Unity In the Church

Dear Christians, the way we love our neighbor carries a lot more weight than how much scripture we can quote.

That statement is a big one. How we act toward other speaks volumes about our faith. We may be able to quote all number of scripture verses, but if we don't treat others as we would like to be treated then people are going to get a big picture of our faith. People are going to start wondering why they should become a Christian if Christians act like that.

When it comes to our church the way that we treat others in the church will either turn prospective members away or keep them coming back. People will not want to be a part of your church if they see treating fellow church members in such an unchristian manner.

Too often when we go to church we are more concerned about making ourselves feel good than we are about how we make others feel. Visitors to the church see that. You can't hide that from them. Often when visitors come to our church we try to put on a show to keep them coming back, but like it or not we can never be fake. Our true colors come shinning through.

We have to learn to get along with other Christians. That is hard to do. We just have to have faith that we can show those Christians that we can't get along with the same love that we would like for them to show us.

Jesus asks us to work together as one body of believers to spread his message to the world. If we can't do that then what good are we. If we can't love one another as Jesus loved us then why do we even label ourselves as Christians.

Christian, as defined by Webster's Dictionary is  one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ. That being said if you are a Christian then you believe in Jesus. That is to say that you follow what the bible says. So if that is all true then why is it that those professing to be Christians treat other Christians with hattered.

We need to learn to work together as a united body of believers for Christ. We need to put aside our differences and learn to get along. We don't always have to have our way or be right. We need to sit down with fellow believers and learn to work for the good of Christ.

If we put ourselves first and not Christ then we will only end up hurting others and not doing the work of Christ. In the end we will bring disharmony and disunity into the church which in the end causes divisions. It will also cause some to leave the church. 

Now once this happens we can go around blaming others in the church for what we have done. That is only letting the devil in and that is not good. Once we let the devil in it is hard for us to get rid of him. We will have to get right with God and let him have control in order to get rid of the devil. 

There is a song in our hymn book or rather just the chorus called We Will Stand by Russ Taft. It is a song about unity. It is a great song. Here are the lyrics.

Sometimes it's hard for me to understand
Why we pull away from each other so easily
Even though we're all walking the same road
Yet we build dividing walls between our brothers and ourselves
But I, I don't care what label you may wear
If you believe in Jesus you belong with me
The bond we share is all I care to see
And we can change this world forever
If you will join with me, join and sing
Oh you're my brother, you're my sister
So take me by the hand
Together we will work until He comes
There's no foe that can defeat us
When we're walking side by side
As long as there is love we will stand
The day will come when we will be as one
And with a mighty voice together
We will proclaim that Jesus, Jesus is King
And it will echo through the earth
It will shake the nations and the world will see, see that
You're my brother, you're my sister
So take me by the hand
Together we will work until He comes
There's no foe that can defeat us
When we're walking side by side
As long as there is love we will stand
The time is here, the time is now
To take a stand, to make a vow
I won't let go, you're not alone
Now and forever we'll sing together
You're my brother, you're my sister
So take me by the hand
Together we will work until He comes
There's no foe that can defeat us
When we're walking side by side
As long as there is love we will stand
You're my brother, you're my sister
So take me by the hand
Together we will work until He comes
There's no foe that can defeat us
When we're walking side by side
As long as there is love we will stand
We will stand
We will, we will stand
We will stand

Your Miracle Will Happen When You Get Involved

 

 In the Gospel of John, John goes right into the deity of Jesus and doesn't take the route that Matthew, Mark, and Luke take where they trace Jesus heritage back to David. John says that Jesus is more than that. That he is in fact God. That he is the holy one. John proves that Jesus is God in Chapter 1. He is flesh and dwelt among us.

 

In Chapter 2 of John he takes us to Jesus at a wild party. This party has gone on for several days. This party is so wild that even though the wedding planners had planned for a certain amount of consumption to take place they were running low on wine.

 

Here Jesus' mother brings him a problem. This problem is certainly not a problem that concerns Jesus. He expresses his frustration. "Woman what am I going to do with you?" Then he exposes the source of his frustration. "Woman my hour has not yet come."  He was telling his mother that it was not time for him to do anything yet.

 

However, he decides that because of his relationship with his mother that he is going to do something that he has not planned to do. This was an unscheduled miracle. Mary came to Jesus like the house was on fire. They were celebrating something wonderful and the problem came that they had run out of wine. Jesus showed his frustration.

 

Mary doesn't answer his questions. She doesn't even give him another word. She just turns to the servants. "Whatever he tells you to do, do it." What made Mary say that? Jesus didn't even tell her that he was going to do the miracle. Mary had enough faith to believe that if she asked Jesus to do it that he would do it. She knew that he was going to do something. She knew that if God was going to do something in the earthly realm that he was going to do it through you.  



You got to get involved in this. You miracle is not going to happen while you sit on your knees and pray. Your miracle is not going to happen just cause you need it. You have got to get involved.  Do you have the faith to prepare for what shall be while you are worrying about what is? If you don't have the faith to get ready for step 2 while you are still dealing with step 1 you are going to miss out on what God has in store for you.

Mary also understood that God works in the middle of expectations. If you loose your expectation you loose your potential for a miracle. If the devil took all that you had if you still had expectations you would see a miracle happen.

The devil wants to take your expectation. He wants you to settle for a wedding without wine or a life without joy. The devil is a liar. Never except that. Life has more for you than that. You have got to be a doing people and not a hoping people. You have got to take action. You have to get out of your comfort zone. You have to be willing to look like a fool. You can't just keep praying about it. You have to do something.

Mary said all that and left. If you are worried about something just walk away. It is already done. You don't have to keep telling God the same thing day after day. Once you speak the word walk away. God has it under control.

Jesus spoke to the servants not about wine, but about water. When you ask God for wine sometimes it comes back water. It makes you wonder if God knew what you were praying about. He tells the servants that those pots that have been used for ceremony must now become the place of miracles.

If you come to church each week and go through the same routine you are going to miss your miracle. You need to come to church expecting a transformation for the glory of the Lord.

Jesus sends the servants to fill the ceremonial pots with water. The bible tells us that there are 6 pots filled with at least 20 to 30 gallons of water each. That is potentially 180 gallons of water. That is heavy, cumbersome, that is more than one trip, that is going to the river over and over drawing out water and wishing for wine.

It would have been easy if the water when they drew it out turned to wine. It was still water when they drew it out. It was water when they carried it and put it in the pots. They had to go back and forth time and again handling nothing but water.

Despise not the day of small beginnings. If you can be faithful while you are handling water, there is something in the process that will get you to the wine. You have got to tell the devil that you are going to do what God told you to do so you can see what God says you can see.

Lord, we did what you said but we are no better off than what we where when we started. You have got to have faith to keep walking in the word even when it looks like it is not working. God is up to something. Jesus told them that he was ready to take them into the next demention.  He is saying that you are not going to have to do what you use to do anymore. They had passed the test. They had walked with Jesus when it looked like he had no power, looked like he didn't love them, looked like he didn't care, and it looked like he wasn't going to bless them.

They were getting ready for transformation. The transformation is in the dedication. He was using there dedication to provide their transformation. Jesus asked them to draw out some water. It was water when they drew it out. He told them to take it to the head man at the party.

When they poured it out it turned to wine. I don't know when the water changed, but it was sometime in the process of transformation. However, when they poured it out it had changed. God wants change in your life.

When the head man tasted it he went to bride groom. "I don't understand this. Most people serve the good wine first. When the guest are drunk the pull out the cheep wine." You got to get drunk on the word of God.

If we praise him in the middle of our storm he is saving the best for last. Your later will be greater than your formality.

This all takes me back to everything that has went on with little Isaac. His mother Sara has stayed so positive through all of it. She had faith that God was going to give her son the miracle that he needed. Her faith was so strong. She believed that God had a plan and a purpose for what he was doing. She prayed and asked God for the miracle that Isaac needed.

Since Sara got involved in the miracle process she was able to see the miracle for Isaac come to pass. That must have been a great feeling for her. I can't begin to imagine how Sara felt when God finally gave her the miracle that she had been seeking. It must have been an awesome time.

We too need to get involved in the miracle process. If we need a miracle in our own lives we need to get involved. We need to have faith that God will do and has already done whatever it is that we need done. We need to ask God for the miracle and walk away with the faith that God has it covered. He is going to give us the miracle that we are asking for.

Nothing is ever impossible weather great or small for God.

The True Meaning of Christmas

I think so often at times we tend to miss the real meaning of what Christmas is all about. Too often times Santa Clause take front and center stage and the true meaning of the season is pushed to the back burner. This is sad in a day an age when we need Christ more than ever.

Jesus came from humble beginnings to die on a cross at Calvary to save us from sin. Jesus was born to Mary who was chosen by God to be the mother of his son. I can't even begin to imagine what Mary felt when she found out that she was chosen to give birth to the son of God. What an awesome gift!

Then there was Joseph who was asked to raise a child that was not even his. I can't imagine how Joseph felt when given this task. Joseph raised Jesus like he was his own. That took great love to do that.

In the Christian Calendar, Advent begins the Christian year. Advent is the time of preparation for the coming of Jesus. It is a time to celebrate what Jesus has done in our lives. Christmas should be a time for remembering Jesus and why he came to earth.

Tonight at the Christmas Eve Service Dwight read from Luke 2. That is a beautiful version of the Christmas Story. I love to read it. I would recommend that you read it to. Start a tradition of reading it to your children.

Luke 2 (The Voice Bible) says:

Around the time of Elizabeth’s amazing pregnancy and John’s birth, the emperor in Rome, Caesar Augustus, required everyone in the Roman Empire to participate in a massive census—the first census since Quirinius had become governor of Syria. Each person had to go to his or her ancestral city to be counted.

 

Mary’s fiancé Joseph, from Nazareth in Galilee, had to participate in the census in the same way everyone else did. Because he was a descendant of King David, his ancestral city was Bethlehem, David’s birthplace. Mary, who was now late in her pregnancy that the messenger Gabriel had predicted, accompanied Joseph. While in Bethlehem, she went into labor and gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped the baby in a blanket and laid Him in a feeding trough because the inn had no room for them.

 

Nearby, in the fields outside of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were guarding their flocks from predators in the darkness of night. Suddenly a messenger of the Lord stood in front of them, and the darkness was replaced by a glorious light—the shining light of God’s glory. They were terrified!

Messenger: Don’t be afraid! Listen! I bring good news, news of great joy, news that will affect all people everywhere. Today, in the city of David, a Liberator has been born for you! He is the promised Anointed One, the Supreme Authority! You will know you have found Him when you see a baby, wrapped in a blanket, lying in a feeding trough.

 

At that moment, the first heavenly messenger was joined by thousands of other messengers—a vast heavenly choir. They praised God.

 

Heavenly Choir: To the highest heights of the universe, glory to God!

And on earth, peace among all people who bring pleasure to God!

 

As soon as the heavenly messengers disappeared into heaven, the shepherds were buzzing with conversation.

 

Shepherds: Let’s rush down to Bethlehem right now! Let’s see what’s happening! Let’s experience what the Lord has told us about!

 

So they ran into town, and eventually they found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the feeding trough. After they saw the baby, they spread the story of what they had experienced and what had been said to them about this child. Everyone who heard their story couldn’t stop thinking about its meaning. Mary, too, pondered all of these events, treasuring each memory in her heart.

The shepherds returned to their flocks, praising God for all they had seen and heard, and they glorified God for the way the experience had unfolded just as the heavenly messenger had predicted.

 

What faith in God Mary had from the moment that the Angel spoke to her. She had more faith in God than I could ever hope to have. It reminds me again of the faith that Sara has had all throughout Baby Isaac's illness. She has had a greater faith in God than I will ever imagine.

 

When we have that kind of faith good things happen. Mary's faith in God changed the world for centuries. Sara's faith has moved a whole community to pray for one amazing little boy who got a miracle and will one day testify to the power of God's greatness.

 

If we have faith in the true meaning of Christmas we should not live Christmas just one day a year, but all year long. The power of Christmas and Christ is bigger than anything that we can ever imagine. We just have to have faith and believe.

 

 

As A Baby, Jesus Came

As a baby, Jesus came
From His home above
He left His throne, and who He was,
To teach us how to love

As a baby, Jesus came,
Wrapped in swaddling cloth;
Willingly took on humanity,
Though He was one with God

As a baby, Jesus came
To one day grow to be
The saviour of the human race,
People like you and me

As a baby, Jesus came
As God's eternal light
That will never be extinguished,
But forever shine out bright

As a baby, Jesus came
The hope of eternal life,
Reconciling us back to God,
Giving meaning to our lives

As a man, Jesus died,
His blood poured out for all,
Cleansing and forgiving us,
For to this, He was called

We thank Him that He came a babe
And grew to be a man
And for His sacrificial love,
His nailed scarred feet and hands

Through it all we can live on
With Jesus Christ our Lord
The babe that came that first Christmas
Is what we thank Him for.

© By M.S.Lowndes

 

What Christmas Is All About

Christmas will always be for us
A time to reflect on Christ,
The gift God gave to all the world
Was the gift of His life

 

 

We know Christmas is not about tinsel,
Nor fancy Christmas wreaths,
Nor is it about all the decorations
That adorns our Christmas trees

 

And it's not about Holly or Mistletoe
Hanging from our doors,
Nor is it about the gifts that are left
By the jolly Santa Claus

 

Christmas is more than all of this
And the only reason why
We celebrate Christ's birth together
And the wonder of His life

 

So remember as you celebrate,
Just what it's all about
And invite the Lord to join with you,
Instead of leaving Him out

 

For He will always be the reason
We celebrate this day,
No substitute the world may offer
Can take that meaning away.

© By M.S.Lowndes

 

Prayers Make A Differance...Great Faith

6 months ago on June 4 a little boy named Isaac Ludwig was born and was taken to UVA for treatment. From the moment Isaac was born he was in the fight of his life. Isaac was living with a heart that was 1/2 working. From the moment that Isaac was born prayers of so many people have gone up for him.

   
 Isaac needed a miracle. This past Saturday Isaac got his long awaited miracle. He got the heart that he was so desperately needing. Now Isaac along with his parents Sara and Mitchell are on a new journey. That is to get Isaac home for the first time and for good.

 Sara has been keeping everyone updated at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/isaacludwig. There are so many people who have been keeping up with Isaac's journey. So many people have been praying for Isaac all this time and continue to pray for him. He is a fighter and continues to fight.

 As I read Sara's words I am amazed at the sheer amount of faith that she has through all of this. I can't begin to have as much faith in God's awesome power as Sara does. I wish that I had that much faith.

   
If we pray in faith and seek God with all our hearts miracles happen. That is never more true than what has happened for Isaac. All these people praying in faith and asking God to do his will has helped Isaac to get his miracle.

I pray everyday for Isaac with the faith that he is going to be completely healed. I have faith that God is going to make that happen for Isaac. God is the great physician who will heal us when we seek his healing power in have faith.

Psalm 103:3-5 (The Voice Bible) says:
Despite all your many offenses, He forgives and releases you.
More than any doctor, He heals your diseases.
He reaches deep into the pit to deliver you from death.
He crowns you with unfailing love and compassion like a king.
When your soul is famished and withering,
He fills you with good and beautiful things, satisfying you as long as you live.
He makes you strong like an eagle, restoring your youth.

 If we pray in faith and let God take control we will see miracles happen. Isaac has seen a miracle. He is a testimony to what the power of prayer can do.

 I am again in amazed by Sara's words about the awesome power of prayer in their lives. Here is what she wrote. I continue to be amazed and overwhelmed by God's presence thru this experience. Our family is forever changed because of this, in very good ways. Thank you all for praying for us. I believed in the power of prayer before but now I BELIEVE with greater ferocity and understanding. The level of community support has been profound, and we will be forever grateful!

I ask everyone that will do so to send up prayers to God the great physician for Isaac. His fight is not over. Please keep his parents Sara and Mitchell in your prayers too. God has a plan and a purpose for this little boy. It is bigger than anything we can ever imagine.