What is Success in Ministry?

Luke 4:25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land;

4:26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.

4:27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."

Ever consider how many failures there are in scripture. Just like today, we only remember the winners. Not many can tell you who lost the past 3 Superbowls, or which horse came in second in the Derby. Jesus calls attention in his home town of Nazareth to those who are not saved in the famous stories. They were very upset that they might be the ones who would refuse to hear God's message or see that he was the Messiah. It begs the question, how many are lost due to the lack of a prophet and how many prophets preach without response. How many Moses refused to go back to Egypt? How many Hoseas just got a divorce. How many Ninivehs didn't respond to their Jonah. Consider Sodom and Lot! The scripture is full of success stories and only John the Baptist and Stephen's martyrdom are well recorded. The Romans destroyed the Essene Community which was the birthplace of the Christian and Rabbinical movements.

Jesus Gospel of Love and Peace is not always accepted. Look what the Temple powers did to him! A true commitment ot the God of Love and total submission to the Lordship of Christ is not a guaranty of success as we imagine it from the stories recorded throughout history. You are more likely to suffer for the Gospel than to prosper from it. It is not a free ride to prosperity. Total submission to Christ does have the promise of "the peace that passes all understanding" which, as my father the evangelist used to say - "enables one to sing 'Amazing Grace' while the lion eats your leg off". It is enough for me.

Continuing in Christ's Service - Even when no one will listen,
Earl G. Presley, A Voice For Today

Faith Without Works is Dead

Faith Without Works is Dead
By Earl G. Presley – Pastor, First Christian Church, Rockdale, TX
James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?

For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

For the one who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
James begins with commentary on the church's tendency to court the favor of moneyed converts while making poorer converts feel less welcome. James said that such partiality is sin!
I.Relationship between faith and works.
A. Care for the poor (found in verses such as Deuteronomy 15:11 or Proverbs 22:9).
1.Blessed are the Poor
2.“As you have done to the least of these my brethren”
B.By their fruits ye shall know them
II."Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?"-
(The familiar "faith without works is dead" in The Message reads)
A. Look at James 2:17.
1.Commentary in the New Interpreter's Study Bible refutes the notion that James wrote to challenge Paul's teachings on faith and righteousness.
III. What do our actions say about our faith?
A.Have we unintentionally said: "Be warmed; be filled; be gone?"-limiting words of welcome to fellowship hall or the basement?
1.Black Ministers at Southwestern Baptist Seminary Educated in the Basement.
B.Are we cuddled with the moneyed, while the poorest of the poor feel welcome only on the church steps in the middle of the night?
1.Does the world hear our words when we don’t show them our compassion?
C.What do our actions say about our faith?
1.How do we act in public?
2.How do we speak in public?
3.How do we live in public?
IV."Do we, with our acts of favoritism, really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?"
A.The question raised in James 2:1 is timeless
B.Hate and Bigotry are the antithesis of Christianity
1.You cannot hate and be Christian.
2.You cannot be apathetic and Christian
3.You cannot be intentionally immoral and Christian
4.You cannot live in ignorance without compassion and be Christian.

Hold On

Dan Hill has captured the frustration of those of us who remember how we used to be when we cared about the plight of the impoverished, the refugees of war, those disenfranchised by race, gender, socio-economic status, and stereotypical stigma. I have added some images to convey my feelings that the song brings out. I hope you enjoy it and you can find it on YouTube as well. Feel free to comment or share your stories and feelings about the issues that the song raises. Feel free to fling your fist high in the air again. My father, Evangelist Greg Presley said it well, "It never occurred to me that me and Jesus couldn't change the world".

Hold On (By Dan Hill)

So you flung your fist high in the air
But the world remained the same
And all the demonstrations filtered out through graduation
And the times that were a changeing never changed.

Freedom takes on new meaning
When you have a family of five
Peace and revolution dissolved in its own solution
When your fighting for your life just to survive

It's then you gotta Hold On,
For what you believe in
Hold On, don't let it fade

Still you gotta Be Strong;
Find yourself a reason
You'll never change the world but just the same
You gotta hold on stronger each and every day.

When the night creeps in so hollow
When the silence makes you scream
When you're so damned scared of failure
When the world's burned out of saviors
When you're feeling too vulnerable to dream

It's then you gotta Hold On,
For what you believe in
Hold On, don't let it fade
Still you gotta Be Strong;
Find yourself a reason

No one changed the world
But just the same
you gotta hold on to yourself or else you'll fade.

Faith, Works, and Conflict

James 1:17-27

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness.
Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.

For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act--they will be blessed in their doing.

If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Faith without Works

James' teachings are relevant for today. We are called to remember God's generosity (verse 17) and God's constancy. Other gods were known to be changeable, inconsistent, capricious, and even deceptive. Any god made by human beings take on these human weaknesses.
The image of being "born of God" appears frequently in the New Testament. The activity that brings sinners to faith is no accident; it is the result of God's purposeful work (verse 18). The implanted word (verse 21) is an agricultural image that implies that God's word is sown into the "soil" of our hearts with the potential to produce righteous fruit.
For James, a person whose behavior does not "reflect" the word that he or she has heard is deceived. Modern social psychologists would probably use the term in denial.

Looking in the Mirror (verses 22-25)

In James' discourse, God's Word is likened to a mirror, and Christians are measured against its standard of beauty. Those who see no need for adjustment are like people who look in the mirror and forget what they were like. James' expectations are clear: Christians live transformed lives. What do we see when we look in the mirror, and how do we respond to what we have seen? Michael Jackson sang it well in “man in the mirror”. We should be able to look in the mirror and be brought into conflict by what we see (ourselves) vs. what we should see (Christ living in us).

Got Religion?

Religion is such a loaded word that we often avoid it. In James, religion is defined by the ways that believers responded to teachings of the faith in their personal lives and in their communities. Several of the illustrations that James uses point to personal piety issues such as self-control and to social responsibility issues, such as care for the defenseless (widows and orphans. We need to teach and encouraged personal holiness and social transformation. We must be able to reframe our concepts of "religion" in ways that encourage us to practice what we profess.

A Lost World is Watching!

When we look in the mirror, we see what those yearning for a meaningful relationship with God see. We are called to let them see Christ in us, through us, and because of us.
When those who profess Christ see other Christians who reflect Christ and are brought into conflict with their own lack of commitment, faith, or compassion – they either repent and renew their zeal for transformation or strike out at the one who causes their inner conflict. As a result, those who try to live Christ before the world are most often struck down by other “Believers”.

“Lord, protect me from your followers!”.

Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

The Whole Armor of God

Introduction

A frequent image in Paul’s writing is of putting on new clothing. (Romans 13, Ephesians 4, Colossians 3, 1 Thessalonians 5)
In this passage, Christians are reminded
1. that the struggle is not against earthly things, but spiritual.
2. the pursuit of virtue provides no excuse to boast about spirituality.
3. Dress Appropriately

"For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm" (Ephesians 6:12-13, NRSV).

What does it mean to be clothed in these?

In light of this truth, we dress appropriately, not in our own strength but in the whole armor of God:

1. Truth (verse 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist)
“Gird Yourself”, or surround yourself with truth: People, Doctrine, and Lifestyle.
2. Righteousness (Put on the breastplate of righteousness)Make a choice to be upright, moral, compassionate, disciplined, and above reproach
3. The Gospel of Peace (verse 15 - As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace)
Take God's Peace with you and be a “Peace Keeper”. “Blessed are the Peacekeepers”, Jesus said. The armor produces the “Peace that passes all understanding”.
4. Faith (verse 16 Take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one)Faith in action is the response to the “flaming arrows of the evil one”. We are to verbalize the faith;Share the faith; and Act the faith.
5. Salvation (verse 17 Take the helmet of salvation) We must know “from whence cometh our help” through a personal relationship. We must have “head knowledge as well as soul feeling”.
6. Word (The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God)We must study the word for Swordsmanship takes practice. We must speak the word because Jehovah is the God who speaks. God spoke everything into existence. We must act the word by creating. Words have an effect, they carry power, emotion, and content. The word of God is Love. It is a powerful word.

Langston Hughes – Words Like Freedom

There are words like Freedom
Sweet and wonderful to say.
On my heart-strings freedom sings
All day every day.
There are words like Liberty
that almost make me cry.
If you had known what I knew
you would know why.

Conclusion

Pray for me (verse 19). Paul did not limit his discussion about spiritual warfare to a description of the Christian’s Armor. We are protected by God’s armor as we struggle against the enemies of the flesh through prayer. We are also called to protect each other. “Father, protect me from your followers” is a bumper sticker that has gained popularity with people who have experienced the misguided, close-minded, so called “evangelicals” who have missed the message of the gospel of peace and compassion. Passion without Compassion results in Aggression. Misguided spiritual aggression is the delusion that Satan uses to try and defeat the efforts of Christians to proclaim the Good News that

God is love; We must love
God is Peace; We must be peaceful
God caring; We must care
God loves the world He created; We must love the world
God loves us; We must love God and ourselves
God is present with us; We must be his presence in the world.

War waged in the spiritual realm requires spiritual clothing. This passage is not limited to a discussion of protection against unseen forces. Nor is it a call to wage Holy Jihad against unbelievers. Remember that Paul's original message was given to a group of people who were being marginalized because of their new-found faith. In spite of appearances, they were not defenseless. The moral high ground would be their defense. People who have put on truth, righteousness, faith, and similar virtues must pray! We are not independent, even when armed with virtue. Paul added himself to their prayer list. We continue to be dependent upon God for every need.

Good News, the worst is yet to come.

"if you think everything is going well, you've overlooked something."

Trials and tribulations will come, they always do. If you take on the Whole Armor of God: the truth, the righteousness, the salvation, the peace, the faith, and the word of God; then two things will happen.
1. You will be brought into conflict with the status quo which is evil.
2. You will be persecuted and rejected like Jesus and his disciples.

The Good News is that you will also have the "peace that passes all understanding", the presence of God in you that will enable to to "stand firm" and "persevere" to the end. It is the "peace the passes all understanding" and the presence of God that allows us to sing "Amazing Grace" as the lion eats our leg off.

Remember - everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.

believers want to be like Jesus, but no one wants to be crucified.

May you receive the peace that passes all understanding as you carry the truth of the peace of Christ into the world. Amen.

Here is my take,

Our President is truly an individual concerned about the well being of the people he serves. For the first time in years we have someone that does see himself as that, " a public servant". He is honest, and open, and can't be trapped, because there is nothing for him to be trapped in. We can see his hands.

As a member of the middle class work force I appreciate that President Obama recognizes that health care cost, insurance cost has exceedingly out run our increase in income. Ten years ago, I paid $120 a month for full family coverage, and it was excellent. I earned less than I do now, and yes, my budget as an only provider in a family of five was stretched, but giving up health care was not something I had to do, to put food on a family table.

Now, I do earn more, but I can not afford the health care provided by the giant company I work for, though ironically it is a health care business, because the premiums have quadrupled, and the coverage is shoddy.

I did pick up personal coverage for one year. I went to a primary provider for high blood pressure. He was dictated to by my insurance coverage, took me off a medication that was working, because they would not cover it, and I was placed on another medication. I had a bad reaction to the new medication, and when I told this doctor, he basically threw up his hands and told me to find someone else. The next year I dropped the coverage. It had done me no good. I still live with untreated hyper tension. That is my personal story.

The other point I applaud is this. We the helpless are at the mercy of modern medicine. W have come to believe that the more tests a hospital/doctor runs, the better for us. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying we should not make use of advanced technology, but it is really overused. An MRI is standard now. Standard for everything. That might not be so bad, if multiple physicians treating a patient were given access to each others diagnostic findings, but if you don't know, that is not the case. I work in a lab. It is not uncommon for three doctors to order the same set of labs on the same patient within a day or two of each other. It is a waste of the technicians time, not to mention an increase in error, and it is a waste of money, the insured's money or the insurance company, who for some reason doesn't ever quibble about it.

You can call it socialized medicine, as the extremists will, or just good business sense as those of us who work for a living do. President Obama has the courage to not back down, and I am grateful to him for that. For the first time I have a President who I believe cares about me. For those of us who are standing alone, without the backing of a family(twist the phrase if you want), he is our brother.

Susan Simonson, Tampa, FL

God Is Greater Than Our Hearts

1 John 3:16-24

We know love by this; that he laid down his life for us--and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.

And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

And this is his commandment that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

By the authority and power of the Risen Christ we are led to love not in words only, but also in truth and in action.

GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR HEARTS

I John calls us to be accountable for our own recognition of the ultimate authority of the Risen Lord. He reminds it is not enough to say we believe in Jesus; we must act on our faith in practical, hands-on, and self-emptying ways. If we follow this Good Shepherd, we will lay down our very lives for one another, because that is part of how he has commanded us to love one another. We don't love one another because we feel like it. We do it because Jesus calls the shots, and we keep his commandments. And if we are feeling good about our relationship with God, that is only because we have actually kept the commandments of Jesus in the first place. "Boldness before God," as I John puts it inverse 21, or "Christian self-esteem," we might say, is not based on wishful thinking, but on keeping the commandments of our Risen Lord, who abides with us as Spirit if we obey.

It may be easier to ask someone else to recognize the authority of Jesus than do to so ourselves. But 1John reminds us that Peter and John could not have done what they did unless they were already as submitted to the way of Jesus as our text describes. Peter was "filled with the Spirit" as he delivered his reply to the authorities precisely because he had been obedient both in healing the man in the name of Jesus and declaring the resurrection of Jesus and the opportunity for repentance and discipleship to him publicly. Peter and John had shown genuine love for this lame man, who was not even yet a brother in Christ, and were close to laying down their lives for him as they had been arrested, beaten, and now put on public trial. Their holy boldness was the direct result of their humble submission to Jesus.

We really do need to hear both sides of this story. We need to be reminded of our call to public witness and personal submission to Christ's commands, our call to bold proclamation of the faith and the practical living out of it with one another. And they remind us of the supreme authority of the Risen Lord.

Why is the "keeping the commandments" part of this hard to hear? For some of us, it runs against basic cultural instincts for individualism and independence. For others, it reminds us of those who used their supposed superiority literally to "lord it over" others as masters over slaves. The language of keeping commandments too often for too many people has reflected relationships of unjust dominance and oppression. The images that come to mind when we think about those who give "commandments" are profoundly negative, perhaps even mean. Frankly, we may associate the language of "keeping commandments" with something Jewish people do, as opposed to Christians who "live by faith."

Keeping the commandments of Jesus is challenging. It is not oppressive, though it may cost us our lives. And it is not tyranny, but rather enables us to live with boldness, with spirits free and open before God, because we know as we keep his commandments our hearts cannot condemn us. But none of this is possible unless we do keep his commandments, unless we submit to becoming experts in his Way.

When the authority of the Risen Lord becomes personal, a remarkable transformation takes place. Jesus assures that those "not of this flock" will be brought into the one flock under the one good shepherd.

As I John reminds, if we're keeping his commandments, we'll do the same.

The heart affects everything. We think of guarding our heart in terms of keeping things out. Corruption, false ideas, temptation, is to be held at arm's length; never to be allowed in the inner depths of our hearts. But there's another side to this vigilance. We are to keep things in.

Think about it: The things we are told to keep within—the Spirit of Jesus, the humility and gentleness, the servitude and sacrifice, the worship and thankfulness; these are one Spirit. Most religions tell us to avoid the bad; God tells us to embrace Him. We are better equipped to focus on His character than on the enemy's devices. Nowhere are we told to live against the sinful nature and hope that the Spirit will show up. We're told to live by the Spirit and expect the sinful nature to have no power.

Too many Christians guard the way into their hearts to keep things out. That may be appropriate at times, but try a different approach. Guard the way out. Stand at the inside of the gate, and be careful about what may be leaving. Treasuring what God has birthed in our hearts will leave little room for those corruptions we once obsess over.

We have neglected an important part of the gospel that is about living in God’s heart. God’s desire is that we would become united with Him. We are to dwell in Him; and He in us. …truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3) Fellowship is the Greek word koinonia, which literally means partnership and communion. God desires that our heart becomes one with His heart.

Some people wear Jesus as a good luck charm and only commune with Him when they have a need or an emergency. But Jesus desires to live in more than just a part of our heart. He desires to fill our heart and our entire being. He wants to have His hands in our hands and His feet in our feet so that we will go and do what He desires. Only what we do in Christ has eternal value.

Living in Christ is where you are transformed into a new person. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17) The revelation of being in Christ changes our concept of who we are. It is in Christ where His personality is united with our personality. We become a new person with a new attitude, new behaviors, new likes, and dislikes. We do not really know who we are until we see ourselves in Christ.

Living in Christ is living in His love. We live and remain in God’s love by following the commands that Jesus gives us. All of God’s commands have to do with love, loving God and loving others. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3-4) We do God’s commandments because we love Him, if His commandments are burdensome then our relationship with God is not in love, we are not living in Him.

And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:30-31) When we are living in true love we are living in God.

It is good to take an honest look deep inside your own heart to see what changes need to be made for the sake of your relationship with God. We all must depend upon God to make the changes in our hearts that are necessary for us to be more like Him. We even need God to help us in evaluating our hearts.

Sometimes I think we get the wrong idea. We think God abandons us in our worst hour, He lets us fall when we are tempted; or faced with some calamity or circumstance; or we don’t want to take responsibility for our own bad decisions. Jesus is like the real parent; the one who, when the child calls from a jail; from a field drunk and covered in dirt; from the streets of downtown stoned and out of it; or pregnant and frightened; they run to the child the immediately. Jesus smiles when we decide “it's ok; I got this one Lord”; and when we hit the dirt, covered in fear, broken, crying.

Then his arms hold us tighter; because unlike the earthly parent who must jump in the car and speed to their child; he is already there... God is not looking for perfect people; He is looking for people who are looking toward Him as their hope of a perfect heart.

God has the ability to change our hearts and even give us a new heart that is perfect toward Him. The Bible teaches that as we delight ourselves in the Lord; He will change our desires and give us His desires. As we commit our way toward the Lord He will bring us into His righteousness. The Lord can change what we love and hate so that we now love and hate what He loves and hates.

God’s word promises that if we deeply desire His righteousness He will fill us with it. The key is our desire. How much do we desire God’s righteousness? Are we willing to seek the Lord until He rains righteousness upon us?

Jesus promises to reveal Himself to those who love and obey Him. We can keep our hearts perfect by asking God to reveal and remove any thing in our heart that would keep us from loving Him with our whole heart. We know what is in our heart by the things that we think and the words that come out our mouth.

We say, “You are what you eat”, but when we think about it; what is in our heart is what we become. As we focus our mind and imagination toward God, His Spirit is transforming us. Because when we set our heart on God, He sets His heart toward us.

God is Greater Than our Hearts. Amen