for our entry into heaven. Rick
Warrens book 40 days of Purpose shows us that everything God gives us or does not give us
is a test of faith.
While in Nogalas Mexico I watched a lady give away the only thing in her refrigerator, a tomato,
to her neighbor. What are you going to eat? I asked. Her answer was God will provide. Thats
a sign of true faith. Would you have given away the last item in your refrigerator? Think about it
during this week and strengthen your faith in God.
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34
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them,
an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 "Teacher, which is the greatest
commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And
the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on
these two commandments." 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42
"What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" "The son of David," they replied. 43 He
said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says, 44 "
'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." ' 45 If
then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from
that day on (Mat 22:34-46 NIV)
1. In Hebrew and Greek there are over a dozen words meaning love. Each word is a
different type of love. Do you love people differently?
2. How would you define your love for God?
3. What does it mean to you for your love for God to grow and evolve?
Learn something new about God or Jesus from the Bible.
Our love for God is expressed by our faith. How do we express our faith? It is by what we do and
say about God. The more you love another person the more you do for that person. The more
you care about him or her. The more you wish to be a part of their life and your desire to have
that person in your increases.
Is God a part of your life? The more you love God the more you would want God in your life. How
do you bring God into your life? One way is to offer yourself as a living sacrifice for Jesus. Paul
gives us this formula and in simple terms it means doing as much as is physically and monetarily
possible for God. The one area of stewardship that most of us dont think about is the time we
give. If you sleep 8 hours a day that leaves 16 hours. Then a tithe of the 16 hours is 1.6 hours per
day. Times that by 7 and you get 11.2 hours per week that should be given to the Lord.
Sunday school and worship can take about 3 of those hours. That leaves 8.2 hours. What can
you do for God in 8.2 hours per week? A feeding project is being developed which will need our
hands even more than our financial support. Be on the lookout for this program. There are people
in need in our neighborhood who we can help. If you already give your tithe of time or more than
I thank God for you. For those who dont the church has to offer you opportunities and those
opportunities will be available in the near future.
I am thankful to God for all our church in ministry, mission and fellowship already. This church is
filled with disciples of Jesus Christ!
Page 18 of 76

1. Did you ever sit back and honestly ask yourself Am I doing this for Christs glory
or mine?
2. Is there something in your life that Jesus can point to on your judgment day and
tell you that you blocked the growth of the Kingdom?
Begin the process of transformation or continue the process of transformation from
yourself to Christ. Ask yourself will what I say and/or do benefit the Kingdom of God?
Why do we have to be an outward thinking church? The simply answer is Jesus said so. Jesus
told John and James that we have to be servants more concerned about helping others than
helping ourselves. That is why ever committee, team, and event that occurs in the church has to
have an evangelism component. We need to examine everything we do to insure the mission is
always placed before us.
Every church in the Susquehanna Conference at their start was created by a handful of people,
probably less than a dozen. Each church grew by spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Then we
stopped doing this and since 1960 we have been steadily dropping in attendance, membership
and certainly influence.
We became inwardly focused in the mid-1940s through 1960 because all we had to do was to
open the door and the people flowed in. It doesnt work that way anymore, actually it hasnt worked
for 50 years.
It is time for us to start thinking outwardly. It is time for us to look at the empty pews as a challenge
from Jesus to us to fill them! INVITE PEOPLE TO CHURCH. 90% of church growth occurs
because someone asked another person to attend church.
Real church growth is when we are making disciples for Jesus Christ. People are always going
to move from church to church but the true growth of the Kingdom of God is done by making
disciples. That is our mission. That is what Jesus told us to do. MAKE DISCIPLES.
Page 19 of 76

NIV
1 Thessalonians 2:1 You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2 We had
previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we
dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring
from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as men
approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who
tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed-God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As
apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, 7 but we were gentle among you, like a
mother caring for her little children. 8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with
you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. (1Th
2:1-8 NIV)
1. How do we deal with the challenge of NOT being able to discuss the Gospel of Jesus
Christ in public schools, the work place, and other places?
2. Are we willing to take the risk as Paul did?
3. How do you feel about being an APOSTLE of Christ (since we use the word to refer to the
original disciples of Jesus + Paul)?
Is there a place where you are not allowed to mention Jesus but could demonstrate the
Gospel by your words and actions so that those around can learn about your faith? Then
do it!
In the movie Star Wars A New Hope Luke Skywalkers uncle would not allow Ben Kenobe to
give him his fathers light saber because Uncle Owen was worried that Luke would follow Ben on
some idealistic crusade like Lukes father did. So Ben could not talk about the Force. Eventually
an opportunity arose that allowed Ben to tell young Luke all about the ways of the force. Paul
experienced a similar situation. The officials did not want him to talk about the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. What did they fear? One could also ask if that fear exists today? Is our government afraid
of what might happen if the Gospel of Jesus Christ was heard in all parts of the country?
When we look at countries that by law forbid the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can
quickly see that they do this because they are afraid. When men and women learn about Gods
love and grace and the equality that Jesus fought for they will want the same thing for themselves
and their children. They might then revolt against the government!
For us in this country we know of places that we are not allowed to preach the Gospel by Words.
St. Ignatius said many years ago, preach the Gospel and if necessary use words. How can we
preach the Gospel without words? Something to contemplate during week. Write ideas down on
this page and then let Pastor Mike have the ideas and he will compile them and distribute them
so all of us can spread the Gospel.
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Hebrews 4:12-16 NIV 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged
sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from Gods sight. Everything is uncovered
and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.14 Therefore, since we have
a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to
the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we areyet he did
not sin. 16 Let us then approach Gods throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
1. Why do we need a High Priest? Didnt that need evaporate when the Temple in Jerusalem
was destroyed on 70CE?
2. What do you think about the statement Jesus is our High Priest?
Who is Jesus to you?
The Word of God is a double edged sword. You dont think about the Scriptures in that way too
often. However, it is a double edged sword. There are the wonderful passages about how God
loves us and sent Jesus to free us from the torment of sin and damnation but there are also
passages that tell us what to avoid so that we dont end up with Satan for eternity.
The sad part is that in most US mainline churches the preaching of the commandments of Gods
Word are not done because it might upset the people. But to keep the congregation in the dark
about Gods Laws and commandments is just as bad. One day each of us will be standing before
the Throne of God and we will be asked about our actions, words and attitudes. You wont be
able to tell God that you didnt read those parts of the Word or that you simply ignored them so
you should be able to be exempt from them. IT DOESNT WORK THAT WAY!!!
Whenever I lead a Bible study of Revelation people are surprised to read that Jesus can be our
defender or our prosecutor. The Son of God our Savior can actually prosecute us when we reach
judgment day. The ANSWER IS YES! Read the Book of the Revelation. It is clearly stated there
and that is why most Christian dont like the book and dont want anything to do with it.
John Wesley said that when you become a member of the Family of God that you obligate yourself
to certain ways to thinking and ways of behavior which are contrary to the culture of the world but
are in line with God.
READ THE WORD and find out for yourself!
Page 21 of 76

Psalm 23:1 A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me
lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides
me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even 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.
5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my
cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in
the house of the LORD forever. (Psa 23:1-6 NIV)
1. Do you walk in a dark valley today? (read below before contemplating)
2. Who are the enemies of Jesus Christ today? Can we do anything about them?
3. What would you like to have God place in your cup today so it overflows?
If you have a shadowy valley in your life (a place you would like to get out of or a habit you
wish to rid yourself of) pray for Gods help to remove it.
The Shadow of Death is a traditional translation that we received from the King James Version of
the Bible. The actual Hebrew reads

( Psa
23:4 WTT)
A word by word transliteration is in the valley, shadow or deep darkness, no fear, evil. So a
translation of this verse could read: even when I walk through the darkest valley of evil, I will not
be afraid, for you are beside me. This is a completely different reading of verse 4. The word
DEATH is not in the sentence. Somewhere along historys path the dark valley became death.
What this tells us today is that GODS PROMISES to always be with us as disciples of Jesus
Christ in all situations. Even when everything seems dark and we feel alone, we arent alone. God
is with us! You may not be able to feel Gods presence with you but God is there. The psalmist
knew this. Even during the Babylonian Exile, a very dark valley in Israels history, Yahweh was
with them.
It is interesting that in Davids day the shepherd was considered a wonderful metaphor for God.
Shepherds had an important place in Israel. Moses tended sheep before God called him to bring
the people out of Egypt. David was a shepherd boy who became Israels greatest King. The list
goes on. However, by the time of Jesus the shepherd was considered a lowly position. There was
no joy in being a lowly shepherd. The economy of Israel had shifted from farming and animal
husbandry to olive oil production. The nomadic nature of Israel had changed to large cities and a
conformance to the Roman powers. We use the shepherd imagery for Jesus. It is a great
metaphor. Just like the cross, in Roman days it was the symbol of death, today it is the symbol of
life. The same with the shepherd symbol.
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NIV
Psalm 26:1 Of David. Vindicate me, LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in
the LORD and have not faltered. 2 Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;
3
for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your
faithfulness. 4 I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites. 5 I abhor the
assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go
about your altar, LORD, 7 proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds. 8
LORD, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells. 9 Do not take away my
soul along with sinners, my life with those who are bloodthirsty, 10 in whose hands are wicked
schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes. 11 I lead a blameless life; deliver me and be merciful
to me. 12 My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the LORD. (Psa
26:1-12 NIV)
3. Have you ever considered God as a personal or even intimate friend?
Start today walking with Jesus next to you. Talk to Jesus about what you are doing during the
day; decisions, choices, how to treat others. See how much you become like Jesus by doing this.
We become like the people we associate with on a very regular basis. If we have Jesus as our
friend who we chat with regularly (we call it prayer) then by association we will turn from our
prideful and self-centered ways into becoming like Jesus. He only cared about taking care of
others. In his day even Jesus constantly showed that he was concerned for others before himself.
Foxes and birds have homes but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. The Son of God
was more concerned about everyone else even though he had no place to sleep. Jesus gives
himself to us and freely does so. What are you doing for Jesus? How are you transforming your
behavior and outlook on life and love toward your neighbor to demonstrate your walk with Christ?
Many of us dont even think about Jesus during the day. We are wired through our school
education to just keep moving forward without pausing. The pause is necessary and quite useful
because this is a great time to ask Jesus.
The more we are in communion with Jesus the more like him we will become. I pray for all of us
to develop that stronger bond with our Lord.
Page 23 of 76

7
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be
opened. 9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish,
will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So
in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the
Prophets. (Mat 7:7-12 NIV)
8
4. What is Jesus stressing about God in this passage?
5. How do we take into account different personality types in verse 12?
If there is someone in your life you have pre-judged go talk to that person one and one and
develop your own opinion.
Verse 12 is a rewording of verse 1-5 which was not a part of the reading for this week but is
definitely worth looking at. The Golden Rule can be viewed in the sense of justice and judgment.
In other words if you are being accused of doing something wrong wouldnt you like the
opportunity to clarify your side of the story especially before judgment occurs. Image our legal
system if only the prosecutor was permitted to speak? Image a legal system where the defendant
is not given the opportunity to offer their side of the story or to question the accusations. You are
probably thinking, thats not fair. But dont we do that!
We hear a rumor that is usually 3rd or 4th hand and turn it into the truth even though we havent
heard the real story from the accuser or the defendant. Have you ever made a decision about a
person before you met them because of what your friend said or guilt by association.
This is what the Gold Rule is saying to us today. If you dont want a person to judge you before
you have had a chance to talk to them then dont do it to others. It is a very simple thing to say
but a difficult rule to follow.
Also remember that Jesus expects us to forgive. If we dont forgive then we cant be forgiven.
Thats in the Lords Prayer and here again, if you want forgiveness you have to give it. The
Golden Rule in place!
There are a lot of applications for the Golden Rule, arent there. God bless you this week.
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13
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done
in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in
your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such "wisdom" does not come down from
heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there
you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all
pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and
sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.NIV James 4:1 What
causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?
2
You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you
quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not
receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your
pleasures. (Jam 3:13-3 NIV)
4. Why do we allow conflict in the church?
5. Why cant we let go of our personal agendas, wants and desires?
Open your heart to accept everyone. Accept that we are all different. Accept that we all have
different ways of expressing our worship to God. Love those who dont agree with your
position as Christ loves you. Allow space for new ways of thinking and worshiping. Show LOVE
not HATRED; that is what Jesus would do!
How does God want us to deal with each other in life? The answer is in the Scripture. Therefore
several passages are presented below (and one above) for you to see what God and Jesus
expects. The church by a 83% to 17% margin voted to move into a new relationship and a way to
bring the Gospel into the streets. We need to work together on this adventure instead of the
conflict that is being created. Our mission is to make disciples for Jesus Christ, not to create a
church exclusively for us.
8
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be
careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Jos 1:8 NIV)
16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God1 may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
(2Ti 3:16-17 NIV)
18
"'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your
neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. (Lev 19:18 NIV)
15
"If your brother or sister1 sins,2 go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they
listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along,
so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17 If they still
refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as
you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Mat 18:15-17 NIV)
Page 25 of 76
31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave
you. (Eph 4:31-32 NIV)
32
13
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Col 3:13 NIV)
23
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or
sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be
reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. (Mat 5:23-24 NIV)
19
Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him
because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside,
wanting to see you." 21 He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and
put it into practice." (Luk 8:19-21 NIV)
Page 26 of 76

Philippians 2:1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from
his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy
complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do
nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than
yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of
others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature
God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a
cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above
every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father. 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but
now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for
it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Phi 2:1-13 NIV)
1. How would your life change if you were able to fully empty yourself of all the excess
baggage you are hanging onto?
2. When showing humility how do we prevent others from taking advantage of us?
Spend 5 minutes in prayer asking Jesus to help empty you of anything that might keep
you away from God.
Kenosis means the emptying of the self. We all have
baggage from our past that still haunts us today. Have you
ever pondered why you might not be as fully engaged in
Christs work as you know you should be? What is holding
us back? Are there any preconceived notions or
falsehoods that block our thinking?
Have you ever made a decision about whether or not to

like someone based on their appearance, ethnicity or
religion before you actually met the person? From time to
time we all do this. So how do we rid ourselves of this
skeletons in our closets? If we follow the way of Kenosis then we can do it! As Jesus emptied
himself of his divinity we can learn how to rid ourselves of all the hurts and pains that prevent us
from full and complete service to Christ. This passage is the outline of the procedure. The tough
part comes when you decide to do this and move forward. It isnt easy. Remember if you want to
become Christ like then you have to do this.
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13
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done
in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in
your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such "wisdom" does not come down from
heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there
you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all
pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and
sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.NIV James 4:1 What
causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?
2
You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you
quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not
receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your
pleasures. (Jam 3:13-3 NIV)
6. Why do we allow conflict in the church?
7. Why cant we let go of our personal agendas, wants and desires?
Open your heart to accept everyone. Accept that we are all different. Accept that we all have
different ways of expressing our worship to God. Love those who dont agree with your
position as Christ loves you. Allow space for new ways of thinking and worshiping. Show LOVE
not HATRED; that is what Jesus would do!
How does God want us to deal with each other in life? The answer is in the Scripture. Therefore
several passages are presented below (and one above) for you to see what God and Jesus
expects. The church by a 83% to 17% margin voted to move into a new relationship and a way to
bring the Gospel into the streets. We need to work together on this adventure instead of the
conflict that is being created. Our mission is to make disciples for Jesus Christ, not to create a
church exclusively for us.
8
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be
careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Jos 1:8 NIV)
16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God1 may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
(2Ti 3:16-17 NIV)
18
"'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your
neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. (Lev 19:18 NIV)
15
"If your brother or sister1 sins,2 go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they
listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along,
so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17 If they still
refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as
you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Mat 18:15-17 NIV)
Page 28 of 76
31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave
you. (Eph 4:31-32 NIV)
32
13
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Col 3:13 NIV)
23
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or
sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be
reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. (Mat 5:23-24 NIV)
Page 29 of 76

Matthew 20:1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning
to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them
into his vineyard. 3 "About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace
doing nothing. 4 He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever
is right.' 5 So they went. "He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the
same thing. 6 About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He
asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' 7 " 'Because no one
has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' 8 "When
evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their
wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' 9 "The workers who were hired
about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were
hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When
they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 'These men who were hired last
worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the
burden of the work and the heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not
being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to
give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don't I have the right to do what I
want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 "So the last will be
first, and the first will be last." (Mat 20:1-16 NIV)
1. Have you ever felt cheated because you worked longer or harder than a coworker and
never received any kind of recognition?
2. If you were the first worker hired how would you feel about being paid an equal amount
as the workers that only worked 1 hour at the end of the day? Be honest?
3. Do you think its right that someone can be a sinner their whole life and receive salvation
at the end of their lives?
Take a look at your relationships and how you treat people. Do you treat some people better or
worse than others? Then ask yourself why? How might this relate to the parable? If you dont
have this situation in your life then ask yourself are you jealous of someone who has received
more than you for doing the same job? If so, how can you rid yourself of this jealousy?
A denarius is a small silver coin, about the size of a penny,

which was considered the wage for a laborer for one days
work. A denarius was just enough money to feed one
person. Therefore, families had to get every member
working every day. A question arises: what about the
Sabbath? Torah law forbids working on the Sabbath. So did
the laborer and his family go hungry?
Page 30 of 76
Is it fair that someone coming to work at the end of the day should receive the same wages as
the person who starts in the morning? This parable has been used to talk about Gods grace for
many centuries. The Reformation reformers used it heavily. As United Methodists we like
Wesleys interpretation that no matter what time in life you come to accept Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior you have the same amount of grace and love showered upon you as others have. So
if you grew up in the church being baptized as an infant, attending all Sunday school classes and
worships shouldnt you get more in heaven than the death bed confession?
The parable says no. Instead of being jealous we should rejoice over every soul we bring into the
love and grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Age doesnt matter. As for the death bed
confession God knows what is truly in the heart of the person. They cant fake it and fool God. So
dont worry about them. Remember that God expects to see us demonstrate our faith. A death
bed confessor doesnt have the time to prove to God that the faith is real.
An interesting book to read is Confessions by

Saint Augustine. Augustine was the playboy of
the ancient world who came to accept Christ later
on in life through his mother who was a Christian.
Around 400 CE Augustine, to his surprise,
becomes the Bishop of Hippo (in northern Africa)
and the most influential theologian in all of
Christianity. The doctrine of Original Sin was
developed by Augustine. What you will discover
in Augustines life is how God forgives everyone,
even a sinner like Augustine. Once one
confesses and accepts Christ as Savior
marvelous things happen. (By the way you will
have to go to Amazon.Com to look inside the
book.)
Page 31 of 76

27
Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked
them, "Who do people say I am?" 28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah;
and still others, one of the prophets." 29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Peter answered, "You are the Messiah." 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 He
then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the
elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three
days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke
him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me,
Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." 34
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my
disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to
save their life1 will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What
good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give
in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and
sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory
with the holy angels." (Mar 8:27-1 NIV)
Who is Jesus?
What does Jesus mean to you?

Formulate in your mind or on paper the answer to who is Jesus so that you can tell others about
him. Add personal experiences that you have had with Christ.
So a non-believer stops you on the street and asks tell me about Jesus Christ? are you ready
to answer him or her. Why should we stand ready to talk about Jesus? There are millions of
people in this world who dont know anything about Jesus or what he stands for. Millions have no
clue what goes on in church.
At a previous church I asked some young skateboard kids what they thought about church. Their
answer was simple: you get married in church and your funeral is in church. There is so much
about church nobody knows about. Christians tend to do great things in silence. It is time to toot
the Jesus whistle and let everyone know who he is and what he is all about.
PASS IT ON is a great hymn because it encourages us to climb to the mountain top and shout
PRAISE GOD. So who is Jesus to you? Just responding God isnt going to fly with young
people today.
Tell them the great things God has done for you (blessings) since you came to accept Jesus as
Lord and Savior. It isnt hard and actually once you have done this a couple times it will be hard
for you to contain the excitement.
We are Jesus ambassadors. We must stand ready to talk about and for him.
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21
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when
he sins against me? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but
seventy-seven times. 23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle
accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand
talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his
wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 "The servant fell on his knees
before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's
master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 "But when that servant went out, he
found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to
choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. 29 "His fellow servant fell to his knees and
begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' 30 "But he refused. Instead, he went off
and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw
what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that
had happened. 32 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled
all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow
servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured,
until he should pay back all he owed. 35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you
unless you forgive your brother from your heart." (Mat 18:21-35 NIV)
1. Does God forgive us unconditionally?
2. Is there a limit to the amount of times we sin?
3. If not, then why be good? If we constantly sin against God arent we joining Satans team?
What then?
If there is someone in your life who you should forgive but havent then pray for the power
to forgive. If not, think about someone who sinned against you and you have forgiven. Do
you have any negative emotions when you think about that person? If so, then you may
not have completely forgiven them. It may be time to consider forgiving the person again.
I always suggest that you read more than one English version of the Bible. I am going to show
you why with this passage.
KJV
Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against
me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
MGI
Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came near to him and said, "My Lord, if my brother offends me,
how many times should I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
NIV
Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive
my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
NJB
Matthew 18:21 Then Peter went up to him and said, 'Lord, how often must I forgive my brother
if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?'
Page 33 of 76
NLT
Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone
who sins against me? Seven times?"
NRS
Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins
against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?"
Probably one of the English versions of the Bible shown is the one you are reading. You might
not immediately see the differences in the versions and are probably thinking, Pastor there is
significant difference here. One way to discover the difference in the English versions is to read
them out loud. You will be surprised how quickly you will pick on the differences.
The major difference is with the last translation. The NRS (New Revised Standard version) added
a few words to the English translation that do not appear in the other English versions nor in the
original Greek version. Those words are if another member of the church. Now you can see it!
The Translation Committee of the NRS version have inserted some of their theological views into
their English translation. This is one of those spots in which they did this.
What is fascinating is when I was reading some scholarly work about this passage one author
harped on the concept the extra words in the NRS version gives us and pushed it as a Jesus
point. Jesus would not have spoken about a separate church. So right there the author should
have seen the problem. Whenever you read any commentaries you have to understand the
authors theological viewpoints are going to come through.
Bible software makes it easy to review several versions of the Scriptures at the same time. The
best software for original language work and English versions is called BibleWorks V8. If you do
not wish to spend the $300 for the software, you can get a parallel Bible. Parallel Bibles have a
number of versions side by side so it is easy to read more than one version at a time.
Also, beware of paraphrased Bibles. These are Bibles that take an English translation and reword
it to include modern language, customs and idioms. Most of the time they are fine in their
selections but there are times when the paraphrase isnt the best.
Feel free to chat with me about Bible versions anytime.
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WEEK STARTING SUNDAY 09/09/12/12
NIV
James 2:1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show
favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a
poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing
fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or
"Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges
with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are
poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who
love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they
not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the
noble name of him to whom you belong? 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture,
"Love your neighbor as yourself,"1 you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and
are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles
at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, "You shall not commit adultery,"1
also said, "You shall not murder."2 If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have
become a lawbreaker. 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives
freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.
Mercy triumphs over judgment. 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to
have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without
clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but
does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is
not accompanied by action, is dead. (Jam 2:1-17 NIV)
1. Who do you consider the people with the golden rings today?
2. Who are considered the poor today?
3. How should we help the poor?
God does not show favoritism and Jesus says neither should we. Is anything like this
happening in your life? If so, pray to rid yourself of favoritism.
Of course each of us can name persons who enter our lives that we really dont like. In reality
75% of the people you come in contact with are of a different personality type. When you
communicate with someone who is not in personality type they may not give you the reaction you
expect. We know the Golden Rule of do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. What
does this really mean? It means mutual respect to listen to each other and work together for the
common good.
People will have disagreements about how to accomplish tasks and what the definitions of a task
might be. This situation is generated because of differing personality types. An excellent tool
which I highly recommend is a book called People Smarts written by Tony Alexandras. He takes
basic personality modeling and created a model that is simplistic and accurate. Tony developed
his system to help business persons to relate to one another in the office. But it has expanded
into everyday life. It is a very simple system to learn and if you use it you will be amazed at the
results.
Page 35 of 76
Every person you deal with should always be shown the respect of being a child of God. James
urges us to talk to each other in this manner. James is an excellent Christian Life manual.
Page 36 of 76

15
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he
listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others
along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17 If
he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church,
treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on
earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 "Again,
I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my
Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."(Mat
18:15-20 NIV)
1. Whom is Jesus addressing in this passage? For what desired result?
2. This reconciliation process has four stages. Can you identify each stage and the desired
outcome?
3. What obstacles frustrate the process? How can you remove obstacles?
This week the challenge is to contemplate the following: what happens to our communication
network in the church when a dispute is taken public circumventing our Biblical process?
ekklesia {ek-klay-see'-ah} is the Greek word used in verse 17 tell it to the church.
What I want to show you in this document is that by the use of language we can discover
approximately when documents probably were written. Ekklesia is the Greek word which has
been translated as church in English. Unfortunately the English word church has taken on several
meanings beyond the original idea. Ekklesia means a group of people who gather together for
religious discussion or ritual. Jesus did not speak Greek so we are not necessarily reading his
exact words. The term Ekklesia was first used by Paul to describe the groups of religious people
he left behind. Of course, they came together to praise and worship God and Jesus Christ. For
Paul, who spoke Greek, Ekklesia is the correct word to use. He uses that word in his letters.
Jesus would not have used Ekklesia. This word did not apply to Jews. Their gatherings were
called synagogues which is a Greek word meaning the gathering of Jews to offer prayer and ritual.
Why did Jews get their own word? No one really knows that answer beyond their blessings from
God through the covenant God made with Abraham made them special.
Jesus didnt build an Ekklesia on Earth. He left that job to Peter upon you I will build my
Ekklesia, So knowing these things we can safely say that Matthews Gospel was not written
earlier than 48n CE because of the language of the text. The idea Jesus places before us is a
repeat of the Deuteronomy codes about keeping community. Being in community was important
to Jesus and the early church movement. So whether or not Jesus said this exact sentence is not
Page 37 of 76
as important as the meaning of the story community is paramount to the building of the church.
Amen.
Page 38 of 76

21
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and
suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he
must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke
him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of
God, but the things of men." 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me,
he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains
the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the
Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each
person according to what he has done. 28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not
taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." (Mat 16:21-1 NIV)
1. When and how did you come to recognize Jesus as your Messiah?
2. In what area(s) does verse 24 strike home to you now?
3. What perspective does Jesus gain and forfeit argument (verses 25-26) give you on your
current priorities?
Take a look at your priorities by writing them down (or use your computer or tablet). Then look
at each one and see if and how they fit into the Kingdom of God. Then make a list of those
things you want to make a priority. Examine those priorities to see how many fit into the
Kingdom of God. Is it possible to only do things that exemplify Christ?
This passage from the Lectionary (a schedule of 3 years assigning scriptures to each Sunday)
gives a passage with two lessons. The sermon will deal with verses 21-24 and this document
will explore verses 25-28. Taking up the cross becomes a symbol of the church after Jesus
resurrection and the understanding that Jesus came to fulfill the Suffering Servant message
of Isaiah (chapter 53). There were four lines of thought about what would happen when the
Messiah was sent. The climate of the Roman occupation prevented many Jews from seeing
the fifth and correct prediction from the prophets about the Messiah. It would be a good idea
to stop here and read Isaiah 53. I will wait..
So Jesus death is a part of Gods plan to restore Israel and to refine what Israel meant. It is
an inclusive spiritual renewal. Jesus knew that sacrifice would occur to all who followed Him.
Unfortunately for the first 300 years of the faith being baptized would result in death. In the
first century that meant crucifixion.
Page 39 of 76
Most of what is known about the life of Justin Martyr comes from
his own writings. He was born at Flavia Neapolis (today Nablus)
in Palestine. His parents were pagans. He tells us (Dialogue 28) that he tried first the school of a Stoic philosopher, who was
unable to explain God's being to him. He then attended
a Peripatetic philosopher but was put off because the
philosopher was too eager for his fee. Then he went to hear
a Pythagorean philosopher, who demanded that he first learn
music, astronomy and geometry, which he did not wish to do.
After this he was drawn to Platonism, until meeting an old man
on the sea shore who told him about Christianity, and he
converted. He was influenced in this by the fearless conduct of
the Christians facing execution (Apol. 2:12). This conversion
seems to have taken place at Ephesus.
He then adopted the dress of a philosopher himself and travelled
about teaching. He arrived in Rome in the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161), where he started
his own school. Tatian was one of his pupils. In the reign of Marcus Aurelius, after disputing
with the cynic philosopher Crescens, he was denounced by the latter to the authorities,
according to Tatian (Address to the Greeks 19) and Eusebius (HE IV 16.7-8). Justin was tried
together with six companions by Junius Rusticus who was urban prefect from 163-167, and
was beheaded, probably in 165. The martyrdom of Justin preserves the court record. (from
Wikipedia)
There were plenty of followers who died before Justin. Justin wrote a defense of Christianity
before his death which proclaimed Christianity to be something the Roman Empire should
embrace because it would then have Gods blessings. The first of several apologies can be
found
at
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/justinmartyr-firstapology.html.
Unfortunately the Emperor didnt see it that way. Luckily for us we are not executed by the
State for believing in Jesus Christ and God. However people in this country can suffer in other
ways for the Gospel. When this happens it could be considered a test from God to see how
faithful one is.
What have you given up to be a follower of Christ? Chapter 16 of Matthews Gospel contains
Peters exclamation about Jesus as the Messiah. It also contains his not understanding how
God was going to have Jesus fulfill his mission. Jesus let his followers know that they will be
looking at the same end of their lives because of Him. The reward is entry into heaven to bask
in the love and grace of God. Isnt it worth giving up ones life for that cause? But before we
can be taken into heaven we are supposed to accomplish the work Jesus started.
The road is hard to follow at times. However, we must follow it. The twists and turns that await
us cannot be avoided. Following Jesus requires continual sacrifice. We work for the glory of
Christ at Calvary Church and as a church and as individuals we have been blessed for
our faithfulness. But we cant stop there. Jesus expects us to keep on trucking! So
many of our sister churches stopped their ministry worked and proclaimed, been there, done
that, got the t-shirt. Those are the churches that are in decline and failing. We know that the
work of Christ is never done.
Let us continue to do the work God places before us and as always with a big smile and a
generous heart.
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WEEK STARTING SUNDAY 09/09/12/12
NIV
James 2:1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show
favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a
poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing
fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or
"Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges
with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are
poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who
love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they
not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the
noble name of him to whom you belong? 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture,
"Love your neighbor as yourself,"1 you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and
are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles
at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, "You shall not commit adultery,"1
also said, "You shall not murder."2 If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have
become a lawbreaker. 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives
freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.
Mercy triumphs over judgment. 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to
have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without
clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but
does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is
not accompanied by action, is dead. (Jam 2:1-17 NIV)
4. Who do you consider the people with the golden rings today?
5. Who are considered the poor today?
6. How should we help the poor?
God does not show favoritism and Jesus says neither should we. Is anything like this
happening in your life? If so, pray to rid yourself of favoritism.
Of course each of us can name persons who enter our lives that we really dont like. In reality
75% of the people you come in contact with are of a different personality type. When you
communicate with someone who is not in personality type they may not give you the reaction you
expect. We know the Golden Rule of do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. What
does this really mean? It means mutual respect to listen to each other and work together for the
common good.
People will have disagreements about how to accomplish tasks and what the definitions of a task
might be. This situation is generated because of differing personality types. An excellent tool
which I highly recommend is a book called People Smarts written by Tony Alexandras. He takes
basic personality modeling and created a model that is simplistic and accurate. Tony developed
his system to help business persons to relate to one another in the office. But it has expanded
into everyday life. It is a very simple system to learn and if you use it you will be amazed at the
results.
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Every person you deal with should always be shown the respect of being a child of God. James
urges us to talk to each other in this manner. James is an excellent Christian Life manual.
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NIV
Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform
any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3 For
by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you
ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith
God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members
do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each
member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a
man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if
it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the
needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing
mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Rom 12:1-8 NIV)
1. What does verse 12:1 add to your understanding of true worship?
2. How can you present your body as a living sacrifice in everyday life?
3. Are there additional ways you use your gifts to serve God?
Look at what you do during the next week and see if there is one thing you do because it allows
you to conform to the world (examples: the way you dress, the way act, where you go) and ask
yourself does this benefit my worship and praise to God? If it doesnt, consider dropping it
from your life or changing it to praise God.
It is always difficult to deal with Pauls letters because these letters are answers to questions
sent to Paul by the elders of the various churches he established. By the nature of the answers
theologians have played Jeopardy with the letters trying to determine the question. However,
there are some facts we do know. The church at Rome was a fully integrated church of Jews
and Gentiles. There was a large Jewish population in Rome and many of them were awaiting
the Messiah. Many Jews heard the Gospel and saw it as truth and became a part of the Roman
Church. Their idea of Jesus worship was considerably different than the Gentiles that Paul
brought to Christ.
The debate whether or not these Gentiles needed to adopt Jewish laws and practices before
becoming a part of the church was debated for years. The question of living righteously became
a big problem. For Jews living righteously was living under the Torah Laws (the laws found in
the first five books of our Bibles). Of course the Gentile converts had no clue what that meant.
So Jews in the Roman Church saw themselves in a more (maybe higher is a better word
instead of more) righteous state (whatever that really meant).
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Paul is expressing the need for both Jews and Gentiles to work together because all of Israel,
as Paul states, is all people who have faith in the Messiah Jesus. Having rank in the church a
is cultural thinking, not God thinking. Each member of the church is equal in Gods eye from
the chair of the Administrative Board to the acolyte. There is no rank in church. Everyone has
a set of gifts and talents given to them by the Holy Spirit. Those gifts and talents are expressed
in many different ways. ALL ARE EQUAL!!! Thats one of the themes to this passage. Clearly
the people of Calvary York know this to be the truth.
We are told to be a living sacrifice to God. In the church that means we need to be servants
and not volunteers. It is a new way of thinking for the Roman Church and for many of our
churches today. When a need arising we should jump at the opportunity to serve Christ if our
gifts and talents fit the task. The church leadership should never have to ask for volunteers but
rather the church of servants jump out of their pews to sign on for whatever tasks are needed.
So church leadership asks for servants who can help accomplish Gods work.
What I am discovering out about Calvary Church is that you are SERVANTS!!! When the
need for workers is presented you respond as servants. That makes our church, what I call, a
Gospel Directing church. Preaching must be biblically based. We call that Gospel Preaching.
We need to be hearing Gods word preached because it helps us to discover Gods Will for us.
In our United Methodist Churches our pastors are Gospel Preachers using the Bible as the
basis of their sermons. But how do our churches respond to the Word?
Few churches are Gospel Directing being filled with volunteers who have to be asked
personally to work for Christ. These churches arent doing mission and outreach work. They
dont help the poor and try to improve their neighborhood. They do nothing because having to
recruit volunteers is painful work and gets old fast.
BUT WE DO THE WORK OF CHRIST HERE!!! Each of us should feel proud that we are a
part of a church that is doing the Gospel as much as it hears the Gospel. Calvary York UMC is
a Gospel Directing church. Servants are easy to gather here for the work of Christ. The
Mission and Outreach arms of the church are long and strong and help dozens of people in
many different ways. We are reaching out into York City and I can see where we are making a
difference and in other places starting to change things to the positive; Gods way!
Be proud of your Church and tell everyone you see that Calvary York does what the Gospel of
Jesus Christ says. There is no doubt that Jesus is pleased with us because He keeps pouring
the blessings of heaven upon us. It is WONDERFUL to be in this Gospel environment.
I know we will continue in this way and I can see even more being done. Thank you Lord
Jesus for this wonderful church of God loving people who are happiest when they are
doing the work you place before us. God takes our praises and work for Christ and
transforms them into blessings. Lets keep the blessings flowing!!! Amen.
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3
Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the instructions given him by
his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 4 The
king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon
offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon
during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 6 Solomon
answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was
faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him
and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 "Now, LORD my God, you have
made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know
how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great
people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern
your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great
people of yours?" 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to
him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for
the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have
asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like
you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for--both wealth
and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in
obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a
long life." (1Ki 3:3-14 NIV)
Consider the vast array of spiritual gifts and decide which one you wish to have amplified
by God.
A short list of spiritual gifts/characteristics you may want to consider:
Love
Vision
Purpose
Confidence
Wisdom
Creativity
Willingness to sacrifice for others
Truth
Humbleness
Sincerity
Forgiveness
Healing
Mercy
4
God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit
distributed according to his will. (Heb 2:4 NIV)
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There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds
of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in
everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for
the common good. (1Co 12:4-7 NIV)
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15
And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For
I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." 17 After taking the
cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink
again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 And he took bread, gave thanks
and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance
of me." 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant
in my blood, which is poured out for you. (Luk 22:15-20 NIV)
1. In your homes today is there any significance to your meals? Do you do anything special?
Discuss anything special?
2. Can you remember a meal where something unexpectedly happened that changed you in
any profound way?
3. What does the Sacrament of Holy Communion mean to you?
During this week take the opportunity at every meal to offer your prayer of thanksgiving for the
food (grace) and to include a thank you to Jesus for His willingness to die for your forgiveness.
Hopefully, you will incorporate this into your meal prayers.
There are four cups of wine consumed as a part of the Passover ritual. Each cup holds a
symbolic significance.
The Cup of Sanctification based on Gods statement, I will bring you out from under the
burdens of the Egyptians
The Cup of Judgment or Deliverance- based on Gods statement, I will deliver you from
slavery to them
The Cup of Redemption based on Gods statement, I will redeem you with an outstretched
arm
The Cup of Praise or Restoration based on Gods statement, I will take you to be my
people, and I will be your God
Theologians have been challenged through the years with Lukes description of the communion
event. In it there are two cups of wine. Several scholars believe Luke had it correct: the 3rd cup
of the Passover, the one first described by Luke, was the cup Jesus used to symbolize his
blood. Why? The bread broken after the meal is called the Afikomen. This bread is shared with
a small amount of olive oil as the dessert of the meal. The Afikomen is broken between the 3rd
and 4th cups of the meal. If Jesus was making a statement about the redemption of sins then
the 3rd cup logically would have been used since that is the significance on said cup. This would
mean Jesus gave the disciples the cup of wine first followed by the bread. The church has
been doing the bread then cup order since it was first recorded (around 150 CE by Hippolitus,
Bishop of Rome).
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Whichever way Jesus actually introduced the ritual we need to remember that Holy
Communion is a structured pray to thank God for sending His Son to die horribly on the cross
for our salvation. Jesus is the cosmic sacrifice for us. His death fulfills the death requirement
of the animal sacrifice system not only for those who lived with Jesus but for all who came
before Jesus and for all who come after Jesus. When we partake in the Communion Sacrament
we are a part of a process God put in place to forgive our sins and to move us toward
Perfection.
Communion is our opportunity to come before God and to express our inward faith in an
outward bodily way. Jews have always used their bodies to worship God. Sitting still in a pew
while prayer is offered has never been the Hebrew way. Full engagement in prayer needs to
be all parts of our being. Communion offers that opportunity. We get to show Jesus by taking
the bread and cup that we are fully engaged in worship and prayer. It is an outward way of
showing our inward faith and belief in the acts of salvation through Jesus.
John Wesley (founder of Methodism) held the Holy Communion Sacrament three times a day.
He would combine the Sacrament with a meal when he was a member of the Holiness Club at
Oxford University in the early 1730s (John founded the Holiness Club). How often can we
thank God for salvation through Christ? There is no limit! Martin Luther was known to offer the
ritual 9+ times a day.
Members of the Order of Saint Luke (a Methodist order) believe the United Methodist Church
has lost the meaning and need of the Sacraments mainly because Communion is not done
often in most UM Churches (5 times a year). The Order promotes Holy Communion at every
worship celebration. Therefore, after this Sunday the Sacrament of Holy Communion will be
offered every Sunday. When we are not engaged in corporate Communion a personalized
Communion will be available during the final hymn of the worship service. The Sacrament will
be served at the altar rail and in the pews for those who physically cannot come forward easily.
This is your opportunity to thank God for sending His Son to die to offer us salvation and to be
the cosmic sacrifice. You are encouraged to partake in the Communion Sacrament every week.
Remember the sacraments on Holy Communion and Holy Baptism set us apart for the work of
God. To be holy means to be set apart for God. The Sacraments are also an opportunity to
listen for Gods voice and to demonstrate to God your readiness to accept whatever God has
to say to you.
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31
When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32
If God is glorified in him,1 God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. 33 "My
children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so
I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. 34 "A new command I give you: Love one
another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that
you are my disciples, if you love one another."
(Joh 13:31-35 NIV)
1. What does the glorification of Jesus mean to you and is it significant?
2. How do you glorify Jesus in your life?
Jesus commands us to love one another. If there is someone in your life who you are
showing the love of Christ the challenge is to love them as you want Jesus to love you.
The question of the second return of the Messiah Jesus has been pondered for 2000 years. Jesus
did not give us a clue about the date and time of His return. Perhaps as the Scripture implies in
many places it depends on us! How can that be? There are several places in the Christian
scriptures where it is clear that some conditions must exist before Jesus returns.
This passage from Johns Gospel clearly states He will return when everyone learns to love each
other as they want God to love them. Johns Gospel says this is a new command but it isnt.
17
"'Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share
in their guilt. 18 "'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but
love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. (Lev 19:17-18 NIV)
The new part of the command is that Jesus is glorified when we follow Gods Law. Jesus clearly
tells us that He came to fulfill the Law not to abolish it.
17
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish
them but to fulfill them. (Mat 5:17 NIV)
We have been adopted into the family of God through faith and discipleship to Jesus Christ. Each
of us is the glory of Jesus Christ. Whenever an individual comes to God and becomes a part of
Christs family Jesus is glorified. He is glorified by the way we walk and talk. Our actions must
reflect the glory of Jesus Christ.
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Jonah 2:1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2 He said: "In my distress I
called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you
listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents
swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, 'I have been banished
from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.' 5 The engulfing waters threatened
me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the
mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from
the pit, O LORD my God. 7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my
prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that
could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will
make good. Salvation comes from the LORD." 10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it
vomited Jonah onto dry land. (Jon 2:1-10 NIV)
1. What do you see in this prayer: a psalm of thanksgiving? A call for help? Recommitment?
2. Did you notice that Jonah used past tense verbs while praying in the belly of the fish as if
God already answered his prayer? Why would have done this?
3. Have you ever had a situation in your life that your offered a pray of desperation with hope
in knowing God loves you no matter what the situation?
Last week you tried to have 3 minutes silent prayer. This week try 5 minutes of silence sometime
during the day in an attempt to capture Gods voice. Dont expect it to happen immediately. Like
all things it takes practice. Start with some words of thanksgiving then be in silence. After 5
minutes close your prayer in thanksgiving. Try it more than once a day. Then be ready to hear
Gods voice and His Will for you.
From last week
Jesus spoke Aramaic even though the New Testament was written in Koine Greek. There is
an Aramaic version of the New Testament called the Peshitta. It is unclear if the Peshitta
preceded the Greek version of the New Testament. Scholars seem to be constantly debating
this issue.
To fully understand the lessons of the Bible we need to try to understand what it meant to the
original listeners. When we examine Jesus words we can ask the question what did the
disciples think Jesus meant? The timelessness of the Bible is that it speaks to us today as it
did to the original listeners and perhaps in a different way today.
This Sunday we looked at what PRAYER meant in Jesus day and how this concept could
help us to understand what God is telling us. Aramaic and biblical Hebrew are sister languages
and they are culture based languages. Words are constructed from three letter root words
(except for body parts which are two letters). These root words are culturally significant. For
example, the word for LAW is derived from the root word for WORDS. Why? Because, the
law is a collection of words.
The Aramaic word for prayer is slotha. It is derived from the root word sloth which means
to capture. Therefore, slotha means to capture Gods voice. Slotha in Jesus day and in
Semitic culture today is an opportunity to offer thanksgiving to God and to listen for Gods
Page 50 of 76
voice and then capturing it so that we can learn what God has in store for us. Prayer is our
opportunity to capture Gods Will for us by listening for his voice.
This week
11
He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. (Mar 4:11 NIV)
Moses climbed Mount Sinai to receive Gods Law. Legend tells us he received three sets of
Laws. The first is the written law which we call the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible.
The second is the oral law which was written around 200 CE and is called the Mishnah. The
third is the secret law, which Jesus refers to in Mark 4:11, which was written down in a book
called the Zohar and becomes the Kabbalah in the early 1500s after the Jews are expelled
from Spain and relocate in Sefed Palestine (today in northern Israel near the Sea of Galilee).
In Jesus day a man had to reach his 30th birthday before he was permitted to become a rabbi
(which means teacher) of the written and oral law. Thats why we believe Jesus was 30 years
old when he began his preaching. A rabbi had to be 40 years old before he could engage in
the study of the secret law.
Judeo-Christian mysticism today is the Kabbalah. Some New Age people have taken the
Kabbalah and changed it into something unrecognizable and advertise it as a religion. The
true Kabbalah is based on the Hasefer Zohar (The Book of Splendor) which is a commentary
on the Torah (first five books of the Bible). In the late 1500s a Spaniard Jewish Rabbi named
Picco accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah after turning 40 years old, accepting
Catholicism after studying the Kabbalah. He approached the Pope about including the Zohar
as sacred text in esteem with the Bible but was rejected. Picco demonstrated that if Jews read
the Zohar they would come to understand that the secret law is presented in the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. Many Jews in Sefed during the 1500s became Christians and the Kabbalah still
has that influence.
Unfortunately mysticism has been receiving a lot of bad press because several cults have
claimed mysticism as their basis. The basic definition of mysticism is that we can communicate
from the physical world to the spiritual world. The method Christians believe accomplishes
this is prayer. The Christian monks who started the monastic traditions of Christianity in the
5th Century CE went into the desert in an attempt to rediscover God. The world was in chaos
due to the fall of the Roman Empire and these men and women believed that they needed to
separate themselves from the broken world culture in order to rediscover God and to listen for
His voice. Even today silence is a huge part of the prayer life of people worshiping God in
monasteries throughout the world.
John Wesley spoke about our being on the Road to Perfection. Prayer, that is capturing Gods
voice and direction God has for us, changes us. Richard Foster is the author of Prayer:
Finding the Hearts True Home (http://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Finding-Hearts-TrueHome/dp/0060628464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311799705&sr=8-1) starts out with the
statement that prayer is something we do to change ourselves. If we want to hear and follow
Gods voice then prayer (slotha) is what we need to be engaged in. But then we may have to
change in order to fulfill Gods direction for us. Since we want to become like Christ, that is
Perfection, then pray starts the process. Changing ourselves by listening and following Gods
direction will change us so that we do become Christ like and arrive at Perfection.
Gods love is so strong that God wants us to reach Perfection so we can enter His Spiritual
World. Jesus died to bring us this and other important messages about how to get into heaven.
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5
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received
their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,
who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when
you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their
many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9
"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your
kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. ' 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive
your sins. (Mat 6:5-15 NIV)
Contemplation questions for the week of 7/24/2011:
1. What does prayer mean to you?
2. How often do you engage in prayer during your day?
3. Do you take time to capture Gods voice?
Have 3 minutes of silence sometime during the day in an attempt to capture Gods voice. Dont
expect it to happen immediately. Like all things it takes practice. Start with some words of
thanksgiving then be in silence. After 3 minutes close your prayer in thanksgiving. Try it more than
once a day. Then be ready to hear Gods voice and His Will for you.
Jesus spoke Aramaic even though the New Testament was written in Koine Greek. There is an
Aramaic version of the New Testament called the Peshitta. It is unclear if the Peshitta preceded
the Greek version of the New Testament. Scholars seem to be constantly debating this issue.
To fully understand the lessons of the Bible we need to try to understand what it meant to the
original listeners. When we examine Jesus words we can ask the question what did the disciples
think Jesus meant? The timelessness of the Bible is that it speaks to us today as it did to the
original listeners and perhaps in a different way today.
This Sunday we looked at what PRAYER meant in Jesus day and how this concept could help
us to understand what God is telling us. Aramaic and biblical Hebrew are sister languages and
they are culture based languages. Words are constructed from three letter root words (except for
body parts which are two letters). These root words are culturally significant. For example, the
word for LAW is derived from the root word for WORDS. Why? Because, the law is a collection
of words.
The Aramaic word for prayer is slotha. It is derived from the root word sloth which means to
capture. Therefore, slotha means to capture Gods voice. Slotha in Jesus day and in Semitic
culture today is an opportunity to offer thanksgiving to God and to listen for Gods voice and then
capturing it so that we can learn what God has in store for us. Prayer is our opportunity to capture
Gods Will for us by listening for his voice.
Page 52 of 76

NIV
Psalm 23:1 A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie
down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me
along the right paths for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,1 I will
fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table
before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely
your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the
LORD forever. (Psa 23:1-6 NIV)
1. Have you ever had the opportunity to attend a different worship style? If not perhaps you
should so you can experience God in a different way?
2. Have you or will you forgive your enemies and sit at the table with them?
We walk in the Shadow of Jesus Christ. We have the assurance of protection. Is there a way
you could be a bit more risky in your preaching of the Gospel of Christ?
( Psa 23:4) is an interesting Hebrew word worth discussing. The equivalent word in the
Psalm is darkest in verse 4. In the King James version know the word is translated as death
yeah though I walk in the valley of the Shadow of death. This word means SHADOW. The word
death was added 300 years ago when the King James version was being created. Is it wrong?
Actually for western Europe and North America it has become a fixture of the church. But I know
you want to learn more about the Scripture than what tradition says.
The meaning of SHADOW in Semetic culture of Jesus and today is demonstrated in this asaying
under the shadow of ones roof. This means while you are in this particular house the head of
the house will protect you. To be under the shadow of God has the same meaning. You are
protected by God if you are under his shadow. It doesnt matter where your earthly journey takes
you God is there.
We have the promise repeated through Jesus when He spoke about the Holy Spirit. Therefore
we can say we are under the shadow of the Holy Spirit which means we are under the Shadow
of the Almighty. Who could ask for more than that?
Yahweh is the shade or the source of protection for his people (Psa 121:5ff; Isa 25:4). Therefore
the Psalmist prays that God may hide him under "the shadow of his wings" (Psa 17:8; cf. Psa
36:7 [H 8]; Psa 91:1). God promises to hide the suffering servant in the shadow of his hand in
order that he can proclaim his penetrating message for a period of time (Isa 49:2). And in the
latter days Yahweh's glory will return to Jerusalem. It will be a shade from the heat and a shelter
from the other elements (Isa 4:6; cf. Hos 14:8). [from the TWOT The Wordbook of the Old
Testament]
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NIV
Psalm 85:1 For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. You, LORD, showed
favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 2 You forgave the iniquity of your people
and covered all their sins. 3 You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger. 4
Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. 5 Will you be angry
with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? 6 Will you not revive us
again, that your people may rejoice in you?
7
Show us your unfailing love, LORD, and grant us your salvation. 8 I will listen to what God the
LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants-- but let them not turn to folly.
9
Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Love and
faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness springs forth
from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. 12 The LORD will indeed give what is
good, and our land will yield its harvest. 13 Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way
for his steps. (Psa 85:1-13 NIV)
1. What is the pattern of faith that unfolds in this Psalm and can you relate to it?
2. Love and faith meet together for a righteousness kiss of peace. Is this happening
in your life.
Think about how you can have God dwell in your life. What might you have to change to
allow the glory of God to dwell in you and be expressed by everything you say and do?
This psalm refers to the escaton (the end of life) and what is projected to happen. Today Christians
will say that personal eschatology is going to heaven when I die. When coming to faith in Christ
and offering oneself at the altar of God and being baptized and/or confirmed in the church gives
an instant passport to Heaven and thats pretty much it.
Being baptized into the body of Christ does mean Heaven is at the end of the journey and it means
so much more. How many Christians have not been told the truth of what Jesus meant? We have
to spread the word that Jesus wasnt just talking about death but also about life! He gives us a
way of life that pleases Him and God and as a reward Heaven awaits for us.
To be baptized into the body of Christ means your willingness to transform from your sinful self
into a new person who is dedicated by faith to Jesus Christ. It means releasing yourself of any
sins and replacing them with the ministries for Jesus which help other people learn about God
through your preaching. Remember that preaching is not just words! Words are the last thing you
should use to tell people about Christ.
We say The Road to Perfection is what we go on once baptized searching for Sanctifying Grace
which is a work of the Holy Spirit which prepares us for Heaven. To accept Justifying grace without
Sanctifying grace is not biblical nor does it place one in the family of God (you have to have both).
Rather it keeps one out and as Martin Luther said 500 years ago you simply splashed yourself
with water when you dont have Sanctifying Grace.
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The Christian eschatology starts the minute you were baptized or confirmed. It never stops. We
are never 100% transformed. Yes we can retreat but through the grace of the Holy Spirit can be
continually moving forward.
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NIV
Mark 6:1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When
the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him?
What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's
son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And
they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own
town, among his relatives and in his own home." 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay
his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus
went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them
out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8 These were his instructions: "Take
nothing for the journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals
but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And
if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet
as a testimony against them." 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They
drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them (Mar 6:1-13
NIV)
How does the church observe verse 11? How do you observe verse 11?
Have you ever witnessed healing in people who have faith verses people without?
Offer the Gospel of Jesus Christ to someone you know. If they reject you then so be it.
Jesus tells us to offer the Gospel. The rest is up to the individual receiving it and the Holy
Spirit.
I remember being at St. Paul UMC in Manchester about 4 months when I noticed a lady in a wheel
chair who come into the sanctuary about 30 minutes before worship and sitting in the last pew.
Her son would bring her in and help her. Then he would leave and return after the worship to
collect his mother. So I went up to her and greeted her.
She told me her name and that she was a member of St. Paul but did not attend much. The next
week she came to worship, then the next, then the next. After 6 weeks I asked her why she had
returned to regular church worship. She told me she didnt return but was coming to church
because her daughter had cancer and she would come to worship until the cancer was gone.
She did just that. Once her daughters cancer was over she did not return to church. After 1 year
later she appeared in the last pew. So did her daughters cancer come back? Indeed it did.
Only worshiping God, only tithing, only working for God when you have a life or death situation is
biblically wrong. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a living document which must be observed on a
daily basis. You cant pick and choice when to follow God. You can decide when you will have
faith and believe in Jesus Christ the Messiah.
The commitment has to be full. St. Paul writes that God doesnt want the lukewarm Christians.
You either dedicate your life to Christ or you dont. There is no in between. I pray for those reading
this document that you are fully engaged in your faith to Christ and that you will help others find
their way.
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18
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades
will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on
earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Mat
16:18-19 NIV)
1. What does the keys of the kingdom of heaven mean to you?
2. When did you recognize Jesus as Gods Messiah and why?
You are the Peter of today! How can Jesus build His church on you?
The Greek God PAN is associated in Christianity with Satan. Jews in the Galilee believed this
also. The Galilee was considered gentile territory. The Roman Legion assigned to Judea lived in
the Galilee. In order to sustain the troops pigs were raised and consumed. The pig being an unkosher animal always upset the Jewish residents. In addition in the northern part of the Galilee
stood the shrine to Pan.
Jews believed that the cave was the gates of Hell and that the statue of Pan guarded the gates.
Going to that site was strictly forbidden. However, Jesus took his disciples to that place. There he
told them the church was to be built on top of Pan (Satan) thus crushing him and the final victory
for God would happen.
Then He looked at Simeon, who He renamed Peter, and said that upon this rock the church would
be built. Peter in Greek means rock. The church of Jesus Christ is built on transformed upon
sinners! The weight of the sinners transformed will crush Pan in his own house.
Jesus was able to use a double metaphor one for Satan and one for us! This is why the Bible
is such an excellent literary device.
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Something for the Refrigerator

June 30, 2013
Luke 9:51
As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for
Jerusalem.52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things
ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for
Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to
call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he
and his disciples went to another village. 57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to
him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests,
but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." 59 He said to another man, "Follow me." But he
replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their
own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Still another said, "I will follow you,
Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family." 62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts
a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
Contemplation question: Has prejudice ever blinded you to doing Gods work?
Challenge of the week: What are you willing to give up for Jesus if asked?
There are actually two points in this passage. You could easily break it up and perhaps it would
then be easier to examine both parts. The first one is about Samaritan opposition to Jesus. The
second is the cost of discipleship. Both of these situations exist today. I will expand upon the
Samaritan opposition.
Evangelist consultants indicate it can take a person hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ nine times
before they will respond. I am not sure how many times I was told about the Gospel of Christ but
I know it took almost 18 years. Luckily for me my loving bride and family did not give up. Imagine
the potential frustration trying for all those years. Jesus tells us in this passage that when the
Gospel is rejected we must forgive and not give up. Eventually that Samaritan city would become
a part of the Church of Jesus Christ. We really dont know when it happened or how many times
they heard the Gospel story.
We learn that we must not give up when trying to spread the word. We have to accept that 90%
of the people we speak to will reject us in the same manner the Samaritan town rejected James
and John. Jesus tells us we must not stop! Keep trying. This is key to the kingdom of Heaven.
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26
He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27
Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not
know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel
in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."
30
Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to
describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when
planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the
birds can perch in its shade." 33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as
much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But
when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
(Mar 4:26-34 NIV)
1. Consider your faith walk in terms of a seed growing into a plant, growing kernels, then
being harvested where are you in your development?
2. What power do you have as an individual to affect the growth of your faith?
Discover what your next step is to deepen your faith in Christ. Pray on it, ask others, ask
yourself.
The actual Greek - (Mar 4:26) is translated as the kingdom of God but it
also can be translated as the kin-dom of God. By doing this we come to understand that God
wants to build a family! We believe we belong to the family of God where Jesus Christ is the
patriarch of the family. Then the question becomes do we treat each other like family. In order to
answer that we have to ask ourselves how does a family work. If you grew up in a dysfunctional
family then you know how it shouldnt work.
Blood members of a family are accepted for who they are in functioning families. There always
seems to be the black sheep of the family. But you love that family member anyway. At least
that is what we are supposed to do. However that doesnt always work.
In church it is similar. We are all joined together by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Biology is
not the factor in determining the family. But church fellowships tend to exclude people who are
not like them. True forgiveness is not always seen in the church family. Personal agendas, likes
and dislikes, tend to pull the congregation apart.
So the Kin-dom of God would be a church who really love one another, not just by words but with
actions. It would include all peoples of all nations and races.
Perhaps if we thought about the creation of the Kin-dom of God we will be able to realize the
kingdom of God.
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Week beginning June 16, 2013
15
"We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the
works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that
we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the
law no one will be justified. 17 "But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves
also among the sinners, doesn't that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild
what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. 19 "For through the law I died to the law so
that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives
in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through
the law, Christ died for nothing!" (Gal 2:15-21 NIV)
Contemplation question: How could you use this passage to explain to a friend that you need
more than just following the Law? They need Jesus Christ.
Challenge of the week: Talk to a friend about how they believe salvation is achieved.
After much consideration in prayer and study a way of looking at Pauls Law words are as follows.
I call this the Triune Concept of the Law. In nature we find the numbers 3, 7 and 10 quite often.
The Torah Law is always presented as a dualism two categories of Law which Jesus called
the two Great Commandments: love God and love neighbor. I propose in the Triune Concept that
a third category has to exist to complete the Trinity God. The categories are: love God, love
Neighbor, definition of Judaism. The kosher laws, the holiness code, the dress code are Laws
that distinguish Jews from the rest of the people of the World. God intended for His chosen people
to stand out from the rest. Thus we have the three categories of the Law (this will be expanded
on Sunday).
Jeremiah tells us God was going to create a new covenant with His people. Jesus creates the
new covenant but tells us the Law cannot be tossed out. The two Great Commandments of Love
God and Love Neighbor are held intact. The third category is the one that is replaced with a new
covenant. The 48 CE Church Council agreed that Judaism was not a prerequisite of being a
Christian. Therefore the Judaism category of the Law does not obligate us to it. But the Triune
God requires the Law to be triune. Jesus gives us the third category of how to be Gods new
covenant people. What makes us Christians? Love God, Love Neighbor, Christianity: being
Christian means being baptized. It means celebrating Jesus through Communion. It means
having faith that we have salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. In other
words the Jewish definition of the Torah Law is replaced by a Christian definition which is found
in the New Testament. Therefore the Hebrew Scriptures do apply to us except for the Judaism
definition.
Page 60 of 76

NIV
Psalm 29:1 A psalm of David. Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD
glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the
splendor of his holiness. 3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the
LORD is majestic. 5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the
cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice
of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. 8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the
LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests
bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!" 10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is
enthroned as King forever. 11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his
people with peace. (Psa 29:1 NIV)
Have you ever thought you heard the Voice of the Lord? If so, how did you confirm it?
In the ancient world prayer was considered an exercise to capture the Voice of the Lord
so they could know Gods direction for them. Try several times as possible this week to
be in silence and ask God to speak to you. Then sit back and listen.
Information:
How can we tell the difference between the Voice of the Lord and all the other noises that surround
us? While you are reading this document, hopefully someone is reading it, an uncountable
number of voices are penetrating your body. You cant hear these voices. Some examples are:
cellular signals, blu-tooth signals, Wi-Fi signals, wireless phones, GPS satellite signals, radio, TV,
internet, microwaves of all sorts, also cosmic matter of different sorts. This is the short list. Then
how about the voices you can hear. Other people, music, cars driving by, horns, bells, I think you
get the picture.
No wonder we have such a hard time hearing the Voice of the Lord. But there are other voices
that compete with the Lord. Whether we wish to acknowledge them or not they exist. Satans
voice is there as much as Gods voice at times. The Oh God 3 movie from the 1980s portrayed
the classic God versus Satan battle over a young man who made the mistake of listening to the
wrong voice, even though he thought it was God.
So how can we tell it is God? That is probably the hardest thing to do. Using the Bible as our
ultimate guide we read that St. Paul said that if the ministry (the thing you are doing that you
believe is Gods direction) is truly from God then you will see fruit. St. Paul, like Jesus, used fruit
metaphors quite a bit.
Lets be honest we really dont know if any of our decisions are Gods direction until we start
moving forward. We can feel that God is pushing us in a direction. Until we see the fruit of the
decision or we can see that Gods way kept us out of danger or evil we really dont know for
certainty.
Let me give you a practical church example which is recent. We voted to create the West-End
Larger Parish with St. Pauls to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the streets of West York. This
is a noble thing to do and is in complete accordance with the Gospel, Matthew 28 go out and
make disciples. Was it Gods direction to do it this way? Many of us agreed and some didnt. The
church voted to go into this partnership. The partnership grew with the inclusion of Shekinah
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Ministries. Is this Gods way for these three churches? Our discernment as individual churches
and then by the Parish Council is YES.
How can I say it is Gods way for us? Because we have proven fruit even before our birth! During
this transition period we have begun the integration process. It was predicted that Shekinah would
double in their attendance within 12 months. Shekinah produced incredible fruit because 3 weeks
after their inclusion in the Parish they broke through the 200 person attendance barrier.
This is a CLEAR SIGN that what we are doing is Gods way! This fruit occurred because St. Pauls
and Calvary enabled Shekinah and are partnering with them to do ministry and make disciples
for Christ. We are fulfilling the mission of the Church as Jesus told us. The fruit is evident. The
mission continues.
This is how I can say that the West-End Larger Parish, the cooperation of our churches to bring
the Gospel of Jesus Christ into our community is truly Gods way for us.
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Week beginning June 2, 2013
NIV
Luke 7:1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered
Capernaum. 2 There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to
die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come
and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man
deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6 So
Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to
him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is
why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will
be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,'
and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said,
"I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." 10 Then the men who had been sent
returned to the house and found the servant well. (Luke 7:1-10 NIV)
Contemplation question: In living out the Christian life, what practical difference does it make
whether you live by confidence in your goodness or by trust in Christs power?
Challenge of the week: Show God your trust in His grace and mercy this week.
Additional information: In our society of the 21st century we like to think that we are responsible
for our successes and failures. Individuality is very important to us. We do have an influence on
what our future brings. We have the choice to go with Gods plan for our lives or to do what we
want to do. Randomness and free choice is a part of the universe that God established. If it were
not so then we would be like puppets on strings. This concept was first introduced by Jacob
Arminius in the mid-1600s. He was a Catholic Priest and was burned at the stake for making
such claims. 70 or so years later a man named John Wesley would embrace Arminius with the
result being Methodism. So having the choice to follow God or to deny God is a major piece of
Methodist theology. In the last few years the Presbyterian Church has embraced Arminius calling
it open theism.
George Whitfield who established the Presbyterian church in America was a member of the
Holiness Club which John Wesley started at Oxford University in 1729. George and John agreed
on everything except the concept of freewill. George stood firm on the belief of predestination and
it caused the two to separate by 1735. George went to the New England colonies to spread
Presbyterianism while the Wesleys went to Georgia to spread Methodism. When the Presbyterian
church embraces open theism they will essentially be Methodists.
We do have a choice to either follow God and Jesus or not. The hard part is to discern what is us
and what is God. Liberation Theology tells us that if you took the human Jesus and cross
sectioned him every slice would be God. The reach for perfection in Liberation Theology is for us
to reach that point where our cross sections would only reflect God. This is a lifelong task and is
not for the faint of heart.
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NIV
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a
sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they
were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on
each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as
the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every
nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment,
because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't
all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native
language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors
from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring
the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another,
"What does this mean?" 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much
wine." 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow
Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
15
These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what
was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all
people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men
will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in
those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the
earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the
moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who
calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
(Act 2:1-21 NIV)
1. Why does God want all of us to be a part of the Kingdom?
2. What is the true meaning of the Church? Why do we exist? Are we fulfilling the true
meaning of the Church?
Look at what happens to you this week as an opportunity to see the Holy Spirit working in
you or in others. Be careful because the Spirit works in ways we dont understand!
Information:
The believers who witnessed the Pentecost event would have been overwhelmingly Jews or
Proselytes. Why? Because Pentecost fell on the Festival day of Shavuot. 50 days after the
celebration of Unleavened Bread, the day before the Passover, the Lord commanded the people
to gather together to worship and offer the tithe of their spring harvest. The people would gather
in Jerusalem at the Temple to this occasion.
Christian tradition tells us Peter and the followers were on the eastern steps of the Temple that
day and every day between the Ascension and Pentecost waiting as Jesus commanded them.
Messianic tradition says the Messiah would arrive via the eastern steps. The Messiah already did
come, now they awaited the promise of Gods Spirit at the steps.
Rabbinic tradition tells us when Moses received the Ten Commandments a sudden sound
occurred from Mount Sinai. The voice of God spoke. The tradition says the voice divided into 7
distinct voices which separated into 70 tongues of fire and landed on the people at Sinai.
Remember not all the people at Sinai were Hebrews. This tradition tells us God intended the
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Torah (Gods Law) to be for all nations even though Israel was the chosen people they were
chosen to bring the Torah to the world. The number 70 comes from Genesis, the list of the nations
from Noah.
Jesus is the Word of God. Therefore, Jesus is the incarnation of the Torah! Gods love and grace
was always meant from EVERYONE! It doesnt matter what country you are from, what race,
what color, what gender, the Word of God, Jesus Christ, is for everyone.
Pentecost is a reminder that God wants all humanity in the Kingdom! NO EXCLUSIONS!
Pentecost is a reminder of UNITY!! We are all one in Christs body.
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Week beginning May 26, 2013
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings
salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
NIV
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in
which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also
glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance,
character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has
been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Rom 5:1-5
NIV)
Contemplation question: How are suffering, hope, and Gods love interrelated?
Challenge of the week: Tell someone about Jesus Christ.
Additional information: Sometimes I wonder if Christians believe in Romans 1:16. This is my

favorite verse of Scripture in the New Testament. It is a statement that keeps me going in the face
of opposition to my coming into a life lead by Jesus Christ. When I came into Christs service I
lost some friends. Why? They never said but it happened when I told them that I was leaving
secular work and going to Seminary. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because it
is the true power of God. The power of God is through His grace and love. Such a love that even
a sinner like me who denied accepting Jesus Christ is still invited into the faith. Prevenient Grace
knocks at the door of the heart especially those who are in denial. The power of God is incredible
and even with all the bumps in the road I do not regret becoming a Christian nor doing Gods
work.
In the church I am called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ with apologies and with the power
of the Holy Spirit. Courage is needed in order to properly do this. The Bible is composed of a lot
of material that which most of us dont want to discuss or even consider. It all comes down to the
great commandments, love God and love neighbor. The hardest part is to love those who return
hatred. That will always exist in the world. When it is a fellow Christian returning the hate it is
bewildering since 1 John, second chapter, clearly tells us about hatred and of course Jesus said
love one another. To those persons who hate we need to pray that the Holy Spirit will show them
the proper truth and way. Remember that you are in control of your emotions and desires. LOVE
all, LOVE GOD.
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15
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's
people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep
asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of
wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may
be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his
glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power
and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to
come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything
for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
(Eph 1:15-23 NIV)
1. What motivated Paul to pray for these people?
2. What is the wisdom, hope, and power for which Paul prayers for?
Select one person in the church and pray for that person to receive Gods wisdom during
this week.
Information:
The Protestant mainline churches, excluding the Peace Churches, tend to overlook the Ascension
event. That is somewhat understandable because in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus ascends to
heaven Easter evening. Mark doesnt mention it. Lukes Gospel has one account while the
compendium book, Acts of the Apostles has the ascension in a new storyline.
So what exactly happened? Who knows? In reading Semitic cultural books we have to remember
that the exact details arent as important as the end result. Jesus was taken back into the heaven
realms. End of problem.
The early Proto-Orthodox church grabbed the Acts story and incorporated it into the
understanding of the Jesus Movement. Eventually the difference between Johns Gospel and
Acts became a bone of contention and with some other differences of definition and around 1096
CE the Orthodox Greek church split away from the Catholic Latin church.
When I think about when is Jesus going to return? This passage reminds me that Jesus will only
return when his whole church loves each other. Why do we expect denominations to love each
other when members of the same church dont love each other? We are in church to serve Jesus
Christ and not ourselves. This is a difficult concept for Modern Trained folks who were taught all
about individualism.
Perhaps the newest generation, the Post-Moderns will be able to bring the church back together
since community is the hallmark of the Post-Moderns.
Page 67 of 76

Contemplation question: Why did God wait until Pentecost to give us the Holy Spirit?
Challenge of the week: Now that you have the Holy Spirit use the power of God in some way
this week.
Tongue on fire is an old Aramaic idiom that means a person who convinces people to follow
him/her with his/her words. To have a tongue on fire is to have the ability to create persuasive
arguments that get people to change their mind about something. St. Paul had a tongue on fire.
We know this because of all the Gentiles he brought into the faith. The question about different
languages on Pentecost, put aside, the description of the Holy Spirit appears as tongues on fire
and landing upon the disciples tell us that when they started to speak about a faith in our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ that they were convincing!
The question of languages may have occurred. Looking at it metaphorically it tells us that all
people of all nations are invited into the church of Jesus Christ. The new faith which will gain the
name Christianity was born that day to include all people. Jesus came first for the Jew and
second for the Gentile (paraphrase of Romans 1:16). Considering everything that one lost by
joining the faith their conversion had to be done via some powerful preaching and the power of
the Holy Spirit.
Every Christian should practice the art of vocalizing their faith in Jesus Christ.
Page 68 of 76

NIV
Psalm 98:1 A psalm. Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his
right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The LORD has made his salvation
known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his
faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 Shout for joy
to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 5 make music to the LORD with the
harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn-shout for joy before the LORD, the King. 7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world,
and all who live in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; 9 let
them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in
righteousness and the peoples with equity. (Psa 98:1-9 NIV)
1. Why do we need to sing a new song? The old songs are still good!
2. Why dont we express ourselves more vibrantly in traditional worship?
Do you expect God to do something new in your life? Prayer for it and look for it!
Information:
Righteousness has an interesting definition in the Hebrew Scriptures. Gods righteousness, what
is this? You probably always thought that righteousness was something that we humans had. In
the Hebrew text Gods righteousness is truth, justice and integrity charactering right action in
relationships. God is all these things to us.
So if we want to become righteous people then truth, justice and integrity is critical for us. Not
only is this important for us as individuals but it must be a part of the Church. Unfortunately through
the past decade plus several TV churches have proven not to have integrity. Every time the false
integrity of the TV churches come forth it hurts all churches.
Perhaps people dont trust the church as they did 50+ years ago. Part of that trust lose can be
attributed to our not keeping up with the changes in culture and society. People dont trust
organizations that dont embrace new technology and ideas. It isnt just the church that is hurting
in this area. Almost all volunteer organizations are still operating as if we lived in the 1950s. The
response is declining membership and a lose of prestige.
Through the 1950s being a pastor of a local church was prestigious. Now it means relatively
nothing. Being a member of the Church Council was almost as important as being the towns
mayor. Now who cares and it is reflected in the difficulties the Nominations Committee has trying
to find members to serve the numerous positions. At one time churches had to hold elections for
their officers. Now if you object to an election you get elected.
We need to return prestige to the church. How is the big question! Perhaps this week you could
ponder this idea and pass along anything that comes to mind.
Page 69 of 76

15
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's
people,16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep
asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of
wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may
be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his
glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power
and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to
come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything
for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Eph
1:15-1 NIV)
Contemplation question: How might change if your life if the whole church offered the prayer
in verses 17-19?
Challenge of the week: Offer the prayer in verses 17-19 for Calvary Church
The first followers of Jesus felt that the Ascension was the important link between themselves
and God. When reading Johns Gospel it is the Ascension which seals salvation for us. Jesus
sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty is crucial to salvation. This understanding of
the early Church can raise an interesting discussion about when the church accepted, maybe
better to say, understood that Jesus was God incarnate. The Messiah prophesies never spoke
about God returning to Earth. The Messiah was to come in time but not as God. Perhaps that is
why there were so many false Messiahs throughout history.
It helps us to understand that Jesus was God in flesh when we read these types of passages in
the New Testament. Jesus is glorified throughout the New Testament with the culmination of
sitting at the right hand of God. Better to say God, the Father. Then the Holy Spirit should be
sitting at the left hand thus creating the Trinity. This concept of the three in one God is still odd to
us today. For 2000 years scholars have studied the writings and will say the question is still
covered in a haze. This is one of the theological points which we can battle with or simply accept
knowing that full understanding will come in time when we meet Jesus in Heaven. It is interesting
to ponder.
Page 70 of 76

26
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down
from Jerusalem to Gaza." (Act 8:26 NIV) 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian
eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means "queen of
the Ethiopians"). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting
in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot
and stay near it." 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet.
"Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. 31 "How can I," he said, "unless
someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 This is the passage
of Scripture the eunuch was reading: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb
before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
33
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life
was taken from the earth." 34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking
about, himself or someone else?" 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and
told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water
and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?"37
38
And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the
water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord
suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
40
Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns
until he reached Caesarea. (Act 8:26-40 NIV)
1. If you fear talking about your faith with others contemplate this week on the why of
your fear?
2. Would you know enough about your Bible to answer the Eunuchs questions?
You can grow in your faith by preparing yourself to answer the questions about Christianity
to others. Find a way to grow in your Bible knowledge, lay out a 1 year plan, then execute
it.
Information:
This is a critical story in our faith. Bet you never thought of that. The theological message Philip
gives to the Ethopian is paramount to our understanding of Christianity. Why? Glad you asked.
The principle idea of the work of the Messiah was that he/she would be born and lead Israel back
to her former glory. Ever since the Babylonian Exile the people of Israel awaited a Messiah Savior.
They had no idea when it would happen, so they waited.
Over the centuries the people believed God would liberate them from their captivity and place a
descendant of King David on the throne of Israel. The city of Jerusalem would return as the
nations capital. The Temple would be restored to its original glory and the nation would prosper.
Jesus did not do any of these things. How could he possibly be the Savior? The Isaiah 53-56
chapters were not considered a part of the Messianic age. Therefore, when Jesus refused to lead
the armed rebellion the Followers had to find a new definition, actually the correct one, for the
Messiah.
After Jesus death and resurrection it was discovered that the prophet Isaiah spoke about the
Messiah. The Suffering Servant passages (which they are called today) describe Jesus life to the
Page 71 of 76
letter. A new interpretation for the coming of the Messiah was conceived. The definition of Jesus
mission is spelled out in this periscope. That is why it is important.
Page 72 of 76

Contemplation question: How did the Lord open your heart to hear and understand the Gospel?
Challenge of the week: Share the Gospel with someone this week
How did the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ move across the known world? Jesus gave clear
instructions to the disciples after they received the power of the Holy Spirit they needed to start in
Jerusalem, then go to Samaria, then to the rest of the world. They were already in Jerusalem.
The next location is Samaria. Thats where Peter was. The Book of the Acts of the Apostles is
living proof that they listened to Jesus and did his work. In the case of Paul he always went to the
synagogue first. Therefore we can see how the Babylonian Exile was important for the Jesus
movement.
What you say? How can that event 500 years before Christ be a key to getting the word spread?
Simply put after the Babylonian Exile not all the Jews in Babylon returned to Judea. Over the 500
years they moved from the Babylonian area into other areas of the world which became the
Roman Empire. By Jesus day there were Jews everywhere in the world. The synagogue system
was established during the Exile because of the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem and
remained in place afterwards since not all Jews returned to Judea. The synagogue system
extended throughout the entire Roman Empire. So Paul naturally stopped there first. Jews were
more receptive to the Jesus message than the Gentiles.
It is sad that after Paul no one openly evangelized the Jewish people about the Jewish Messiah.
There are some groups today doing this. There is a Messianic Temple on Belvidere and W. Market
Street. Messianic Jews are Jews who follow the Torah laws and customs but also believe in Jesus
as the Messiah and celebrate the Christian holidays.
Page 73 of 76

16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay
down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a
brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 19 This is how we
know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts
condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear
friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him
anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his
command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he
commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God's commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is
how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(1Jo 3:16-24 NIV)
1. What does the love of God through Jesus Christ mean to you?
2. What does it mean to you that Jesus willingly gave his life for you?
We demonstrate Gods love to the world so how can you show Gods love this week?
Perhaps in a different way?
Information:
God loves us so much that He intends to transform each of us into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
Why? Because Jesus is the human embodiment of Gods love. We spend our lives traveling upon
the Road to Perfection but what does that mean? To emulate Jesus Christ, the ultimate love of
God who willingly gave his life for us.
We need to lay down our lives for others which is a sign of love. Today we dont have to die as
Jesus did but there are ways to do this:
1. By putting the needs of others first.
2. When we make time in our busy lives for others.
3. When we live for the good of others.
4. When we allow Gods love to reorient us.
In order to fully feel Gods love and the blessings of Heaven and Earth we must transform
ourselves to love others. No matter what anyone does to us we must learn to forgive and love in
the same way Jesus loves us. We must love everyone! No matter what race, gender, color, or
family they come from. No matter where they live. No matter what their financial or social status
is. ALL MUST BE LOVED!!
Page 74 of 76

Week beginning April 28, 2013
The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the
word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3
and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them." 4 Starting from the
beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I
saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners,
and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild
beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.' 8 "I replied,
'Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' 9 "The voice spoke from
heaven a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.' 10 This happened
three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. 11 "Right then three men who had been
sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to have
no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the
man's house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, 'Send to
Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all
your household will be saved.' 15 "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had
come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with
water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave
us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God's way?" 18
When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, even to
Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life." (Act 11:1-18 NIV)
Contemplation question:
unacceptable people?
How can the principle Peter gave us affect the way you treat
Challenge of the week: Are there religious practices you have been taught that should be
eliminate?
Additional information: The controversy of the Torah Laws is the gist of this story in its original
form. Today what it tells us is that everyone and everything which is a part of Gods world is
acceptable to God and must be acceptable to us. That doesnt mean if you dont like pork you
should eat it. It does say dont condemn others. This extends past food laws permeating every
aspect of life. Religious traditions have always been with us. It was the religious traditions that
Jesus spoke so much about and then Martin Luther and then John Wesley and today many of us
who look at the Discipline and see religion tradition that is out of date.
Churches have their own religion traditions. What we have to be aware of is when the religious
traditions are impeding the church from doing the commandment of Christ, the Great Commission.
Are there times in our life as a church that we allow traditions from the past prevent us from
moving forward? If so, we need to remove ourselves from the traditions. Imagine if we were using
vinyl records today instead of CDs or MP3 players. Who wants the tradition of 8 track tapes to
return. However I should note that some traditions are good and should stay with us. Christmas
celebration on Christmas eve is not a very old tradition but a good one. So we need to examine
our personal religious traditions and the churchs in an effort to determine which should stay and
which should go.
Page 75 of 76

Week beginning April 21, 2013
22
Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the
temple courts walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around
him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." 25
Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify
about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my
voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no
one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all;
no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one." (John 10:22-30
NIV)
Contemplation question: What might have happened if Jesus was accepted as the Messiah
during his life?
Challenge of the week: Ask Jesus to speak to you and then follow whatever direction He sends
you.
Most of you probably dont know what the Day of Dedication is all about. Well I am glad you
asked about it. I have seen biblical timeline charts that show a 400 year silent period between
the end of the Hebrew Scriptures and the beginning of the Christian Scriptures. God wasnt
silent during that time period. The history of how God worked with His people is in 16 books that
were excluded from the Protestant Bible. 4 of those books are about the Maccabees. The
Hasmadian family ruled in Judea between the Persian and Roman period. These 16 books were
written in Greek, no one has yet to find them in Hebrew or Aramaic. When Martin Luther was
translating the Bible into German for Prince Frederick he decided to exclude these books
because they werent written in Hebrew. Today we call these books the Apocrypha. There are
Protestant Bibles available that include the Apocrypha or you can purchase a Catholic Bible
which includes the books.
Dedication Day is Hanukah. It is the celebrate of the liberation of Judea from the Greek. The
Governor of the Judean province placed a statue of Zeus on top of the Ark of the Covenant
which outraged the people to the point of rebellion. Rebellion was already in the air and all it
needed was a catalyst to get it moving. This event was the one that triggered it. When the
Temple at Jerusalem was secured the priests lit the menorah. They only had 1 day of oil which
God made to last for 8 days. So Hanukah which is a winter festival is celebrated for 8 days.
Each day is a retelling of the story of the Jewish people fending off Greek oppression.
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@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

To say Merry Christmas whether or not its politically correct

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

Have you ever made a decision about whether or not to

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

A denarius is a small silver coin, about the size of a penny,

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

An interesting book to read is Confessions by

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

Challenge of the week:

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

SOMETHING FOR THE REFRIGERATOR

@2015. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

Feel free to chat with me about Bible versions anytime.