here’s your sign

The church at Antioch included prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon (nicknamed Niger), Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen (a childhood friend of Herod the ruler), and Saul. As they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul to the work I have called them to undertake.” After they fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on these two and sent them off. After the Holy Spirit sent them on their way, they went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus. In Salamis they proclaimed God’s word in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their assistant. They traveled throughout the island until they arrived at Paphos. There they found a certain man named Bar-Jesus, a Jew who was a false prophet and practiced sorcery. He kept company with the governor of that province, an intelligent man named Sergius Paulus. The governor sent for Barnabas and Saul since he wanted to hear God’s word. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that’s what people understood his name meant) opposed them, trying to steer the governor away from the faith. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Saul, also known as Paul, glared at Bar-Jesus and said, “You are a deceiver and trickster! You devil! You attack anything that is right! Will you never stop twisting the straight ways of the Lord into crooked paths? Listen! The Lord’s power is set against you. You will be blind for a while, unable even to see the daylight.” At once, Bar-Jesus’ eyes were darkened, and he began to grope about for someone to lead him around by the hand. When the governor saw what had taken place, he came to believe, for he was astonished by the teaching about the Lord. (Acts 13:1-12, CEB)

This story is interesting. The governor only believed when the man Bar-Jesus was struck blind for his way of leading people astray.

Why do we need a sign? Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing.

If we see something that isn’t faith. Faith is hope in that which is unseen.

To have a sign is proof and not faith. I do not need proof. I have faith.

Do you need a sign? Or do you have faith?

Loving People. Loving God.

imitators

We also thank God constantly for this: when you accepted God’s word that you heard from us, you welcomed it for what it truly is. Instead of accepting it as a human message, you accepted it as God’s message, and it continues to work in you who are believers. Brothers and sisters, you became imitators of the churches of God in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus. This was because you also suffered the same things from your own people as they did from the Jews. They killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out. They don’t please God, and they are hostile to the entire human race when they try to stop us from speaking to the Gentiles so they can be saved. Their sins are constantly pushing the limit. God’s wrath has caught up with them in the end. Brothers and sisters, we were separated from you for a while physically but not in our hearts. We made every effort in our desire to see you again face-to-face. We wanted to come to you—I, Paul, tried over and over again—and Satan stopped us. What is our hope, joy, or crown that we can brag about in front of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Isn’t it all of you? You are our glory and joy! (1 Thessalonians 2:13-20, CEB)

be imitators of the churches of God in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus.

be imitators of Jesus Christ.

please God by loving as Jesus loves.

We are all the hope of Jesus and can share God’s grace with the world.

So love. Love out Loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

Seat of Honor

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples, “The legal experts and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. Therefore, you must take care to do everything they say. But don’t do what they do. For they tie together heavy packs that are impossible to carry. They put them on the shoulders of others, but are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do, they do to be noticed by others. They make extra-wide prayer bands for their arms and long tassels for their clothes. They love to sit in places of honor at banquets and in the synagogues. They love to be greeted with honor in the markets and to be addressed as ‘Rabbi.’ “But you shouldn’t be called Rabbi, because you have one teacher, and all of you are brothers and sisters. Don’t call anybody on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is heavenly. Don’t be called teacher, because Christ is your one teacher. But the one who is greatest among you will be your servant. All who lift themselves up will be brought low. But all who make themselves low will be lifted up. (Matthew 23:1-12, CEB)

Do you seek the seat of honor?

If you do you may want to rethink your seeking.

We should work to serve others and lift others up and not look for our own recognition.

Christ is our teacher and God is our parent. We should not seek to take those places.

Love Always, and be humble and kind.

Loving People. Loving God.

whitewashed tombs

“How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. You don’t enter yourselves, and you won’t allow those who want to enter to do so. “How terrible it will be for you, legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to make one convert. But when they’ve been converted, they become twice the child of hell you are. “How terrible it will be for you blind guides who say, ‘If people swear by the temple, it’s nothing. But if people swear by the gold in the temple, they are obligated to do what they swore.’ You foolish and blind people! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold holy? You say, ‘If people swear by the altar, it’s nothing. But if they swear by the gift on the altar, they are obligated to do what they swore.’ You blind people! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? Therefore, those who swear by the altar swear by it and by everything that’s on it. Those who swear by the temple swear by it and by everything that’s part of it. Those who swear by heaven swear by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You give to God a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, but you forget about the more important matters of the Law: justice, peace, and faith. You ought to give a tenth but without forgetting about those more important matters. You blind guides! You filter out an ant but swallow a camel. “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside they are full of violence and pleasure seeking. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup so that the outside of the cup will be clean too. “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs. They look beautiful on the outside. But inside they are full of dead bones and all kinds of filth. In the same way you look righteous to people. But inside you are full of pretense and rebellion. (Matthew 23:13-28, CEB)

You are like whitewashed tombs. They look beautiful on the outside. But inside they are full of dead bones and all kinds of filth. In the same way you look righteous to people. But inside you are full of pretense and rebellion.

Do not be full of hate and violence and show a demeanor of love. This is hypocritical and does not actually lead someone to follow Christ. To say that God is love and then turn around and damn someone to a life of being hated for how God created them is not following after Christ. It is a whitewashed tomb.

Don’t be a whitewashed tomb.

Loving People. Loving God.

False prophets

But false prophets also arose among the people. In the same way, false teachers will come among you. They will introduce destructive opinions and deny the master who bought them, bringing quick destruction on themselves. Many will follow them in their unrestrained immorality, and because of these false teachers the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will take advantage of you with lies. The judgment pronounced against them long ago hasn’t fallen idle, nor is their destruction sleeping. (2 Peter 2:1-3, CEB)

Many will follow the false prophets because of their unrestrained immorality, and because of them, the truth will be slandered. In their greed, they will use their power to take advantage of you with lies and their lies will become truth.

I know many people who would say that those who are part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community are false teachers and slandering the truth with their lies about inclusion. And yet I do not read this passage as saying they are the false prophets.

False prophets are those that lead us from love, and love is all I hear from the community that wants to be included for who they were created by God to be. Jesus was about radical acceptance and love and lifting up of the oppressed. And the LGBTQIA2S+ community is very oppressed and Jesus is standing with them.

Do not spew hate veiled in bible quotes and call it true teaching when it is a false prophet.

Loving People. Loving God.

integrity

    But,
if you call yourself a Jew;
if you rely on the Law;
if you brag about your relationship to God;
if you know the will of God;
if you are taught by the Law so that you can figure out the things that really matter;
if you have persuaded yourself that you are:
        a guide for the blind;
        a light to those who are in darkness;
        an educator of the foolish;
        a teacher of infants (since you have the full content of knowledge and truth in the Law);
then why don’t you who are teaching others teach yourself?
If you preach, “No stealing,” do you steal?
If you say, “No adultery,” do you commit adultery?
If you hate idols, do you rob temples?

If you brag about the Law, do you shame God by breaking the Law? As it is written: The name of God is discredited by the Gentiles because of you.

Circumcision is an advantage if you do what the Law says. But if you are a person who breaks the Law, your status of being circumcised has changed into not being circumcised. So if the person who isn’t circumcised keeps the Law, won’t his status of not being circumcised be counted as if he were circumcised? The one who isn’t physically circumcised but keeps the Law will judge you. You became a lawbreaker after you had the written Law and circumcision. It isn’t the Jew who maintains outward appearances who will receive praise from God, and it isn’t people who are outwardly circumcised on their bodies. Instead, it is the person who is a Jew inside, who is circumcised in spirit, not literally. That person’s praise doesn’t come from people but from God. (Romans 2:17-29, CEB)

Circumcision doesn’t mean anything in the covenant. Because if you are circumcised but do not follow the law then it is worthless and if you are uncircumcised and follow the law then it is as if you are circumcised.

If you say do one thing and yet do the opposite you are a hypocrite and teaching falsely. Living is about being real and saying what you mean and meaning what you say and walking the walk and talking the talk. It is so easy in today’s social media world to be one thing and present an image of who you are and be the exact opposite. But God calls us to be real regardless of who is watching or who might find out. Being real and honest all the time means you can have a crappy memory because you don’t have to remember the tails you told and who you told them to.

Be a person of integrity and love as God loves you, unconditionally.

Loving People. Loving God.

All Saints Day

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. He taught them, saying:
“Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
“Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.
“Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.
“Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.
“Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.
“Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.
“Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.
“Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
“Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you. (Matthew 5:1-12, CEB)

I am usually not happy when I am hopeless…

I am usually not happy when I grieve…

I am usually not happy when I’m hungry or thirsty…

I am usually not happy when I am harassed…

I know I am not happy when I am insulted and am spoken badly about and say false things about me.

These are things that make me very unhappy. And yet in all of these things I am not alone. Not only is God always with me, a great cloud of saints surrounds us and is with us.

Know you are never alone.

Loving People. Loving God.

Reformation Day

Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teaching. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They responded, “We are Abraham’s children; we’ve never been anyone’s slaves. How can you say that we will be set free?” Jesus answered, “I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. A slave isn’t a permanent member of the household, but a son is. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you really will be free. (John 8:31-36, CEB)

We have never been slaves to anyone…

Seriously? You are known as the people that God saved out of slavery? How can you say you have never been slaves to anyone? Maybe the generation that is speaking to Jesus at that moment was never physically a slave of anyone, but as a people, they are the ones God rescued out of slavery.

And when the son makes you a part of the household, you are a part, and no one else can say otherwise.

When the son says you are free, you are free, and as a free member of the house of God you must love all people as God does.

Loving People. Loving God.

Mercy overrules judgment.

You do well when you really fulfill the royal law found in scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself. But when you show favoritism, you are committing a sin, and by that same law you are exposed as a lawbreaker. Anyone who tries to keep all of the Law but fails at one point is guilty of failing to keep all of it. The one who said, Don’t commit adultery, also said, Don’t commit murder. So if you don’t commit adultery but do commit murder, you are a lawbreaker. In every way, then, speak and act as people who will be judged by the law of freedom. There will be no mercy in judgment for anyone who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy overrules judgment. (James 2:8-13, CEB)

Mercy overrules judgment.

Mercy is more important than telling someone they are wrong.

Mercy is more important than being right.

Mercy is more important than convicting someone.

When you do not give mercy, you will not receive mercy.

Be merciful.

Loving People. Loving God.

Reformation Sunday

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, in order to shut every mouth and make it so the whole world has to answer to God. It follows that no human being will be treated as righteous in his presence by doing what the Law says, because the knowledge of sin comes through the Law. But now God’s righteousness has been revealed apart from the Law, which is confirmed by the Law and the Prophets. God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of a ransom that was paid by Christ Jesus. Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness in passing over sins that happened before, during the time of God’s patient tolerance. He also did this to demonstrate that he is righteous in the present time, and to treat the one who has faith in Jesus as righteous. What happens to our bragging? It’s thrown out. With which law? With what we have accomplished under the Law? No, not at all, but through the law of faith. We consider that a person is treated as righteous by faith, apart from what is accomplished under the Law. (Romans 3:19-28, CEB)

The Law does not save us. The Law merely reminds us how bad we are and how we can not get it right.

Even if you could keep the law as written you still would not get the letter of the law as explained by Jesus.

God looked upon us while we were still unable to stand in God’s presence and made a way for us, because God knew we could not do it. And we are made righteous by God apart from the law because of Jesus.

Know it is not your doing. God did it for you.

Loving People. Loving God.