Posted by Pastor Pat on April 10, 2009
Read Mark 3:7-12
The paragraph before us (Mark 3:7-12) forms a transition from one idea (Mark 2:1-3:6) to that of selecting His twelve disciples (3:13ff). It is both a summary and an introduction. In summarizing the ministry of Jesus, no statement is made concerning His teaching ministry. Such an idea is assumed and established earlier in chapters 1 and 2 (1:21, 22; 2:13; 4:1, 2; 6:2, 6, 34; etc.).
Jesus taught. He always was teaching. Jesus used every means at His disposal to preach God and call people’s attention to God. Yet, how do we “mesh” the two ideas of preaching the gospel and helping our fellow man?
The gospel of Jesus Christ addresses the whole of the individual. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not simply proclamational. It is also incarnational. The gospel feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, and provides a cup of cold water to the thirsty (Matt. 24). The gospel produces humanitarian activity. Christianity causes us to care. Ministries of mercy are intrinsic to the gospel of Jesus Christ. For many years I was only focused on the proclamation of the gospel, caring little about the physical needs of those around me. I was not taught to care. The church’s “business” was to preach Christ. I still believe this, but I have fleshed out what this preaching looks like considerably in recent years. I now have come to understand the other aspect of the good news. What does this look like based on the statement of our Lord in Luke 4:18? WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
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Posted by Pastor Pat on April 1, 2009
“No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins,
and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”
Read Mark 2:18-22
As a pastor of a long standing fellowship (50 plus years), I find this thought, “New Wine in Old Wineskins,” a persistent tension in today’s church. In failing to differentiate between the message of the gospel and the manner in which it is celebrated, we have generational divide and church families that are only one age and thus one dimensional. This is not the Church Jesus builds. Churches are to be generationally diverse and, if community dictates, ethnically varied. No one would ever think of having a church of only men or only women or only children. This would be unwise and foolish.
Any church that targets, and or has, only one thing will become stagnant and predictable. Such a church is either dying or dead. How can we keep a generationally diverse fellowship and still celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ? It has been a grievous thing to see the young and the old leave the church because of change or non-change. Either the change is too fast or the church is not changing fast enough. Either way everyone loses. The gospel is not changing, but the manner in which it is celebrated must change and that change might happen every twenty years.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on March 29, 2009
Read Mark 2:13-17
This is the rub. How can we be “in the world” but not “of the world” (John 17)? What are we protecting? We must protect the purity of the gospel without isolating it from the purpose of the gospel.
How have we come to this point in our lives where “church” is identified by a structure or building and not the living body that meets in the building? How have we come to the point where contact with the unbelieving or association with the non-churched is something to be avoided? Why are we so guarded about what people might think of us? When we are more concerned about our “image” rather than our “audience,” we have become Pharisees. How we understand the idea of “being in the world” and not “of the world” will shape our purpose as a church.
Sunday morning services are “for the people of God whereby we gather to worship Him.” But from our worship comes life and in the context of living, we demonstrate and declare the gospel to everyone, everywhere, at all times. Going where the sinner lives, does not make you a sinner. Our Lord’s appeal is to be who you are where you live.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on March 8, 2009
(1) Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. (2) Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. (3) Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre. (4) Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. (5) Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. (6) Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 150)
The Psalm before us accents four truths about worship.
First, we see the place of worship (v.1). Both within the “sanctuary” and without the “sanctuary” our God is to be praised. Corporate worship is a wonderful time of coming together to praise our God, yet regardless as to our location He is to be praised. Worship is the vehicle enabling the worshipper to glorify God. True worship is a fruit of the Spirit. It is not something I can do apart from Him. God is served in the unexpected, the mundane and the routine expressions of a life humbly lived (Mark 9:41; 1 Cor. 10:31). It is not the size of the service, but the motive of love for Christ that is worship
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Posted by Pastor Pat on December 11, 2008
“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.” Romans 12:3-6
I have always found our text fascinating as it relates to grace, ministry and God. As recipients of grace several truths emerge from the text. First, grace is something given. Because it is a gift we have no right to think of ourselves better than anyone else. We did not deserve it. We could not merit it. In fact our depravity made it such that we did not seek it, understand it, or want it (Romans 3:10ff). The idea behind, “to think more highly of himself,” is “to be arrogant, haughty, egotistical, and bigheaded.” The synonyms show us the ugliness that our attitude can take toward others. The second truth emerging from the text is that each of us has a different measure of faith/grace. Whatever grace we have is through divine allotment. This really shows us the foolishness of comparison. Paul said, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). It is equally foolish for us to wish to be something we’re not. You and I are special by design (Psalm 139). Third, God has placed each of us in the body of Christ, His Church, intentionally, purposefully and thoughtfully. First Corinthians 7:17 says, “The Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk” speaks of this divine allotment. This same truth is brought out in 1 Corinthians 12:11 concerning our placement in His body, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” I cannot be what others are and that is not God’s intent. I can only be what I am by His grace. I find the imagery breath-taking. God has crafted me for His use within His body for His glory. Each of us has a role, a function, a ministry and God is working in us and through us to those around us.
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