This week as we consider the life of Daniel and his friends the spotlight shifts from Daniel to his three friends. They find themselves in the crosshairs of the jealousy of the wise men who could not do what Daniel did last week. So now the other wise men are beginning to look for ways to trap and attack the Hebrew advisors. Nebuchadnezzar's pride in conjunction with his dream provides for them the perfect opportunity. They observe and realize that these Hebrew men will not worship any God but their God even at the king's command. As we saw the first two weeks they are committed to not being defiled by the culture even while they understand and work within it. As the scene progresses we find the astonishing faith of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in which they say, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.” These men throw themselves upon the mercy of God knowing that He is able to save them, but refusing to put Him in a box, are also willing to die rather than submit to any other God than the one true God.
Now it would have been nice for God to have saved them by causing an army of angels to protect them from being seized, or to have by the wind of His nostril blown out the fire like He split the red sea. However, it’s as they enter the flames that God does His work of salvation, not by keeping them out of the flames but by walking with them in the flames and guarding them by His presence. This is our God, the one who is willing to come into the flames with us, so that as we experience trials and turmoil we look around us and there is another in the fire with us. God is acquainted with our sufferings, He knows our weakness, and He is Emmanuel, God with us through it all. So whatever trial you may be facing, whatever stress or fear, whatever sickness or struggle, know that in Christ you are never alone. He is walking with you and bearing the trial you carry. He is faithful and will not abandon you but will see you through the fire. In what ways do you need to surrender the trial to Him this week? In what ways can we emulate these three Hebrew men and follow Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Be encouraged, whether in the fire or out of it, God is with you and sustains you.

We know that God is a powerful creator who provides everything we need and knits us together in unique ways. The Psalmist says what we all know intuitively to be true in Psalm 139:13-14, “For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.” Our bodies are an excellent example of unity in diversity. Looking at our bodies we see the endocrine system, the digestive system, the nervous system, the muscular system, the cardiovascular system, and so much more. God designed the various organs, and limbs of our bodies to function uniquely but in such a way that they are all one unit. When all the systems and parts of the body are functioning according to their design and in their right place, we consider the body to be healthy.
In this week's passage from 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 Paul leverages this amazing creation of God as a helpful reminder for us to understand that this is how God’s design in the church for the spiritual gifts stands as well. God is intentional about what gifts He gives to each member of a local body. Therefore, as part of God’s design the gifts we each have are called upon to function as a diverse unity in the body. Therefore, we should strive to ensure that neither spiritual depression nor spiritual pride should shut out any of the gifts, but rather that we celebrate and rely upon each of the gifts. Imagine with me a church in which each member understands the unique giftings God has placed in them, and is equipped and empowered to use that gift in positions prepared for them. Imagine if, rather than comparing one to another, the church sought to function in the unique giftedness God intended, to each play our part fully as He intended. God knows what He’s doing, He designed the body and He has just as intentionally designed His Body here at Blue Ridge to be able to function together for His glory, our good, and for the salvation of the lost.

We often like the promises of Scripture that focus on blessings and deliverance. We cling to passages like Jeremiah 29:11 which promise that God has plans and a purpose for us to bless us and prosper us and not to harm us. But we sometimes miss the context as we hope for the promise. The promise and good and valid and important but the context is key as well. You see in that passage God is prophesying that Israel was going to be exiled, and that was going to mean a lot of pain and suffering for people. But the promise in the context is, that exile is not the end of the story. In fact, it points to the fact that God has a purpose that encompasses and goes beyond suffering.
Jesus was well aware that His people would suffer. In fact, He essentially promises it will happen in John 16:33. “ I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” In Acts 5:17-41 we find this promise coming true. At the same time, we find that the response of the Apostles is remarkable. As they are leaving the Sanhedrin beaten up but also having experienced a miraculous escape from jail they must have had Jesus’ words in mind. They had experienced the fact that Jesus was more powerful than the authorities and they had no need to fear. At the same time, they had been beaten and had experienced very real suffering at the hands of the Sanhedrin. With these realities in mind, Luke reports in Acts 5:41-42, “Then they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be treated shamefully on behalf of the Name. Every day in the temple, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” As we face moments of suffering let’s keep in mind Jesus’ promise that the suffering of this world is temporary and He has conquered this world. Let’s follow the example of the Apostles and gather together in various ways to know and proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah and whatever might come, He has overcome.

         As I stood in worship during church last Sunday, I heard the words to one of the songs being sung loud and beautifully I might add, by little Judah behind me.  Although, I know he is a smart little boy, I know there is no way at his young age he could read all the words to the song.  It filled my heart with immense joy to think that this little boy had heard this worship song so often in his household, that he knew the words by heart.  As parents, we have to remember that what we pour into our children is what we get see come out.  So many times, I don’t think we even realize what it is that we are pouring into our kids.  Sometimes it’s not even tangible things that we pour into our children.
          We all know that children have their own personalities, but when they are young they are pretty much a mirror image of ourselves.  They live in a “monkey see, monkey do” world.  They see what we do and they mimic it.  If your child plays with dolls, think about how they “discipline” their dolls.  It is always a reflection of how we have disciplined them.  The first part of Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go”.  As parents we need to consider that training means not only the direct lessons we teach our children but also how we conduct ourselves outside of our children’s daily lives.  For example, when our children are in the other room, are we gossiping with our friends?  Do we talk about others not being good people or not being good parents rather showing compassion and love?  Do we parent with such fear of the outside world that we fail to show our love and faith in Jesus?  We can speak the right words, but our actions are what our children will remember & emulate. 
Let’s use an extreme example.  We have two boys from two families.  Little Johnny and Little Sam.  Both boys go to church every Sunday and know all the Bible stories and their parents have a Bible devotion with him every night.  However, while waiting to fall asleep, Little Johnny hears his parents talking about a boy in his class who has been getting in trouble and how he has a mom who is just a terrible mom.  They remark she is such a bad mom that it is no wonder the boy is turning out so bad.  What Little Johnny is taking from that conversation is that the little boy who is in trouble isn’t as “good” as other kids because he has a bad mom and he is never going to be good enough.  Now let’s look at Little Sam’s family.  Little Sam overhears his parents talking about the same little boy as well.  Only Little Sam’s family is speaking with the fruits of the spirit.  They are speaking with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control.  They empathize with the mother and say while she may have made some bad choices they don’t know what her circumstances are and remark that no matter what she and the boy are not bad people.  They are both made in God’s image and loved by God just as much as their family is.  Little Sam’s parents say they should reach out to the boy and his mom and invite them to the church picnic and then pray together for the little boy and his mom.  What Little Sam has learned is that we are all created by God in His image and we are loved by him accordingly.  Each and every one of us is loved, not just those who do and say the right things.  Again, this is an extreme example, but it illustrates the importance of not just verbally teaching our children but also by letting our lives and how we conduct our lives when we think our kids aren’t watching be the example of the kind of children we want to raise.
That last sentence brings me to the second part of Proverbs 22:6 which says, “even when he is old he will not depart from it.”  We all know that there is no such thing as the perfect parent.  We all make mistakes and we all have situations we might have wished we had handled differently. As parent, we pray for our children, we seek God’s help in raising them and keep God at the head of our household.  But in the end, our children grow up and their faith becomes their own.  We pray that they will continue on God’s path and sometimes they do, and sometimes that path becomes a little crooked but eventually straightens back out and sometimes that path has taken a detour.  When those times arise, we just need to take comfort in Proverbs 22:6 and remember that while no parent is perfect, if we have poured into our children the love and faithfulness of God “even when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Our children know the love of God because they have seen the love & faithfulness of God through us parents. And as parents we pray daily that they not only know but accept that love.

In High School, one odd attack I would often have to debate against with my friends was that they believed the God of the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT) were different. They pointed to the emphasis in the OT on God’s wrath and to the focus in the NT on God’s grace. Yet all this argument revealed was how little they truly paid attention to either testament. The story of Ananias and Sapphira helps to remind us that God is true when he states in Malachi 3:6, “Because I, the LORD, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.” And He reminds us of the same in James 1:17-18, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” God has not changed, nor will He ever. He is consistent in His attributes and in His character.
As we study His Word we should look for that consistency of character. God is a God of grace and patience all throughout the OT. His immediate response to mankind’s sin is proper consequences followed by the grace of not destroying humanity, but clothing them, caring for them, and keeping them from eternal life in a fallen state (Gen. 3:21-24). He says of Himself in His self-revelation to Moses on Sinai, “The LORD—the LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.” Then He goes on to prove it through 40+ years in the desert and with generation after generation who refuse to stay faithful to Him. Even after all the rebellion He continues to declare in Malachi 3:6-7, “Because I, the LORD, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. “Since the days of your ancestors, you have turned from my statutes; you have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Armies.” Today we are often quick to pick up on the threads of His grace but we forget that in His grace He is still awe-inspiringly holy. And as we face the dishonesty of Ananias and Sapphira, we see the truth that He has declared time and again in Proverbs “Dishonest scales are detestable to the LORD, but an accurate weight is his delight.”
So as we consider the character of God from Testament to Testament, what are some ways you see His grace run through both Testaments? What are some ways you see His justice and holiness run through both Testaments? And how can we walk with a healthy fear of the Lord as we live in His presence as His friends?

     Is it just me or is that the universal answer to most every question you ask your children.  How was school today?  Fine.  How was your spelling test?  Fine.  How did your cub scout meeting go?  Fine.  According to my kids, their life was perfect, no problems, no issues, no struggles because everything was fine!  We all know the answer to everything is not fine, but how do we get our children to open up to us?  While I am certainly not an expert or child psychologist I do know what worked for my family.
     First, give them lots of opportunity to talk.  One of the first rules my husband & I established in our house was we must have family dinner time around our kitchen table.  Enjoying a good meal puts everyone in a good mood to begin with and being together in one place gave us ample time to talk about our day, how it went, if anything good or bad happened etc. We always started by asking the kids to tell us one thing that happened that day.  Another idea is to have a family game night.  Friday nights in our house often occurred around a table playing a game of some sort with a special snack and special treat, which for my kids at that time was a soda.  We played games and laughed so hard we often found ourselves in tears. We were most likely laughing at my husband who never took himself too seriously and was never afraid to make himself look foolish.  One of our favorite games was Kids versus Parents, which is a question & answer game.  My now 21+ year old kids can still tell you about the time their dad answered white when asked what were the colors of the Olympic rings.  Now my husband knew white wasn’t correct but in the spirit of fun & laughter that was his answer.  Things like that silly answer (white ring on a white flag) made for a fun atmosphere and also an atmosphere which was conducive to family conversation.  My last example of things I did is a controversial one I know.  Whenever we had a long trip, we didn’t allow movies, gaming consoles, iPods or anything else of the sort.  Yes, it made for a lot of stop touching me(s) and are we there yet(s) but what else was there to do but talk to each other.  I learned a lot about my kids and things they were doing and going through from those car conversations, and it didn’t just stop with the car rides.  Vacations were about family time, family fun and family talks so electronics were a no no.
     Secondly, understand your children’s developmental stages.  For example, younger children are very literal and struggle to understand concepts.  I learned this lesson with my one son who after I told him to take off his clothes and get in the tub proceeded to get in the bathtub with his socks and underwear on.  When I asked him why, he said I didn’t tell him to take those off.  Another time, he was selected to participate in a special academic program.  I gave him a disposable camera to take pictures of any new friends he met and fun stuff he did.  At the end of the time I asked  him if he took pictures and he told me yes.  I asked where his camera was and he told me he threw it away.  I asked him why he would do such a thing and he matter of factly told me “because you said it was disposable”.  All this is to say, know where your children are at emotionally and developmentally and talk to them accordingly.  If they are younger be specific in your questions and discussions.  As they grow older you can then make your conversations more conceptual and open-ended.
     Lastly, as Christian parents we must always point our kids to Jesus.  We must be open and honest with our children.  They need to know that we aren’t perfect and we have made mistakes and will make mistakes again but through God’s grace & mercy we are forgiven.  Let your children know & more importantly understand that they can talk to you about anything and that your home is a safe haven for them to do so.  This can be quite challenging for a parent, at least I know it was for me.  Toddler and elementary age conversations were not too tough, but those teenaged years can be a challenge.  God tells us in James 1:19, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry”  I wish I could say I always remembered and followed this but that would be a lie.  When a teenager tells you something “shocking” that they did or are thinking of doing it is easy to speak first and think later.  I can’t tell you how often I have said things in reaction and wish that I had handled things differently later.  Rash reactions can cause our kids to resort to “fine” in future discussions.  We have to learn to reflect and always speak in love.  In James, chapter 1, he continues in verse 20 with “because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”  If we want our children to be open & honest with us we need to remember to give them opportunities for discussion.  We need to understand where they are at and carry on conversations with them accordingly and most importantly, we need to listen, reflect, respond in truth & love and always point our children to Jesus.

As we looked at last week, God calls his people to be devoted to a few simple but important things. If the early church had a value statement it may have looked something like this: “We value the Apostles Teaching (scripture), We value the fellowship (sharing life together), We value breaking bread from home to home (sharing with each other), we value prayer (connecting with God).” One additional thing we will see this week is that they had another value that all the previous values helped emphasize: “We value sharing Jesus.” Have you ever been around an evangelist? I mean someone who values sharing Jesus. Someone who takes every opportunity to share Jesus with anyone they can. I’ve got a friend like that, who can turn lunch into a mission trip and Lowes into a mission field. Every place we went he just found a way to turn the conversation to Jesus. In our daily walk are we looking for ways to do this, or are we avoiding having to?
One part of the passage this week that really sticks out and that God challenged me with was in Acts 2:46-47 where Luke writes, “Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” These things that the church was devoted to were not just a weekend activity, they were an every day activity. They were devoted to The Way not just occasionally but every day of their life. And the big point to ponder that came to my mind was that Luke reports “Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” Every day someone was being saved in the early church. I believe God can still do that today, the question is are we giving the opportunity every day? Is someone in our church family genuinely sharing the Gospel every day so that the opportunity is there for someone to be added every day? That’s a challenging thought for me. The question is, where is God moving around me today that I can partner and share and give the opportunity for someone to be added to God’s family each day I wake up? Where is God moving around you each day and how can you partner with Him?

Revival. It can be a controversial term that’s loaded with opinions surrounding it. However, one thing is true, there are moments when God’s people supernaturally surrender, the Holy Spirit moves powerfully, and people get saved and become sold out for God’s glory. In fact, in this modern day, there are rumors and reports of this very thing happening at Asbury University with students and faculty worshipping the Lord and many giving their lives to Christ. I pray that we would see a move of God like this all over America and in our churches, but one question I often ask is, what if God really did it, what if He actually sent us 500 people one Sunday who dedicated their lives to Jesus? What would we do next, are we prepared and positioned to raise these young Christians to become mature disciples of Jesus? 
This is exactly what happened on the day of Pentecost. Peter stands up and preaches the Gospel to the crowds and the response is incredible, 3000 people (way beyond the hypothetical 500 above) are saved and baptized. So what did they do with these 3000 new members of the church? Did the apostles high-five each other with exhausted arms from 3000 baptisms, believing they had accomplished the task and could move on to another activity? No, the task of the church had just begun and they intentionally moved into a lifestyle of gathering in the temple and in each other's homes, submitting to the teaching of the apostles, praying together, sharing life and possessions with one another, and sharing the Good News with others as God’s Spirit continued to move and demonstrate power. As they disciple these new disciples and live life together, God continues to move and sustains the church, adding to their number everyday people being saved. So what practices in Acts 2:41-47 have you seen have an impact on your life? Are you joining in on the process of becoming and making mature disciples? Let’s pray that God would move in the hearts of people and that He would help us be positioned to receive a harvest of men and women being saved and set free in the days, months, and years to come.

The disciples had been with Jesus for three exciting, challenging and life changing years. That had constantly asked Jesus when He was going to establish His kingdom. His responses to them often seemed to create more confusion than clarity. They didn't expect His ministry to lead to His crucifixion. Despite the preparation Jesus gave them through His teaching and explaining the Scriptures, they may have lost hope at the cross. But three days later their hope was restored when the resurrected Jesus appeared to them. As they rejoiced at HIs return and the security of once again being in His presence, they also renewed their hope that He would now establish HIs (God's) Kingdom on Earth. They were probably filled with anticipation and couldn't wait to see what happened next.

Knowing something is coming and having to wait for it can be tricky. It’s like a kid on Christmas, you know that an exciting day is coming and you’re not sure exactly what is in store but it both builds anticipation and makes the waiting feel longer. God had promised and set up the day of Pentecost for His people for a long time and I wonder if that same tricky anticipation was what the 120 disciples were feeling as they waited together. They knew that Jesus had promised in Luke 11:11-13 “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” And they had seen the promise of Joel which said, “After this, I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.” Yet as they prepared to celebrate Pentecost, the memorial for the first fruits and the giving of the covenant to Moses, they couldn’t be fully certain what was to come. The anticipation is mounting and God is up to something incredible. Jesus had given them clues too, they would love one another in great ways, they would be empowered to be His witnesses on the earth, they would be transformed and led into the truth, and God would use them to save others and make disciples of all nations.
So as we dig in this week to the first fruits of the fulfillment of the promise for the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of God’s people, how are you anticipating for God to move? What is God up to in your life? How does He want to transform you? How does He want to empower you with His Spirit? Who does He want to reach through you? As we look to God to move at Blue Ridge in the powerful ways He did in the early church let’s ask Him to build anticipation and expect Him to do things that are above and beyond what we can ask, think or imagine, in and through us.

Anyone who has been around me for more than a minute knows this is my mantra as to why the world has so many problems. It all started when we began to reward kids for merely participating in things. And while I don't seriously think this is the sole reason our culture is in so much trouble, I do think we do our children a disservice when we reward them for merely being a part of things. And I don’t think that the Bible teaches us to do this either.

But before I get into the Biblical aspect let me share a story of two brothers. Brother Number One seemed to have everything come extremely easily to him. He made straight As without trying, he was athletic, all his teachers loved him, he won at everything he tried and so on. In fact, he was so “lucky” that one time he finished third in a State competition. You had to place 1st or 2nd to go to Nationals. Finally, I thought, he is going to learn how to deal with disappointment. But no, just like the Miss America contest, one of the first or second place students couldn’t attend Nationals, so viola, Brother Number One got to go after all. I think you get the picture.

Brother Number Two was equally smart but had to work for it; he wasn’t athletic, he got into trouble with his teachers often, and objects seemed to break when he merely looked at them. Things usually just did not go his way. He tried every contest he could, but he just couldn’t win. As a parent, I was torn. I will admit there was a part of me that wanted Brother Number One to fail at something. Not because I was a mean parent but because I wanted him to learn to lose gracefully, to handle disappointment maturely and to learn to lean into God in those times when things were hard. I wanted brother two to win at something, anything please. How this saga ends is another story for another day, but I will say this, when Brother Number One hit a wall and something finally didn’t come easy, he didn’t fare so well, while Brother Number Two just kept chugging along like the Little Engine That Could and learned many valuable life lessons.

The point I’m trying to make from this story is that if our kids don’t ever experience disappointment, they won’t learn how to deal with it. If they aren’t ever allowed to lose or complete something without a physical reward, how are they ever going to learn to be satisfied with merely finishing well? How many of us can say that everything has been perfect in our lives? I am 100% confident that the answer to that is no one. It is how we respond to life’s disappointments and who we turn to that helps define us as Christians. And how we teach our kids to do that is who we are called to be as Christian parents. We should teach our children that it's okay to lose or it's okay if we are not perfect all the time because winning or success is not where we find our significance. Our significance should be found through Jesus. Only then can we learn to handle life’s disappointments.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, one of the main points he is trying to make is that Jesus alone is sufficient. He is enough. All the trophies, ribbons, and accolades that we acquire will never be enough, only Christ is enough and in Christ we find our significance. We should always do our best and try our hardest, not because we need a physical reward but because by doing so we honor Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 says, ”Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” So teach your children to do their best and know that sometimes your best wins and sometimes it doesn’t. But when it doesn’t, and you don’t get that trophy or ribbon or science fair prize, you are going to be okay because you have honored Christ. And that is far more important in the grand scheme of things because it is in Christ that we find our true identity.

Being picked last or losing out on being in a position we wanted to be in can be disappointing. I remember once when I was at Elim Bible Institute there was an election for senior class president. I did not have much of a personal desire to be president but a professor of mine shared with me that they had a dream in which I was the senior class president, and they felt I should pray about it and run because they thought I was well suited for that leadership position. I figured I would try it out and had my hopes up with what seemed like a prophetic word supporting me. Another man ran against me; he was a godly man and a friend but it seemed like there was a pretty good chance I would win based on our friendships and connections in the class. The day came for the vote and our 15 classmates voted the final tally came in and he won 8 votes to 7. I was surprised and wondered why God hadn’t chosen me to lead our class. But as the year continued I found that there were a lot of things God wanted to work in me and through me that I wouldn’t have been able to do if I had been occupied with student government.

There was another man in our text this week that could have felt the same way. Peter suggests that the apostles select another man who had been with them from Jesus' baptism to His ascension and who could bear witness to Jesus along with the eleven. They present two men, Joseph, aka Barsabbas, aka Justus, and also Matthias. When the lots were drawn, Matthias was selected to join the Twelve and Joseph/Barsabbas/Justus was once again part of the 120. This could have been devastating for Joseph. He had not been selected into the Twelve by Jesus, but had stayed faithful and then, once again, he was overlooked and denied entry to the Twelve.

So what does Joseph do with this? Well, we can’t be sure because the New Testament does not give us any more information about him, or Matthias, after this instance, but we know the number of followers stayed at 120 strong through the day of Pentecost, and that every one of those believers received the Holy Spirit and power, glorifying God and sharing His Gospel regardless of their title.

So the question is this: Have you ever held back because you didn’t have a position? Have you ever felt like you’ve been overlooked? The encouragement from Barnabas’ life is that there are no classes of Christians, only different callings and responsibilities. As Peter reminds us, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9).

So the question to ponder is, what role is Jesus calling you to play in His Kingdom? Who is He calling you to invest in and disciple? How is He calling you to encourage other believers or uniquely demonstrate His character and glory? Don’t let the enemy fool you into thinking that because you may be one of the 120 and not one of the 12, God isn’t going to use you. Instead, ask Jesus to show you what His purpose for you is in His kingdom and in your world. The goal, after all, is not recognition but faithfulness, all for His glory and not ours.

We live in a world with a lot of activity and in the Christian world one big one is often “going to church.” Church for many is an activity to do, a gathering to attend, or a checklist item to check off. But Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” What did He have in mind for this church? Was it just a social gathering or was it a movement of God’s people called out to usher in His Kingdom on the earth?
As we begin to dig into the book of Acts, let's set our eyes on Scripture, to dig out and examine the foundation of the Church. The Acts of the Apostles is our family history, it's the root of the Christian faith and reveals to us the identity of who God was calling the church to be and to do. So as we examine Christ’s commissioning of the church in Acts 1:1-11 this week, ask yourself the question, “What’s the focus of the Church, where is Jesus pointing the Church toward as His people?” Then think about how you view church, and how you have experienced it, and seek how you can move closer to what Jesus had in mind when He spoke about the Church.

I don’t know about most people, but when my kids were younger, every Sunday morning was like a bad episode of “Supernanny”. Kid wrangling became my sole morning activity. Fighting the teenager who didn’t want to get out of bed, the preteen who needed to find just the right outfit and the youngest two fighting over who got to take the last bag of goldfish for a church snack. I often found myself harried, cranky and worn-out instead of what I perceived to be a time of worship and reflection on God’s word. Too often did I sit in the car on the way to church wondering to myself, what is the point to this! What is the point of church if my kids don’t want to go and chose to misbehave the whole time. What is the point if I can’t pay attention to the teaching of the Word because I’m too busy giving the “mom look” to try to get my children to behave. I wondered to myself why it seems some parents have it all together while my husband & I are busy trying to retrieve my 4-year-old who has made it his mission to army crawl under the pews from one end of the church to the other. How can I possibly be teaching my children anything when honestly, my thoughts as well as those of my children are more focused on how many more minutes are left in the service.
The “point” came to me one Sunday morning after I had to retrieve my army crawling 4-year-old from children’s church because he had tried to crawl up the supply closet and instead brought the whole thing crashing down. As I sat there with a scared toddler in my lap who was quiet for change, I looked up and really noticed the stained glass window of our church at the time. This window showed Jesus holding a small lamb in his arms and I Peter 5:2-3 came to mind. These verses say “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” The picture of a shepherd came to mind. A shepherd whose sheep are busy scurrying around doing everything but obeying the shepherd. And then I thought of the window of Jesus holding onto that little lamb caring for it and loving it. Jesus the ultimate shepherd, being the ultimate example of Godly living and loving us even though we fail. We too are like shepherds to our children. We guide them in the way we want them to go by being an example to them. Showing them the importance of church & Christian fellowship by going to church. Making church a priority and doing the best we can is what I believe God calls us to do as Christian parents. It’s the example he wants of us. So come to church, if your kids army crawl up the aisle its okay. If they talk out or cry or ask to go to the bathroom for the 3rd time its okay. Fellow churchgoers have all been there and understand. Pastors have kids too and understand. And when you’re weary and wonder what’s the point, take refuge in knowing you’re teaching your children by example, of the importance of making time with Jesus a priority.

The popular notion is that Christmas is a time of celebration: bright lights, happy songs, and colorful wrapping paper! Here we go a wassailing once again.

But for some of us, the Christmas season is just as dark and gloomy as the weather outside. The nights grow longer with the cold and dark, and our souls feel the weight of that darkness. The bright lights and merry greetings leave us cold and wanting.

Here is something you should know about celebrating this holiday—it has always been a time of joy and time of sorrow. That first “silent night” was hardly silent for a poor teenage girl in a stable with only a worried carpenter to care for her. Birth is a time of pain and joy mingled together. Even the gifts that the Magi bring are funeral gifts—gold to purchase a grave, frankincense and myrrh to anoint a body.

Looking at the historical record of Jesus’ life, the first Christmas probably happened in the middle of August. Christian tradition, of course, has always celebrated his birth in December, during the darkest and coldest time of the year, at least in the northern hemisphere. Sometimes, tradition is truer than fact. So here’s some truth for you today, from the old Christmas carol, “In the Bleak Midwinter.”

         In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
         earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
         snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
         in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

         Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
         cherubim and seraphim thronged throughout the air;
         but his mother only, in her maiden bliss,
         worshipped the beloved with a simple kiss.

         What can I give him, poor as I am?
         If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
         if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
         yet what I can I give him:  give to him my heart.

In the bleak midwinter, God broke into human history, to redeem us, to make the world new, to break the power of sin and death. In Christ, all of our losses are redeemed. The manger only makes sense in the shadow of the cross. Christmas is a reminder that even now Jesus is making all things new. Tidings of comfort and joy, indeed.

What brings us together and holds us there? Only Jesus. A couple thousand years ago, Paul (Romans 15) challenged the Jewish and Gentile believers to keep God’s greater plan in view and from that view to live in harmony with one another. We need to hear what we have in common and what we live for just as much as they did. On any given day, there is far more that could divide us than unite us. But what truly unites us is stronger than anything. Jesus is our common hope. Endure in Him and encourage with Him. Let us glorify our God and Father in one devotion to Jesus with one voice.

How can you be ready for something if you don’t know when it will happen? This Sunday begins the Advent season. It's all about expectation and preparation. It is about remembering that God visited this world in love for us through the birth of Jesus and it is also about looking forward to His next and final return. No one was really ready for Jesus' first arrival. It took time for people to understand what God was doing and how His prophets had pointed to it. When Jesus comes next, His word to us is be ready (Mat 24:36-44). What does it mean to be ready for an arrival time that I cannot know?  We’ll talk about it on Sunday.
We'll also be journeying through this Advent devotional together. Pick up a copy on Sunday or get your own e-book/Kindle version, if you prefer!
https://www.christianbook.com/from-heaven-28-day-advent-devotional/a-w-tozer/9781600668029/pd/668021?event=Advent|1005367&fbclid=IwAR3BJGGoI59JpIytkIJGIJLfQ7Mqx18mBtegVDnz4RTFdRIZjmKUQC78B64

If we are in Christ, we have a new self. It is not subject to our personality type, hurts, or experiences. Christ in us harnesses, heals, and re-interprets, which gives us freedom.  In Chapter 3 of Colossians, Paul uses one metaphor after another to emphasize that in Christ we are not the same as before and that as new creatures we have a new focus and new practices as a result. This is not a challenge to work harder at being a better self; it is stating the truth that we are new and are meant to live in our newness. We’ll talk about it more on Sunday!

It is hard not to be captured by religious practices. It is hard because sometimes they really can serve us spiritually, but they can also fill a subtle human desire to feel or look spiritually significant. In the rest of Colossians chapter 2, Paul slices right through all of this again with Jesus Christ. All of our thinking, decisions, and attitudes must be according to Christ. Let us walk in Him continually. Be captive to Him, not human thinking or practices. We have a life defined not by human wisdom but by His power at work in and through us. His power triumphs over the pressure to perform or give appearances. We’ll talk about it more on Sunday!

What does it mean to suffer as a follower of Christ in ways he left behind for us? In the last part of Colossians 1, Paul seems to see his own suffering for the Gospel as necessary for his own oneness with Jesus, but also for the sake of Jesus’ church. He sees a connection between his own “toil, struggle, sufferings” and proclaiming Christ to people. He also seems to want the church in Collossae, Laodicea, and anywhere else to catch his vision for suffering purposefully in order to put the glory of the Gospel on display. It is in Jesus that all the treasures are hidden and nowhere else. That would seem to make any suffering in Him a work of exposing the emptiness of living for anything else. To be satisfied in Jesus alone is an encouragement to ourselves and to others. We’ll talk about it on Sunday.

After a great campout weekend and worship time that was focused on prayer and healing, we step back into our Colossians series this Sunday. In the middle of chapter 1, Paul lays out one of the most descriptive passages of Jesus’ greatness and dominion over everything. If everything we can see and know (and even things we cannot) was created by and through and for the Son, how do I see my life as part of His Kingdom? If, though He created all things, He is still so concerned about reconciling simple people to Himself as of utmost importance, how do I see people? We were once alienated from the Creator of all things, but we have been made holy by His own blood. How humbling and strengthening to know God cares so much for us.

This Sunday we will spend the normal sermon time in prayer. The elders will lead us in a time for confession, repentance, forgiveness, grieving, reconciliation, and healing. While it will be guided, this is a time for you and the Lord. We believe He wants to heal wounds and bring us forward into a new season of joy and expectation. This should be a wonderful way to complete our campout weekend.

Join us on Sunday as we begin a new sermon series on Colossians! It's a letter from Paul (and Timothy) about how Jesus is the center of everything (everything in the universe) and, based on that truth, what their lives will look like. It is a general letter that was meant to be read by Christians everywhere, not just in the Colossae. As we prepare for Sunday, with these things in mind, consider how the book starts with some specific encouragement. He reminds them what the Gospel does to people and prays certain things for them in a certain way. Why do you think he tells them this? We’ll talk about it on Sunday!

This Sunday is the last in our series on the “I Am” statements of Jesus. In John 15 Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” His focus here is overwhelmingly on Himself as the source and cause of every good fruit through a person’s life. In talking about this He makes it clear that fruitfulness is what the Father desires. What does He mean by fruit?  In the different areas of your life, how are you “abiding” in Jesus, the Vine? Are you bearing fruit that glorifies the Father? We’ll talk about it on Sunday!