Though Joseph worked hard as a carpenter all of his life, none of his handiwork survived—just his name, his reputation and his legacy: the child he raised that wasn’t even his. Why didn’t God choose another Joseph?
There was Joseph son of Antipater, the brother of Herod the Great and a high ranking soldier. If God chose him, Jesus would have been raised as a man of power, prestige, privilege—a leader, conqueror and warrior. Or God could have chosen Joseph of Arimathea, a rich, high ranking council member of the Sanhedrin. With this Joseph as his father, Jesus might have been raised as a man without need or want, a man who could sway opinion and influence political compromise with just a glance. Then there was Joseph Caiaphas, a high priest of the Jews, a man who could insight riots as well as worship. In his house, Jesus might have been raised to be a man in control of the Temple of God, and a man in control of Jerusalem itself. But God chose Joseph of Nazareth, a man from a place of which was said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"—John 1:46. By choosing Joseph of Nazareth, Jesus was raised in a common town—a lowly place that lacked culture—with a rude dialect and an immoral, irreligious and unethical reputation. God chose the poor carpenter, Joseph, whose offering at the Temple was just two doves. Through Mary, Joseph would father at least two daughters, four natural sons and one supernatural son—Jesus. When we discuss the birth of Jesus, we cannot forget that no man, including Joseph, ever touched Mary. If Jesus was conceived of any means other than a virgin birth, Jesus’ blood would have lost its purity, and we would remain in our sins. Can you image the difficult decisions Joseph had to make, even before Jesus was born? In today’s society, he may have insisted that Mary get an abortion, because they weren’t married and the baby wasn’t his. In Joseph’s society, he had a right to have Mary stoned to death for her presumed adultery. C. S. Lewis wrote, “The grounds for belief and disbelief are the same today as they were two thousand or ten thousand years ago. If Joseph had lacked faith to trust God or humility to perceive the holiness of his spouse, he could have disbelieved in the miraculous origin of her Son as easily as any modern man; and any modern man who believes in God can accept the miracle as easily as Joseph did.” Consider all that Joseph had to overcome: His fiancé became pregnant. The whole town wanted him to disown her. An angel came and revealed the whole truth. He had to make the arduous 80 mile trek of many days from Nazareth to Bethlehem, with a pregnant wife and a donkey. When he arrived, there was nowhere for them to stay, since family members had probably rejected them. They gave birth to their first child without a nurse, a hospital, or sterile facilities. Imagine how afraid they would be! Imagine the courage of Joseph, the man God chose. Then the lowly shepherds came, describing how supernatural messengers had told them Joseph’s child was the Christ—the savior of the world. Later royal visitors would come, bearing fantastic gifts and describing a miraculous star that led them to Joseph’s child. Their peaceful lives were broken when another holy messenger came to Joseph to warn him of Herod’s plot to kill Jesus. Joseph obeyed, packed up his family and fled to Egypt until Herod’s death, all the while, raising Jesus in the faith and loving him as his own son. Joseph gives us a beautiful picture of adoption and is an example of how God the Father loves all who believe in Him. This is why God chose Joseph. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”—John 1:12-13 This year, as we think about Christmas, remember Joseph, whose example of adoption reflects the heavenly example of God, who desires to be our father--your father, through spiritual adoption. “…you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…” – Romans 8:15-16 This is why Jesus came.
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John the Baptist never did a miracle, never spoke in tongues, never fed 3000, never preached to thousands in a stadium, yet Jesus said of him, "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist;” – Matthew 11:11
John the Baptist said - "He must increase, but I must decrease.” – John 3:30 In this one verse I find what is so special about John the Baptist and I see a recurring theme of humility and selflessness running throughout the Bible. As an American, this whole concept is foreign. We are taught to lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps, be all that we can be, climb higher, run faster, make more, exceed your goal, win at all costs. While Americans are striving for the most, God is telling us to strive to be the least. Jesus said – "But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” – Mark 10:31. “…whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.” – Mark 10:43b As we die to our self-will, that is choose to do God’s will instead of our own, we will naturally become focused on others. Our focus will first be on Jesus, then on other people. Yes the Bible says “I can do all things,” but it adds “through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13 Author David Chappel wrote, “Ask any Christian, ‘Do you want Christ to be glorified?’ and the answer will, of course, be “Yes!” But consider what this answer cost John the Baptist. Christ increasing meant that John’s influence and ministry was decreasing! It’s easy to say we want Christ to be exalted, but are we willing for His exaltation to come at our expense? We naturally rebel at losing anything we hold dear—including our pride, but death to self is the only way we can truly exalt Christ.” Jesus says that we must die to our “self” - Matt 16:24-26 "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” It is not until we let our selfish ambitions die, will we truly live, flourish and multiply. Jesus uses a kernel of grain as a an example: John 12:24- 26 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” Be careful not to confuse “dying to self” with eastern mysticism’s idea of “emptying yourself”. All meditation leaves is an empty vessel – an “empty self”. Jesus is talking about death, which leads to life. Jesus calls it being “born again.” The Apostle Paul captured this in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Author John Gregory Mantle wrote, “There is a great difference between realizing, ‘On that Cross He was crucified for me,’ and ‘On that Cross I am crucified with Him.’ The one aspect brings us deliverance from sin’s condemnation, the other from sin’s power.” Many have accepted Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and His shed blood for atonement of sins. But have they been “crucified with Him?” As we look into the mirror of God’s Word and study ourselves, through the scripture, we recognize ourselves in the descriptions of sin. We see ourselves oh so plainly. But if we let the mirror of God’s word teach us and cleanse us and mold us into His likeness – we will see the image of ourselves decrease, and the image of Christ in us, increase. This is what John the Baptist did when he stated “He must increase and I must decrease.” John was an ordinary man, not unlike you and me, who gave himself to serving God and won the praise of Jesus himself. We cannot call Him “Lord” if we are still in charge. Pastor Jay Merritt Standing anxiously next to my mom, my 4 year old little feet fidgeted inside my red sneakers as the nice wrinkled lady standing across from me offered a cookie from a plate she was holding. I jumped forward, grabbed one, and ran back to my mother’s side, hiding behind her long blue plaid skirt. My mother nudged me, “What do you say?” With a mouthful of cookie I mumbled, “Thank you,” barely casting a glance at my benefactor, seeking out for where the toys were hiding instead.
While this is considered cute and childish, isn’t this what we do on Thanksgiving Day? We hover around the kitchen as great aromas waft in the air, trying to avoid the evil glances from the cooks as they stress to get all of the traditional favorites made to perfection at the exact same time. We barely avoid the slap on the hand as we try to sample a little morsel dangling near the edge of a platter. To kill the time, we flip through the parades on TV- with their floats, balloons, bands, dancers, singers, clowns, and elves dressed in red. We sort through the paper to find out when the first football game will come on and memorize the channel listing. We check which stores are going to be open early on Friday and what the specials are- while calculating if the savings are worth fighting the crowds. We quickly prepare the table with napkins, plates, beverages, and utensils - getting more anxious with each minute that passes, hoping that dinner does not interfere with the kickoff. Finally, the meal is ready. We grab a plateful and run back to our place at the table. We mumble a quick, “Thank you,” while in just a few minutes, we wolf down the delicacies that took hours to prepare. Then we run to the TV, just in time for the first whistle, leaving the mess behind. If this is all we have to be thankful for, it is no wonder our country is in distress. Abraham Lincoln, in the midst of national unrest, proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving. After recollecting the great many blessings bestowed on our nation, he wrote this: “No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.“ – Abraham Lincoln (Proclamation Establishing Thanksgiving Day, October 3, 1863). Look at all the components Lincoln specified in his proclamation: 1. To set apart a day. 2. Humble ourselves before God and acknowledge Him. 3. Give Thanks to God. 4. Give Praise to God. 5. Seek forgiveness for personal/national perverseness and disobedience. 6. Think about the widows, orphans, mourners and those who are suffering. 7. Ask God to heal the wounds of our nation. 8. Ask God to restore our nation. This is more than a mere “thank you” while we have our mouthful of goodies and our mind on other things. It should be a day as spoken by God, “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.” - 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 Will you share this with your family Thanksgiving Day? Pastor Jay Merritt There’s an American tradition that was introduced in the late 1800’s that has many striving for the wrong goal – retirement. While some may find it appealing to quit the world and sit on the front porch in a rocking chair, or play golf for 20 years, I do not find any references in the Bible to support such goals.
The Bible speaks about this attitude, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” - 2 Timothy 3: 1-5 The Bible does not speak about people of faith retiring from service, in fact it says the opposite in James 2:20 “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” When Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph found a wonderful woman named Anna, still serving the Lord well into her 80’s, “She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” - Luke 2:36-37 Time is the most precious gift God has given us outside of salvation through Jesus Christ. If we are able to work all of our life to finally be able to spend each day free of the burden of a time clock, may I suggest that we all turn our efforts toward serving God and man with that free time as Anna did. Consider several other “senior citizens” like Anna from Bible history: Noah lived over half his life before he had kids. God called Noah to build the ark AFTER Noah’s kids were born. None of us would be here today if Noah had told God, “I’ve done my time, find someone else.” He was old, but he did not quit! Moses was a great leader who did not get the call to rescue the slaves from Egypt until he was 80 years old. He worked another 40 years after parting the Red Sea, to lead God’s people to the shores of the Promised Land. When he died, “His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.” - Deuteronomy 34:7 Caleb was 85 years old when he was among the few of the older generation to enter the Promised Land. He said of himself, “As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.” - Joshua 14:11. He not only reached his goal, but continued to fight for many years to defend what God had given them. I am acquainted with an older gentleman who reminds me of Caleb. He is 84 years old, still has a business card and is ready to work in a moments notice. He volunteers at the local food pantry, is faithful to his church and he gives God all the glory for his long life. I find him to be very a great example of this teaching. In churches across America I hear our great generation of seniors reciting from the same playbook, “I paid my dues. I’m not serving anymore.” After 40 years of Christian service, our seniors are quitting. I exhort you – DON’T QUIT SERVING GOD! The next generation needs your wisdom. Bite your tongue if the music, clothing and decoration is not your style, but speak loudly with your Godly and Biblical experience. Work alongside the pastor, not against him. After 40 years in Church you are old enough to feed rather than waiting to be fed. Why did God put us through all the experiences and trials in our long lives? So “…that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” - 2 Corinthians 1:4. I know that I could not minister to someone who had lost their mother, until I had lost mine. I could not minister to someone who is jobless unless I had become suddenly without a job. Think of all the experiences and comfort you can share if you don’t quit! Likewise, we cannot teach of the forgiveness of God, unless we ourselves have experienced it. Be able to say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” – 2 Timothy 4:7 Pastor Jay Merritt Compared to other countries, America has a great deal of choices available. In another land, if you can find a grocery store, it may only have bulk items in the open air. Brand names, plastic wrap and cardboard containers and FDA stickers are nowhere to be seen. Americans have multiple choices for everything from cell phones to trash services. It is in the challenge of making the right choice that we often fail to grasp the consequences of our actions.
On a mission trip to Paraguay, I saw an interesting consequence of the abundance of choices. Our small group took a boat up the Paraguay River to minister to the local Guaraní people with health care professionals and a local pastor. At the first village we found a meek group of families living in very modest quarters. Their sturdy homes were made of items they found in nature. Most had dirt floors and none had electricity, yet all of them were healthy and well fed from products found on the land and in the river. Their children were happy and all attended a school that was built by missionaries. We had a joyful time playing, eating, ministering and telling stories. In their secluded place in the world, there was very little influence from the outside world. The second day, we traveled further up the river to visit another group living at a cattle ranch. Their homes were well built wooden structures left behind by the previous owners of the land, which was once a timber company, before the trees were all removed. There was electricity, running water, gas powered vehicles – and multiple choices of vices. There was no school for the children, yet there was greater opportunity for work and income, which gave them greater choices to pollute their bodies and the land. The health problems in this place were as diverse as the choices for a variety of vices. Between the two villages, the simpler, less complicated life seemed to be healthier and happier, because there were fewer choices to sin. Look at the complicated story of King David in the Bible. He had climbed to the top where others were fighting his battles for him. David chose to stay home and hang out on the balcony to watch the pretty ladies bathe on the rooftops on a warm summer evening. The consequences of this one choice led to other bad choices which triggered an unending chain of events. 1) David stayed home instead of going to battle (2 Samuel 11:1). 2) Watched Bathsheba bathe (2 Samuel 11:2). 3) Invited her to his home and slept with her, even though he knew she was married (2 Samuel 11:4). 4) Tried to cover up his sin (2 Samuel 11:13). 5) Murdered Bathsheba’s husband with the stroke of a pen (2 Samuel 11:14-15). 6) Bathsheba had to choose a coffin for her husband (2 Samuel 11:26). 7) David had to choose a coffin for their baby (2 Samuel 12:19). 8) David’s son Amnon slept with David’s daughter Tamar (2 Samuel 13:11-14). 9) Tamar’s life is ruined (2 Samuel 13:20). 10) David chose to do nothing about it (2 Samuel 13:21). 11) David’s son, Absalom, ordered the murder of Amnon because of Tamar (2 Samuel 13:22, 28-29) 12) David’s house was divided (2 Samuel 14:28 – 15:6). 13) Absalom tried to take over the kingdom (2 Samuel 15:10-13). 14) David chose to abandon Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15:23) 15) Ahitophel, Bathsheba’s grandfather/Absalom and David’s counselor, hanged himself in the confusion (2 Samuel 17:23). 16) Absalom died trying to dethrone David (2 Samuel 18:9-15). 17) David’s grandchildren warred among themselves and divided the kingdom (1 Kings 12:20). David’s first choice to sin was against God. The consequences of his sin continued well beyond his death, even to today. Are you following God’s plan or your own ill-conceived choices? How is that working for you? I challenge you to make a choice today, with the same challenge Joshua gave - "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15) Pastor Jay Merritt All of us have worked alongside complainers and encouragers. I prefer encouragers. The Bible has a record of a great encourager who was instrumental in getting the early church started: Joses.
The Bible does not say when Joses became a believer in Jesus, but he was well known by the apostles, for they nick-named him Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement, (Acts 4:36). In Acts 4:37 we see that he was a generous man, for he sold some of his land and gave to the apostles, to further the cause of Christ. How encouraging it must have been to the apostles when they received this gift. In my opinion, if Barnabas had not followed God’s call, much of Europe and Asia might not have heard the Gospel. He was instrumental in identifying, encouraging, and introducing perhaps the world’s greatest evangelist to the apostles: Paul. Paul had had a tough time. Before Paul’s conversion, Paul had been a persecutor of the followers of Jesus. After Paul’s conversion, he preached in Damascus, to inform the Jews about Jesus being the Christ, but they wanted to kill him for saying such things. Paul escaped in the middle of the night with little more than the clothes on his back (Acts 9:23-25) and fled to Jerusalem. Paul tried to join with the rest of the believers in Jerusalem, but they were all afraid of him and thought the whole story of his conversion was a lie (Acts 9:26). It was then, in Jerusalem, that Paul ran into Barnabas, the “Son of Encouragement,” who grabbed Paul by the arm and took him to meet Peter, James and the other apostles, where Barnabas encouraged the apostles to let Paul into their group (Acts 9:27). Paul may have quit if it wasn’t for this chance meeting. The Jews wanted to kill him. The young Christian community didn’t believe him – except for Barnabas. Not only was Barnabas an encourager, but he also had courage to take Paul in, when no one else would. How many of us have done the opposite of what Barnabas did? We hear of the miraculous conversion of a person whose soul we wrote off as lost long ago, and we scoff in disbelief. All we can think of is the old person and can’t focus on the possibilities that God can create for every new believer. As the Bible shows, through the example of Barnabas, it is better to err on the side of belief, than to let a new believer get lost in discouragement. The Lord began doing great things in a place called Antioch in Syria. There was a group of Jewish believers in Jesus and a group of Greek believers. The apostles sent Barnabas to Antioch alone, without Paul, to encourage them in the Lord (Acts 11:23). If you look closely at the specific encouragement he gave, it was “with purpose of heart” to remain true to the Lord. I think he was telling the believers that their faith needed to be “on purpose” and not by happenstance. He could also have been thinking that discouraging people and circumstances would come one day, and if their faith was not in a place of priority in their hearts and minds, it could easily be toppled if it was not on a secure foundation. Because Barnabas was “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith,” “a great many people were added to the Lord.” – Acts 11:24. Paul had been debating with the Greeks in Jerusalem so heatedly, that they tried to kill him there, too. Luckily the believers rescued him and sent him back to his home town of Tarsus where he would be safe. Paul was sent home because his preaching style was too disruptive. How discouraging! But here’s the beautiful thing: Barnabas went out of his way, 250 miles round trip, to pull Paul back into the ministry, in Antioch. It seems that this second round of encouragement from Barnabas is what Paul needed. The two of them taught and preached together for a full year. In this place, where the evangelist and the encourager worked side by side, the followers of Jesus were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). Barnabas was generous, full of “on purpose” faith, went out of his way to encourage, was a team player, and never gave up on people. Today’s followers of Christ will have a tough time living up to the same name he was given – Christian. Who will you encourage today? Pastor Jay Merritt Tongue in cheek, I’ve often said that “change is a constant” in this world. But something that will never change, are the attributes of God. God does not change.
Many in the world today only believe in a loving and benevolent grandfather image of God, who wants to bounce us on His knee and grant every wish we can conjure up. There are others who only preach that God hates sinners and is punishing America at this moment for those sins that do not match God’s high standards. In review of the facts in the Bible – these are both distortions of the true attributes of the God I know, love and defend. While studying Paul’s writings in Romans 1:16-2:11, I recently found a distinct and balanced description of God’s attributes that we must all grasp. God is a righteous and impartial judge. In the image portrayed by the scripture, an all loving and benevolent God sits at a seat of judgment, assuring that all who sin must pay the penalty of their actions. “[God] will render to each one according to his deeds: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil.” - Romans 2:6-9 In this study, I saw a righteous judge, leveling the playing field and coming down on three specific human behaviors. The first human behavior God abhors is “suppressing the truth” (Romans 1:18). The implication is that mankind knows what is expected, yet chooses to redefine God’s standards, even to the point of redefining God. As I interpret verse 19, God has written His standards into our internal design, as well as His creation. He has put His attributes on the inside and the outside so we are without excuse. “For since the creation of the world,” the Bible says, “His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” – Romans 1:20 The scripture continues, “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.” – Romans 1:21-22. Arrogant mankind willfully slides into sin when we think we are smarter than God. The second behavior God abhors is unbridled sin. Once mankind “[exchanges] the truth of God for the lie” (Romans 1:25), God “gives us up” to a spiral of sin which ultimately leads to God’s judgment and wrath. In the nearly “X-rated” portrait of sin that is described in verses 26-31, I see a picture of twenty-first century America. Virtually every deep dark secret harbored in the minds and actions of our citizens is described in living color. Many of these sins are celebrated in parades, pumped into our living rooms on TV and internet cables, and defended in our courts as a “right” for all who live here. This land that I love and call home has adopted the Bill of Rights as a higher standard than the Holy Word of God. The third behavior God abhors is the judgmental attitude of His followers. He says in Romans 2:1-2 “You are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.” I see this as a warning to believers, and those who feel they are immune to these teachings and look down on those who have strayed. Finally, the Bible reinforces God’s loving and forgiving attributes which we should also know: “His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering,” which “leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4). This is the good news of the Bible. While we all fall short of God’s expectations and all deserve His righteous judgment, He has made a way for us to have eternal fellowship with Him. This “good news” is, according to Romans 1:16, “the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” All of us have sinned. We all deserve God’s wrath. None of us has, or can ever, earn our way into His favor. Salvation is being reconciled back to God’s favor. Paul reminds us, “… the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” – Romans 1:17 God will not change His attributes. We must a make a decision to change direction and meet God where He stands, through faith in His son. I remember September 11th, 2001 receiving a news bulletin from CNN saying that a small airplane may have crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. It was one of those “I’m sorry for thinking that” moments when I recall all the cynical things going through my mind at the time.
My dad was visiting and we were going to the flea market, 20 minutes from home. During our drive to the market, I mentioned the news about the “idiot who crashed into the tower” earlier that morning. The gravity of the day did not hit, even when we started hearing more about the towers from people at the market. We continued to walk around, until we saw a crowd gathered at one of the booths. Someone had a TV playing a live news broadcast. We stood at the fringe of the small crowd, watching the towers burn and crash to the ground. Someone said that they were going to close the schools. We had to quickly get back to the house, to be there for the kids when they got off the bus. I still see the horror on everyone’s faces at the market as we all dropped what we were doing to tend to our highest priorities. All day the phone lines were overloaded as we all tried to get a dial tone to call loved ones. I was not comfortable seeing and feeling the fighter jets screaming up and down the coast and the A10 Warthogs and Apache helicopters continue the patrols for weeks later. We made a plan to leave if the action got too close. I remember my fear, the silence on the streets, tending to priorities, not knowing, not understanding - just waiting. We watched the news all night and saw firsthand the tragedy - the dust, the faces, and cries of “Oh my God!” I was crushed, hearing the stories of the first responders who rushed in while others were rushing out. Entire squads were lost - my heart broke as I imagined the grief of their families. Loved ones of the lost taped pictures to walls and windows around ground zero, unwilling to give up hope. Within hours, crowds of fearless, determined people gathered to rescue those buried alive in that massive pile of smoldering rubble. Truckloads of donated food and water lined the streets as the entire nation fought for the cause. Crowds cheered the brave heroes along the way, encouraging the rescue workers, hoping and praying for one more to be found alive. America wept and cheered. And then the work suddenly stopped. Every worker from every trade froze in place. The jack hammers – silent. The welders and torches – silent. Every engine, every voice paused, as each flag draped body made its way from the debris onto the street. The president grabbed a bullhorn, shouting, “We will find those who are responsible!” The places of worship were overwhelmed with people yearning to seek the truth and change their priorities. I remember a nation united. The first attacks on Afghanistan brought with them the new words Taliban and al-Qaeda. This was a new kind of war. We were not fighting a country with borders, but an idea. Their idea is that sinners must be eradicated and killing them deserves reward. That’s what brought about the attack on 9/11. On that day, 19 terrorists selfishly committed suicide in hate for something they believed in, and changed the world in a negative way. 2000 years ago, Jesus chose 12 men who unselfishly gave their lives in love, and changed the world in a dramatic and positive way. Which way is right? I have concluded that this is a spiritual battle, one that has already been fought and won. Remember what Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” - John 15:13. Jesus did just that. He laid down His life on the cross in love, for a world full of sinners. He died for those who believe in Him, but He also died for his enemies, those who drove the nails into His hands and feet and Yes, He even died for the sins of the terrorists, so that they might believe. Jesus preached to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” – Matthew 5:44 Remember, 100 years from now when we have passed into infinity- “now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” - 1 Corinthians 13:13 Now, more than ever, we must unite in love. I grew up without a lot of church knowledge, or unique church language. When I came into the church, I found that there are a lot of terms that are used only in church. One word in particular has a completely different meaning inside the church. In my experience outside of church the term “grace” or “graceful” was a term for how a dancer performed or how a horse moved. When I would dine with some of the neighbors, they would often “say grace” before we would be allowed to eat. It wasn’t until I started attending church that I began to hear of “amazing grace.”
So what is it that makes grace so amazing? When I lived in Arizona, I met a retired cowboy named Dave Long who said, “Once I got a lasso around that grace, I just climbed aboard and hung on!” In his song “How He Loves”, John Mark McMillion describes God’s grace this way – “If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.” I believe that grace is probably the most important term in the Bible. It surpasses all the rules and regulations. It is greater than all the parables and proverbs. Simply, without grace, there is no salvation. The first time the word grace is used in the Bible, is to describe Noah (Genesis 6:8) “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” God was upset with all of creation after Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden. God wanted to completely start over, except for Noah and his family. If you read the 5th and 6th chapters of Genesis, you will see that Noah did not do anything special. He just got older and had three sons. But still, he “found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” It wasn’t until later that Noah was called on by God to build the ark and gather all the animals on board, and save the human race. God spoke similar words to another man who had been raised up in the house of God’s enemy. He was a murderer, a fugitive of justice. Yet God told him (Exodus 33:17), “… you have found grace in my sight.” Who was this man? God spoke these words to Moses, just after Moses broke the two tablets on which God had written the 10 commandments. It wasn’t until later, that Moses showed his people the promised land. To Paul, who was an enemy of all Christianity, who condoned the death of Stephen, who chased down believers and imprisoned them, God said (2 Corinthians 12:9) "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Imperfect people, living in an imperfect world, need God’s perfect grace. As I understand it, God’s grace is the measure of His love He gives and continues to give. But more than just love, grace is the gift of forgiveness wrapped in love. It is by this grace we are pulled back to God. Ephesians 2:8 says “For by grace you have been saved…” OK. Let’s get this straight. Noah did not do anything special and got grace. Moses did all kinds of bad things and got grace. Paul was an enemy of Christ and got grace. Can anyone receive grace? Since it says grace is what saves us, I think we all could use a heaping helping of it! Ephesians 2:8 continues with two words, “For by grace you have been saved, THROUGH FAITH…” Through faith? Faith in what? Faith in who? Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Simply, when you have faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Amazing Grace will be poured out upon you! Grace is God’s mercy. Grace is God’s undeserved favor. Look at Ephesians 2:8 again: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” Grace is a gift from God, wrapped in love. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. As I travel, I have a bad habit of driving by church buildings and commenting “that’s a pretty church,” “that’s a huge church, ”or “that’s a tiny church.” I say it’s a bad habit, because the brick and mortar building is not “the church.” The people who attend church services are the “living stones” that make up the house of worship.
Peter said, in 1 Peter 2:5 “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house.” As I let my imagination run wild, I wonder what I would see when I drive by a church if I could see the spiritual condition instead of the physical walls. I know Jesus had a similar experience in Matthew 23:27, when he shouted down the leaders of God’s Temple and called them clean on the outside but dead and filthy on the inside. If I could see their spiritual condition, I wonder how many churches I drive by would have a smoking section, or a bar in the back. I wonder how many would have choirs that sing about sleeping around, going fishing instead of working, and hanging around with their best drinking buddies. I wonder how many would be spray painted with profanity, curse at the children in Sunday School, display pornography on their big screen projectors, or have extra-marital affairs portrayed on stage? I wonder how many would have a library of romance novels and books with non-biblical, self-help teaching in their libraries? I wonder how many would be paying for and playing cable television to run 24 hours a day in their nursery and children’s church and give the kids the remote? I wonder how many would preach from the pulpit that they really don’t believe in God but that they are just there for the networking and business opportunities? You may say my thinking is a bit off key, but do you ever wonder what God sees? I think many churches would have to rename themselves “Ichabod,” meaning: “the glory has departed.” (1 Samuel 4:21) YOU ARE GOD’S BUILDING! 1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. When I look at a Christian walking or driving down the street, or working in a shop, I should be able to make my comments about the church being strong or not because the PEOPLE ARE THE CHURCH. “That church allows smoking.” “That church does not treat children fair.” “That church is not open on Sunday.” “That church does not use the Bible.” Would people want to attend you? THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES IN YOU! 1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? I consider the Holy Spirit to be a house guest, dwelling in me, who needs to be treated as royalty. I have been a guest in some houses where I have been welcomed, well cared for and loved. I am sorry to leave because of the love that is given and I feel better for having visited. I have been in some houses, however, where the owners go about their lives as if I was not even there, choking me out with their bad habits, filthy environment, loud behavior, rude comments and un-holy entertainment. After awhile, I find an excuse to leave so I don’t have to endure the discomfort anymore. I personally believe the Holy Spirit is the same way. I think a person may ask Him into his or her life, but if certain changes are not made, what the Bible calls “repentance,” the Spirit may choose to leave the house empty and the person is worse off than before (Matthew 12:43-45). YOU NEED TO BE HOLY! 1 Corinthians 3:17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. There are certain things we do not allow in church buildings: cursing, profane images, ungodly teaching, sexual temptation, smoking and drinking. We do this because, for at least one hour a week, people can come for a haven of rest. Ephesians 5:18-20 - And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, We should to treat every hour of every day as “church service” Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. |
AuthorPastor Jay Merritt writes about God in every day observations. Archives
August 2013
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