Who do you imitate?

It seems that everyone imitates someone.  We all have people who heavily influence us, people we look up to, people we want to be more like. 

These are usually those people that we see as having it together.  If we could be more like them, than we could have it together, too.  So we learn what we can from them, and we try to be more like them.  We imitate them in the little things we do. 

Often this is an unconscious behavior on our part.  Sometimes, it is conscious.  Sometimes we think about how they may respond to a particular issue, and that helps guide our response.

Many might be thinking that this is a terrible thing.  I don't think so, as long as we are imitating someone good.  Someone worth imitating.  Perhaps a Christian brother or sister that we look up to.  Someone more mature.  Someone we could learn from.

Ultimately, we should be imitators of Christ.  The old campaign, all but gone now, WWJD, had the right idea.  What would Jesus do?  It's a good question.  And it helps make sure we are imitating the best possible person.

This seems to be Paul's lesson in Ephesians 5:1, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children." 

So who do you imitate?  There is no one better than God.

Faith vs. Works

A really quick look at a very complex issue

In my readings last week, I came across two verses, very close to each other, that almost seem to be in tension with each other.  The first is Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”  The second is found just two verses later, verse 10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” 

There is an ongoing argument over which is more important in our Christian faith:  Faith or Works.  There always seems to be a tension between the two.  In these two verses, Paul gives us the proper relationship between these two.  First, we are saved by faith, not by works.  It is the gift of God, and not by anything we do.

However, why are we saved?  The answer, according to verse 10, is that we are saved to do good works.  God has things for us to do, he expects us to worship Him, to serve others in His name, to do good to everyone we meet, to share the reason for the hope we have in Christ Jesus, to spread the good news of the gospel.  

My favorite verse on the importance of works is James 2:14, "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds [works].  Can such a faith save him?"  He goes on to explain that in the verses that follow.  My paraphrase of his explanation is that a faith that isn't strong enough to motivate us to do good things for others, isn't strong enough to save us.

These “works” don’t save us.  But we better be doing them, because that’s why we were saved!

What do you think?  Feel free to leave me your comments.

Many Gifts, One Spirit

The message on Sunday, January 20, looked at spiritual gifts.

We used 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 as our starting point to see what spiritual gifts really are.  We looked at why God gives us the different gifts that He does, why does He equip us the way that He does?  And the short answer is, because He has work for us to do that requires the specific skill set we possess.

Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  He knew what those works were when he formed us in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13), and He made us just the way we are, knowing what those works were. 

In other words, He made us to do certain things, and formed us with the unique skill set we have, so we would be equipped to do them.

What does that mean for the church?  Specifically it means that if you aren't active, you are available to do the part God created you to do, and the whole church suffers as a result.  Not only that, but the churches ministry in the community suffers, because your part isn't being done.

So prayerfully consider what God has prepared for you to do.  And joyfully serve Him as you do your part.

To read the entire message, or to listen to an audio recording, click here.

Rudolph coming this Sunday...

This Sunday at Almond Union of Churches, we're continuing our series on the Christmas Classics.  This week is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and look to see how we can light our way this Christmas Season.  Just to get you in the mood, check out the video...

A Response to Sandy Hook...

Several times in my ministry we have faced tragedy in our nation.  Perhaps the first was in 1999 with the school shooting in Columbine High School.  I wasn’t here in Almond yet, but that was something that shook the country.  How could a student be so angry, so hateful, so out of control, that he would take a gun to school and shoot his fellow students.

In 2007, On the campus of Viginia Tech, we saw the most gruesome and deadly of these school shootings, when student brought a gun to class and killed 33.  And again, we asked the question, How could a student be so angry, so hateful, so out of control, that he would take a gun to school and shoot his fellow students.

This year, in Aurora Colorado, James Holmes opens fire in a crowded movie theater, killing 14, and injuring over 50.

Even more recently, a gunman opens fire in a busy shopping mall in the Portland Oregon area.

And then yesterday.  The shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.  And we have to ask the question again, How can a person be so angry, so hateful, so out of control, that he would take a gun to school and shoot that many kids.  I don’t know about you, but I have to ask why?  What it is that has got this man so angry, so frustrated, so hopeless, that this mass shooting sounded like his best course of action. 

Of all of these shootings, I think yesterdays was the worst.  Why was this one harder to accept, not that any are easy to accept.  Perhaps it was because this one wasn’t a student, he came onto campus from the outside.  He didn’t belong there.  Perhaps it was because the students were so young, this was an elementary school – the victims were all under 10, the majority in first grade, that would make them just 6 or so. 

Why?  Why do we keep seeing this kind of evil?  Why does God allow this evil to happen.  Do you ask yourself these questions?  I do.

And while I won’t go into any possible answers, I will say, that when I see this evil, I’m reminded of something going on around us that’s bigger than us.  I’m reminded that this is a fallen world, and we’re all fallen people.  God’s forgiveness is available to any who humble themselves and seek God, but we’re fallen people in a fallen world. 

And I’m reminded that there is evil in this world.  And that we can’t navigate this world without help.  God’s help.  We need Him.  Because we’re fallen.  We need a Savior. 

He didn’t cause this unspeakable horror we heard about yesterday.  In fact, I believe there were tears in His eyes as it unfolded.  Tears because Adam Lanza needed God, and He would never know the peace and forgiveness available to him.  But truth be told, I need God, too.  We all need the peace and forgiveness only God can offer.

The Best is Yet to Come!

This last Sunday we looked at the source of our hope.  There are a lot of things beyond our control, and when these things begin going wrong, we can begin to loose hope.  But Christ came to give us hope!  Hope for today and for tomorrow!  So when we cling to Christ, we need never loose our hope.

To read this message (or listen to an audio recording), click here.

Thanks. 

Spending Time With Jesus...

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

- Acts 4:13

This verse popped up in a sermon message a couple of weeks ago, looking at the first part of this message.  We saw the courage of Peter, and noted that it was significant because just seven weeks prior, he denied even knowing Jesus to a servant girl—now he is disobeying the Chief Priests and Jewish ruling council and preaching the name of Jesus to everyone who would listen.

But there is something else that’s significant in this verse.  To give a little context, On the day of Pentecost, Peter (and the rest of the eleven), filled with the Holy Spirit, left the room they had been hiding in since the crucifixion, and went into the streets preaching Jesus. 

He was so bold and preached with such authority that over 3,000 people believed in Jesus that day! 

Later, Peter heals a crippled beggar (“Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I will give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ, walk.”)

Then we see him speaking at the temple, and Peter and John get arrested.  They are questioned by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, the highest ranking authority in Jerusalem.  That’s where we see this verse.

You see, Peter and John were doing amazing things.  They didn’t learn these things, they were unschooled.  They were particularly gifted at these things, they were just ordinary men.  Yet, there was something special about them.  The men serving on the council had taken note that these men had been with Jesus. 

What make them special?  They had been with Jesus.  They had learned all they needed in the time they spent with Jesus.  They had been sufficiently equipped to do amazing things in the time they spent with Jesus. 

The same power, the power of Jesus, is available to you, too.  The time you spend with Jesus will teach you and equip you to do amazing things in His name!