Stay deeply rooted in Him

In John chapter 8 we learn about a woman who is caught in the act of adultery.  Caught in the act ... there is no doubt she was guilty of the sin.  According to the Law of Moses, both she and the man should be put to death for this sin.  But, the Pharisees, trying to trick Jesus, brought her to the temple courts and made her stand before the people.  They asked Jesus, what should we do with this woman?  Then, Jesus reacted not by wagging his finger in their face or by crossing his arms in judgment of the accusers.  He simply bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.  When the Pharisees continued to badger him for an answer, he stood and with one calm, brief answer he convicted each one of them there.  “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  At this, they all started turning away…the older ones first.  Then after everyone was gone, Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?”  “No one, sir,” she said.  “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared.  “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

So, what is God saying to me in this passage?  First, God’s Grace is amazing … it makes no sense … it is huge.  Moses law makes sense … you do something wrong and you pay the price for that.  Grace is not justice, Grace is love … unending love.  That is what we are given.  That is what we should then in turn give to everyone in our path.  My path in the past seven days has brought me in contact with a homeless man who wanted money to buy drugs, a friend going to the doctor to get scary test results, a Mom who was just visited by Children and Youth services, and a 45 year old who just found out she may have a brain aneurism.  God has really challenged me this week to just be firm in Him and to love everyone with His love, not mine.  Extend His Grace to them all.  I can’t fix their problems; I can just give them what has been given to me … the love and Grace of Jesus Christ. 

Secondly, turn from sin.  Jesus did not condemn the woman, He simply said “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  I always looked at that verse and thought … yeah, that is easier said than done.  Then yesterday when I prayed the Lords prayer it hit me.  I can’t leave my life of sin in my own strength.  I need to be in constant prayer for His help … God, Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one!  I need complete devotion to Him so that I won’t fall prey to sin. 

Don’t let the struggles of this life take you away from God.  Stay deeply rooted in Him each second of each day … leave your life of sin and live for Him. 

Betsy

The man who created God-Signs

John 11:38-43

Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave - after he was in there for 4 days and was sure to smell mightily after all that time. He did this to bring glory to the Father. Jesus looked up to heaven and said” Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all the people standing here, so they may believe YOU sent me.“ Then Jesus shouted “Lazarus, come out.”  And Lazarus did just that in his grave clothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth.

John 11:45-48

This was a real turn around for those who witnessed this miracle, many came to believe in him. Some however went to the Pharisees and told on Jesus. Then the Pharisees met with the Jewish ruling body and said what do we do now? This man keeps on creating God-Signs. They knew sooner or later everyone would come to believe in Jesus and the Romans would come and remove what little power and privilege that they had been allowed to have.

In John many God-Signs are there for us to see.  We too have a choice to believe and trust in what we read in the bible and what we hear in the pulpit or not.

Take time this week to recognize the God-Signs in your life and the man who created them. Purpose in your heart how you can use those God-Signs as a testimony to friends, family and even strangers as God opens up the door of opportunity to you.

—Pat

The Life-Light

John 1:3–6, 19–23

In the Message Jesus is called the Life-Light.  John’s whole purpose in life was to point the way to this Life-Light.  John was the witness who testified that when he baptized Jesus he saw the Spirit descending and remaining on Him. This was fore told in Isaiah 11:2–3:

                  

                   The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over Him,

the Spirit that brings Wisdom and understanding,

The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength.

Again John testifies when the Jews sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was.  He said straight out I am not the Messiah, I am not Elijah and I am not a Prophet.  Exasperated they said, just who are you then—we want to know! His reply was” I am the thunder in the desert: Make the road straight for God! I am doing what the prophet Isaiah preached.”

What does John’s message mean to you? Is Jesus the Life-Light of your life and do you testify to that? Do others see that light in you and wonder what makes you different? That is a question we all have to ask ourselves.

--Pat

                                                                                                                   

"He must become greater; I must become less."

John 3:30

“He must become greater; I must become less.” TNIV

We live in a narcissistic world. Everything is about us. Our spot light, our recognition, our desires, preferences, you name it, it’s all about us. Social media has fed narcissism and made us all feel that it’s important to post what you ate for dinner, as if anyone really cares! In reading through the first three chapters of John he is constantly pointing back to Christ. In the verses just preceding verse 30 in Chapter 3 John’s disciples are in flip out mode because everyone’s going to Jesus to be baptized and no one is coming to him. They’ve missed the whole point, and many times so do we. My definition of success 10 years ago had to do with the kind of car I drove, house I lived in and salary I earned. Today my life definition of success is materialistically more simple but significantly harder to achieve. “Did they see Jesus in me?” If I die living on the streets without a dollar to my name and the answer to this question is yes, I will have achieved more than most people could ever imagine.

Oh my God, when you look on us

A broken people who have turned from love

Instead of the words we throw and the wars we wage

I hope you forgive us

I hope you see Jesus

I hope you see Jesus

I hope you see Jesus

Standing in our place

Bearing all our shame

I hope you see Jesus

--Aimee

Just Do It!

It's late and I don't want to miss my blog spot again.  (Sorry about the 19th!!)  So let's go back to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a & 13.

A brief review of Love (vs 4-8):  Love is patient, kind, rejoices with the truth, always protects, trusts, hopes, & perserveres.  Love does not boast, is not rude, self-seeking, easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil & never fails.  And vs 13:  "And now these three remain:  faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love."

My NIV Study Bible footnote says, "Love will be the governing principle that controls all that God and his redeemed people are and do." 

Well, we are his redeemed people so let's "Just Do It!"

Peace & Love,
Linda

Heart Transformation

 I have been in continual conflict over how to feel about all that is going on within Asbury's walls. After meeting Yvette several months ago, I had been confident she is the person for Asbury. Then the whole service changes "stirred the pot", so to speak, and fear set in. I heard the grumblings that began.

 I will admit I was not too fond of either service choices presented to us, so I chose not to vote last week. And all week I've been afraid of the verdict that would be presented to us, knowing some church members would be leaving and that some have already chosen to leave prior to this announcement. People who have become family to us.

 Then, my whole heart, mind and soul changed this morning. When Yvette started to pray for each of the confirmands, individually. I was blown away. I always felt the Holy Spirit emulate from her, but when you realize she had never really met any of the young people or spent any time with them, and to hear her pray for them in such an accurate and personal way, was nothing short of AMAZING! I know several of the youth in this group of kids and she was right on with each of them and Morgan confirmed she was accurate with them all.

 I couldn't begin to express how I felt after the prayer she laid on Morgan and how perfect it was for all of us. I feel very blessed to have had that prayer said out-loud for my daughter.

 (We ran into Mikayla after church and she asked if Pastor Paul had written the prayers for Yvette for each of them since they were so accurate and couldn't believe it when I told her "no, I don't believe he did.")

 And then to see and feel the negativity after Trish read the announcement at the second service, I wanted to scream, "Don't you people get it?!? It's not about us!"

 Yvette will bring the Holy Spirit with her in everything she does for and with Asbury. It's not about where we sit, or which room we're in, or what songs we sing. It's about being the hands and feet of Jesus. It's not about whose service style "won". Because if we make it about those things, we totally loose sight of what and why Jesus sacrificed for us. Yet no one wants to sacrifice anything for the betterment of Asbury. Really?

 Please Asbury, let's open our eyes and hearts to what God has brought to us.! Let's be the congregation we pledged to be to those young people who made a promise to God today.

 GOD DOESN'T MAKE MISTAKES

 Roseann Brown <><

Broken to Pieces

Our small group, Grace Seekers, has decided to study 1Corinthians so I started reading through thinking I'd use 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 for today's blog.  I like to read this section substituting my name for "love" and "it."  It's pretty convicting.  So I offer that up to you to try today.

But as I was reading from Dave's Men's Devotional Bible I came across an entry by Michael Card:

"Everyone who comes to know Jesus stumbles because of him.  He fails to meet our wrong expectations.  He calls us to do impossible things or to become something we think we could never become.  This is his way of teaching us how much we need him.  He breaks us to pieces so that he can put us back together in his image."

Sort of hits home, doesn't it?  As Church Council meets tonight may the Holy Spirit permeate the room.  And may we (Asbury Church) be broken to pieces so that he can put us back together in his image!!

Jesus, Thank you for loving us so much.  Help us to love you more and to share your love with each other and those beyond our walls.  Amen.

Linda

Matthias 
May 12 is one of the days designated each year as a Festival Day of St. Matthias. While as United Methodist’s we do not pay tribute to such days, and I’m not certain Hallmark has caught wind of this either, the timing was too perfect to not enlighten or remind the few of you who read this blog about the story of how Matthias was selected.  
 
Matthias was the back-up guy … the second string …the understudy apostle. He was added to the Twelve after Jesus' resurrection, as a replacement for the dead Judas Iscariot. He had traveled among the followers of Jesus throughout the Lord's ministry. But what is amazing to me is how he was picked. According to the story, which you can read in Acts 1, the eleven left behind apostles picked out two qualified candidates, Joseph, called Barsabbas, aka Justus and the single-named Matthias. Since they knew nothing of Robert’s rules or United Methodist polity, and since they wanted God to make the decision, they sidled up to the table  ... and, wait for it ... they rolled the dice. Matthias won.
 
I wonder if God actually changed the fabric of the universe and the laws of gravity, reaching in for a split second to control the role of the dice. Or maybe, if both candidates were equally qualified (and probably equally flawed) God just simply let it happen according to chance. The parallel is amazing to me. The apostles were so sure of the influence and power of the Holy Spirit that they were willing to bring about two choices on a major decision—and then leave it all to the roll of the dice. It seems that we have a bit less trust in the Spirit and quite a bit more need for control over the decision-making process—I admit that I do. But I also trust that if God can work through first century dice, then he can also work through us and whatever crazy process we find ourselves in to move Asbury forward for his purposes.

--Leigh

Remember when....

I have been spending a lot of time in conversation around our worship changes in the last two weeks. God has provided amazing opportunities for many conversations and new levels of understanding. But I have to admit that I got to a place this week where I thought to myself..... we must be CRAZY! How, why did we ever come up with options A & B..... we are insane, this obviously is NOT what is going to make people "happy". And then in the midst of a meeting this week it came to me. Almost one year to Sunday's date many in our church family came together to celebrate the beginning of Asbury's 230th year of ministry. We hosted Bishop Middleton, and for that Sunday, we were one church. We celebrated how God has provided in the past and the new opportunities He is calling us to in the future. We had bells, praise instruments, singers, and it was Worship. There were over 300 of us gathered in the sanctuary to give all the glory and honor to God through our various giftings and musical abilities. 

For weeks after this service our phones rang, emails were sent and conversations had around why we don't do this more often. Many leaders in the church came forward asking, pleading almost begging to have our services changed right then. "We've proven we can do this, and do it well," they said. Why can't we all be together in worship? And so I sit here reflecting on those conversations.  Wondering.... how did we get here? God, where are you leading? And, whatever comes out of the next week, will we all want something different next year?

I am struggling. In many ways I can relate that experience and these last weeks to numerous biblical accounts.  I think of Moses and the Israelites. They wanted to leave Egypt and be free from Pharoh right? Until they faced uncertainty that is..... and then in Exodus 14:10-11, "As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord.  They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?"

Unfortunately one of the accounts that just will not leave my mind is Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday and people shouting "Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest". Only to find several days later the same people shouting "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" Maybe that's too far reaching, I don't know.

But I do know that I am a fickle, sinful human. When I get so entrenched in what I want I become worthless to God and worthless to ministry. I have no idea what our worship schedule should look like. I know how many changes would effect children and youth programing and it makes me worry that if we try to please everyone, we may not please anyone or far worse, we may not have anyone left to please.

I don't write any of this to try to convince you to "vote" a certain way. But please, spend some time thinking about the last year, where we've been as a church and where God is calling us to go in the future. PLEASE, spend time on your knees before God, if He does not want option A or B for His church, that He would show us how to do the wonderful things we currently do in different set up. I will be praying for us... and I will come to worship on Sunday with a surrendered heart. Will you join me?

Aimee

A letter from Paul

I've stayed amazingly committed1 to the New Testament Challenge, except for one problem; I often find myself jumping through the books as though I'm channel surfing ... with no idea what I'm really looking for and never staying put long enough to dig into the plot, just deciding if the main characters are people I feel like spending a little time with or not right now. With 27 books to bounce around in, and waiting for something to grab my attention, I’ve noticed that during the past few weeks I keep ending up in Paul's letters to the early church. Paul is not someone I am usually drawn to—I'll admit it; I don't particularly like him. His stance on women alone is enough to raise my hackles and cause me to be guarded. But he lives so BIG and he writes with such passion to the early Christians: to warn, encourage, and guide.  

Not inspired by any particular verse or passage, and yet charge with blogging my thoughts, all I can think is wouldn't it be great if Paul would write us a letter?! He could show us the pitfalls before us; admonish us for spending so much time focusing on that which isn't really important and our tendency to make mountains out of molehills; remind us that we need each other to stay strong and endure the challenges that lie ahead. Wouldn't it be cool if he mentioned me personally in his letter?! I could stop wondering what I'm supposed to do next or if I am reading God's will for my life correctly and just start living each day assured that I am exactly where I am meant to be and my purpose is to contribute something meaningful each and every day! 

Of course, Paul's letters were indeed written to us, it matters not if he mentions us by name. He is still here to offer his guidance, to nudge, confront, and inspire us. Even though I have a feeling Paul wouldn’t be someone I’d like spending lots of time with if he were here among us today, I think he falls in that category of people God would want me to accept, as he is, for what he brings. Who in my church family is God asking me to do the same with? In what unsuspecting person does God have something he wants me to see?

1committed is a relative term indicating only the personal standards of this author.

 

A weekend I will remember for a long time.

To be honest, I didn't really commit to reading any scripture this weekend... well... because I just had a marathon of a weekend.

But I'm about to argue that it is okay.

I had a weekend of blessing.  It started out with our Confirmation class Lock-In.  Myself and two other adult leaders stayed at the church overnight with 10, sugar-happy, hormonally charged teenagers... it's a beautiful thing. 

They love to be together.  They love to learn and grow together.  They learn in confirmation to accept one another and acknowledge what the body of Christ is called to look like.  They yearn to see what their calling is to be in this world and through the Church.

I found myself affirming them through my knowledge of scripture I already knew and learning more and more about what those scriptures mean through my experience leading the confirmation lock-in. 

"...If we are a hand, we cannot say to the foot, 'I don't need you'..." 1 Corinthians 12

At what point to we lose this unique understanding of who we are in Christ?  I feel like it gets clouded in our personal wants and needs, as well as our distrust/disinterest in the true body of Christ.  Or even of ourselves.  I saw a lot of youth not losing sight of this.

I was challenged by scripture I already knew at the lock-in.

Then, after the lock-in on Saturday, I traveled to Philadelphia to participate in my first 10-mile run called the Broad Street Run.

Click here to see a video of the madness of the Broad Street Run yourself!

This is the largest (not to be confused with the longest as my sister thought) 10-mile race in America.  Over 40,000 people participated in the run.  It was very entertaining and intimidating all in one.  I have been training hard for a couple months to build up endurance to participate in this race.  And I was running for a couple ministries who focus on loving prostitutes and victims of sex-trafficking.  These are issues, in my mind that demand our attention and compassion as Christians... I can't say I have always done so... but I put it in the front of my mind as my motivation to fight through 10 miles and to personally push myself because those people were worth it. 

It was a rush.  I was nervous about being able to finish strong because I got sick 2 weeks before.  I hadn't run very much in the last two weeks... but what should have been no surprise to me... I finished strong and in a faster time than I expected.  A couple thoughts...

Encouragement is not a waste of time... in fact, it is our calling to encourage our brothers and sisters.  People everywhere were encouraging their friends, family and... strangers!!  Churches were singing on their front stoop for runners, people had signs, were giving high-fives shouting, "We're so proud of you! You're doing great!  You got this!  Keep going."  I recalled scripture in Ephesians, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." and Hebrews and Thessalonians "Encourage one another...build up the body of Christ". 

Both my sister and I reflected on our need to hold back tears at points because of the overwhelming strength that came from... encouragement.  I kept asking myself the question, "Isn't this what the body of Christ looks like?"  It really left me wondering what would happen to the world if we stood on the sidelines for each other as we ran our races of life... which also brought me to a place of remembering some word from Paul in scripture as a charge to "run the race marked out for us...".

All in all, this blog is getting long.  But in all seriousness, I was challenged by the Word of God a lot this weekend... and why?  Because I knew it and I have been challenged by it before... but my life experiences this weekend were enhanced and shaped me deeper because of the Word.

I could say a lot more.  I would have shared this with you yesterday but I was running around like a crazy person, literally.  But I would challenge you to never limit what planting the Word in your heart will do. And I would also challenge you to push/challenge yourself to do something you never thought you would ever be able to do.  It will reveal things to you about yourself, Christ and so much more that you wouldn't be able to see if you were comfortable in life.

Do it.

Pam

What if…

     In the ninth chapter of Acts, we read the familiar account of Paul of Tarsus and his conversion to Christ on the road to Damascus.  Temporarily blinded, Paul is healed and baptized immediately upon recovering his sight.  He goes on to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ effectively and boldly, and faces down multiple attempts by Jewish leaders to silence him.  In the midst of all this real-life drama, Paul is spirited away.  But Luke tells us “the Church had peace throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria, and grew in strength and numbers.  The believers (listen to this)…learned how to walk in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit”…

    

   What IF the Asbury community could learn how to walk in fear of the Lord” (awesome reverence/real humility) and in the comfort (faith-led/blessed assurance) of the Holy Spirit?  Would we even be worried about the time frame or particular style of our worship services?

     

    I confess I was somewhat discouraged at our most recent listening session.  There I asked, “what would we (Asbury) be willing to do to the Main Sanctuary to make it an effective setting for all forms and styles of worship?”  And the answer came back fast and furious….  “nothing!”…that doesn’t sound like walking in fear of the Lord or in the comfort of the Holy Spirit”…it sounds like self-centered elitism…

“Hosanna, Hosanna…Come have Your way among us…We welcome you here Lord Jesus”…..

JBH

Ephesians 4

Today, May 3rd is the National Day of Prayer and I as I went home last night and spent some time processing everything from the day and evening meetings I was constantly drawn back to this passage in Ephesians. It's my prayer for us as we journey through the coming days and weeks.  - Aimee

Unity in the Body

"Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future." (Ephesians 4:1-4 NLT)

Mark 9:14-21

I am reading in Mark 9 14-21 today and I am seeing some relevant points for our current discussions on the time and style of service.  This whole discussion for me is so much bigger than what time I am worshipping and weather it is a pipe organ or a bass guitar accompanying me as I praise the amazing God I serve.  In this scripture, Jesus warns us that we need to “Be careful.” “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”  This comes after a discussion with Pharisees about a need for a sign from heaven.  I feel like Jesus was saying “seriously folks, you are going to ask for a sign.  I just had two separate occasions where I fed 5000 and 4000 people with a few loaves of bread.  I have healed countless people simply because they showed the faith in me to do so.  Now you are asking me for a sign.  What do you people want from me?”

I feel like Jesus is saying to me this morning, don’t listen to the people who are out there doubting weather a church that has been so steeped in tradition with the beautiful building can ever really break free of the old “church” stereotypes and fall on their faces and worship God with all that we have and serve every single person who walks through our door.  Serve them regardless of what they look like, talk like, dress like, smell like or act like.  If they have the best suit or the dirtiest coat…Love them.  If they have flawless skin and perfectly manicured nails or matted hair and sweat pants…Love them…not just tolerate them…Love them. 

Our church family is fractured and this is the time when we need to set our comfort aside, humble ourselves and let God provide.  Jesus is saying you can experience me where ever you are.  I will feed you…I will provide your daily bread today and every day if you just serve me and don’t let the yeast of the world and your own internal yeast contaminate you.  Praise to God is Praise to God it does not matter what it is accompanied by.  Worship and reverence are what He wants for us and that looks different to all people.  But if we humble ourselves to Him and only Him and realize that we are not going to be comfortable doing it, OH the places we will GO! 

Have faith that your God is big enough to meet you where ever you are as long as you are seeking him and not something that you feel comfortable with.  Jesus did not come to make you feel comfortable.  He came to show you how to make disciples and he told you to do it. (Matthew 28:19-20)  Are we really doing that if we are doing the same old thing and seeking OUR comfort?  How many people have you invited to church today?  How many people have you forgiven just like God forgives you today?  How much grace have you heaped upon the people you came in contact with today? 

“Why are you talking about having no bread?  Do you still not see or understand?  Are you hearts hardened?  Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?  And don’t you remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?  And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?  …..Do you still not understand?"


Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.

Betsy Coldiron

Keeping up with the "Challenge"...but why?

This New Testament CHALLENGE has been aptly named.  It has been a true challenge in every sense of the word.  It is a challenge to keep going...to stay committed to reading one chapter a day and check off that list.  A challenge to be more like this man that I am becoming more and more familiar with in these 4 gospels.  A challenge to think about what all this means to me and how I am living today.   

I hope that everyone who is reading this and doing this challenge realizes that this challenge is so much more than a daily commitment of your time.  The bigger part of this "challenge" is that YOU WILL BE CHANGED and even at my "young" age, change is hard.  Change the way you are looking at everything you do...letting God search your heart for anything that is not of Him. 

As a church family, Pastor Paul has asked us to pray this week about our service schedules and how to adjust them to best glorify God at Asbury United Methodist.  I have been spending my time this week in Ephesians and specifically praying from Ephesians 3:14-21...that Asbury have inner strength that is rooted in Christ Jesus and that He is dwelling in all our hearts as we consider these decisions.  That we all may exercise a new orientation toward others, that we may all grasp the dimensions of God's love for us all and that we may all personally and fully experience God's power.  When you think of this decision in light of God and what He has done for us, who He is and what He wants me to become, I'm not sure what time I worship Him on Sunday morning really matters.  I pray that whatever the outcome that we can all move forward and be at peace. 

I was reading Matthew 7:7 with my three year old this week:  ⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  Noah's response was "Mommy, can I knock?"  I said "Yes you can!  Do you know how you knock on God's door?  All you have to do is pray...when you say DEAR GOD, you are knocking on His door and He will ALWAYS open it for you!"  What an image...my God will always open the door and welcome me into His presence....all I have to do is "knock". 

I leave you with a song from VBS two years ago:)

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxcDK0Vp28w&feature=related

YOUR LIFE WILL CHANGE

From the page to your heart
God's Word is where you are
Read it now and your life will change
It is surprising, exciting
Each and every day
Read it now and your life will CHANGE!

Betsy

Exponential Grace

What is God teaching me right now?

Lessons in grace.

Grace.  It's probably our favorite thing without even realizing it.  It's one of mine!  When we make a poor decision and we look to God in repentance our answer is, "you are forgiven. clean slate." Grace!  When we do it over and over again and come back feeling cruddy we get the same response!  Grace again!

The beautiful thing about God's grace is written in Romans 5:18-21:

"Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.  For just as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.  But law came in, with the result that the trespass multiplied; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, just as sin exercised dominion in death, so grace might also exercise dominion through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

It never stops.  Grace never stops.  In fact, when we need it more, it gets more i-n-t-e-n-s-e!

This isn't really normal.  So as humans, we don't know how to handle it.  Most of the time we drag ourselves around resenting God's grace and continuing to intensify it more and more involuntarily because we just can't handle it.  We abuse it.  We cheapen it.  We continue doing our thing... believing that we understand grace.

Grace is the gift of freedom that is offered to all who desire to accept it.  I ask myself a question today... have I even truly accepted it?  This gift that is so powerful and loving and costly.  Do I really know what I have?

Here is a history lesson that is still putting it into perspective for me...

 Back in the day, slaves were a common thing in society.  In fact, it was normal even in the Biblical times.  Which is why so many writers in scripture parallel slavery and freedom in reference to the spiritual. 

So here's an  interesting fact... when a slave was up for sale, they normally had a price tag on them and people knew how much that slave was worth.  Probably a good indication of the kind of work they would provide to the owner.  However, in the most rare cases, sometimes an owner would purchase their OWN slave and would put them on display with a tag that read "FOR FREEDOM" so everyone would know that the owner sacrificed financially to allow their slave to be free... basically a "Not For Sale" sign.

This is the part that just baffles me.  When this happened, a slave was so grateful for the gift of freedom that the owner gave... so speechless... so awed... that they continued working for the owner anyway as a sign of gratefulness.

Honestly, we would think this is "so touching", but insane.  I bet I would run for the high hills if I had a tag that said "FOR FREEDOM" ... but the reasoning behind this was if an owner was loving enough to purchase their freedom, they were respectful enough to keep serving as a free man. 

Galatians 5:1 says, "FOR FREEDOM Christ has set us free."  You think they knew about the sign?  You think there is more weight to this statement than, "oh that so nice... now I don't have to worry about what I do anymore getting me into hell."

I think so.  And it leaves me so convicted.  Do my actions cheapen the freeing grace of God?  Or do they reflect my reverence for the exponential grace that flows lovingly from my Savior. 

Pam

Are you God’s Child?

Why do Jesus and his angels rejoice over on repenting sinner? Can they see something we can’t? Do they know something we don’t? Absolutely! They know what heaven holds. They’ve seen the table, and they can’t wait to see your face when you arrive. Better still, they can’t wait to see you.

When you arrive and enter the party, something wonderful will happen. A final transformation will occur. You will be like Jesus. Let’s look at 1 John 3:2 “We have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be Like Him” Of all the blessings of heaven, one of the greatest will be you! You will be God’s work of art. God’s work will be completed in you and at last you will have a heart like His.

You will love with a perfect love…You will worship a radiant face….You will hear each word God speaks…Your heart will be pure, your words will be like jewels and your thoughts will be like treasures.  You will be just like Jesus. You will at long last, have a heart like His.

Envision the heart of Jesus and you’ll be envisioning you own. You will be guiltless, fearless, thrilled and joyous, tirelessly worshiping. And if that were not enough, everyone else will be like him as well. “Heaven is the perfect place for people made perfect” Heaven is populated by those who let God change them.  Arguments will cease, for jealousy won’t exist. Suspicions won’t surface, for there will be no secrets. Every sin is gone. Every insecurity is forgotten. Every fear is past. No wonder the angels rejoice when one sinner repents; they know another work of art will soon grace the gallery of God. They know what heaven holds.

Do you really believe that you will be a blessing in heaven? Make your own list of the types of transformations you’ll be looking forward to. Thank God that you will be perfect then and strive to live like it now.

a testimony worth telling: blind but not mute John 9

If you listened to Win Green preach this morning, there may be some eerie (positive) similarities. I hope so. My thoughts were processed before this morning’s message.

From The Gospel of John chapter 9.

“But this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” V. 3

                Bad things happen to people. What happens if God wants to do something good, cool, powerful through the garbage you are going through.  What can we do?

I propose three responses:

1.       Obey.  v. 7 Jesus told the blind man to go wash the mud off. Something happened when he obeyed.  How are you doing with hearing Jesus voice and obeying him?

2.       Worship. v. 38 When the healed man realized who Jesus was, he worshipped him.  How are you worshipping Jesus throughout your day?

3.       Share your story; Respond when the controversy hits.  vv. 13-27 How willing am I to share what Jesus is doing?  

Speaking honestly, I don’t think I am doing a good job of speaking up. My role is not to edit the story or make the decision if it is worth sharing. If God is doing it, then he is displaying it.

Display – to make it available for public viewing.  How God wants to display it is up to him.

If there is a testimony, it means there’s been a test.

Years ago, I was asked to speak on a panel for training purposes. I was asked to speak about my experiences – to tell my story. My response was, “I have no stories.”  Lyman Coleman challenged me with, “We all have stories. You just need to learn to share them.”

What’s your story? What’s His story in your life?  Who are you sharing it with?

I want to do better telling his story in my life.

Philippians 3

As I was reading Paul’s writing in Philippians 3, a pencil notation I had made in a bible I had used for study many years ago caught my eye.

In verses 2 and 3 of that chapter, Paul is talking about the true circumcision, which he contends has nothing to do with the cutting of the body.  My notation was Jeremiah 6:10, to which I turned and read: “Who would listen to me if I spoke to them and warned them.  The are stubborn and have (literally)  uncircumcised ears.”

“Uncircumcised ears,”   what a poetic, eloquent image!  Not an oxymoron,  but a condition.

Circumcision permanently marks that body as that person’s belonging to the people of God and being in a covenantal relationship with God.  So “uncircumcised ears’ must refer to the person who is unable to hear God, or hearing, does not pay attention to what is heard,  because he/she is separated from God’s people and evidently from the covenantal God?

So I am forced to do a self-examination!  Have I uncircumcised ears, uncircumcised eyes, an uncircumcised mind, an uncircumcised will, ... an uncircumcised tongue . . . an uncircumcised imagination?

Lord, I do belong to you, but what is there of me that has not yet been brought completely into the relationship with you that you desire?

Dear Jesus:   HELP!

Glorifing God

There are several things that could be taken from John chapter 11, such as Jesus sharing our human emotions by crying as stated in verse 35, (shortest verse in the Bible).

But what I'd like to talk about is how God used Lazarus sickness and death to Glorify Jesus. When Jesus hears that Lazarus is sick and needs Him, Jesus stays where He is for two more days. Didn't Jesus care that His friend Lazarus was suffering and near death? Was Jesus being mean? Not at all, for Jesus states in verse 4 that "...it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." In other words, God used Lazarus to glorify Jesus. That was Lazarus' important mission at that time, to bring glory to God the Father and Jesus. While I doult it was pleasent when Lazarus was sick and dying, it must have been awesome to be raised to life by Jesus. Remember in the Old Testament, when Job went through all kinds of trials and sickness, so that God could be glorified, and Satan put down.

So, how does this apply to us? Well, maybe when we're going through some bad circumstances, and it feels like God isn't there, it might be so that God can be glorified in the end. So my question is, do others see God in us while we are going through those circumstances? Maybe it really isn't about us, but about Him.

Just something to consider.

Mike

Acts

I was asked to blog for this date. Reluctantly I said yes. These last 2 weeks I have been thinking about this blog. These thoughts went through my head. Why would anyone be interested in what I have to say? I do not have the knowledge to write something thought provoking. I will not write at good as the others who have blogged.

I just finished reading Acts, learning about the early Church and Peter and Paul. Several things have gone through my head. They where willing to go through whatever they needed to spread the word of God. There was external opposition to the teaching of Christ including imprisonment, beating and even death. Even though there was this external opposition they continued to spread the message wherever they went. They had to have fear and uncertainty not knowing what would happen to them.

Now lets go back to my blog. I really dont't think I will have external opposition--maybe someone may not like my blog, but I don't think I will go to jail or get beaten or killed for what I have to say. So reading about Acts and thinking about what I have learned gave me strength to write these words. This continues with what I am learning through the New Testament Challange. Reading God's word on a daily basis has given and is giving me strength to go outside of my comfort zone. It is making me more confident to share.

We can learn so much about the early Church, about their endless faith, willingness to face external and some internal opposition, and their conviction to share Christ to anyone and anyplace they could reach.

So I want to challenge you as you continue reading the New Testament. What has God been asking you to do that is uncomfortable or challenging? Will you stand up like people in the early church? While you are reading the New Testament, draw strength from Christ and the apostles.

Celeste

A Prayer for Today

Ephesians 3:16-21 "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."

This week I've been struggling with wanting to please everyone, keeping people happy and ultimately taking a lot of things that are beyond my control very personally. I believe it's easy, when you are passionate about your career to allow it to become a part of your self worth and value. Thus, when things go wrong it is normal to take them to heart. But as I've struggled through the appropriate way to handle criticism, feedback, etc. I realize more and more that my ultimate worth and value must be found in Christ. Not the church, any church for that matter. Or even in a group people who are cheerleaders that may or may not stand by me in the most difficult of times. But, found only in Christ, and him alone. 

Paul's prayer to the church at Ephesus is one that I needed to hear today.  I need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, not only for ministry at Asbury but in my everyday life. I need to trust him completely and allow myself to receive the AMAZING love He wants me to experience. I need to do these things in order to be made complete in Him and live out of His calling on my life and not out of the current public opinion poll.