Did Somebody Say Potluck?

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.  And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, and was listening to His word.

But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do the serving by myself? Then tell her to help me.”  

But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42 

When I read this passage I think about Church potluck dinners where everybody brings a dish to share and not too much thought is put into who will bring what.  For the most part the meal is just what it is.  There is some preparation with setting up tables and preparing beverages, but for the most part when it is time to dine, everybody serves themselves and sits down to eat together. It is a time of fellowship.

I think what Jesus was talking about was when we get too wrapped up in creating a worship experience we can loose sight of what worship is all about.  At the heart of worship is the teaching of the Bible.  

Let us take time to consider what is most important when we come together - that is the teaching of the Word and our fellowship with one another.   

Social Customs

 

So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.  Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or stumbling block in a brother’s way.

 

Romans 14:12-13

In the early church people practiced many different social customs which people from different groups did not understand.  The Apostle Paul cautioned Christians not to let these differences in customs interfere with accepting new believers into the church because trying to force changes in customs might cause new Christians to turn away from the Church.

Paul said each individual would answer to God regarding their behavior and therefore, the Church did not need to busy itself with creating rules which would only serve to alienate people against the Church.

We can take this to heart today.  There are social customs like tattoos and body piercing which can create a barrier between mainline Christians and lost sheep that are searching for Jesus.  Our first priority is to tell people about Jesus and welcome them into the Church.  Anything more, we need not worry about, because God is the ultimate judge. 

Give Expecting Nothing In Return

Jesus said:

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven."

 

"So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men.  Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.  But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." 

 

Matthew 6:1-4

Christians have odd ways of having fun.  One way is to “pay it forward.”  That is to do something nice for someone you don’t know with the idea that they will then do something for someone else.  Some people pay for the food for the people behind them at the drive through window of restaurants.  Other people put a few extra coins in the candy machine or leave a candy bar behind for the next guy.  The possibilities are endless.

The idea is to bless someone who does not expect it and this is exactly what Jesus was talking about.   When we give expecting nothing in return, we give as God intended that we give. 

Mothers - We All Have Them

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”  

And Jesus said to her, "What business do you have with Me, woman? My hour has not yet come.” 

His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He tells you, do it.” Now there were six stone water pots standing there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing two or three measures each.  

Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 

And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” 

And they took it to him. Now when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the groom, and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”  

This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

John 2:1-11 

Jesus' mother, Mary, was no different than many mothers.  She wanted people to see that her Son was special.  So, when she saw an opportunity for Him to demonstrate God's power, she encouraged Him to do so.  Jesus at first balked at her request, but then gave in and turned the water into wine.

This was Jesus' first public miracle, and because of it His disciples believed in Him and His ministry grew.  

So, the story began with a mother who believed in her Son.  I think God choose this way for things to happen to honor the role mothers play in our lives. 

 

The Interests Of Others

 

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2:1-4  

As Christians, we are to look beyond ourselves and our needs and to serve the greater community.  We are to humbly serve others knowing that we can show the love of God by our actions.

Do not be shy about helping others, but boldly share, assist and treat others in a manner to improve their lives.   

We are not working for our own glory but for the glory of God.  The kindness we show, shows others the love of God, and can result in people coming to know Jesus.

Seventy Times Seven

 

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?”  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven….” 

 

Matthew 18:21-22

Seventy times seven is a lot of forgiveness.  And, that is what we need to do to have peace in our lives – forgive.  When we carry grudges around, we are the ones who suffer mental anguish and stomach aches, not the ones who have offended us.  They go blissfully on their way unaware or uncaring that we are suffering. 

We may try to discuss the problem with our offender, but that may not bring the apology we want.  They may laugh it off or not care.  If that's the case, we don’t even need to tell them that we forgive them, but we need to tell ourselves that we forgive them.  Once we do this, it puts the matter to rest and we can move on unencumbered. 

Forgive and feel the peace.

The Kingdom of God Belongs To Children

And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 

But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

Mark 10:13-16 

One of the signs that a church is alive is the presence of children.  And, sadly many churches have few, if any, children.  It is not because there are no children, it is because their parents never went to church as children and still do not go to church.  This stems from parents in the 1970's not taking their children to church because they wanted them to have the freedom to decide what spiritual course they would take when they grew up without undue influence.  

Then parents were surprised when the children decided to be nothing.  This sounds far fetched, but I witnessed this phenomenon as an adult student in college where I and the instructor were the only ones in the class that had ever been to church. 

All this flies in the face of what Jesus said about children.  

So, what is the answer?  Well, I think we can take time to pickup our kids friends and take them to church with us, so that they can have the opportunity to learn about the church and it's ministries.   Then when they grow up, they will have something to base their decisions on and hopefully it will be to accept Jesus.

Remember, Jesus said the Kingdom of God belongs to children.   

Never Shaken

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; 

He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Psalm 55:22

The promises of God are many, and this is one of my favorites.

How often do we face the unknown with fear in our hearts?  Left to our own devices we cannot see our way clear to a reasonable solution, but when we call on God for help, He sends it.

We may be able to think through a solution or God may send someone to advise us as to what we should do.  

In all things, God promises we will not be shaken but will triumph.  

And, for this we are grateful.  

 

Prepare For Your Journey

And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; and He instructed them that they were to take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt—  but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not wear two tunics.”  

And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet as a testimony against them.”  

And they went out and preached that people are to repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

Mark 6:7-13

When Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs to preach, He instructed them not to load themselves up with things they did not need, because God would provide for their daily needs.  

We know that this was a simpler time and many people only possessed one change of clothing or even only the clothes they were wearing.  

When the disciples came to minister, they were like those who they ministered to in that they did not show any possessions more than a few necessities.  

As we minister to others we can take this into consideration that we should not appear flashy with expensive clothing or eating expensive meals, but rather live humbly so that people will not be distracted by our worldly possessions, but will hear the message of the Gospel.

And, we can also heed Jesus' words that if we are not received to move on, knowing that perhaps another will come after us preaching the Word and it will be received.

Prepare for your journey. 

An Anchor Of The Soul

 

In this same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. 

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 6:17-20

The hope set before us is that we too shall not sleep, but shall rise to meet God in heaven.  God fulfilled His promise to make a way for all people when He sent His Son, Jesus, to die once and for all sinful men and women.  This being done, all that is left to us is to receive this great gift of salvation and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord, Master and Savior. 

And, this hope is an anchor of the soul.

A Strong Foundation

 “Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?  Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built.  But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” 

Luke 6:46-49 

Jesus tells us that we not only need to know what the Bible says about how we should live but that we should also live it.  That means we need to consider the long term consequences of our actions.

If we say we are Christians, and act in a less than Christian manner, then we are in danger because we cannot continue in sin without being found out and that will destroy our witness as Christians.

Remember, weigh you motives and your actions, and see that they reflect the teachings of Jesus, so that your faith foundation will be strong.   

You Are Doing Well

My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.  For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?  

 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?  But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?  Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called?

If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

James 2:1-8 

I have seen this happen at church.  New people show up driving an expensive car and wearing fancy clothes and the pastor goes out of his way to befriend them.  I could almost see the dollar signs in his eyes because he was thinking they would bring a cash windfall to the church.  Which maybe they did give a substantial gift once, but then they being irregular church goers became, irregular givers.  The same pastor payed little or no attention to a couple who had two small children and volunteered at the church.  Little did he know that they were very generous givers and it was only when they departed for another church did he want to engage with them, but it was too late.  

James' point is that we should not favor wealthy people over poor people.  We should love them all the same and respect their gifts.  Where a wealthy person may bring big cash offerings to the church, the poor person may bring their willingness to volunteer to do the work of the church.  And, God loves the rich and the poor.

We then are to remember Jesus' commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  And, if so, you are doing well.  

 

Birds Of A Feather

 

Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.  When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with tax collectors and sinners?”

But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.”

 

"But go and learn what this means: "I desire compassion, 'and not sacrifice,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Matthew 9:10-13

 

My Mother warned me that "birds of a feather, flock together" meaning I should not make friends with kids who got into trouble, lest I become like them.   

 

However, as Christians, these are exactly the people who Jesus tells us to minister to.  I ask, "How is this supposed to work?"   

We are sometimes intimidated by people who are openly sinful.  We may think they are dangerous or we may be afraid that their sin will pollute our lives.  Both are legitimate fears.  However, we can minister to these individuals by following Jesus' model. 

We can take a friend or two along and meet in a public place.  We can stick to our message:  Jesus, Lord, Master and Savior.  We can offer prayer, no matter how the discussion goes.   

 

And, if things start going in a direction that does not look good to us, we can leave and go home.   

 

Jesus associated with sinners but did not imitate them, and so can we.

Fishermen Fish

Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”  

Simon responded and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”  

And when they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear;  so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking. But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”  For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and likewise also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. 

And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people.”

Luke 5:4-10  

When we read this Bible passage we can understand how keenly interested Jesus is in all aspects of our lives.  The disciples were career fishermen.  That is how they made their living.  So, when they told Jesus the had caught nothing, they were stating that there was nothing to catch, but they still did what Jesus said, and they caught a boat load of fish.  

What this tells us is even if we think we have done everything we can and failed, that God can direct us to do something different to achieve success.  

So, when you are ready to give up, look to God for direction - and follow His leading.  We never know what God has planned and we may be surprised and amazed.   

An Attitude Of Gratitude

When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  And as they were going, they were cleansed.

Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him.  And he was a Samaritan. 

Then Jesus answered and said, “Were their not ten cleansed?  But the nine – where are they?  Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”

And He said to him, “Stand up and go, your faith has made you well.”

Luke 17:11-19

All Jesus asks for all He does is that we say “thank-you.”  We do not need to burn candles or beat pots and pans; all we need to do is humble ourselves and acknowledge His power in our lives. 

An attitude of gratitude can extend into our daily lives. We can give thanks to God, and we can give thanks to people who serve and help us – like the teller at the bank, the clerk at the gas station or a teacher who takes a few extra minutes with our child. 

Giving thanks cost nothing, and does much to further the Gospel.

Be the one to say thank-you.

 

God Is Still Working Today

 

“Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God and that You have turned their heart back again.”

Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water in the trench.

When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.”

1 Kings 18:37-39

God sent Elijah with a message to His people to stop worshiping idols and return to Him, the true God.  Elijah spent a whole day watching as people called upon idols to light the fire for the offering and nothing happened.  Elijah mocked them and teased them.  Then when the people were exhausted from their efforts Elijah raised his hands to heaven and called upon the One True God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to send the fire from heaven, and He did. Read 1 Kings 18 to get a more complete look at the day's events.

Elijah was not a showman, he was a prophet of God and the miracles which he performed were by the power of God.  Elijah did as he was directed by God, and God answered his prayers and the Israelites returned to God and bowed before Him. 

God, who sent the fire from heaven when Elijah called upon Him, is alive and working in the world today and He wants us to call upon Him.  Take your cares and problems to God. Stretch your hands up to Him and prepare to be answered in a mighty way.         

Comfort Those Who Grieve

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he himself has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip.  For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”  Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet.

But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.  And after being prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”   

And although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths and his dinner guests. He sent word and had John beheaded in the prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 

John’s disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.

Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself....

Matthew 14:1-13

When John the Baptist was killed, Jesus took time to grieve his death.  This demonstrates to us Jesus' humanness.  

This also is an example to us that people need to have time to grieve the loss of a loved one.  We as Christians sometimes short change the importance of this because "Hey, they are in a better place." We may be critical of people who we perceive as taking too long to process the death of a loved one.  For some the grief process may be a few days, for others it may be years, but we need to respect their sorrow and allow them to grieve in peace without criticism or pushing them to "get over it,"

When we comfort those who are grieving we share the love that God has for everyone.   

 

 

Wise Up

 

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so, be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.  But be aware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.”

Matthew 10:16-18

Jesus warned the Apostles against thinking everyone was on their side.  Everywhere they went they made friends as they preached the Gospel, but they also faced opposition and threats.  And, often they were locked up because of their faith.  

Today, we may not be put in prison because of our faith, but we face people who harass and torment us because of our faith.  

Jesus cautions us to keep our eyes open for signs that some people may not be as they seem, and like wolves wait for an opportunity to wreak havoc on our lives and testimony.   

So, as Jesus said, we should wise up. 

Who Is Blessed?

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."  

“Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth." 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." 

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy." 

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Matthew 5:1-12

Jesus teaches us that God does not view the human condition the same way humans view it.  While humans think that to be blessed is to have enormous wealth and power, with no limits to what one might do the achieve earthly success, Jesus points out that the ones who actually are blessed are those who recognize their human condition and are humbled before God.

So, when we, or someone we know, is hungry or hurting or being picked on because of their gentle spirit, we can bless them by helping them and in turn we too will be blessed.  

 

 

If There Is Any Good Word

Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.   

All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you 

Ephesians 4:29-32 

We all have times when we are angry and speak words which we soon regret.  We have seen this happen in the Church over sometimes insignificant matters - like someone cleaning the kitchen and tossing out all the expired stuff in the refrigerator. 

Paul points out this is something we must free ourselves from so we can maintain the fellowship of the church.  

Rather than stomp out mad, we are to be kind to one another and forgive one another, because God has forgiven us. 

And, if there is any good word, let us say it. 

Faith and Works

What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace,be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?  In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

James 2:14-18

James points out that being a Christian involves demonstrating our faith by our works.   

Our works reveal a lot about our faith.  Some, may say, "I do not have much, so I cannot help others."  But at the same time, everyone has time and we may though financially poor, be able to help others through service - like mowing the neighbor's lawn or helping a stranded motorist change a flat tire or delivering food for the local food pantry or giving cooking tips to another customer at the grocery store or in any of hundreds of other ways.

Our works show our faith to the world.  And, showing our faith is how we bring others to know Jesus.    

Managing Human Relations

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.  But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.”

“If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you a Gentile and a tax collector.”

Matthew 18:15-17

Jesus was a master of managing human relations.  He spoke about the fellowship of the church being disrupted and damaged by those who continued to sin.  Jesus calls us to speak privately with someone regarding their sinful behavior and failing that to have others in the church join in helping the offender bring his/her lifestyle into line with the teachings of the scripture.  

Jesus also acknowledged that this can fail spectacularly.  And, even sometimes result in having to ask a person to leave the church.  It is not an easy thing to do, but sometimes it must be done to preserve the fellowship and integrity of the Church.  

So, when we are called to do the hard stuff, we may not enjoy the process but we can take comfort in knowing we did the right thing.      

 

Made For Good Works

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the free gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. 

 

Ephesians 2: 8-10

Our salvation through Jesus is the free gift of God.  All we have to do is acknowledge Jesus as our Lord, Master and Savior.  Because we have received this great gift, we want to do things which reflect the love of Jesus in our lives.  We do not do good works to be redeemed; we do good works because we are redeemed. 

So, the next time, when out of the blue you get the urge to do something nice for someone, like mowing your neighbor’s lawn or paying for the food of the person behind you at a drive up window, go ahead and do it, because you are made for good works.  

 

An Ox In The Well

It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. And there in front of Him was a man suffering from edema. And Jesus responded and said to the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they kept silent. 

And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” And they could offer no reply to this.

Luke 14:1-6 

We would all like to have Sunday off from work and time to go to church and be with our families.  But for many people this is a luxury they do not have.  We should not make them feel guilty because they have jobs which mean they cannot attend church or spend Sunday resting. 

Jesus said, "When you ox falls into a well...."  The Pharisees all knew what He meant: The law is flexible to allow people to do the things that needed to be done.

So, if you must spend Sunday at work, instead of at church, know this - God loves you and understands your obligations.