We have never done it that way before…

When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a boy. Her neighbors and relatives celebrated with her because they had heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy. On the eighth day, it came time to circumcise the child. They wanted to name him Zechariah because that was his father’s name. But his mother replied, “No, his name will be John.” They said to her, “None of your relatives have that name.” Then they began gesturing to his father to see what he wanted to call him. After asking for a tablet, he surprised everyone by writing, “His name is John.” At that moment, Zechariah was able to speak again, and he began praising God. All their neighbors were filled with awe, and everyone throughout the Judean highlands talked about what had happened. All who heard about this considered it carefully. They said, “What then will this child be?” Indeed, the Lord’s power was with him. John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

“Bless the Lord God of Israel
    because he has come to help and has delivered his people.
He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,
    just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.
He has brought salvation from our enemies
    and from the power of all those who hate us.
He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
    and remembered his holy covenant,
        the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.
He has granted that we would be rescued
        from the power of our enemies
    so that we could serve him without fear,
        in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,
            for as long as we live.
You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.
You will tell his people how to be saved
    through the forgiveness of their sins.
Because of our God’s deep compassion,
    the dawn from heaven will break upon us,
    to give light to those who are sitting in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
        to guide us on the path of peace.”

The child grew up, becoming strong in character. He was in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel. (Luke 1:57-80, CEB)

Things I hated hearing as a leader in a congregation:

People are saying… (we never really know who these people are and usually it is the person speaking to you that doesn’t have the fortitude to say I don’t like this…)

We have never done it that way before…

Here we see that John was not a family name and nobody understood why they would not name him Zechariah after his dad and keep a family name.

Sometimes we need to step outside the comfort and do what we are called to do.

God is always with us. Even when we can’t see or feel God, we are never alone.

Know you are loved and do not let others keep you from going where God is leading you to go.

Loving People. Loving God.

open a door

Keep on praying and guard your prayers with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray for us also. Pray that God would open a door for the word so we can preach the secret plan of Christ—which is why I’m in chains. Pray that I might be able to make it as clear as I ought to when I preach. Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Your speech should always be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person. Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave in the Lord, will inform you about everything that has happened to me. This is why I sent him to you, so that you’ll know all about us and so he can encourage your hearts. I sent him with Onesimus, our faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will let you know about everything here. Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, says hello to you. So does Mark, Barnabas’ cousin (you received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him). Jesus, called Justus, also says hello. These are my only fellow workers for God’s kingdom who are Jewish converts. They have been an encouragement to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, says hello. He’s a slave of Christ Jesus who always wrestles for you in prayers so that you will stand firm and be fully mature and complete in the entire will of God. I can vouch for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas say hello. Say hello to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, along with Nympha and the church that meets in her house. After this letter has been read to you publicly, make sure that the church in Laodicea reads it and that you read the one from Laodicea. And tell Archippus, “See to it that you complete the ministry that you received in the Lord.” I, Paul, am writing this greeting personally. Remember that I’m in prison. Grace be with you. (Colossians 4:2-18, CEB)

Pray always for the world and for your brothers and sisters.

Pray that God will make a way for the world to see love and respond in love.

Pray that a door would be opened so all will hear and receive the word of God and live the way that Jesus taught us.

The other day I was scrolling through my Facebook memories to share memes and about 6 years ago I shared a meme of a child holding a Bible that read, “Teach your children about Jesus before someone else teaches them about Jesus that isn’t truth.” Or something to that manner. And I thought I would need to put a disclaimer on that picture, I am sure that I would share it and people would read it as conservative and Jesus not wanting anyone who wasn’t white, male, and powerful to be included. But then I also thought that if people thought that about something I shared do they really follow my posts. But people have an understanding of what the Bible says and what is accepted by God, and I think we will all be surprised when we actually stand before the throne.

Love is the answer. I pray that all of our hearts are open to love and know it is not about us, but about God.

I pray that we all share love, and show each other God loves us all as we are.

Love like Christ.

Loving People. Loving God.

united

I want you to know how much I struggle for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who haven’t known me personally. My goal is that their hearts would be encouraged and united together in love so that they might have all the riches of assurance that come with understanding, so that they might have the knowledge of the secret plan of God, namely Christ. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in him. I’m telling you this so that no one deceives you with convincing arguments, because even though I am absent physically, I’m with you in spirit. I’m happy to see the discipline and stability of your faith in Christ. (Colossians 2:1-5, CEB)

The author of Colossians wrote: “My goal is that their hearts would be encouraged and united together in love”

So that:

they might have riches of assurance that come with understanding…

they might have knowledge of God’s plan…

The goal is our hearts are encouraged and united in love.

Know every day:

You are enough.

You are loved.

You matter in this world.

You are a gift and treasure to the world around you just as you are.

Be united with all humanity in love.

Share love and encourage others.

Loving People. Loving God.

Be hated.

After this Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He didn’t want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish authorities wanted to kill him. When it was almost time for the Jewish Festival of Booths, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee. Go to Judea so that your disciples can see the amazing works that you do. Those who want to be known publicly don’t do things secretly. Since you can do these things, show yourself to the world.” His brothers said this because even they didn’t believe in him. Jesus replied, “For you, anytime is fine. But my time hasn’t come yet. The world can’t hate you. It hates me, though, because I testify that its works are evil. You go up to the festival. I’m not going to this one because my time hasn’t yet come.” Having said this, he stayed in Galilee. (John 7:1-9, CEB)

The world can’t hate you…

It hates Jesus. Why does the world hate Jesus?

Because Jesus shows love to all and accepts all as they were made. This lifts the lowly and brings down the haughty. It puts us all on an even playing field and those in power don’t like that.

We need to maintain the balance of power and keep the downtrodden down.

Jesus said all of us are equal in the eyes of God and that doesn’t play well with power systems.

Be like Jesus and show we are all the same and equal to God.

We are all God’s beloved children.

We are all worthy, and no one is better than anyone else.

Love like Jesus. Be hated.

Loving People. Loving God.

Just a little patience…

Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the coming of the Lord. Consider the farmer who waits patiently for the coming of rain in the fall and spring, looking forward to the precious fruit of the earth. You also must wait patiently, strengthening your resolve, because the coming of the Lord is near. Don’t complain about each other, brothers and sisters, so that you won’t be judged. Look! The judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of patient resolve and steadfastness. Look at how we honor those who have practiced endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job. And you have seen what the Lord has accomplished, for the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Most important, my brothers and sisters, never make a solemn pledge—neither by heaven nor earth, nor by anything else. Instead, speak with a simple “Yes” or “No,” or else you may fall under judgment. (James 5:7-12, CEB)

Just a little patience, goes a long way.

I do not always have the best patients. And here we are told that we need to have patience as we wait for the Lord.

Waiting is hard when we think we know what we want or what we need.

Patients help us go farther and not be as anxious.

When we can wait in and with the Lord for the Lord we show the world love.

wait. Just a little patience.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

fool

I repeat, no one should take me for a fool. But if you do, then allow me to be a fool so that I can brag like a fool for a bit. I’m not saying what I’m saying because the Lord tells me to. I’m saying it like I’m a fool. I’m putting my confidence in this business of bragging. Since so many people are bragging based on human standards, that is how I’m going to brag too. Because you, who are so wise, are happy to put up with fools. You put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone places themselves over you, or if someone hits you in the face. I’m ashamed to say that we have been weak in comparison! But in whatever they challenge me, I challenge them (I’m speaking foolishly). Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? I’m speaking like a crazy person. What I’ve done goes well beyond what they’ve done. I’ve worked much harder. I’ve been imprisoned much more often. I’ve been beaten more times than I can count. I’ve faced death many times. I received the “forty lashes minus one” from the Jews five times. I was beaten with rods three times. I was stoned once. I was shipwrecked three times. I spent a day and a night on the open sea. I’ve been on many journeys. I faced dangers from rivers, robbers, my people, and Gentiles. I faced dangers in the city, in the desert, on the sea, and from false brothers and sisters. I faced these dangers with hard work and heavy labor, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, and in the cold without enough clothes. Besides all the other things I could mention, there’s my daily stress because I’m concerned about all the churches. Who is weak without me being weak? Who is led astray without me being furious about it? If it’s necessary to brag, I’ll brag about my weaknesses. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, the one who is blessed forever, knows that I’m not lying. At Damascus the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to capture me, but I got away from him by being lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall. (2 Corinthians 11:16-33, CEB)

Do not be a fool.

We are filled with Christ and need to be focused on Christ.

None of us are better than the others, we all have our faults and we all have our gifts. It takes all of us to make the Imago Dei. We are a child of God just like all the rest.

Do not think of yourself more highly than you should, and do not think more lowly of yourself either.

Know you are loved and have a part to play.

Don’t be haughty or a fool. Be a love giver for God.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Take nothing

Jesus left that place and came to his hometown. His disciples followed him. On the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were surprised. “Where did this man get all this? What’s this wisdom he’s been given? What about the powerful acts accomplished through him? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t he Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They were repulsed by him and fell into sin. Jesus said to them, “Prophets are honored everywhere except in their own hometowns, among their relatives, and in their own households.” He was unable to do any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them. He was appalled by their disbelief. Then Jesus traveled through the surrounding villages teaching. He called for the Twelve and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a walking stick—no bread, no bags, and no money in their belts. He told them to wear sandals but not to put on two shirts. He said, “Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place. If a place doesn’t welcome you or listen to you, as you leave, shake the dust off your feet as a witness against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that people should change their hearts and lives. They cast out many demons, and they anointed many sick people with olive oil and healed them. (Mark 6:1-13, CEB)

When we go for Jesus we are not to take anything but to rely on the generosity of others.

Life would be so much better if we all used our resources to care for the sojourner, and others around us rather than hoarding everything for ourselves.

Here Jesus sends out the 12 and tells them to not take anything extra with them but to rely on the generosity of others and to heal. And if they are not welcomed, do not even take the dust from that place.

We should do likewise.

Share love.

Loving People. Loving God.

Give it all up…

Now when Jesus saw the crowd, he ordered his disciples to go over to the other side of the lake. A legal expert came and said to him, “Teacher, I’ll follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Human One has no place to lay his head.” Another man, one of his disciples, said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:18-22, CEB)

When we go with Jesus we may not have a home. My daughters have had 4 places where they grew up, and none of those were where any of them were born. I have lived in 6 different places after starting to become a pastor. Foxes have dens, and birds have nests…

We need to leave the world behind and give up worldly thoughts and follow after Jesus.

Spread love. The world needs that now.

Loving People. Loving God.

Build up. Not destroy.

Look at what is right in front of you! If anyone is sure about belonging to Christ, that person should think again. We belong to Christ just like that person. Even if I went on to brag about our authority, I wouldn’t be ashamed of it. The Lord gave us that authority to build you up and not to destroy you. I don’t want it to seem like I’m trying to intimidate you with my letters. I know what some people are saying: “His letters are severe and powerful, but in person he is weak and his speech is worth nothing.” These people need to think about this—that when we are with you, our actions will show that we are the same as the words we wrote when we were away from you. (2 Corinthians 10:7-11, CEB)

“The Lord gave us that authority to build you up and not to destroy you.”

We need to build each other up, not destroy each other.

If you are not leading in love, and looking to belittle or take someone down, are you doing that in faith and doing what Christ asked you to, or to maintain your power and control?

Love is the answer and what God empowers us to do.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Filled

You’ve been filled already! You’ve become rich already! You rule like kings without us! I wish you did rule so that we could be kings with you! I suppose that God has shown that we apostles are at the end of the line. We are like prisoners sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle in the world, both to angels and to humans. We are fools for Christ, but you are wise through Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, but we are dishonored! Up to this very moment we are hungry, thirsty, wearing rags, abused, and homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are insulted, we respond with a blessing; when we are harassed, we put up with it; when our reputation is attacked, we are encouraging. We have become the scum of the earth, the waste that runs off everything, up to the present time. (1 Corinthians 4:8-13, CEB)

Have you ever had to endure being harassed, attacked, or the like?

It isn’t any fun. It is incredibly debilitating.

Paul though here says they went through all of this, being harrassed, being attacked, being called the scum of the earth, and they held their heads high, because God had filled them.

God filled them with the Spirit to know that those speaking were saying falsehoods, they were spreading lies and God loved and held them dearly.

That is the same for you.

You are a beloved child of God and when others, harass, attack, revile, and call you scum, God says you are beautiful and loved.

You are loved and filled by God.

Loving People. Loving God.