1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 How to Spread the Good News of the Gospel

When we spread the good news of the Gospel, we can expect to face opposition. The apostle Paul was no exception. He boldly preached the Gospel to the Thessalonians in spite of suffering and mistreatment. First Thessalonians 2:1-8 is a model for all Christians to follow, especially when they are called to spread the Good News of the Gospel. In particular, we are to pay attention to the example Paul set for us. His bold preaching was direct and to the point. He did not use words that would please his audience. He did not resort to manipulation. He did not try to “tickle the ears” of his listeners. He did not try to use his ministry for financial gain. Unlike some preachers. Paul was honest, and honesty is refreshingly simple. No ulterior motives or hidden meanings. No need to manipulate people. No matter how much opposition he encountered, he never took his eyes off of his calling to bring people to Jesus.

If we want to build the Christian community, we must proclaim the Gospel boldly. In the words of Dr. Michael Youssef, who is the president of Leading the Way Ministries, we must “passionately proclaim uncompromising truth.” We must be fearless when we speak out against things such as social injustice, lax morals or the abuse of power within the Christian community.

Paul was entrusted by God to speak not to please man, but to please God. Paul was entrusted with the Gospel, just like God entrusts all of his people with the Gospel. The Gospel has been safeguarded throughout the nations. It is the responsibility of each generation to safeguard the Gospel for generations to come. 

Paul and his fellow missionaries could have made demands as apostles. In particular, they could have asked to be paid for their preaching, but they didn’t. Paul made his living as a tentmaker everywhere he went to preach. This supported the claim that the motives of Paul and his colleagues were pure. Lay ministers such as me do not get paid for leading worship services unless they take services in a parish other than their home parish. In my case, I was paid for leading worship services at the United Churches in Liverpool and Bridgewater this past summer. The love of God speaks to the insecurity and the need that is at the centre of greed and as we focus on God’s gift of grace, and we remember that in Jesus we have been given abundant, eternal life, there becomes less and less we have to have, less and less we want.

The Christian church does have some ministers with large egos who have to put their pictures on all their books, parade their degrees after their names, or have the best parking places and the nicest offices. They are no better than the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. True preachers can’t separate their preaching from their daily lives. They must literally “practice what they preach.” If only all preachers-indeed-if only all Christians-served one another as Paul served his fellow Christians. He served his fellow Christians in the following ways:

1.      He served with boldness, truth and honesty, seeking to please God and not men.

2.      He served without flattery, covetousness, or seeking glory from men.

3.      He served with labour night and day, seeking to be devout, just, and blameless.

4.      He served with the gentleness and affection of a nursing mother and the guidance and encouragement of a caring father.

Paul was an effective witness because of what he did. He lived out his faith in his relationship with God. The only way we can be effective witnesses is to live our faith in our relationship with God and with each other. 

Those of us who provide spiritual leadership have to provide tender loving care to our flocks. We have to provide the spiritual nourishment that people need just like a mother cherishes and nurses her children.

Those of us who preach the Gospel must have courage. Courage is often associated with bravery, but courage can take many different forms. Courage is related to confidence, but in this case confidence is less about being right than it is about being comfortable. It means remaining non-defensive when we are challenged, to listen respectfully to others recognizing that God may be speaking to us through them. While we must have the courage to share the Gospel, we must also be vulnerable. We must share what we know and how we strive to live what we know and how we have failed and doubted along our Christian journey.

Evangelism must always be focused on leading people to Christ because it is a matter of their spiritual life and death. Evangelism must be done with a sense of urgency. We must not allow our daily routines to distract us from our Christian duty. We must preach the truth boldly without using tricks or manipulation. We must please God regardless of whether or not there is any growth in the number of Christian followers.

Paul was successful because he, like most good ministers, took the time to cultivate relationships with people. He cared for them by getting involved in their lives. As the old saying goes, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. He shared himself with them by getting involved in their lives.

Paul was bold and direct in his preaching, but he was also a warm and gentle man. That is why he used the image of a nursing mother in 1 Thessalonians 2:7. Paul and his colleagues were eager to give themselves to others just like a mother gives herself to her family-and just like Christ gave himself for us. Paul also got involved emotionally in their lives. He loved the people he met, and he treated them as people of value. When we love others, we must also treat them as people of value instead of a means to an end. When we talk to others, we must talk about our affections, and that includes the gestures of love and kindness such as hugs, handshakes (like those we use when we pass the peace. 

We must lead lives that are stirring enough to start a movement for God. We must have a burning desire to change the world. That must be our passion in life. We must serve others with the tender loving care that Jesus showed. We must encourage each other in our spiritual journey. Even when things look dark and dismal in our broken, human world, God will prevail. God will triumph over evil. God is at work in the world, and he will work through people of faith. God can’t be limited. Even God’s enemies are used by God to do his work in the world.

God also works through the church. We are his agents of change. We are entrusted with the Good News of unconditional love, never-ending grace and ultimate peace. This means that there is something for each and every one of us to do. There are lots of things we can do in the church such as teaching Sunday school, volunteering with the ACW or the Altar Guild or serving on a committee, church council or parish council, or even serving as a lay minister. There are things we can do in our everyday lives such as being godly parents or children or community members.

We are to be focused on the mission. The only way we can accomplish this mission is to live our lives with integrity. Living a life of integrity means genuinely caring for the people and churches we serve. We must have a passion to make God look good each and every day.  

Dr. Haddon Robinson, who is regarded as one of the leading teachers of the art of preaching, once told the story of a writer for a newspaper in Toronto who undertook an investigation into the ethical practices of auto repair shops in his city. He took a spark‑plug wire off of his engine, making the car run unevenly. He took the car in to different shops and asked them to fix it. Time after time people sold him unnecessary repairs or charged him for repairs that were not done.

Finally, he went to a small garage. A fellow named Fred came out, popped open the hood, and said, “Let me listen to that thing.” After a few seconds, he told the reporter, “I think I know what’s wrong.” He reached down and grabbed the wire, announcing, “Your spark‑plug wire came off.” And he put it back on.

The reporter asked, “What do I owe you?”

“I’m not going to charge you anything,” Fred replied. “I didn’t have to fix anything; I just reattached the wire.”

The writer then told Fred what he was doing and that he had been charged all kinds of money by mechanics looking at that same wire. He asked Fred, “Why didn’t you charge me anything?” Fred said, “Are you sure you want to know? I happen to be a Christian and believe that everything we do should be done to glorify God. I’m not a preacher and I’m not a missionary, but I am a mechanic and so I do it honestly. I do it skillfully and I do it to the glory of God.”

The next day in the newspaper was a headline that read, “Christian Mechanic, Honest to the Glory of God.”

Regardless of what we do for God, we must not tone down his message. Even when our message is challenged, we must not back down. We are to be good shepherds, servant leaders whose job description includes leading others to God. God empowers us as leaders and as followers to build up, to influence and to persuade others. We build and strengthen our community of believers so that we may reach out to serve.

 Bibliography

1.      Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

2.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.

3.      Demarest, G. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 32: 1,2 Thessalonians/1,2 Timothy/Titus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984)

4.      MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2006)

5.      Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2010)

6.      Dennis Fisher, “Tender Loving Care.” Retrieved from www.rbc.org

7.      Charles R. Swindoll, “Absolute Honesty.” Retrieved from www.insightforliving.ca

8.      T.M. Moore, “Look at Me.” Retrieved from www.colsoncenter.org

9.      Holly Hearon, “Commentary on 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

10.  Richard Ascough, “Commentary on 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

11.  Dr. Philip W. McLarty, “Sermons We See.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

12.  King Duncan, “A Victory for the Angels.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

13.  Mary S. Lautensleger, “Leaders Worthy of Imitation.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

14.  King Duncan, Living to Please God.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

15.  Richard Brand, “The Cloak.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

16.  King Duncan, “What Would Bill Do (New)?” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

17.  Preaching Magazine (Nashville, TN: Salem Publishing, July/August 2014, p. 48)

Matthew 24:34-40 What’s the Greatest Rule of All

Good morning boys and girls!

Do you have a lot of rules that you have to obey? Where are these rules?

Why do you think it’s so important to have lots of rules? Why do you think it’s important to obey them?

Boys and girls, rules are very important because they keep us from hurting ourselves. Rules are also important because they help us to do the right thing. What happens when we don’t follow rules?

What are some of the rules you have to follow? Out of all of the rules you have to follow, what do you think is the most important one to obey?

Jesus was asked that same question once. The Pharisees asked him which of the Ten Commandments was the greatest. Now the Pharisees were the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. They were so concerned that their followers obeyed the Ten Commandments that they came up with 613 do’s and don’ts for the people. I’ll tell you all about it in the Gospel reading for today, which is taken from Matthew 24:34-40. 

You just heard Jesus say that the two most important rules for us to follow as Christians are to love God and love people. If we follow these two Great Commandments we will naturally obey the rest of the Commandments…and we won’t need a long list of things we can and can’t do.

Let us bow our heads for a moment of prayer. Dear God, thank you for your love. Help us to love you and to love others as you have loved us. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN

 

Bibliography

1.      “Loving God, Loving Each Other.” Retrieved from http://sermons4kids.com

2.      “Broken Rules.” Retrieved from www.cbhministries.org

 

Acts 26:24-27:8 The Storms of Life

The events in Acts 26:24-27:8 occur just after Paul has been arrested for the last time. He had an opportunity to speak to King Herod, King Agrippa and the Roman governor Festus. Festus didn’t know anything about Moses and the prophets. Agrippa and Herod, on the other hand, were familiar with Jewish traditions. Agrippa did not oppose Paul’s words like Festus did. The resurrection took place during the Passover, which was one of Judaism’s main festivals. Everyone knew the story. Paul’s story of his own conversion would have been noticed by Agrippa.

Agrippa was convicted of his sins but was not converted. He saw all of the evidence that Paul presented, but he was not completely convinced to accept Christ as his Saviour. Agrippa had no case against Christianity. He was reluctant to accept Christ as his Saviour, just like some people today are reluctant to accept Christ as their Saviour. Paul presented the offer of salvation to both Agrippa and Festus just like he presented the offer of salvation to everyone he met. Christians have two categories of sinners: saved and unsaved. God does not see rich people or poor people. He doesn’t see rank or royalty.

After Paul presented the offer of salvation, Agrippa and Festus discussed Paul’s fate. They wanted to set Paul free, but Paul had already appealed to the Emperor Caesar, which was his right as a Roman citizen. Because Paul appealed to Caesar, there was no choice but to keep him custody and send him by ship to Rome. Unfortunately, the ship set sail late in the season, which was the ideal time for stormy weather, and as mentioned later on in Acts 27, the ship was wrecked in a storm.

The most logical course for the ship to take would have been to sail straight west across the Mediterranean, but that wasn’t possible because of winds and storms. Christianity is often the same. Sometimes we as Christians feel that we are taking one step forward and two steps back, but God is always with. In addition, God is good even when it seems to us that he is not good.

Everywhere he stopped on the trip to Rome, Paul was greeted by many of the friends he made. When Paul was saved, he gained Christian friends. Everywhere Paul went on his many trips, he made many Christian friends. When we are saved, we gain loyal Christian friends who will be with us when times are tough, just like Paul had friends who cared for him and helped him. Doing things for people makes friends, but allowing people to do things for us creates lasting friendships like the friendships Paul had. Paul helped others, and in return they helped him when he needed help.  

The key point in this story is God’s provision. He protected Paul so that Paul could testify about his faith in Christ. He will also protect us when we testify to others about our faith.

Paul was excited about the new person that Christ made in him that he became a life-changing agent in the lives of Festus, Agrippa, everyone he met and all of Christianity. In fact, he was so excited that Festus thought he was insane! When we are saved, we are also made into new people in Christ. Our excitement about our new lives will also make us effective life-changing agents when we share our testimony. The happier we are about what Christ is doing in us and for us, the greater our passion to teach others about Christ will be.

Our enthusiasm will create a response, and it won’t always be positive. Regardless of how impressive or unimpressive our educational background is, there will always be people who will try to find ways to belittle our faith. We may face persecution or ridicule for our faith, but when we do, God will be there to protect us. When our basic purpose for living is to help others find the grace that can set them free from sin, we become brave commentators like Paul was.

 Bibliography

 

1.      Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Nashville, TN: Worthy Publishing, 2013)

2.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.

3.      Ogilvie, L.J & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 28: Acts (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983)

 

 

 

 

 

You CAN Go Home Again

A teenager came to his pastor for advice. “I left home,” said the boy, “and did something that will make my dad furious when he finds out. What should I do?” The minister thought for a moment and replied, “Go home and confess your sin to your father, and he will probably forgive you and treat you like the prodigal son.” Sometime later, the boy reported to the minister, “Well, I told Dad what I did.” ”And did he kill the fatted calf for you?” asked the minister. “No”, said the boy,” but he nearly killed the prodigal son.”  

It is important for us to see that in this parable Jesus is not interested in teaching us something about shepherding or keeping our money or even being good parents. What he is trying to do is give us a snapshot of God. He is seeking to answer the age old question, “What is God like?” The parable shows us the true nature of repentance and the Lord’s readiness to welcome and bless those who return to him. IT sets forth the riches of grace and encourages us to repent.

As I was doing my research for this sermon, I was amazed about how much this parable reminded me of the hymn “Amazing Grace” and the upcoming movie by the same name. I was particularly amazed by the words of the author, William Wilberforce, wrote in the first verse, namely:

 Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now am found

Was blind, but now I see

Like the prodigal son, Wilberforce was lost and blind, but he saw the error of his ways-and, like the prodigal son, he came home to the love and grace of our heavenly father.  

The prodigal son’s recovery from misery was a turning point in his conversion. When we turn from the darkness of sin to the light of eternal life, God opens our eyes and convinces us of our sin. This causes us to view ourselves and every object in a different light from what we did before. God was not in the prodigal son’s life-he squandered God’s grace. The prodigal son saw the light and decided to return in repentance to his father. This is the first step of true repentance.

The elder son in this parable was a metaphor of the Pharisees. His hatred of his brother is a metaphor of those who hate repentant sinners. This springs from pride, self-preference, and ignorance of a man’s own heart. There is unspeakable happiness of all the children of God who keep close to God, because they are, and ever shall be, ever with him. God’s receiving of a sinner who repents is no loss to those who have always served him. The father in the parable cut short his son’s confession because he could not wait to forgive him. God is the same way. He can’t wait to forgive those who repent and turn away from sin. The prodigal son was dead to sin, but was raised to new life. Now he is found and will be a comfort. He is a metaphor of a sinner who refuses to depend on, and be governed by, the Lord. 

What does it mean to be lost? It means you have gone astray, you are wandering, you suffer from neglect, you are rebellion against God, and you are self-righteous. It also means that God is seeking you both in dangerous places and domestic places. Most important; however, is the fact that sinners should be saved.

Jesus mentions that sin has serious consequences and leads to dire circumstances. The prodigal son went through the seven degrees of the misery of sin:

       1.      Losing sight of God and becoming distant from him.

2.      God’s love was replaced by carnal love and impure desires.

3.      Spiritual riches were squandered.

4.      Poverty, misery and want.

5.      Becoming a slave to the devil

6.      Hardship and rigor of slavery.

7.      Insatiable hunger and thirst.

 Once he saw the light, he went through the eight degrees of conversion and salvation, namely:

1.      Knowing and feeling misery, guilt and corruption.

2.      Resolve to forsake sin.

3.      Looking toward God as a compassionate and tender-hearted father.

4.      Confession of sin.

5.      Coming in spirit of obedience to the word of God.

6.      Putting resolutions into practice.

7.      God receives a sinner with a kiss of peace and love, blots out sin and restores him to the heavenly family.

8.      The sinner is clothed with holiness, united to God and has his faith shod with the shoes of preparation of the Gospel of peace.

Sin is a failure to keep a loving relationship with God, community, family and neighbour. The far country is a metaphor for looking for love in the wrong placed. It is only fun for a season. Eventually, it turns sour. 

We are more like the Pharisees who criticized Jesus for associating with tax collectors and sinners. He accepted these people as people. He did NOT write them off. They mattered to him; they did not matter to the Pharisees. He was able to communicate what mattered to him-i.e. that God wanted to include them. The Pharisees were like the elder son in that they took God for granted. The elder son was so inflated by a sense of entitlement that he refused to eat with someone who did not earn his place at the table. The elder son is also a metaphor for the hypocrite of our time. Jesus uses the parable to teach about God’s grace and acceptance of people who have been rejected by society. All of us fall short of attaining salvation. When we grow in our understanding of God’s grace and understand more about how Christ has freed us from sin’s condition, we respond with joy, praise and gratitude. 

The joyful feast thrown by the father is a metaphor for the rejoicing in heaven when a sinner repents. Real repentance teaches us to hate sin and to love righteousness, holiness and purity. Jesus invites us to “Be compassionate as your father is compassionate”. In other words, be like God and show some compassion to others as he shows to us. We are to be like the prodigal son who ran away and not be like the elder son who stayed at home. The spent pieces of the prodigal son’s dead life were gathered up in the life-giving arms of his father. This is a metaphor of both Christ’s crucified body gathered up and raised to a new life AND the re-gathering of the scattered disciples who were gathered up under a new and Holy Communion.

The welcoming home, acceptance and inclusion of the parable runs counter to the broader perspective of society, especially concerning the inclusion of gays and lesbians. Jesus teaches us to see each other as God sees us and love each other as he loves us. We must do more than just minister to the outcasts of society-i.e. by donating to the local food bank. We must actually be a friend to them like Jesus is; however, we must live a pure and holy life. In other words, we must bring them to our level without stepping down to theirs. Christ calls us not to separate ourselves from those who seem farthest from God’s reach but to get right into the centre and change lives by giving hope to those who need such hope. 

The older brother is also a metaphor of a Judaism that condemned God’s acceptance of outsiders, particularly the Gen tiles. God’s love has no limits, is patient, is eager, is a joyful love, and focuses on the sinner, NOT on the sin. This may not seem fair. The real prodigal is the person who stays outside the loving God. Life with God is a party to be shared with others. The older son was lost and dead because he saw himself and right and righteous. He can’t see that his self-righteousness means that he cut himself off from the source of life like his brother did. The older son could not see that without his father, he was also dead. We are all like the older son because we are dead without God. God is the continuing, abundant source of life. The pain of rejection is devastating, but we must remember these four things:

1.      The feeling is only temporary. Talk it over with someone.

2.      The person rejecting you is the one with the problem.

3.      Remember how to laugh.

4.      God accepts and loves you.

The heart of the story is the older brother. He did not understand why the father welcomed the younger son back. Perhaps there was a tinge of jealousy over how the younger son was living. Do we think, like the older son did, that God measures sin? The answer is no, because we are also outside the kingdom until God forgives us and brings us into the kingdom.

This parable is the story of our lives. We have all had times when we have been far from God. God loves us enough to let us go and welcome us with open arms when we return home. We must not let God’s blessings become commonplace. Like the story of the footprints in the sand, we must remember that God is with us always, even in life’s deepest, darkest times. When we come to God, excuses won’t do. The only way to return is humbly, with repentance. Our sin was paid for with a heavy price-Christ’s death on the cross. We can see ourselves in the lost brother. Jesus tried to draw a picture for the Pharisees of themselves. He wanted them and us to see what the real spirit was in their hearts. The older brother was disturbed by both the return of his brother AND his father’s reaction. This a metaphor of those who hate to see people saved-and there are probably lots of people whose hearts have never been broken in true repentance.

When we become Christians, we are changed like the prodigal son was. Our way of thinking also changes, much like an enemy can be changed into a friend and vice versa. This change encourages us to share and spread the Good News of salvation and God’s grace.

 

Who Do You Say I Am?

There is a story about a Lutheran minister, a Catholic priest and an Anglican priest who dies and arrived at the Pearly Gates at the same time. When they arrived, St. Peter was on his lunch break, so Jesus was on duty at the Pearly Gates. He decided to test the three men of the cloth, so he asked them, “Who do you say I am?” The Lutheran minister was first in line, so he spoke up first and said, “The Bible says…” Jesus interrupted him and said, “I don’t care what the Bible says. Who do YOU say I am?” The Lutheran minister replied,”I don’t know…” Now the minister was standing on a trap door, so when Jesus pulled a lever, the door opened up, and the Lutheran minister was on his way to hell.

The Catholic priest was next, and when Jesus asked him, “Who do you say I am?” the Catholic priest replied, “The Pope says…”  Jesus interrupted him and said, “I don’t care what the Pope says. Who do YOU say I am?” The Catholic priest replied, “I don’t know…” Jesus pulled the same lever, the door opened, and the Catholic priest was on his way to hell. The Anglican priest stepped up and Jesus asked him the same question. The Anglican priest replied, “You are the Christ”. Jesus was very pleased, so he threw open the Pearly Gates. When the Anglican priest started to step forward, he said, “But on the other hand…” 

You have to feel sorry at times for Peter. His intentions are often for the best, but like most people he often ends up putting his foot in his mouth. For example, he cut off a man’s ear with a sword when he tried to prevent Jesus’ arrest before his crucifixion. He also wanted to build houses when he saw Moses, Elijah and Christ together on the mountain at Christ’s Transfiguration. When Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter did the right thing when he said “You are the Christ”, but when Jesus mentioned his upcoming trials and crucifixion, Peter tried to rebuke Jesus for what he said. Peter’s intentions were noble, but he was ignorant about what it really means to be a Christian.

Like many of us, Peter didn’t really understand the true nature of Christ’s kingdom. Knowing Jesus is key to understanding the Gospels. Ignorance about what it really means to be a Christian is a second, central key to Mark’s Gospel. When Christ asks us to take up our cross and follow him, we have to be prepared to pay the price just like he did. We must be prepared to face scorn, ridicule, ostracism, etc. We must be prepared to embrace the will of God, whatever it may be and whenever he decides to reveal his will. When we become a Christian and take up our cross, we must do four things:

1.      Embrace Christ voluntarily

2.      Renounce all prejudices, sins, etc.

3.      Submit willingly to Christ’s will

4.      Be faithful, even unto death

Mark’s view is that knowing Jesus is important, just like it is for us. It allows us to trust him, to transform our way of thinking, to tell others about Christ and to take our identity from him. Our faith in God and our belonging to Jesus Christ are the foundation of our comfort, strength and courage to face the battles of this world.

God doesn’t promise a life free of suffering, trouble, problems, persecution or danger. These forces can and often do bring us pain and suffering, but when we endure them in faith for Christ, he will be with us always, for as Paul wrote in Romans 8:39, “…neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus”. No one knows why God allows suffering and pain, but we do know that when we believe in him by faith, he identifies with our suffering, because Christ suffered and died for our sins. If we believe in him and acknowledge him as Christ, He will give us strength in times of need, even to the point of carrying us through the deep, dark valleys of life. 

Our answer to the question, “Who do you say I am?” can reveal our struggle as to what it means to be part of a Christian community of faith. If we answer, “You are the Christ” like Peter did, our answer reveals two things:

1.      A view of a life of compassion and justice as a vivid experience

2.      A deep trust in God through Christ

Our lives have to be lost so that they might be saved. Preoccupation with saving life is a sure way to lose it. Fulfillment is found in denial of ourselves. Doctrinal knowledge of Christ is not enough to save our lives. We need to have a personal encounter with, and a vivid experience of, the crucified and risen Lord. This only happens when we receive the spirit of the Lord. Belief is necessary to know Jesus. We have to accept his words by faith. Jesus asks us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. His suffering led to God’s peace. Anyone who refuses to suffer for doing God’s will loses the very life they cherish. Those who willingly suffer for his sake will save their eternal life and soul.

Jesus was the model of courage. He had the courage to face a difficult task of suffering, rejection, death and resurrection. He is the source of our courage and competence when we believe in him by faith. Christianity is also the means by which courage is demonstrated. Christian courage seeks opportunities to put life and faith on the line. Christians have the courage to always seek loads or crosses to carry. Christian courage also means fighting the desire to avoid pain. Pain is sometimes necessary in order to follow Christ. Change is necessary and sometimes painful, and often involves short term pain for long term gain, but the process can and often does result in something bigger and better that fits in with God’s plan.

Christian courage also means accepting the power God gives us to change the world. When we accept him as Christ, we are called by God to live as people who can make an impact on others by spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. When we use the gifts he gives us to make a difference in the lives of our families, friends, communities, churches, schools or community groups, we are showing Christ’s love while at the same time acknowledging that Jesus really and truly is ‘the Christ”.

German theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer is a good example. He was a Christian dissident in Nazi Germany. He was tired of both Nazi persecution and colleagues who compromised with Nazi philosophy. He decided to go to the United States to escape the Nazis, but he returned when he believed that God called him to be involved in the reconstruction of Germany once the Nazis were defeated. He felt that he could not take part in the process unless he shared the trials of the people-just like Christ shared our trials during his lifetime. Dietrich Bonheoffer paid the ultimate price when he was hung from the gallows at the Flossenberg concentration camp-just like Christ paid the ultimate price on the cross.

This story reminds us that our struggles with ourselves are often more dramatic than our confrontations with others. We are designed in the image of Christ, but we are also marred by the stain of the original sin in the Garden of Eden. We are often torn between our desire to obey God’s will and our own human weaknesses. The only way this struggle will end is for us to submit to God’s higher calling.  

Jesus asks the disciples to tell him who others confess Jesus to be. We should consider their answers carefully, for we can apply them to what people confess concerning Jesus today. We need to know who he is in order to follow him and continue his work. The importance and necessity of Christ’s teaching and the proclamation of Christ are derived from our understanding of modern answers to the question “Who do you say I am?”

Those who refuse to acknowledge Christ by not attending church at all without good cause, or by only attending church on special occasions, or who refuse to attend when the Eucharist is not being celebrated, or when the service is not from the Book of Common Prayer, or when the service is not from the Book of Alternative Services, or because they do not like the celebrant are in effect stabbing the church and Christ in the back. When we come together in humility and humbleness in public worship, we admit that we are not better than God. We are all part of God’s family. When we submit to him, we do so in the same way we submit to our parents’ authority, or to another authority figure. When we say, “You are the Christ” we acknowledge God’s authority. If we run away from him by not attending church, we are in effect running away from him and his family.  

There are two sides to Christ. One side represents Christ’s love for us, and the other side represents his wrath when we refuse to accept him and submit to his will. This might seem like a contradiction. After all, how can a God of love also show fierce anger? It’s simple. God does love us, but that doesn’t mean his wrath isn’t real or that he lets us get away with sin. There is a price to pay when we don’t take him seriously. All one has to do is remember the stories of the Great Flood, or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the drowning of the Egyptian army after Moses parted the Red Sea, and one will realize what happens when God unleashes his wrath. We need to know the fierceness of God’s wrath in order to understand the wonder of his love. He showed us his love by providing a way out of our sinful ways-namely, Christ’s death on the cross.

A more down-to-earth example of the two sides of Christ is to remember a child’s relationship with his or her own parents. The parents love the child like Christ loves us, but when the child misbehaves or does something to make the parents angry, they unleash their wrath through various forms of punishment. God is the same way. He loves us because he is our heavenly Father, but when we displease him and refuse to accept and acknowledge Christ, LOOK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

The church is where we can devote ourselves to the apostles’ teachings. These teachings will provide us with the answer to the question, “Who do you say I am?” They teach us about who Jesus is, what he did and what he taught. They teach us what it means to follow Christ is our own life and congregation. Those who substitute attendance at worship services with listening to radio or TV evangelists do not receive the benefit of this “local touch”. People who go to church are not perfect, and even the celebrants are not perfect, but when a church member faces the tough times that all believers will sometimes face when  they take up Christ’s cross, the entire church pulls together to share the burden.

Those of us who remember Christ’s words from the Sermon on the Mount will remember the phrase “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”. This phrase refers to those who are humble, those who recognize the incompleteness or poverty of human resources, and those who realize their utter dependence on God. If we humble ourselves to God, and if we put our trust in God’s plentiful resources, and if we put our trust in him, he will reward us with eternal life and a place of honour in his heavenly kingdom.

 

What is Pentecost?

The readings we have heard this afternoon are for the day of Pentecost, which will be celebrated in churches this coming Sunday. Pentecost marks the coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples after Christ ascended to heaven, and is also known as the birthday of the church.

The word “Pentecost” means 50^th day, and it occurs 50 days after Easter Sunday. It is a day to celebrate hope born of the knowledge that God is at work among his people through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit represents God, gracious, enabling presence actively at work in his people. It is a celebration of newness, of recreation, of renewal of purpose, mission and calling of God’s people.

In the past, Pentecostal Sunday was also known as Whitsunday or White Sunday because the church had a tradition of baptizing people on Pentecost Sunday, just like the apostles baptized people in one of today’s readings. Those who were baptized wore white robes that day-hence the term Whitsunday, or White Sunday.

Pentecost Sunday starts the longest season of the church year, a season that runs from Trinity Sunday to the 1^st Sunday of Advent. During this season, the church stresses vocation, evangelism, missions, stewardship, almsgiving and other works of mercy and charity in ways in which Christ empowers us by his grace to share the gospel with others-just like I am sharing it with you today. All baptized believers are part of a group that is called together to share Christ’s love. Those who are part of this group have the Holy Spirit working in them. That means each member has tasks that the Lord wants them to do, and these members have what it takes to do these tasks thanks to the Holy Spirit. Whenever the Holy Spirit is at work, people will come to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to teach us about Jesus and give honour and glory to him. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside us when we ask Jesus into our hearts.

The event of the first Pentecost encourages us to open ourselves once again to the Spirit that came that day, where all those present became aware of the new community to which they now belonged. Their new experience was shown in shared enthusiasm and in a sense of new identity and belonging to Christ and to one another in the power of the Spirit. They expressed this in different ways according to their own cultures and customs. The church was brought together in unity that day through the Holy Spirit, and it is sustained today through the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides the church in the missionary endeavor throughout the world, and the Spirit nurtures the Body of Christ, the church, in truth and love.