pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: personal


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The Living Temple

For the people of Israel, the temple was something magnificent and wonderful.  The seven year building project was the fulfillment of a promise God made to Israel, the people of God.  It is a symbol of God dwelling with them.  For Solomon it was also a tool.  His prayer asked God to use it for evangelism.  When a foreigner came to see the beauty of the temple, Solomon wanted them to leave having been moved into a relationship with God.

The temple in Jerusalem was a physical place.  For the Israelites, it was the house of God.  In the New Testament, our body is referred to as a temple.  We are called to treat our own body as the temple of God.  This is a much more personal connection.  One does not have to go to the temple or synagogue or church to find God.  He dwells right inside of each person.  The manifestation of God in us should also be a beautiful thing, something that draws others toward God, something that moves others into a relationship with God.

How does one live as a ‘temple of God’?  How does one live in such a way as to reveal the God that dwells within us?  First, it is revealed in how we live our lives.  It is in how we go through our day, in how we treat others, in the decisions we make, and in how we walk through the storms of life.  Second, it is in how we share what it is inside us that makes us ‘different’ from the world and its ways.  It is in how we answer the ‘why’ questions that people will have.  Third, it is in how we share our faith that allows others to seek a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for themselves.  Each day may we live as the light of God, shining into the darkness, bringing the gospel of hope to our world.

Scripture reference: 1 Kings 8: 22-30 and 41-43 Continue reading →


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Engaging Systems

Our sins are not always the things we do.  Sometimes they are the things we fail to do.  Our sins are not always personal; sometimes they are communal or corporate.

About once a month we have a homeless person come to church on  Sunday.  Sometimes it is some other individual who is noticeable because they are different from the regular worshiper.  As the people of God we are called to love all people and as a whole we really do well at this.  But not always.  Some days we are only as loving or good or welcoming as our weakest or lowest part.  So it is our task as fellow believers to notice these weaker parts and to build them up in love for all people.  We cannot and should not accept less.

As a society there are ills and things that are not ‘right’ in all of our communities.  These are things that certainly cause a tear to roll down God’s cheek.  As the people of God we are called to address the issues in our communities.  This does not mean simply jumping on the latest Facebook bandwagon and adding your ‘like’.  It means being on the streets and in the shelters and in the jails.  It means going to the places where the least, the lost, and the broken are and entering into relationships with them.

To truly be the people of God and to really love all of our neighbors, we must roll up our sleeves and get a little dirty.  We must truly walk alongside those in need to begin to see things at a systemic level.  It is at this level that we must begin change.  To end prejudice, injustice, and hate we must begin with fixing the systems that cause these evils.  As Christians we must engage the evils of the world.  We are called to be the light in the darkness.  Our light needs to shine into these dark places to begin real change at the base level.

Scripture reference: Psalm 51: 1-12


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Witness, Testify, Pray

The Apostle John is known for presenting God as “love” and for using love as the foundation of our faith.  For John, Jesus is God’s love lived out here on earth.  Christ is the example, the reference point, the proof of how great this divine love really is.

Belief in Jesus’ teachings, works, death, and resurrection lead us to desire a relationship and to be open to knowing Christ.  Specific experiences with His presence and continued work in the world draw us into relationship with Jesus.  Once we personally accept Him as Lord and Savior, His Spirit comes to dwell in us and we become increasingly filled with His love.  As we become more and more filled with His love, it begins to overflow into the live of those around us.  We become a living testimony to Jesus’ love and a are a witness for others.

Our witness and testimony alone are  not what allows others to have a relationship with Jesus.  We are not capable of this; only the work of the Holy Spirit and the presence of Jesus will draw one into a relationship with Him.  We can point others toward Christ and we can plant seeds that build the desire for a personal relationship but it in only through divine action that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is formed.

As we live out our life of faith and love the world and those around us, God will place people upon our hearts.  We must be a witness and a testimony to them.  But do not stop there.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in their lives and for the living Christ to make His presence known in their lives.  Trust in God to do a mighty work in them.

Scripture reference: 1 John 5: 9-13


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Two Sides of Faith

Faith is at once both personal and corporate.  Most of the time we live out our faith in isolation but we gather periodically with other believers.  Each day we seek to connect with God through prayer, reading His word, and in reflection upon His word.  This connection and relationship shows as we live out our life on a daily basis.  At times we also gather with other believers – perhaps on a Sunday morning for worship, maybe at another time in a small group or class.  These gatherings encourage, equip, strengthen, and support us in our relationship with God.

Much is the same in our two faith lives.  Daily we come before God, laying our sins before Him, seeking to be cleansed.  Daily we offer our thanks and petitions, seeking His presence in our life.  Daily we read His word, seeking to find how He speaks to us that day in the words we read.  As we gather together, these practices are done again, but this time as a fellowship of believers.  Although on one level, the acts are the same, there is meaning and value and much is gained from our time together.  In the songs, the message, the communal prayers, we are united as one.

Both aspects of our faith are essential.  One fuels and builds the other up.  They work together to help us on our Christian journey.  As we seek to grow in our faith, may each day bring us blessings through our connection with God.

Scripture reference: Psalm 105: 1-6 and 37-45


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Bearers of the Greatest News Ever!!

We form a relationship with God in a personal way.  We also experience and welcome in the Holy Spirit in a personal manner.  But growth as we continue our journey of faith must be made within community.  This community is both within the walls of our churches and also outside in the big wide world.

We are all part of the body of Christ, each a valuable member.  As we live out a Spirit-led life, we participate in the mission of the church.  The man mission of the church is the transformation of the world.  Once we participate in this we begin to see what God has in store for our world.  These little glimpses of ‘heaven on earth’ fuel our desire to make disciples of all nations.

Just as we struggle from time to time with sin, so too do the people we are trying to reach.  They just do not yet know the power of Jesus Christ to defeat that sin and temptation.  We are called to sow seeds of faith into people’s lives so that they too can come to know the redemptive love of Jesus Christ.  May we be bearers of the greatest news we have ever heard to those who need to hear it today!

Scripture Reference: Romans 8: 1-11