Brian "pb" Brijbag

On life’s vampires and such

Vampires seem to be all the rage these days.  More then sucking blood, the creatures from Twilight seem to be sucking money, time and adoration.

No need to barricade the house and stock up on garlic but we do need to be reminded on who needs to be receiving our “first fruits”.

Where is our energy going? What is getting our attention? What is sucking it away?

What is an energy vampire?

It is anything that sucks the life of your dreams.

It is anything that distracts your from your primary purpose in life

It is anything that disables you from being a part of the ministry

It is anything that hurts your relationships with friends and family.

It is anything that diverts your attention from God.

What is sucking the life out of you spiritually?

What is exhausting your commitment to Christ and his mission?

Recognize it and eliminate them!

Psalm 69:14Psalm 69:14
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14 Deliver me out of the mire, and don’t let me sink. Let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters.

: “Rescue me from the swamp, Don’t let me go under for good, Pull me out of the clutch of the enemy; This whirlpool is sucking me down” (MSG).

“New Moon” Draws Crowds

“New Moon” Sets Midnight Screening Record

Twilight Sequel Earns $26.3M on Opening Night, Paving Way for Big Weekend
NEW YORK, Nov. 20, 2009
Associated Press

(AP) “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” has set a box-office record for midnight screenings.

Summit Entertainment estimated Friday that it earned $26.3 million after opening early in the morning.

That would topple the previous midnight record, held by “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” It earned $22.2 million this year. “The Dark Knight” from 2008 is third with $18.5 million.

“New Moon” is the second installment of the popular “Twilight” series. It opened at midnight in 3,514 theaters with a per-theater average of $7,476.

Paul Dergarabedian is a box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. He says the midnight start “portends an opening weekend that could be one of the biggest of the year.”

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.”   Matthew 4:23-24Matthew 4:23-24
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23 Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. ²⁴ The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them.

“But when Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion…” Matthew 9:36Matthew 9:36
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36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed TR reads “weary” instead of “harassed” and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.

“And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick…” Matthew 14:14Matthew 14:14
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14 Jesus went out, and he saw a great multitude. He had compassion on them, and healed their sick.

“And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them…” Mark 6:34Mark 6:34
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34 Jesus came out, saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

Jesus, too, drew massive crowds, but not for the sake of entertainment.  Jesus drew crowds because of his message – a message of true hope and healing.  Jesus preached not of a kingdom of this world. Jesus had compassion on them because of how lost and needy the crowds were.

New Moon has driven their stars to levels of popularity greater then before.  It has already set records for the massive crowds.  Every Middle and High School campus is abuzz.  Myspace and Facebook are filled with giddiness. Twitter is keeping the unfortunate intune.

Massive crowds. Record crowds. Adoring Crowds.

Lost Crowds. Hurt Crowds.  Lonely Crowds.

• Read through the life of Jesus in Matthew this weekend and note the number of times that Jesus drew a crowd.
• Grab a journal and write about Jesus’ teaching and response to the various types of crowds that he experienced.
• Pray for the crowd that will gather at your place of worship this weekend to experience Jesus in mighty ways.

preaching the good news of the kingdom …

On Golf Carts and such

If you study the bible for any length of time,
you come to see an interesting thing.
God does not treat everyone equally.

He actually gives preference to the poor.
God takes the side of the poor,
throughout the Bible.
Any theologian can tell you that
God has a definite bias toward the poor.

You see scriptures like Pr 19:17Pr 19:17
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17 He who has pity on the poor lends to Yahweh; He will reward him.

NLT
If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD — and he will repay you!
Pr 14:31Pr 14:31
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31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for his Maker, But he who is kind to the needy honors him.

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TLB
Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God

Pr 21:13Pr 21:13
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13 Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, He will also cry out, but shall not be heard.

NLT
Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.
There are 2,000re 2,000
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Štetje svetopisemskih vrstic se za?ne z ¹! Vrstica ⁰ ne obstaja!

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verses of Scripture that call upon us to respond to the needs of the poor.
This is at the core of the Christian faith.
Let me read you another one.
1 John 3:171 John 3:17
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17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him?

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NIV
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

The answer is, it can’t.

What this is saying is,
If you have no compassion for the poor,
you’re really not a Christian,
because the love of God is not in you,

Or if you are a Christian,
then at the very least,
you have hardened your heart toward God
in this area.

Because God tells us 2,000 times in the Bible
how a Christian reacts to the poor.
A Christian has compassion,
and helps them.

In fact, just based on what the bible tells us,
this is one of the key ways
you should be able to tell who’s a real Christian.

Do they help the poor?

When I talk about helping the poor, people often get the idea that this is a painful, agonizing sacrifice.
Let me ask you, “How do you think Mother Teresa got up in the morning?

Do you think she kind of dragged herself out of bed and said, “Well, here we go again, another lousy day on the streets of Calcutta.
I’ve gotta meet the needs of the poor again,
man I hate Mondays,
I wish I could sleep in.”

No. I don’t think so.

She jumped out of bed with excitement and enthusiasm.
Those who knew her talked about the bubbling joy that radiated from within her.

Why was she so joyful?

Because she knew she was ministering to Jesus all day long,
because, Jesus comes himself to us through people who are in need.
And as we minister to them, the joy of Jesus comes into us and energizes us.

Jesus does not come to you through your checkbook.

Yes its good to support the poor financially.
You should do that.

But Jesus does not say,
For I was hungry and thirsty and you wrote a check to the Red Cross,
I was a stranger and you said, oh my taxes are paying for that homeless shelter, I needed clothes and you gave a couple bags of clothes to Goodwill,
I was sick and you sent a check to the American Cancer Society,
I was in prison and you sent money to Prison Fellowship.’
No, that is not what Jesus said.

If you do that, and effectively shelter yourself behind your checkbook,
and you never come in contact with the poor,

then you never get a chance to serve Jesus
when he comes to you in the poor.

So that response, of only writing a check, doesn’t cut it.

You know, It’s not enough, to just say you care.
It’s not just enough to say, “Oh, that’s so sad, to see people suffering. I really feel sympathy. I’ll pray for those poor people.”

Jesus says,
That is not enough,
go do something about it.

Jesus says,
I have to put feet to my feelings.
Notice what the Bible says, 1 John 3:181 John 3:18
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18 My little children, let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.

TLB
Let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions.

Real love acts.
You say, “Oh, I’m a compassionate person.” Oh really? Prove it. What are you doing to help suffering people?
The Bible is so blunt, in your face about this whole area.
James 2:15James 2:15
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15 And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,

NLT
Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, “Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well” — but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
The answer is nothing.
It does no good.

You’ve got to take action.

You’ve probably experienced this –
you’re in the airport,
walking down a narrow concourse, shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of people – you hear the beeping of the on-coming golf cart.
and all of the sudden, you’ve got to make a choice.
Are you going to dive off to the right side or dive off to the left side, because this things coming through. And you’ve gotta make a choice,
or you’re going to get run down.

That’s sort of what Jesus does, In the scriptures we read,

He says, hey you’ve gotta make a choice.
What’s it going to be, sheep or goat.

Remember he puts all the sheep on his right,
and the goats on the left.

He says,
You’ve gotta jump one way or the other.
Make your choice,

because I’m coming through on the golf cart,
and you’re going to get run down.
So choose.
Sheep or goat.

He says,
You’re going to have to make a decision because we’re talking about opposing world and life views.
Jesus says here’s how the Kingdom of God operates and here’s how the kingdom on earth operates. Here’s the values from My Father, here’s the values from the world.”

And so Jesus, like that golf cart comes at you
and makes you choose, which side you’re going to wind up on.
And how does he divide the sheep from goats?

Based on how you treat the hungry,
thirsty,
homeless,
naked,
sick,
and in prison.

So Jesus is in the golf cart and He is asking you the question: Sheep or goat?

How are you going to treat the poor and oppressed and suffering?

Let me ask you,
based on your activities of the past month,
are you a sheep or a goat?

How much time did you invest in helping the needy
last month?

It doesn’t have to be huge things,
it just needs to be something.

Matthew 10:42Matthew 10:42
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42 Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, most assuredly I tell you he will in no way lose his reward.”

NASU
Jesus says Whoever … gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Authentic Community Part 4

To be part of authentic community with other Christians is to risk being hurt. Yet our involvement in authentic communit can help us deal with these painful relationships. Accurate beliefs, spiritual practices, and authentic community deepen our life with God, so we can face these kinds of relationships. We can show grace to those who disappoint us, we can show courage to those who oppose us, and we can show hope when we are separated.

In short, it’s worth it to be part of authentic community. Our church is imperfect, and we make our fair share of mistakes, but as we share our lives with each other we can grow deeper in our life with God together. As we worship together each weekend, as we share our lives in small groups, as we serve together, as we give together, God helps us put down deep roots. May God never allow us to settle for anything other than authentic community with each other, so we can grow deep together.

Authentic Community Part 3

The last category of people is those who are separated from us. In contrast to the other two kinds of people, these are the people we like being around, but for whatever reason we can’t. These are people who move away or who circumstances cause us to have to part ways.

Look at vs. 19-22. The husband-wife team of Priscilla and Aquila were clearly people Paul liked hanging out with. Paul first met them in the city of Corinth, after they’d been kicked out of Rome for being Jewish. They became an important part of Paul’s ministry team, and clearly Paul wished they weren’t separated by so many miles.

The household of Onesiphorus another one of those people Paul loved being around. Back in chapter 1 Paul described how Onesiphorus had often refreshed Paul’s spirit (2 Tim 1:162 Tim 1:16
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16 May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain,

). There we learned that when Onesiphorus traveled to Rome, he searched for Paul until he found him, unashamed of Paul’s status as a prisoner. These are the people we love being around because they renew our soul and encourage our hearts. Don’t you love people like that in your life? They make up for all the Alexanders.

Paul mentions a few other people like this here as well. Erastus is one of those people Paul misses. But Erastus is on a ministry trip to the city of Corinth, in modern day Greece. Paul would also love to be with Trophimus. But Trophimus got sick, and had to stay in Miletus. Miletus was a city on the Western Coast of Asia Minor about 37 miles South of Ephesus.

Then Paul closes by relaying greetings from some of the Christians in the city of Rome. Early church tradition claims that Linus and his wife Claudia became key leaders in the Roman church.

Clearly Paul misses a lot of people. He misses Timothy enough to ask him to drop his ministry assignment to sail to Rome. He misses his old friends Priscilla and Aquila, his coworkers Tychicus, Erastus, and Trophimus. Yet various circumstances had separated them.

Here we find how a deepened life with God helps us deal with those who are separated from us.

The Bible describes hope as being like an anchor for our soul, that grips us in times of loneliness and uncertainty. Paul demonstrates this kind of hope here, as he yearns for the company of close friends in his final days.

One of the painful parts of being part of a church family is the fact that people sometimes move on.

I see this pain when people move away after being part of our church for many years. I see it when various circumstances move people on to another church.

Part of being part of a community where your life is not your own is realizing that God might call you or someone else to move on. You know, I would absolutely love to spend my entire ministry as the youth pastor of teaching here at FBC Brooksville. And let me reassure you that I have no real aspirations to move on. Yet I could never say, “I’m here at FBC for life” because my life is not my own, it belongs to Jesus. So that kind of promise is not for me to make. Yet I know that if the day were to ever come for me to move on, God would help us face that day with hope.

One of the exciting parts of being part of a community with other Christians is you know you’ll have eternity with each other in heaven. Even if circumstances separate us for a time here on earth, even if jobs take us out of state or God’s calling moves us on, we can be sure of an eternity of community with each other in heaven. That doesn’t stop it from hurting when we have to say goodbye, but it does give us hope in the midst of the pain.

An anchor for our soul, to keep us firm and secure when we’re lonely for people we miss.

Can you deal with seperation?  Who are you longing for right now?

Bottom Line:  When we deepen our life with God, we can face those we are separated from with hope.

To be continued …

Authentic Community Part 2

Paul also deals with people who oppose him in his closing words to Timothy. Look at vv. 14-18.  Alexander the metalworker was one of Paul’s opponents. Alexander was an especially painful opponent because Alexander was a Christian. We first met Alexander back in 1 Timothy, where we learn he had actually been kicked out of the church (1 Tim 1:201 Tim 1:20
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20 of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I delivered to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.

Most Bible teachers believe Alexander was part of a faction in the early church that was anti-Paul. These people questioned the legitimacy of Paul’s calling as an apostle of Jesus Christ. They didn’t view Paul’s twelve letters as Scripture. They didn’t like the fact that Paul refused to insist that non-Jewish Christians follow the Jewish laws. This faction would follow Paul around wherever he went. As soon as Paul would leave a town, they’d show up with a whole list of areas where Paul was wrong, and they did him a lot of harm. Paul mentions this same group in Galatians, 2 Corinthians, Philippians, and here in 2 Timothy. Paul warns Timothy to be wary of Alexander, because even though he’s been kicked out of the church, he’s still actively opposing Paul’s message.

The other opponent is the Roman government itself. Here we learn that Paul has already had his preliminary hearing–what he calls his “first defense”–before the Roman authorities. No one stood with Paul that day except Jesus. Yet Jesus comforted and empowered Paul to not only defend himself, but to even share the good news of Jesus Christ with those who were present. Like Paul’s speeches before government authorities in Acts, this defense turned into a sermon where he shared the good news of Jesus.

Paul’s assurance of deliverance does not mean that he thinks he’s going to be acquitted of his accusations and set free. He already said earlier in this chapter that the time of his departure was drawing drawn near, that he expects this trail to end with his execution. So his assurance here isn’t that he’s going to be set free, but that Jesus will stand with him to the end and empower him to finish well. He’s confident that his death will launch him safely into God’s heavenly kingdom.

Here we find how a deepened life with God helps us deal with those who oppose us.

Christians around the world face opposition from outside the church. I think of an Iranian Christian named Mehdi Dibaj. In 1993 Mehdi Dibaj was accused of apostasy by the Iranian government. I’ve read Mehdi Dibaj’s defense at his apostasy trial in Iran many times, and I’m always amazed at the incredible courage he showed as he stood before the highest court in his country and unashamedly confessed his allegiance to Jesus Christ. In June of 1994 it cost Mehdi Dibaj his life.

But in many ways the opposition that comes from within the Christian community is even more painful. Paul expected Rome to oppose him, but when people like Alexander stood against him, it was especially painful. Yet if you’re part of authentic community, the time will come when you’ll experience opposition from a Christian brother or sister in Christ. This is especially true if you serve in a leadership capacity in a church. And let me tell you: it’s painful, because the church is supposed to be a place of healing and compassion, yet we can often tear each other to bits. One pastor I know told me this week he simply feels like giving up.

A deepened life with God won’t guarantee us that opposition will never come, but it will help us face opposition with courage. Although I try to listen to my critics when they voice opposition about me, ultimately I have to remind myself that I live for the audience of One. I’d hate to stand before God with accolades and acceptance by all my Christian friends, but with the disappointment of God. Sometimes pleasing God means accepting the fact that some people won’t like you, some people will criticize your ideas, and some people will downright despise you.

There will be times when we make mistakes, but it’s important that we’re willing to go forward with courage when we believe God is leading us forward.
A deepened life with God gives us courage to face opposition.

Where does your opposition come from? Parents? Friends? Spouse?

Bottom Line: When we deepen our life with God, we can face opposition with courage.

To be continued …

Authentic Community Part 1

We as people are always looking for a quick fix to life’s problems. Whether it’s the quickest weight loss fad or the fastest computer, we’re always looking for the easiest, fasted way to achieve our goals. We’re a generation of microwave popcorn and fast food.

This mentality also passes over to our spiritual lives as well. Christians are continually looking for the quick fix to spiritual maturity. Whether it’s the latest best selling Christian book or a popular seminar going from church to church, we’re always looking for that one method to spiritual breakthrough. Some Christians are like quick fix junkies, going from church to church, method to method, fad to fad, looking for that one magic method to give them a deep spiritual life with God.

I think the number one thing that holds people back from building true spiritual maturity within an authentic community is fear.

People are afraid of being hurt by other people, so they build up walls of protection around them. Let’s face it: The closer you get to people, the deeper those people can hurt you. We build up walls because we’re afraid of being betrayed or laughed at, being judged or abandoned. So we avoid real community with other Christians, places where we really let down our guard get involved in the lives of other Christians. We may go to church, but we make sure to make a quick escape after the service, talking to no one along the way.

And the truth is that if we engage in authentic community, we will get hurt. The risk is a real one. Yet without authentic community, we won’t grow deep in our life with God, at least according to the Bible. All the quick fix substitutes marketed by religious companies can’t compensate for a lack of authentic community.

We’re going to start by talking about people who disappoint us. This section of 2 Timothy contains all kinds of different names in it. To us these people are unknowns with strange sounding names, but we need to remember that behind every single name we read is a story. Some of these stories are about people who disappointed the apostle Paul.

Look at vs. 9-13. Paul is writing from the city of Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire. Paul writes this letter sitting in a Roman prison cell awaiting his trail before the Roman government. This letter is Paul’s last one before his execution. Within months of writing this letter, Paul was led out to the third milestone marker on the Ostian Way in Rome and beheaded (Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, “Paul and His Letters”). The exact place of his execution is called Aquae Salviae, and on that location today stands a church called Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Paul was executed sometime during the year of 65 A.D.

Timothy receives this letter from Paul in the city of Ephesus. Timothy had been assigned to the Ephesian church to help them sort through some difficult problems. Yet in this final letter Paul knows that his life is nearing its end, so he asks Timothy to leave Ephesus and set sail for Rome as soon as possible, so they can be together one last time.

Demas, who we’ll talk about in more detail in a moment, had abandoned Paul and gone to Thessalonica. Thessalonica was the primary port city of Macedonia, just above Greece. We know that there was a thriving church in Thessalonica that Paul had started some years earlier. Most historians think Thessalonica was where Demas was from, that he had gone home.

Chrescens had gone to Galatia. He didn’t abandon Paul like Demas had, but apparently he was away on a ministry trip. Galatia was a region in central Asia Minor that was settled by Celtic tribes from ancient Gaul. Titus had gone to Dalmatia. Now when I first read about Dalmatia I thought that was the city where they got the idea for the movie 101 Dalmatians. But ancient Dalmatia was a mountainous region on the Eastern shore of the Adriatic sea. Apparently Titus had finished his work in the city of Crete and had gone on another ministry trip.

From Paul’s ministry team, only Luke remains with Paul. Luke of course was a medical doctor who accompanied Paul on his ministry trips. Luke wrote the gospel of Luke, in addition to the book of Acts. As we’ll learn a bit later, there were Christians from Rome also with Paul, but from his own ministry team, only Luke remained.

Many Bible scholars believe Tychicus was the guy who hand carried 2 Timothy from Rome to Ephesus, to hand deliver the letter to Timothy. Tychicus is mentioned in Acts, Ephesians and Colossians as one of Paul’s key leaders (Acts 20:4Acts 20:4
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4 These accompanied him as far as Asia: Sopater of Beroea; Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.

; Eph 6:21Eph 6:21
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21 But that you also may know my affairs, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make known to you all things;

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; Col 4:7Col 4:7
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7 All my affairs will be made known to you by Tychicus, the beloved brother, faithful servant, and fellow bondservant in the Lord.

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). Tychicus was probably Timothy’s replacement in Ephesus, so Timothy could set sail for Rome, picking up Mark along the way.

Finally, Paul wants Timothy to stop at the home of Carpus in Troas on the way to Rome. Troas was a city named after the ancient Greek city of Troy because the ruins of Troy were ten miles outside of town. Apparently Paul had left his writing materials and books in Troas with Carpus, and now that he’s stuck in prison he wants them with him. Perhaps the parchments refer to Paul’s copy of the Old Testament scriptures. The “cloak” refers to a thick circular poncho. As winter approaches, Paul needs to be kept warm in the drafty Roman prison .

So in the midst of his imprisonment, Paul needs companionship, his books, and something to keep him warm.

But I really want to focus in on Demas and Mark, because these were two people who had really disappointed Paul. Demas is probably short for the longer name Demetrius. Demas is mentioned as one of Paul’s key ministry people in his letters to Philemon and to the church in the city of Collosse (Philemon 24; Col 4:14Col 4:14
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14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you.

). But something happened, and Demas had abandoned Paul. He fell in love with this present world. He probably grew tired of the hardship and struggles that characterized Paul’s ministry team, the long days, the dangerous travel, the beatings and imprisonments. He grew weary of long journeys with not enough food, being away from his family for months at a time. He yearned for the comfort of home, a life free from the hardship and struggles of full time ministry. So he went home, home to Thessalonica, home where it was safe and warm. But he left Paul virtually alone. He’d disappointed his friend and mentor Paul. Clearly Paul writes with a broken heart when he thinks about Demas and his divided affections.

Mark had once had a very similar story. On Paul’s very first ministry trip years earlier Mark had been one of Paul’s first ministry team members. But according to the book of Acts, Mark abandoned Paul early on in the trip (Acts 13:13Acts 13:13
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13 Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem.

). When Paul and his key leader Barnabas wanted to go on a second ministry trip, Barnabas wanted to bring Mark again, but Paul refused. After all, Mark had disappointed them earlier, and Paul figured that he couldn’t count on Mark to be there when they needed him. But Mark was Barnabas’ cousin, so he wanted to give Mark a second chance. The disagreement between Paul and Barnabas got so intense that they parted company. So the book of Acts leaves us with the impression that Mark is a guy you can’t count on, a guy who disappoints you.

Yet here we find Paul asking Timothy to bring Mark to him because he views Mark as having something to offer in ministry. Obviously something’s happened in Mark’s life, and that something has so impressed Paul that he wants Mark by his side for his last days. And of course, eventually Mark would go on to write the gospel of Mark, which is the second book in the New Testament.

Both Demas and Mark were people who disappointed Paul. Yet Paul is able to respond with them with grace.

Paul was able to give Mark a clean slate, a fresh chance. I’m sure Paul do the same for Demas as well, once Demas got his heart right with God.

If you involve yourself in authentic community, people will disappoint you, just like they disappointed Paul. You’ll have your own Demas and Mark in your life.

People will disappoint us in the Christian community. They won’t do what they promise to do at times. They won’t do what we expect them to do.

As a pastor I constantly struggle with disappointing people. People have all kinds of expectations of what a pastor should do; some of those expectations are realistic, but many of them aren’t. Perhaps a phone call I forgot to make or a visit that I couldn’t get to. Often as my head hits the pillow at night I wonder who I let down that day.

Yet a deepened life with God helps us respond to people who disappoint us with grace. Rather than getting mad or bitter, we forgive. Rather than using our disappointment as an excuse to leave the church and separate ourselves from authentic community, we show compassion. A deepened life with God gives us a reservoir of grace to draw from, so when people do disappoint us, we can show them grace.

Who has disappointed you? How are you trying to deepen your own life?

Bottom line: When we deepen our lives with God, we can face people who disappoint us with grace!

To be continued …

Beautiful Life

Why is most of Walmart Red and Green already???

A little boy and a little girl were singing their favorite Christmas carol in church the Sunday before Christmas. The boy concluded “Silent Night” with the words, “sleep in heavenly beans.”
His sister elbowed him, and said, “No. Not beans, peas!”

The way many of us feel by the time we are ready for Christmas, the song might just as well end with beans or peas instead of peace. Because sometimes in the frantic rush to get everything done the peace of the season seems to elude us.

I’ve tried to compile a list of potential things that happen at this time of year which may contribute to increased stress during the holiday season. See if any of these ring a bell, no holiday pun intended.

· Shopping for gifts
· Putting up the decorations
· Having enough money to buy gifts
· Three frightening words – Some assembly required
· Having the right clothes for social occasions
· Untangling the strands of lights
· Sending out Christmas cards
· Hearing “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” for the 150th time
· Knowing the year is coming to a close and you didn’t accomplish what you intended to
· Missing loved ones who have passed away
· Members of your family who find where you hid their presents.

When you compile a list like this, it’s easy to see why Christmas is a major period of increased stress for many people.

Does Christ have anything to say to us in the midst of this season of hurry and rush? I believe he does. After all, it’s his birthday party, so what does he think about all of this?

There’s a humorous little story in the Gospel of Luke that shows how busyness and stress gets in the way of what matters most. It wasn’t his birthday, but it was a party, and Jesus was the honored guest.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Understanding what Jesus said to Martha about Mary, it’s easy to see that…
We will enjoy the season much more when simply focus on what is “needed.”
Martha said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40Luke 10:40
English: World English Bible - WEB
40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.”

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I think Martha was experiencing some stress.

Rushing around trying to get everything ready – after all Jesus was in her house!

“Doesn’t anyone care how busy I am?” she thinks. She comes in the room with hors d’oeuvres, “Oh, Mary, dear sister, there you are! Don’t bother getting up. And, Jesus, I wish I could stay and chat like SOME people, but you’ll all be wanting freshly crushed grape juice soon, so I guess I’ll just go back to the kitchen where I’m working ALONE.”

“No one can live without experiencing some degree of stress. You may think that only serious disease or intensive physical or mental injury can cause stress. This is false. Crossing a busy intersection, exposure to a draft, or even sheer joy are enough to activate the body’s stress mechanism to some extent. Stress is not even necessarily bad for you; it is also the spice of life, for any emotion, any activity, causes stress.” (Hans Selye, in The Stress of Life)

Stress can be caused by anything that creates a state of arousal or alarm in our systems – by anything that mobilizes our bodies defenses against hostile, threatening or even challenging events in our environment.

It can be caused by almost anything pleasant or unpleasant.
The experts say that getting married is actually more stressful than getting fired from your job. And retirement is more than twice as stressful as moving to a new residence.

Think about this rubber band. If stretched, it will return to its normal, relaxed position when the external force is removed.

The body’s stress response is also stretched whenever it is subjected to any emergency or demand. It ought to return to a normal, relaxed state when the demand is removed.
If stretched for a long time and held, it loses its elastic properties and will eventually snap.

The holiday season can be a period of major stress. The rubber-band gets stretched pretty far and held there. Maybe some of you are feeling the effects already.

I love this verse…
“Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” (Luke 10:40Luke 10:40
English: World English Bible - WEB
40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.”

)

Doesn’t that sound like us sometimes?

Like Martha, we can get so distracted by all the seemingly necessary things that we miss the point.

Isn’t that the real problem? Some of the things that we make priorities aren’t really the priorities. By focusing on these things of lesser importance we miss what’s most important.

Look what Jesus tells Martha…
“Only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better…” (Luke 10:42Luke 10:42
English: World English Bible - WEB
42 but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

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All the Christmas preparations are good, but there is “only one thing” that is “needed.”

And that thing that is needed this Christmas is spending time with Jesus in a personal, intimate love relationship.

We must never get so busy with the outward things that we neglect the quiet and peaceful worship of our Lord.

How can we be calm in the midst of stress all around us at this time of year? How can we be like Mary, and simply focus on what is needed?

Here’s a good place to start: Cross out everything that takes away from the real meaning of Christmas.

For instance, if it’s really stressing you out, do you absolutely have to make those special cookies that take a whole afternoon to make?

Or, do you absolutely have to put up all the lights on the house that you did last year?

The holidays don’t have to be the most stressful time of the year when, like Mary, we only focus on what is needed.

On the night Jesus was born, angels from heaven announced, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14Luke 2:14
English: World English Bible - WEB
14 “Glory to God in the highest, On earth peace, good will toward men.”

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Silent Night, Holy Night
All is calm, All is bright
Round yon virgin, Mother and child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly PEACE
SLEEP in heavenly peace

No Drama Zone

A father had a family of quarreling sons. One day he called his sons before him and, picking out the strongest of them, handed him a stick. “Snap it,” he said. The son did so with a gesture of contempt. The man handed him two sticks. “Snap them,” he said. Again the son did so. The old man handed him ever increasing numbers of sticks. “Snap them,” he said – a bundle of four, five, six. Soon the young man was having to strain to snap the sticks and, finally he had to admit defeat. “Unity is strength,” the old man cautioned his sons. “A house divided cannot stand. Anyone can overthrow you one by one. But stand together, in unity, and your united strength will give your enemies second thoughts.”

Psalm 133 is a psalm about true unity, the unity of the Spirit, a unity that gives strength and on which God pours His blessing.

The basis of Christian unity is our common relationship to the heavenly Father. When man sinned against God in the beginning, the first disaster to befall him after being driven from Eden and from fellowship with God, was that one brother raised his hand against the other. When Cain slew Abel, not only was the first murder committed; but it showed that the brotherhood of man had also been put to death.

Many through-out history have tried to resurrect the notion of the brotherhood of man. But the brotherhood of man cannot come through the organizations of men. People can join lodges and clubs, they can found organizations and promote ecumenical movements; but that will never produce true brotherhood among men.

There can be no universal brotherhood of man apart from a universal fatherhood of God; and the Bible makes it clear that God is not the father of all. He is the creator of all, but he is the father only of those who are born again, born from above, born of the Spirit of God.

The world is looking for a practical demonstration of brotherhood; and the only place where they will ever be able to see true brotherhood in action is among those who know God as their father, those who are brothers and sisters in Christ. That is why David speaks of a “good and pleasant”

Unity is always good in the work and influence of the church. United, we can accomplish much for the kingdom of God. Divided, we can bring much joy to the kingdom of Satan.

It would be good at this point to say that David must not be misunderstood to be speaking of uniformity here. There is a difference between unity and uniformity. Dwelling together in unity does not mean that we are rubber-stamped into a similar form. The church is not to be involved in cookie cutter Christianity. Christian unity is not brought about by mechanical restrictions and regulations. Christian unity is a heart union of believers ready to work together for the purpose of glorifying God and furthering the work of his kingdom.

In a musical production, there are a variety of singers and players. Yet, in spite of a great diversity of instruments and voices, they can play together in harmony. How? As they each look to and obey the direction of the conductor. Even so, David speaks of a unity of diverse people, based upon their common relationship to God and their willingness to look to Him and obey Him.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:34-35John 13:34-35
English: World English Bible - WEB
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

(NIV)

When it was born in Jerusalem, the church was a Fellowship. When it went to Greece, it became a Philosophy. When it went to Rome, it became an Institution. When it went to Europe, it became a Culture. When it went to America it became an Enterprise. How the Church needs to return to being a Fellowship!

“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” – Ephesians 4:1-3Ephesians 4:1-3
English: World English Bible - WEB
4 ¹ I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love; ³ being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

(NLT)

It is interesting to note that the phrase in this passage, “make every effort,” is a military term which literally refers to “striving like a warrior.” We need to make a determined effort to answer the call of God to dwell together in unified commitment to Him. This world will only know about the life God gives as they see it exemplified by a united people of God.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” – John 17:20-23John 17:20-23
English: World English Bible - WEB
20 Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me. ²² The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one; ²³ I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me.

(NIV)

Unity in practice takes effort. So why bother? To fulfill our mis­sion to make disciples for our God, who sacrificed His Son to remove our sin and bring us into a personal relation­ship with Him, that’s why!

During Vacation Bible School a class was interrupted when a new student was brought in. The little boy had one arm missing, and the teacher was very nervous that one of the other children might comment on his handicap and embarrass him. As the class time came to a close, she asked the class to join her in their usual closing ceremony. “Let’s make our churches,” she said. “Here’s the church and here’s the steeple, open the doors and . . .” The awful truth of her own actions struck her. The very thing she had feared that the children would do, she had done.

As she stood there speechless, the little girl sitting next to the boy reached over with her left hand and placed it up to his right hand and said, “Here, let’s make the church together.”

Let’s each commit ourselves to the Lordship of Christ, so that we might build his church together!