Preach…

‘Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.’ (Matthew 12:33-37, NRSV)

“Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” This is a quote attributed to St Francis of Assisi. Now whether or not he actually said this, or something close is not what we are talking about. St Francis’ life was lived by him in a way that he embodied this quote. And it is a good thing to live by…

Sometimes words get in the way.

Sometimes our actions speak louder than our words and we send 2 completely different messages.

So what does your life say?

Do others know you are a disciple of Jesus by your actions?

Can people tell you are a follower of Christ by how you treat others and the things you do?

Or are they confused when you say that you love God, but your actions say otherwise?

So preach loudly, or maybe come to the understanding that you already are!

speak boldly

I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. Nevertheless, on some points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the good news of Christ. Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand.’ (Romans 15:14-21, NRSV)

Have you ever felt like you did not know what to say?

Have you ever been questioned on you faith and just let the moment pass by?

Have you ever said to yourself, “I wish I were like Paul and able to speak boldly…”

Paul tells us here his secret…

And you know what?

You have his secret! Jesus is living inside of you, so you are like Paul!

You have the Lord living in you and that is what Paul said is the reason that he is able to speak boldly! The Lord is what gives Paul the ability to wax poetically and to speak about the love of God.

So now you have no excuse! Go and boldly proclaim God and your faith. Not because you have the ability, but because He is living in you and giving you the power and strength to go and speak!

live

Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; that each one of you knows how to control your own body in holiness and honor, not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one wrongs or exploits a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you. Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly towards outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12, NRSV)

How easy is it to treat people like you want to be treated rather than how they deserve to be treated?

It is not easy to treat people the way that God treats you, forgiving your short comings and know that you do not do the things you do to intentionally cause pain to God.

God wants us to live in a way that we show His love towards others and not treat them like we think they deserve to be treated.

Because as many people as you would like to do something terrible to for the way they treat you, they want to do that to you for the way you treat them.

We need to rise above society and treat others with the respect they deserve because they are God’s children just like us.

We do not get anything for it. We do not earn our way to God’s good graces. We do not get a better seat at the end, but we live this way because that is what God has asked us to do.

We are called to be over and above, in and not of this world to help point the way to the one who created all of us and wants to be with and in all of us.

So live like a Christian that helps others to see God!

with the flow

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” ’ Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ (Matthew 3:1-12, NRSV)

Have you ever done something because “everyone else” was doing it?

That is the thought I get when I read what John said to the Pharisees and Sadducees. I hear Him asking them, “Why are you here, just because everyone else is?” We think we need to do what others are doing so we will be cool. We need to be a part of the in crowd, and not need to stand out.

We go along with things everyday that go against what we believe because we think it is easier to just go with the flow than to stand up for what we believe.

But why do we do the things we do?

Why are we moved to do things differently than society?

God created us to be different, to be stand outs!

God created you to be a beacon of hope that will shine and show people the path to Him.

So shine and go against the crowd! And don’t just go with the flow but help the flow go where it will be fed!

prepare the way

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord” ’, as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, ‘Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’ This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. (John 1:19-28, NRSV)

I am the voice of one crying, “In the wilderness make straight the paths of the Lord!”

John was crying in the wilderness and that we need to make straight paths in the wilderness…

The wilderness is not the forest! In John’s and Jesus’ day the wilderness was the barren land. The land of sand…

It is where people would not be. And today, the wilderness is where God is not.

And you might be saying, “there is no where God is not there.” And you would be correct. Yet He is not accepted every where!

What are you doing to prepare the way of the Lord?

What are you doing that is helping others to see Jesus clearer?

What are you doing to make straight paths and to help people know His grace and mercy?

John was not the only one crying in the wilderness, that task also falls to you.

So go and cry in the wilderness of your every day, and make straight the paths of the Lord!