Verses For the Week

I Thessalonians 5:5 -- "You are all sons of light and sons of the day, we are not of the night nor of darkness."

II Timothy 1:7 -- "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind."

Update

     I mistakenly posted that the verses would appear on Monday as usual.  However, the library will not be open on Monday because of Memorial Day, so I will be posting the verses on Tuesday.  Thank you.

Weekend Sermon -- "The Greatest Commandment"

     Welcome to this edition of the Weekend Sermon.  I am glad to be able to be with you this week, and I hope that everyone is doing very well.
     If you were able to read the post on Wednesday, you know that I am going through a time of decision.  Please continue to pray for me.  Work is really getting me down, so please continue to pray for me about this as well.
     I do have one additional prayer request.  We are having tons of rain everyday where I live.  I have had problems in the past with water getting under my house and into the garage.  I had somebody come and fix this, but with all the rain, I am getting worried.  Please pray that the house doesn't flood.  I just have too much to deal with right now to have to deal with this.
     In your prayers this week, continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world.  Especially be in prayer about the continuing warfare in Syria.  For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Tajikistan and The United Arab Emirates.  Pray that the message of Jesus might reach around the world.
     Last week, we finished our series of messages on the Apostles' Creed.  I really enjoyed posting the sermons in that series.
     Now, we are going to move into something new.  For the next several weeks, I will be posting sermons on two new series.  The main series will be on the Ten Commandments and what they mean to us today.  I am not going to go through the commandments straight through.  Interspersed in the Ten Commandment's series I will post individual messages on another series I have been working on.  I've had the privilege of having some really nice dogs in my life.  Each one of them has taught me something.  I would like to share some of what they have taught me with you.  So, in a series of messages interspersed with messages on the Ten Commandments I will introduce you to Abraham, Colm and Blue. Of course you already know about my friend Toby.  I will share with you what the Lord taught me through the lives of my friends.
     Now, today's message will be the start of our Ten Commandments series.  It might seem like an unusual place to begin.  However, Jesus really brought all of the commandments in the Bible down to two.  I would like to focus on what Jesus said was the greatest commandment of all and the second like unto it.
     One day, Jesus was teaching when He was asked what was the greatest of all the commandments.  Jesus said that the greatest commandment was that we should love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.  Jesus said that there was a second commandment like unto it namely that we should love our neighbors as ourselves.  Jesus said that these two commandments summed up all the law and the prophets.
     Let's examine this greatest commandment according to the Lord Jesus.  First of all, the greatest commandment is that we should love the Lord.  This is the basis for all of our actions in the Christian life.  We can try to follow a system of rules and regulations, but if we do not love the Lord, we will not be able to follow what the Lord asks us to do.  It is our love for the Lord that compels us to do the things that please the Lord.
     Many times, ministers will preach a lot of things to do and not to do.  However, if we would all teach people to love the Lord, our love for the Lord would lead us to do what He desires for us all to do.
     Now, how did Jesus say we are to love the Lord our God.  He said we are to love the God with all of our heart.  To me this means that I am to love the Lord with all of my emotions.  This is the kind of love that you feel.  All of my feelings of love are to be expressed to God.
     We are to love the Lord with all of our soul.  This means that the Lord is the only one that we worship.  Our total allegiance is to Him and to Him alone.
     We are to love the Lord with all of our mind.  This is our intellect.  We need to show our love for the Lord by thinking about Him and learning more about Him.  We need to seek to know all about the Lord that we can know.
     Finally, Jesus said that we are to love God with all of our strength.  In other words, our love for the Lord should motivate us to give everything we have to His service.  We should strive to be all that we can be and do all that we can do for the Lord because we love Him so much.
     Jesus then said that the second great commandment was that we should love our neighbors as ourselves.  As Jesus clearly demonstrated, the whole world is our neighbor.  When we are filled with love for the Lord, we then want to spread His love to the entire planet so that they might know how wonderful Jesus is.
      These two commandments of Jesus really sum up all that we are going to cover when we look at each of the Ten Commandments over the next few weeks.  As we look at each commandment, think about how Jesus' statements that we studied today apply.
     Next week, we will look at the first of the Ten Commandments.  The following week, I will have a message from the other series I discussed.  I will alternate back and forth until both series are finished.  I will post the verses on Monday.  I hope to have a review on Wednesday.  At this point, everything in contingent on me not being flooded out.  Please pray that all will be OK and that I can stop worrying about everything.  May God bless you all.  Amen.

Some Thoughts on a Wednesday

     I didn't think that I was going to be posting anything today.  I didn't have a review to post, and I thought that I would be busier with some things I  had to do on my day off.  However, I am not as busy as I thought I was going to be.
     The name of this blog is "Reflections and Various Thoughts," so today, I just felt like posting about something that I have been thinking about quite a lot lately.
     I don't really know what got me thinking about this subject lately, but I have been thinking a lot about the events and decisions in my life that have brought me to the place that I am at today.  I guess that maybe I am just not where I want to be right now, and I am trying to figure out where I want my life to go in the second half of my life.
     As I look back on my life, I know without a shadow of doubt that the most important thing that ever happened to me was coming to know Jesus as my Savior and Lord.  Being a Christian has been, and is, the central focus of my life.  Everything else in life centers around knowing Jesus and trying to follow Him.  Life would not make sense to me without Jesus in my life.
     Now, this might seem strange in light of what I just said, but something that has affected my life in a very negative way is the church in which I was raised.  Growing up in a very, very fundamentalist version of Christianity has left me with a lot of mental scars let's say.  I became so depressed attending this church and the school associated with it that I didn't want to live anymore.
     Thankfully, about this time, the Lord brought into my life a relationship that has been another major event that has shaped my life all and only for the good.  The Lord allowed me to find Toby to be my friend.  Our relationship and our being together allowed me to get through many, many hard times.  I will never ever forget what he meant and what he still means to me.  That's why I write about him so much.  And I will in the future as well.
     I also was shaped in my life by the fact that I went on a quest to find out about who Jesus really is and what He really said.  I read almost every book that I could find about Jesus and the doctrine of Christology.  I learned about a Jesus much different than the one I was introduced to as a young man.
     When I was younger, I felt that the Lord called me to be a minister of the Gospel.  I was still involved in the fundamentalism of my youth, and I started attending a Bible college affiliated with our church.  I went through the course, but by this time, I was questioning many things.  I was not allowed to become a minister in the church because I was considered by them to be too liberal.
     What I should have done right then, in my opinion, is I should have just started an independent church and started my own ministry.  I felt the Lord calling me to start a church, but I didn't do it.  I believe this was one of the big mistakes in my life.  I should have taken Toby with me and started a ministry in an area without many good churches.  One other thing I could have done was to get involved in a church that wasn't extreme like the church I'd been a part of.  However, for a long period, I was just disgusted with organized religion, and I just worshiped Jesus in my own way.
     Instead, I went to a regular college and obtained a degree in history.  I also took coursework in writing, and I became a writer.  Being a writer had been very important to me.  In my heart, I consider myself to be a writer no matter what else I find myself doing.  Even though I have not yet become a pastor of a church, writing has afforded me many ministry opportunities including writing sermons to post here on this blog.  In writing, I have been able to have over 75 poems published as well as articles, short stories and essays.
     There have been three other things in my life that have brought me to where I am today.  I am a committed environmentalist mainly due to the fact that just by chance I read a book called "Tiger Portrait of a Predator" by Valmik Thaper.  This book started me on the path to caring about the natural world.
     Finding the Jazz radio station in my town also made a big difference in my life.  I can't even imagine my life without music and Jazz in particular.  I listen to Jazz everyday.
     Losing my parents, and my subsequent financial downfall, also have brought me to the place that I am at today.  My parents were a major part of my life.  I miss them everyday.
     It is interesting to me to look at the path my life has taken.  All those years ago now when I was in high school, I never thought that when I was in middle age that I would be working for an insurance company.  This is not what I want to be doing.
     I am making serious plans to get my life back to where it needed to be a long, long time ago.  I know that God has called me to serve Him in a greater way.  I want to make that a reality soon.  Please pray with me that with God's help, I will find the way.
     I want to say this to anyone who is reading this post.  Do not neglect to do what you feel in your heart Jesus is calling you to do.  Don't let others hinder you.  Don't let circumstances cause you to waste away the years.  Follow those things that the Lord has placed upon your heart.
     I will be posting again on Friday.  We will start a new series of messages that I will write more about then.  I just had some things I wanted to get out of me through writing.  Have a great day.
   

Verses For the Week -- Verses About Rest

Here are two Bible verses to memorize about the subject of rest.

Psalm 55:6 -- "I said, Oh that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest,"

Hebrews 4:10 -- "For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works just as God did from His."

Weekend Sermon -- Apostles' Creed -- "The Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting."

     Welcome to this week's edition of the Weekend Sermon.  I want to thank everyone who reads the sermons each week.  I enjoy writing these messages, and I look forward to this time each week.
     I have to make some decisions pretty soon about my job.  I've been working at my current job for about 18 months now.  I am grateful for my job.  However, the stress of the job is really getting to me.  I have to deal with numerous irate people every day, and its bothering me.  I really need to find something different to do.  I want to get into full-time ministry.  Please pray for me in this regard as it is an important time of decision.
     Also, please pray for me in the upcoming week as I have some doctor's appointments.  I am not really looking forward to the next few days.
     As you go to prayer this week, please continue to pray for peace in the world.  Syria and Iraq are just a mess.  Central African Republic and South Sudan also need our prayers.  Continue to pray for an end to the Zika virus.
     We have been praying each week for the message of the Gospel to reach the nations of the world.  This week, let us focus our prayers on Uzbekistan and Algeria.
     Since the beginning of the year, we have been in a series of messages on what we can learn about the Christian faith from the Apostles' Creed.  Today is the final message in our Apostles' Creed series.      I want to focus on the final two phrases of the Creed in today's message as they are related to the doctrine of last things.  Our message today focuses on the resurrection of the body and everlasting life.
     If you have been reading the sermons for awhile now, you will now that I have dealt with the doctrine of the bodily resurrection and everlasting life on other occasions.  However, it is an important area of belief, and it never hurts to emphasize what the Scriptures and our Lord emphasize.
     Many people, including some Christians, do not understand what the Bible teaches about the life to come.  They do not understand the doctrine of the bodily resurrection.  Some have the mistaken notion that when we are with Jesus, we are just going to be spirits floating around.  This is not what the Bible teaches.
     First of all, I think that the idea of the resurrection of the body is not understood because some Christians throughout the centuries have had a negative view of the physical.  They view the spiritual as good and the physical realm as evil.  This is not Biblical teaching.  God created all things good.  Sin has corrupted God's creation, and that is one of the reasons Jesus came.  He came to restore all things to the original state in which all things were originally made.
     Jesus rose bodily from the grave.  His spirit did not just rise, His body rose from the grave.  He had a physical form.  Thomas was able to touch the nail prints in Jesus' hands.  Jesus ate with His followers post resurrection.
     Jesus' body was different post resurrection.  He had a glorified body.  Philippians 3:21 tells us that one day, those who are in Christ will have a body like unto Christ's glorified body.
     Paul talks about this concept extensively in I Corinthians 15.  I Corinthians 15:44 tells us that our natural body will die, but at the resurrection, we will be given a spiritual body.  Paul goes on to say that our corruptible bodies will be changed.  We will then have incorruptible bodies.  Death will be swallowed up in victory.  In our resurrected bodies, we will never die.
     There is a lot more to be said about this doctrine, but now I want to move on and focus for a few moments on the concept of the life everlasting.
     Jesus told us in John 3:16 that whoever believes in Him would have eternal life.  In my favorite passage of Scripture, John 11:25-26, Jesus states that He is the resurrection and the life.  Anyone who believes in Jesus even though they die they shall live.  Whoever lives and believes in Jesus shall never die.  Jesus would tell His disciples in John 14 that He was going to prepare a place for them that where He was, they could be with Him forever.  Revelation 21 and 22 tell us what awaits the believer in eternity.
     Through His death and glorious resurrection, Jesus provided us the way to eternal life.  We can live forever with Jesus if we will believe that He is God come in the flesh.  We need to believe that He died on the cross to redeem us and that He rose bodily from the grave.  We must then ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins and ask Him to be our Savior and Lord.
     Those who turn to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith will inherit eternal life.  They will be with Jesus forever.
     As I have said before, I am so thankful that my parents, my uncle, my grandparents and my friends who have died have all known Jesus as Lord.  They are all in the presence of Jesus right now.  One day, I will be reunited with them because Jesus is the resurrection and life.
     Some people wonder a lot what Heaven and the life to come is going to be like.  The Bible tells us something about these things.  For one thing, we will rule and reign with Jesus when establishes His Kingdom on this earth that will have no end.  What all that will entail I don't really know.
     The Bible says that we will go in and out of the New Jerusalem which the book of Revelation describes as a beautiful place.
     In the life to come, the Bible says that all of our tears will be wiped away.  There will be no more sorrow or mourning.  There will be no more war.  Peace will be upon the entire universe.  There will be no more sin, and righteousness and justice will reign.
     I believe that I am going to be reunited with my friend Toby in Heaven.  It is my hope that the two of us will be able have a place where we can be at peace and rest in the fact that all of the physical and emotional pain of the past is over.
     Whatever the world to come is like, I know that it will be glorious because Jesus will be there.  Wherever Jesus is, it is wonderful.
     It is my prayer that if you have never trusted in Jesus for salvation, that you will turn to Him this very day.
     We have now ended our series of messages regarding the Apostles' Creed.  I have really enjoyed posting these messages, and I hope that those of you reading them have learned at least a little bit about some of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith.
     I am considering three different series of messages.  I am not yet sure which one I will start next week.  Pray that the Lord will lead me in making the proper decision.
     Next week, I will post the verses on Monday.  I will not be posting a review on Wednesday.  The sermon will be posted on Friday.  May God bless you all.  Amen.
   

Book Review -- "The Trail West"

     The book that I am reviewing today is a vast departure from the type of books that I normally read.  I rarely, rarely, ever read Western novels, but I decided to read "The Trail West" by William Johnstone because the library reference computer said that there was a dog who was a major character in the novel.
     This novel is about a cowboy named Monahan who is being chased by two outlaw brothers because Monahan killed their brother a few years back.  Monahan is now in Arizona Territory circa 1870.  Monahan first meets the dog, whose name is Blue, when the dog finds Monahan and leads him back to a farm where Monahan finds a family killed by the Apaches.
     During the course of the novel, Monahan meets a young cowboy and a girl fleeing her abusive uncle.  This group will finally encounter the outlaws and continue to make their way West.
     I have to say that the dog was a good character in the book.  He bailed everyone out of danger on a number of occasions.
     The dog is the only reason I liked this book.  I did not think it was well written at all.  I know this is a famous Western writer, but I just didn't find the writing well done.  Also, the ending is odd.
     If you like Westerns and dogs, you will probably like this book.  From this point, I think that I will resume my habit of not reading very many Westerns.

Verses For the Week

Malachi 3:6a -- "For I am the Lord, I do not change."

Titus 3:7 -- "Having been justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Prayer Request

     A couple of years back, I recommended a book to everyone entitled "Following Atticus" written by Tom Ryan.  It is the story of Tom and his little dog Atticus and how they climbed mountains in New Hampshire.  It is the story of their great friendship and the major changes knowing Atticus brought to Tom's life.
     Since reading that great book, I've followed Tom on Facebook.  He has been sick recently, and he just got out of the hospital.  Atticus has been sick too.
     I just learned today that Atticus passed away last night.  He was 14 years old.  Tom and Atticus, their adventures and Tom's words on his blog and on Facebook have meant a lot to me.
     Please pray for Tom during this time.  Thank you.

Weekend Sermon -- Apostles' Creed -- "The Forgiveness of Sins"

     Welcome to a new edition of the Weekend Sermon.  I am glad to be posting these messages.  I hope that everyone is having a good day.
     We have been having a lot of storms in my area lately.  Today, it is predicted that more bad weather is coming.  Please pray that these bad storms will not materialize.
     Work is going fairly well.  I am working on some new writing ideas, and I hope to be submitting some new writing in the future.
     In prayer this week, please pray for the people affected by the fires in Canada.  Pray that those fighting the fires will be safe, and pray for those displaced by the fire.
     Also, continue to pray for peace in this troubled world.  Pray that Syria and Iraq can find peace as well as other war torn countries.
     Continue to pray for the spread of the message of Jesus' love around the world.  This week, pray for the nations of Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka.
     We are just about to wrap up our series of messages on the Apostles' Creed.  Next week will bring the final message in this series.  Last week, we examined what the communion of saints is.  Today we will focus on the section of the Creed that deals with the belief in the forgiveness of sins.
     The idea of the forgiveness of sins has several important aspects.  First of all the forgiveness of sins has to do with the fact that we as sinners can receive forgiveness and salvation as a result of Jesus' death on the cross and His triumphal resurrection.
     Those who come to Jesus and confess their sins and ask Jesus to forgive them will receive His forgiveness and salvation.  Jesus paid the price for our sins.  There is nothing that anyone can do to redeem themselves.  Jesus paid it all.
     When a person turns to Jesus in repentance and faith, that person has their sins removed from them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).  Those who put their faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross are forgiven.
     After we have come to faith in Jesus and have been forgiven, sometimes we still fall into sin and we don't do what is right.  We don't follow what Jesus taught and commanded us to do.  When we sin as a Christian, this causes our fellowship with the Lord to be hindered.
     When we are convicted of our sin by the Holy Spirit, we need to immediately confess our sins to the Lord and receive His forgiveness and be restored to fellowship with Him.  I John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins, the Lord will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
     We have been forgiven of so much.  We owed a debt we could not pay, but Jesus washed our sins away and payed the sin debt for us.  When we realize the magnitude of our forgiveness, we then must realize that we have a duty to forgive those who do wrong to us.
     Once, Peter came to Jesus and asked Jesus about the subject of forgiveness.  Peter wondered if he should forgive someone who sinned against him up to seven times.  Jesus said that Peter should be willing to forgive up to seventy times seven times.  In other words, we must always be ready to forgive.
     Jesus told the parable about two men who owed a debt.  The first man owed his master a massive amount.  He could not pay, so he begged his master to have mercy.  The master forgave the servant's debt completely.  Another servant owed the man whose debt had just been forgiven a small amount.  He asked the servant for mercy, but the servant who had been forgiven the great debt would not forgive the debt of his fellow servant.
     When the master found out about this, he revoked the servant's forgiveness and had that ungrateful servant thrown into debtor's prison.  Jesus said that we would not be forgiven if we were not ready and willing to forgive.
     In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that forgiveness was of vital importance.  If we were worshiping the Lord and then realized that we had something against our brother or sister, Jesus said we need to go and be immediately reconciled with our brother or sister and then come back and worship the Lord.
     I am so thankful that Jesus has forgiven me of my sins.  He is willing to forgive whosoever will come to Him.  Whoever comes to Him, He will not cast out.
     As I said, next week will be the final message in our Apostles' Creed series.  We will examine what the Creed says about the life that is to come.  On Monday, I will post two new memory verses.  There will be a book review on Wednesday.  May God bless you all. Amen.

P.S.  --  I just wanted to say thank you to the Lord for helping me find my car keys this morning.  I was worried that I was going to be in a big mess.

Book Review -- "Guardians of the Night"

     A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed a book called "Burning Man" written by Alan Russell.  I mentioned then that there were more books in the Gideon and Sirius series that I would be reviewing.  Today, I am reviewing the second book in the series entitled "Guardians of the Night."
     As in the first book, Detective Gideon and his police dog partner Sirius have two investigations going on.  First of all, they have to find a man named "The Reluctant Hero" by the press because this man stopped a school shooting and then disappeared.  In the second mystery, a homeless man reports that he saw an angel being murdered.  Gideon thinks that man is crazy, but when the homeless man ends up murdered, Gideon becomes suspicious.  The investigation into the matter leaves Gideon and Sirius targets themselves.
     I thought that this was a good book.  I didn't like it as well as the first book, but it was good nonetheless.  There is a third book in the series scheduled to be released later in the year.  As I mentioned when reviewing the first book, this is not a book for younger readers.  It is an intense police procedural.
     I had planned on reviewing a western novel with a good dog character, but I am not quite finished with the book.  I will be reviewing that book next week.

Verses For the Week -- Verses From Nahum and Psalms

     Here are two new memory verses.  One verse is from Nahum.  If you have read the blog for awhile, you will remember that we did a study of this book.  I invite you to read those posts if you have not done so.

Nahum 1:7 -- "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble;  and He knows those who trust in Him."

Psalm 55:22 -- "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you.  He shall never permit the righteous to be moved."

The Weekend Sermon -- Apostles' Creed -- "The Communion of Saints"

     Welcome to this week's edition of the sermon.  I am glad that you are reading this message, and I hope that it brings you closer to the Lord.
     I am sorry that the sermon was delayed this week.  I had a lot of business to take care of yesterday before I had to go into work.  I have a new supervisor and some new responsibilities at work.  So far, everything is going well.  Today, I have a meeting with the new supervisor, so please pray that all goes well in that regard.
     The past couple of days have been kind of sad for me.  As I mentioned a few weeks back, a friend of mine who I had known for many years died.  It would have been his birthday yesterday.  Today, is my friend Toby's birthday.  I miss my friends, but I know that they are with the Lord.
     As we go to prayer this week, please remember the people in Canada.  The prairie fire there is terrible.  Over 80,000 people in one city have had to be evacuated.  Pray that this fire will be extinguished quickly.  Also continue to pray for an end to the Zika virus.
     Pray for peace around the world focusing on Syria, Iraq and Sudan this week.  Please pray that many might hear the message of Jesus in Turkey and Turkmenistan.
     As you are aware, we have been in a series of messages dealing with the doctrines spoken of in the Apostles' Creed.  After today's message, we will have two more messages on the Creed.  I have several other sermon series planned to take us through this year and probably into the next, Lord willing.
     Last week, we discussed the doctrine of the church.  We looked into what the church is and what its mission is in the world right now.  Today, we turn our attention to the section of the Creed dealing with the belief in the communion of the saints.  This ties into what we discussed in our message last week.
     We saw from Revelation 7:9 that all nations and races make up the church which is the body of Christ.  We are all united together in Jesus.  This has some very important ramifications that I just don't see Christians living into today.
     As followers of Jesus Christ, we have a common purpose and a common identity no matter our race, ethnicity, socio-economic background or country.  As believers in Jesus, our primary allegiance is to be to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
     Unfortunately, over the course of history, Christians have not seen themselves primarily united in Christ, and they have placed other allegiances and identifications over unity in Jesus.  For instance, look at the wars that occur between nations where most of the people claim to be Christians.  Why are Christians fighting with one another like this.  We are supposed to be joined together in Jesus.
     Look at the divisions among people that claim to be followers of the Lord.  Christians are often divided over political, economic and racial lines.  We are forgetting what really matters.  We are brothers and sisters in Christ.  He is our leader.  We are to put other identifications and allegiances in proper perspective and focus on being the people of God in this world.
     Also people within the body of Christ our divided over so many things.  Just look at the thousands of different Christian denominations.  Most of these were formed because people couldn't seem to get along with one another.
     Jesus prayed that all of His followers might be one.  Why are we not trying to follow what our Lord wants?  Also, Jesus said in John 13:35 that the world will know that we are Christians by our love for one another.
     Part of the doctrine of the communion of the saints starts with understanding that we are one in Jesus.  That is our primary focus.  We look to Him and are unified one with another as Christ's body.
     There is another aspect of the communion of the saints that I would like to emphasize.  Communion means that we are in fellowship with one another.  Individual members of the church have the mission of helping each other and encouraging one another.  We are to build each other up in Jesus, and not bring each other down.
     Unfortunately, this is not the experience for many.  Many have very negative experiences with the church, and this has led them to abandon the faith.
     In my own life, and I am sorry to have to say this, most of my early experiences in the church were very negative.  When I was a young man, my family was involved with a very fundamentalist brand of Christianity.  It was very legalistic.  I was exposed to this negativity and condemnation in church and in the church run school that I attended.
     During this time, I became very depressed and a lot of what happened during that time still affects me today.  I almost left the faith and this world.
     Thankfully, the Lord Jesus allowed me to find out who He really is.  I started reading many books about Jesus outside of the narrow theology I knew as a young man.  I truly understood who Jesus was and that He truly did love me and care about me.
     Also, about the time when things were at the worst in my life in fundamentalism, the Lord brought my friend Toby into my life to help me with my depression and to help me make it through to the other side.
    I said all that to make the point that the church is supposed to help people and not make people depressed to the point of illness.  Legalism and condemnation are not what Jesus is about.  The church is supposed to be a community of encouragement and helping.  It is to be a place of inclusion and not exclusion.  It is a place where the love of Jesus is to be overflowing.  This is part of the true communion of the saints.
     Now the main historical aspect of the communion of the saints has to do with the fact that the church exists on earth and in Heaven.  Those who have died in Christ are still part of Christ's body.  They are still united with us in the faith.
     Hebrews 12 tells us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses that are encouraging us to run the race of life as we are focused on Jesus.  Those who are in Heaven are watching us and cheering us on.
     In some churches, the doctrine of the communion of saints involves the idea of invoking the saints to pray on our behalf.  Some people think that this is a completely wrong idea, but I don't think so if it is not taken too far.  We ask people on earth to pray  for us, I don't see why it would be wrong to ask someone that we know who is with Jesus to pray for us.
     This might sound strange to some, but when I think of my Mom and the fact that she is with Jesus in Heaven I will sometimes tell her that I love her and ask her to put in a word with Jesus for me when she sees Him.  That doesn't mean that I don't pray to the Lord Jesus myself.  Some may disagree with me on this.  That's OK.
     For me, I experience the communion of the saints on earth and in Heaven when I am worshiping in church on Sunday morning.  As we are singing, I like to imagine all of my family and friends who are with the Lord singing and praising the Lord along with me.  It brings comfort to my heart.
     We are one in Christ.  Let us love one another and work with one another to bring Jesus' love to this world.
     Next week we will discuss the forgiveness of sins.  I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review of a book with a good dog character on Wednesday.  May God bless you.  Amen.

Update

     The Weekend Sermon will not be posted until Saturday this week.

Book Review -- "War Hawk"

     Today's book has left me with something of a dilemma.  Some of it I liked, and some of it I didn't.  The book in question is "War Hawk" written by James Rollins.  It is the third of Rollins' books to feature Tucker Wayne and his former war dog Kane.
    "War Hawk" finds Tucker and Kane in the United States just trying to get away from things after their adventure in the last book "The Kill Switch".  However, life has other plans for them.
     One of Tucker's old war colleagues and a former love interest turns up and tells Tucker that her life is under threat.  It all has to do with military research and corporate intrigue.
    This sets the action in "War Hawk" on the roll.  I am not going to go to deeply into the plot.  Let me just say that this is the problem I have with this book.  It seems to me that the same thing just keeps happening over and over and over again.  Tucker and his friends come on the scene, and a drone attacks them.  I just got tired of the whole thing.  Also, the whole plot was just too out there for me.  I know that Tucker and Kane are supposed to be top operatives, but it seemed like they got in and out of secure installations too easily for my taste.
     Now, for what I did like.  Kane is an awesome dog.  When he is involved in the action, the book is good.  When the book focuses on the humans, the book seemed dull.
    So, I guess overall, I didn't really like this book too much.  It wasn't nearly as good as "The Kill Switch".  If you are a big James Rollins fan, you will probably like the book.  I'll wait and see what the next book in this series holds before I decide to abandon the series.

Verses For the Week

    I hope that everyone has been able to memorize quite a few of the verses.  Here are two more verses to memorize this week.  They are both from the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 6:22 - 23 "The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But, if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness."