pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: Christ


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Go and Do Likewise

Today I am reminded of the song “Better Is One Day.” It begins with the words ‘How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord almighty’ and sings out in the chorus: “Better is one day in your courts, better is one day in your house… than thousands elsewhere.’ How true this is!!

Then I thought, ‘you know, we are all God’s temple’. Christ dwells in all of us. The question is: do we allow Jesus Christ to be the master of this body we inhabit?

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3 that our foundation rests only upon Jesus Christ. He is the sure foundation of our faith. Paul was just one of many who build up their (and our) faith, but he is not the foundation. Just as today we may hear a great message in church or may read a great book about faith, we must also remember that Christ is our sure foundation. That sermon, that preacher, that book, that author – nothing can do what Christ does. Nothing can be what Christ is.

The things of this world will not last. Yet we can chase after them like they do! We can exert a lot pursuing money, power, prestige, things, position… But in the end they all stay here. None of these things really matter to God or to our neighbor. The person in need doesn’t really care how big our house is or what our title at work is. All they want is something to eat or a place for shelter or someone to listen. Really – they wouldn’t even care how big our house is if we were to offer true Christian hospitality and invite them in out of the cold. They really don’t care how much money we have as long as we have enough to buy them a little food.

We all stand upon the one who loves all of us unconditionally, who forgives us all without cost, and who always provides for us. And this firm foundation calls out to us: “Go and do likewise!”


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Outside the Walls

God calls us not only to faith but to action as well. To just believe in God and the words in the Bible simply are not enough. We are also called to be in the world so that our faith bears fruit.

In Isaiah 58 God calls out the Israelites to loosen the chains of injustice, to break the yoke of oppression, to share food with the hungry, to clothe the naked, to house the poor wanderer. He urges them NOT to turn their backs on their own flesh and blood. These words of Isaiah are echoed several times in the New Testament as Jesus teaches His disciples how to live. These words of Isaiah, and later Jesus, are also a cry to action for us and the church today.

In each and every community these needs exist to some degree or another. We can still stand up for people who are suffering injustice and we can intervene when we see that oppression is occurring. Sometimes these are hard to see but these issues are there. The other needs are easier to see and easier to address. Whether through directly giving to individuals or agencies that help the needy in our community or through donating money to the agencies, we too can share in alleviating the burden many face. In our community there are people in need of food, clothing, and adequate housing. Our faith should call us to care for our brothers and sisters in whatever way we can and as well as we can. As the body of Christ, all are our flesh and blood.

God calls on Israel, and on us, to live out our faith. He expects us to be outside the walls of our churches making a difference in our worlds. In Isaiah 58 He goes on to say why. God promises that our light will shine out before us and our light will rise in the darkness. He also says that healing will come. (And by healing He means spiritual healing, not physical!) God promises that our call will be heard and that He will answer. Our faithfulness to Him and to the care of all of our brothers and sisters will build our relationship with Him. Is this not our call? Is this not your call? Step out in faith and into the world out there. God will be there. We will meet him in those we serve and care for and they will meet Him in us.


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ALL the Time!

“We share a common calling from God to bear witness in the entirety of our lives that Jesus is Lord of all.” In this line from the Upper Room “Disciplines” book, my favorite part is ‘in the entirety of our lives’. Not just sometime, not just Sunday morning, not just Wednesday night. But all the time and everywhere!

My second favorite part of this line is ‘Lord of all.’ Not just part of my life, but ALL of my life. In bearing witness to Christ, we can do so by words, by actions, by deeds… As people encounter Christians they should know that we are different. It should show up in all areas of our life and in all sectors of our life.

To do these two things, somtimes we must ‘count the cost.’ At times there will be a price to pay for choosing to walk the path of God. We may make choices that cost us friendships, popularity, position, and so on. But in reality, God is only asking of us what He in return gives us. He isn’t just with us some of the time, He is with us ALL of the time. We can’t just call on his name between 8 and noon on Sunday, we can call on His name anytime.

In closing I’d like to share part of the prayer from the same reading today and would encourage you to pray it instead of just reading it: “Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for your peace and forgivenss and for making me new in you. Thank you for the many Christ-bearing witnesses you bring into my life and heart. In Your Spirit, Holy One, may I bear the light and love of Christ to others. Amen.”