Verses For the Week -- Verses About Truth

John 4:24 -- "God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in Spirit and in truth."

I John 3:18 -- "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

Weekend Sermon -- "Matthias and Justus"

     Welcome to this edition of the Weekend Sermon.  I am glad to be with you today to post the sermon, and I hope that all of you are having a very good day.
     This has been a difficult week for me.  I haven't been feeling very well again in many different ways.  I would ask that you would please pray that I will get to feeling better again.  On a positive note, I was able to come up with a lot of new ideas to write about.  I have a new book planned, and I have been working on poetry.
     In prayer this week, please continue to pray for those affected by the hurricanes.  Bermuda, Haiti and parts of the United States have experienced significant damage.  Also, please pray for an end to the Zika virus.
     We've been praying for peace in several countries over the past weeks.  Let us continue to pray for peace in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.  For our prayer focus countries, let us pray for Benin and Uzbekistan that many in these two nations will hear the message of the love of Jesus.
     For the last couple of weeks, we have been in a series of messages on less well-known characters from the Bible.  So far, we have looked at two characters from the book of Jeremiah.  Today, we will look at two characters from the New Testament.
     As most of you I am sure already know, Jesus originally chose twelve of his followers to be his core group of disciples.  Judas Iscariot would go on and betray Jesus.  Following this betrayal, Judas went and committed suicide.  This reduced the number of disciples to eleven.
     After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Bible tells us that there were 120 people who were Jesus' committed followers.  This group included the eleven disciples, Jesus' mother Mary, Jesus' brothers and some others.  I am sure that this group also included Mary Magdalene, the women who went to the tomb of the Lord and Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
     When the disciples returned to the room where the 120 were gathered.  Peter told the assembly that it was necessary to bring the number of apostles back up to twelve as originally set out by Jesus.  Peter would go on to set down the criteria for who could be chosen.
     Peter said that those qualified had to have been a follower of Jesus since Jesus started His ministry when baptized by John.  This person would have had to have followed Jesus throughout His ministry and been there right up until the Ascension.
     When they made an investigation based on these criteria, two men met these qualifications.  There names where Matthias and Joseph Barsabbas also called Justus.
     Peter prayed to the Lord that the right person would be chosen, and then lots were cast.  The lot fell on Matthias, and he was chosen to be the twelfth apostle.
     The Bible doesn't record anything else about either one of these men.  In fact, the Bible has little to say about most of the Apostles except for Peter, John and James.  What do we know about Matthias and Justus?
     Church history tells us that Matthias went on to preach the Gospel in Ethiopia.  After that, he returned to Judea where he suffered a martyrs death.  Church history tells us that Justus went on to become the bishop of a town called Eleutheropolis.  Justus also suffered death for his faith in Jesus Christ.
     So, what can we learn from these two men.  First of all, I learn from these two that there were others who followed Jesus whose names aren't recorded in the Gospels.  Luke 10 does tell us that Jesus sent out seventy disciples two by two to spread His message.  I am pretty sure that Matthias and Justus were part of this group.
     These two men were very faithful to Jesus.  They were probably originally disciples of John the Baptist just as Peter and John were.  When they saw Jesus after His baptism, they decided to follow Him.  They remained with Jesus even after so many abandoned Jesus after His teaching that is recorded in John 6.
     These two men were never in the spotlight.  They weren't part of the inner circle.  However, they were faithful followers of Jesus.  Most of us will never be famous pastors or missionaries.  We are just ordinary Christians who are doing our best to serve the Lord.  Just like these two men, we keep trying to serve Jesus the best we can where we are placed.  Just because they weren't famous, so to speak, they still were able to serve the Lord and spread the message of His love.
     Justus in this account teaches me some important truths.  He was passed over for the top leadership post twice.  When Jesus chose the original twelve, Justus wasn't among that number, and the lot fell on Matthias and not on him.  Some people would have been very discouraged about all of this, and they may have had the attitude that if Jesus didn't think they were good enough that they would just stop following Him.
     This was not Justus' attitude at all.  He never gave up trying to serve Jesus.  Justus never went on to great fame.  He was a bishop of a church in a small area.  But he did his best to serve Jesus to the point that He was willing to lay down His life for his Savior and King.
     Not all of us can be the leaders.  Not all of us are prophets or teachers.  In I Corinthians 12, Paul makes it clear that not every one is equipped with every spiritual gift.  The Lord has given to each one of us a gift and a mission.  We are all members of the body.  Each member has to perform his or her function so that the body of Christ can move in unity to accomplish the task Jesus has given to us.
     I know that when I started out in the ministry, I had these big dreams of having a big church.  However, that is not the way the Lord had directed the path of my life.  He has allowed me to be a minister through the written word and through this blog.
     Each of us needs to find out what it is that the Lord wants us to do for Him, and we need to do it with gladness.  No matter what it is you are doing for Jesus, it is important.  If you are doing all you can for Jesus out of love for Him, Jesus is pleased.  No one else can do what you are doing because the Lord Jesus chose you to do it knowing that you would be the best person to carry out that task.
     Matthias and Justus inspire me because they mainly served behind the scenes, but they were always faithful.  They served Jesus right from the beginning and they never wavered in their faithfulness right up until when they gave their lives for Jesus.
     I hope that I can be faithful like these two men.  I may not be a famous Christian, but I am trying to do what Jesus would have me do until the day that I see Him.  I hope that when I see Him He says
"Well done."  That is my prayer.  I hope that that is your desire as well.
     One other lesson that I learn from these two men is that we have to trust our lives to the Lord having faith that He knows what is best for us.  We may have a dream or a desire and we wonder why it hasn't been realized.  Our lives may have gone a different way than we thought they would.  We have to have faith in Jesus believing that He has placed us where we need to be for His honor and glory.  By faith we need to believe that Jesus has us where we need to be at the right time.
     Next week, we will be back in the Old Testament to look at some more less well-known Bible characters.  On Monday I will post the verses.  I am not sure at this point if there will be a review on Wednesday.  I am catching up on my reading, so we will just have to see.  May God bless you all.  Thank you for reading the blog.  Amen.

Book Review -- "The Poet's Dog"

     "The Poet's Dog" written by Patricia MacLachlan is a book for younger readers, but it would certainly make enjoyable reading for those of any age.  This book begins with two children named Nickel and Flora who become lost in a snow storm.  These two are discovered by a Wolfhound named Teddy, who takes the children to a cottage in the woods that he shared with a poet named Sylvan.
     The children soon realize that Teddy can speak to them.  Sylvan told Teddy that only poets and children would be able to understand the dog speaking.
     Teddy and the children wait out the storm and enjoy one another's company.  Along the way, we learn about Sylvan and Teddy, and why Teddy is now alone in the cabin.
     This is a very short book, but it contains a great deal of emotion in few words.  I believe that the short length of the book helps to heighten its impact on the reader.  The style of writing is perfect for the story and the message that it brings.

Verses For the Week -- Verses About Unity

Psalm 133:1 -- "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity."

I Corinthians 12:12 -- "For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all of the members of the body, though they are many are one body, so also is Christ."

Weekend Sermon -- "Baruch"

     Welcome to another edition of the Weekend Sermon.  It is my prayer that all of you are doing well today.  I am glad to be with you.
     I have been working hard on my various writing projects.  As a mentioned, one of the book projects that I have been working on is complete.  I have two other book projects in mind.  I am going to wait on one until the book I've just finished is published since they are both religious books.  I do have a novel I am about to start.  Please pray that the Lord will help me with my writing.
     As you are in prayer this week, please pray for those who are in the path of hurricane Matthew.  Pray that this storm will dissipate and cause as little damage as possible.  Also, pray for those in Haiti who have been devastated by this storm.  Pray that they will receive the aid that they need.
     The church I attend has a special emphasis on helping Haiti.  One of the members of my church directs an international medical aid mission, and they will be headed to Haiti shortly.  Please pray for them.
     Also in prayer, please remember to pray for peace in the world.  Pray especially for Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for the nations of Indonesia and Togo.  Pray that many in these countries will hear the message of Jesus' love.
     Before we get into the message, I just wanted to say thank you to the Lord for keeping us all safe from the bad storms last night that were around where I live.
     Last week, we began a series of messages on less well-known characters from the Bible.  In last week's sermon, we studied Ebed-Melech.
     In today's message, we stay in the book of Jeremiah and focus our attention upon a man named Baruch.
     First, we need to get a little background information on the situation in which we find Baruch.  The prophet Jeremiah had been given the task by the Lord to tell the people that if they did not turn from their wicked ways, they would be taken into captivity by the Babylonians.  Jeremiah was opposed at every turn by the political and religious authorities.  The vast majority of the people of Israel didn't want to listen to Jeremiah either.
     Jeremiah did have one close ally and friend in his mission to proclaim the message of the Lord.  Baruch the son of Neriah was Jeremiah's friend and secretary.  He was loyal to Jeremiah, and he faithfully carried out those tasks given to him by the prophet.
     One of Baruch's jobs was to write down the prophecies given by Jeremiah.  On one occasion that is recorded in Jeremiah 36, the prophet asked Baruch to take a scroll of prophecies and read it out loud among the people so that all of the leaders and people could hear the message of the Lord.
     Even though this action could have resulted in his death, Baruch read the message of the Lord and gave a scroll of the message to the king.  When king Jehoikim was given the scroll of the message, he burned the word of the Lord.  Undeterred, Jeremiah asked Baruch to write the message again, and Baruch faithfully responded.
     When the Babylonians came and conquered Jerusalem, Baruch stayed with Jeremiah.   When Jeremiah was taken to Egypt, Baruch accompanied him.  Some church fathers believe that Baruch passed away while in Egypt.
     There is a book in the Apocrypha that bears the name of Baruch.  This book is part of the canon for Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and some Anglican churches.   Protestants in general don't accept the Apocryphal books as being part of the canon.  It has always been my thought that the Apocryphal books are very interesting, and by reading them, one will gain great insight into the New Testament.
     The book of Baruch for the most part tells those in exile to turn to the Lord and put their trust in Him.  Several early church fathers often quoted from Baruch.  In chapter 3:36-37, it says that wisdom will come and live with people.  The early church fathers viewed this as a Messianic prophesy.
     So, what can we learn from Baruch.  First of all, I am impressed with Baruch's loyalty and faithfulness.  Jeremiah was extremely unpopular, yet Baruch never ceased to do what he was asked to do by Jeremiah.  He helped Jeremiah right up to the end.
     This type of loyalty makes me consider my loyalty to the Lord.  Jesus has called me to be His faithful follower and to do the things that He has asked me to do for Him.  I often wonder if I have failed to follow Jesus as I should.  It is my desire to serve Him and follow Him.
     One way that we can be loyal to the Lord is to do those things that He has commanded us to do in His word.  When I think of this, I always think about the Great Commission.  Jesus has called us all to be loyal and faithful to Him by telling others about His life changing message.
     Another way in which we can be loyal to the Lord is to do what He has specifically called us to do.  If the Lord Jesus has called you to a specific task for ministry, please do not hesitate to follow the Lord's leading.
     Another characteristic of Baruch that I admire is his boldness.  He went right among the leaders and people and read out the scroll dictated from Jeremiah.  Baruch had to have known that the leaders would be furious, but Baruch did it anyway.  He was willing to lay everything down for the sake of faithfulness to the Lord.
     We as followers of Jesus need to have a boldness in telling others about Him.  Often, we will face ridicule when we proclaim the saving message of the Lord Jesus.  Many will face persecution.  In spite of this, we must tell others about Jesus.  We must stand for the truth contained in God's Word.  In the loving spirit of Jesus we must proclaim Jesus' love to this generation.
     I hope that you will take the time this week to read more about Baruch in the book of Jeremiah.  His story is found in Jeremiah chapters 32, 36 and 45.  I also urge you to read the book of Baruch.  I think that you will find it interesting.
     Next week, we will continue with our current sermon series.  I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review on Wednesday.  May God bless you all.  Amen.

Book Review -- "Ten Trees and a Truffle Dog"

     Before I start the review this week, I want to ask everyone to pray regarding the situation with hurricane Matthew.  Haiti has already experienced significant damage, and the hurricane will impact the Bahamas and parts of the United States.  Please pray that those who have been harmed by this storm will recover, and pray that this hurricane will weaken and divert its path so others won't be hurt.

     Now, on to the book review.  The book I am reviewing today is called "Ten Trees and a Truffle Dog" written by Jamie Ivey.  This was an interesting book about life in Provence, consternation concerning the building of a new home and the trials and tribulations of training a dog to sniff out truffles.
     For those of you who have read the books about Provence written by Peter Mayle, much of what you read in Ivey's book will be very familiar.  According to both authors, life moves at a slower pace in this part of the world.
     Much of the book is concerned with the authors' efforts to get a new home built on a nice piece of land that he has acquired.  On this piece of land are several oak trees, and where there are oak trees, there may also be truffles.
     While the author is going through what is almost a nightmare of delays in getting his home built, he decides to get a dog to sniff out the truffles.  He purchases a small dog who he names Snuffles.  The part I liked best about the book was hoping that this dog would eventually find a truffle.  One does begin to wonder.
      Another interesting aspect of the book  is the amount of detail about various aspects of life in Provence that the author includes.  I enjoyed reading about the different restaurants and places that the author visited.
     "Ten Trees and a Truffle Dog" is a well-written and easy to read book that dog lovers, food lovers and lovers of French culture will enjoy.

Verses For the Week -- Verses About Creation

Hebrews 3:4 -- "For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything."

Romans 11:36 -- "For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever.  Amen."