"A Future and a Hope" (April 2025)

 “For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (rf. Jeremiah 29:11 MEV)

 

            This is the month in which we as Christians celebrate the event that above all shows us the love of God in its fullness. Easter Sunday recognizes the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead after having given His life as payment and propitiation for our sins. Because of what Jesus did on the cross and in His resurrection, those of us who believe and trust in Him for salvation now truly have “a future and a hope”. Through His merits and sacrifice, we have the promise of being with Him for all eternity. This is the blessing that every individual Christian will experience eventually.

            Not only does the Lord give this promise of “a future and a hope” to His individual followers, He also does the same for us corporately. Indeed, Jeremiah spoke to the whole of God’s people in the kingdom of Judah when he shared God’s “plans” for them during difficult times. He does the same for His Church today.

            As a fellowship of believers here at St. John’s, God is unfolding His “plans for peace and not for evil”. He has led us to a group of fellow believers in Christ in the Covenant of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO) with whom we could join and work to grow in and share the Gospel of Jesus. It was by His leadership that this group has come to our attention and now we are at the threshold of a new chapter in our ministry in Kannapolis. The ECO looks forward to partnering with us and to working together to mutually benefit each other. Through the ECO, we have been offered by the Lord “a future and a hope”.

            On Sunday, April 6th, St. John’s will be tasked to vote to officially join the ECO and become a part of a growing and vibrant denomination that is founded upon the full authority of God’s Holy Word and which has proven itself to be faithful in its service to Christ. Let us together take this opportunity to embrace with exuberance and joy this new path by which we can glorify the Lord and better serve those around us in the love and Spirit of God.

Corporate vs. Individualist Perspective (March 2025)

 “For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the many parts of that one body are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, whether we are slaves or free, and we have all been made to drink of one Spirit. The body is not one part, but many.” 

(rf. I Cor. 12:12-14 MEV)

 

            As humans, especially as Americans, we are programmed from birth to believe strongly in our individualism. Though we often laugh at the antics of toddlers and find their behavior cute, when toddlers learn the term and concept of “mine”, they believe it fervently and will act accordingly, especially if someone attempts to take what they believe belongs only to them. Sometimes sibling rivalry begins with the simple clash of each sibling evoking the concept of “mine” (i.e. not being willing to share or play together).

            On the contrary, the Bible teaches us that, though we are important as individuals to God, He is more concerned and centered upon the whole rather than the parts. When He works out His will in the world, though He undoubtedly uses individuals to accomplish tasks, He does so for the benefit of the larger group, not just for the instrument of use. 

            We see this at work in the Bible’s terminology. As in the text quoted above, Paul uses the concept of the “body of Christ” when referring to the Church because the Church and its benefit and blessing are the focus of God in Christ in the New Testament (and to the present day). Even in the Old Testament, God referred to the Israelites as “My people” (ex: II Chron. 7:14). Jesus makes it clear that He as the Good Shepherd “gives His life for the sheep” (rf. Jn. 10:11), speaking in terms of the whole herd of sheep, not just one. Even our individual salvation is shown to be a result of Christ’s mission to “save His people from their sins” (rf. Matt. 1:21), an obvious reference to the whole and not the individual.

            If we are to fulfill all that God wants us to do while here on earth, we need to move our thinking to fit the Scripture’s truth, angling from individual to corporate in focus. We need to be more concerned about God using “us” rather than God using “me”. Such a change in perspective would also cause a change in action as we shifted attention from what benefits or blesses “me” to what will bless His Church as a whole. Once all of us complete this necessary change, we will see God begin using His Church in new and powerful ways to reach a world that desperately needs His truth and love.

"Greater Love" (Feb. 2025 Draft)

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

(rf. Jn. 15:13 MEV)

 

 

            Love is an interesting word, indeed. We often bat it around with little thought as to its real meaning. We say, “I love my team, I love my pet, I love this color, I love my spouse or children”, using the same word to speak of different types of relationships. In time past I have noted that the Greek language uses different words for different types of love, such as phileo for brotherly love, eros for love within an intimate relationship, and agapeo for the unconditional love that God has for us. Greek provides a clearer picture of the love in question.

            In the passage above, Jesus gives His disciples an example of the greatest love imaginable in human understanding—a self-sacrificing love. The object of this type of love in context (“for his friends”), of course, relates directly to the followers of and believers in Christ. As His children, we are also considered “his friends” (rf. Jn. 15:14-15). As such Jesus was willing to give His life in place of ours, sacrificing Himself willingly so that in His death we might have life. We’ve seen this type of love exhibited between human beings before: a parent willing to face a wild animal or criminal with no thought of his or her own life in protection of the children; a soldier who throws himself on a live grenade to keep his buddies from getting hurt or killed. There are many examples of this type of love and these actions throughout history. What makes Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself on the cross even more potent is that He gave His life, not only for those disciples whom He loved without measure that had been with Him for three years of ministry, but also for the myriads of people who had not known Him personally, those who would make up His body, the Church, over centuries of time.

            Since we have been provided this paragon of self-sacrificing virtue by Jesus, we need to recognize that this is the love we should also share with those who are our “friends”, including our families, obviously, but others beyond as well. Only when we are willing to sacrifice ourselves, our wants, dreams, visions and desires, even our own lives so that others will be blessed can we ever approach the love that Christ has for us. This is the calling of God upon each of us as His children. It is by sharing this kind of love with others that they can see clearly the love He has for them. Let us then commit ourselves to displaying this Christ-like love that the world may experience it as we have. 

Newness and Change (Jan 2025)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (rf. II Cor. 5:17 NASB)

 

            As we begin a new year, we are entrenched in the dead of winter. The leaves have fallen from the deciduous trees, leaving behind a carpet of fading color on the ground while bare branches hang overhead. The wind whistles through the tree limbs unheeded and undaunted by the cold. It is a truly a bleak landscape that remains after the official arrival of winter.

            However, there is the promise of newness and life that also floats on the breeze. Though its reality is still months away, just knowing Spring is ahead and waiting in the wings provides us hope for better things in store. We just need to buckle down and endure the harshness of winter’s wrath to get to the gentle compassionate touches of Spring.

            As is happening in the world around us so the same is true within our hearts and our church. The Lord is preparing new paths for us to follow, new truths for us to learn, new experiences for us for us to go through together. The arrival of the new is a blessing to us as He moves us forward, benefiting from the lessons we have learned in the past while not concentrating our energies and focus on the things behind us. Like in a book, the Lord would have us to turn the page and engage a new chapter in our walk with Him, both individually and as a church. Newness brings promise of life as it does in Spring. So, we want to embrace the newness with all of our heart.

            Change for the better is not a bad thing at all. We are actually made for change. The sooner we embrace that truth, the easier is it is for us to manage it. Let us together build on our rich history in Christ, personally and corporately, while awaiting the new things the Lord has in store for us as His people.

Remarkable Mary, the mother of Christ

 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore, the Holy One who will be born will be called the Son of God. Listen, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her who was declared barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be unto me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. (rf. Lk. 1:34–38 MEV)

 

The angel Gabriel visited Mary (actually Miriam in Hebrew), a young woman of Nazareth, a small village in the Galilee region of Israel. She was “troubled” (vs. 29) by his appearance but maintained enough composure to enter an important conversation with this servant who was sent directly on errand from the throne of God Himself. Her natural fear was overcome by awe and anticipation of finding out why the Lord of Hosts had chosen her to receive this message. God informed her that He had selected her above all other women in Israel to be the vessel through whom the Promised Messiah would come. Even from the womb He would be the king of Israel from the royal lineage of David as prophesied (vs. 32-33).

 

Her reception of this news and the attitude with which she accepted are of great note here. The text does not say that she through ambition would be elevated to an equal position with her Son as Co-Regent, if you will (as Roman Catholicism teaches). No, it is her humility, faithful resignation, and commitment to be the Lord’s servant that gains our attention. She hears of the impossible feat God was going to do in and through her and she without hesitation agrees to His use of her in His plan. In her case, humility + faith = an enduring legacy and blessing. She alone above all others would be forever known as the mother of Messiah.

 

We quickly overlook these beautiful facts when we look at Mary. She was a virgin (“I do not know a man”) and a teenager, yet she possessed a faith in and understanding of Almighty God that most older adults rarely obtain. Mary is more than worthy of our respect and admiration.

 

We should learn to follow her example and simply take God at His Word. Remember that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (rf. Heb. 11:1). If God says that He will do it, it will be done accordingly. He simply wants us to believe in Him enough to not only watch it happen but also be willing to participate in the miraculous process. 

 

This Christmas, let Mary’s gift of faith be yours as well so that as the new year approaches, we can anticipate with joy the reality of God’s work in us, through us and around us in the future.

A Thankful Heart

 I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. (rf. Ps. 9:1–2 NASB)

 

 

It is unfortunate that November presents us with one of the few times of the year when being thankful comes to the forefront of our lives. The retail establishment has already diminished the importance of Thanksgiving by focusing more on the Christmas buying season to maximize sales and profits. The world has much for which to be thankful yet having very little impetus to do so while largely having no clue as to whom their thankfulness should be directed. 

The Psalmist above gives the follower of the Lord strong encouragement to be thankful. He points out that the starting place of gratitude is in the heart. Possessing an attitude of appreciation is a “whole-hearted” pursuit (“I will give thanks…with all my heart”) as well as the personal experience of gladness as a result (“I will be glad…in You”). 

The outward expressions of a thankful heart are shown in one’s desire to give God praise for the benefits experienced at God’s hand (“I will…exult in You”; “I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High”). The person with a heart full of gratefulness is empowered to not only sing forth the greatness of God but to also declare the astounding things He has done for us, individually and corporately as His Church (“I will tell of all Your wonders”). 

As Christians we should set the examples of the world and for our families on how to rightly express our appreciativeness to the Lord for the blessings He has given to us. Let the overwhelming distractions be purposefully put aside for a time to allow us to share with our family members and friends just how good God has been to us and the richness we have experienced in being called into His family. Let our Thanksgiving be bathed in an attitude of worship, expressing our heartfelt thankfulness for Him being our God and we being His people.

Come Out and Be Separate

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who exchange darkness for light, and light for darkness; who exchange bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (rf. Is. 5:20 MEV)

            

            Our culture seems determined to pursue a course in direct defiance of the precepts and teachings of the Lord. They would have us to believe that their actions and motivations that Almighty God declares to be sin in His sight are actually positive contributions that benefit both the individual and society. Culture’s position is unmistakably “tolerant” toward all things that God finds repulsive and worthy of His judgment because of His holiness.

When a culture in whatever timeline you choose determines to exalt darkness and evil as if these things are good, believers must know the Lord is not pleased and they should separate themselves from such pursuits. He wants His people to be a distinct group from the surrounding society by not aligning themselves with the sinking ship of the world and its ways. The Apostle Paul puts it succinctly in his second epistle to the Corinthians, quoting the OT prophets of Isaiah and Ezekiel, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (rf. II Cor. 6:17-18 MEV).

            As believers in Christ, we must not just accept the things of the culture around us and say that we don’t want to cause issues or be offensive to the unbeliever by saying or doing anything to the contrary. When we try to blend in with the world, we effectively say to God that we do not really desire identification with Him. Hear the words of the Apostle John on this matter: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world” (rf. I Jn. 2:15-16 MEV). 

October is one of the months that we have the opportunity to see and experience the love of our culture for darkness and evil. Wherever we go, we are confronted with it. We also can decide not to be party to their perspective. Rather, let us take Paul’s words to heart and be different, separate from those who relish in evil. Let us shine the light of His truth brightly in contrast so the world will know the followers of Jesus are distinctive and delight in belonging to Him. Let our actions and words be uplifting and encouraging with the goal of helping those caught in the darkness to come to the light and love of Jesus. As the psalmist declares, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord shall rise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you” (rf. Is. 60:1-2 MEV).