R U Down 4 Making Enemies?

Everyone loves having friends, most people don't like DRAMA, and almost no one wants to make enemies. As Christians sometimes we have to put people on blast, call people out and make some enemies. All week we have focused on the Hebrew people who were ready to kill Moses by stoning. At that time due to misplaced aggression Moses had a few thousand enemies.

In our text tonight we look at two Preachers who made some enemies just because they were doing the work of God. Lets look at Acts 16: 16-24
One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. ¹⁷While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ ¹⁸She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities. ²⁰When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews ²¹and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ ²²The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ²³After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Here we see that Paul was upset by the rantings of this young girl. He was not even going to do anything but because of her constant ranting he healed her and got himself and Silas in a huge amount of trouble.

Friends as Christians we must look closely at Pauls example and understand that we have to be DOWN 4 making Enemies. When you do the right thing, go against the grain, witness for God there are people who will turn on you. When you stand up for Christ and what you believe in we make enemies. Paul was ok, nobody in the city cared that he was there preaching and teaching until he healed someone. Then the people turned on him, beat him and placed him in jail. All for doing the right thing. Paul displayed holy boldness and true power from the Holy Spirit.

As you reflect on this text tonight ask yourself are you down 4 making enemies for doing the right thing. Remember being a Christian is not easy , but as Christians we are called to DO the Right Thing. Even if it means confronting our friends, family members and loved ones.

Until Tommrrow, Love Pastor J.

What lies beneath?

So we have discussed the fact that the Hebrew people were thirsty and demanded water, believing that God was not among them. Then we discussed how they complained against Moses because he was in the leadership role. Well tonight let's look deeper, because I believe that if we look deeper we will notice that the peoples issue was not with Moses and not even with the water.

Yes they needed the water to survive, but even more so I believe that the people were afraid of what the future held. Whenever we encounter something new there is always apart of us which would rather hold on to the old, no matter how bad it might have been.
We see this in modern times with our economy, presidential elections,music, and popular fashion trends. Change is strange, and hard.

The Hebrew people were afraid of the desert, and where they would end up. They were afraid of what the future held and how things would be. Despite the promise of the future, and the pain of slavery's past they were seized by the fear of newness and unknowns.

Let's look at the text one more time.

Exodus 17

Water from the Rock

1From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ²The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ ³But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ ⁴So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ ⁵The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’

Yes the people needed water to drink, that was an immediate need. But they all had deeper and longer lasting Spiritual, mental, and emotional needs to be fulfilled. This evening as you pray and reflect, think about what your surface needs are and what your needs are below the surface. Rejoice in the fact that we serve a God whom can minister to all of our needs at the same time.

Finally use this opportunity to be mindful of who we lash out at, taking note to see if they are really our issue or is it lying below the surface?
Until tomorrow, Love Pastor J.

The people quarreled and complained...

Yesterday we asked the question is God among us or not, prayerfully you arrived at the same conclusion I did. Yes God is always among us sometimes we choose to realize it, while others our situation prevents us from seeing that fact clearly.

Today we reflect on the same text but from a different viewpoint, as we see that the people complained and quarreled against Mosses. Lets look again at the text: Exodus 17:1-7

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ²The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ ³But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ ⁴So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ ⁵The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷He called the place Massah and Meribah,because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’

I don't know if you have ever been in a leadership role or even been accused, blamed or the scapegoat for something that you had no control over. But this is what Moses was dealing with. Moses was not in control God was but the people came after Moses. Have you ever felt like you were about to be stoned or attacked because of situations out of your control? Have you ever been uncomfortable about discussing your religion or telling someone that you were a Christian? As Christians we face hard times and task, because we are accountable to God and one another. We have to stand up for what we believe in. We must be leaders directing, pointing and even calling out to God on our behalf and on behalf of the people when situations arise that prevent us from seeing God moving clearly.

Reflect on how God has called you to use your gifts and talents in ministry as a Christian. Remember we all are called to be Christian ministers, and proclaimers of the Good Gospel News.
Also ask yourself the question:In what situations have you been among the people complaining and fighting against the leadership? What will keep you from repeating these trends and being more sensitive to the various roles we all play?

Is God among us or not?

As I watch CNN and MSNBC, all I see is doubt and negativity. Everyone seems so uptight and is assured that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. This might be true but I am reminded of the Hebrew people in the Exodus narratives. God continually provided for them when times seemed as dark as possible, even when they constantly doubted. Let's take a closer look.

Exodus 17

Water from the Rock

1From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ²The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ ³But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ ⁴So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ ⁵The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷He called the place Massah because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’

In the text this is the third time that the people have questioned God's provisions for them. Just like Christians today the Hebrew people time and time again felt that God had abandon them. When it was them who had no faith and actually abandon God. Do we as Christians because of our lack of faith abandon God?


Today and this week let's focus on how we can learn to trust and lean on God more, choosing to be consciously faithful in all situations no matter how big or small, political or social.
We will dig deeper tomorrow.
Love Pastor J.

Finacial Crisis, Natural Diasters, and God

Today, I woke up still concerned about our current economic recession, as well as the state of Texas and our entire nation. We have been hit with horrific storm after storm. All over America persons are being effected by the storms damage, flooding.
So this brings up the reoccurring question, where is God in the midst of these trying times?

We are not alone, our sacred bible is filled with numerous stories of when the people of God felt abandoned and oppressed. During these times the people again and again turned to God for guidance, direction and relief. We can look to the Hebrew people in the Exodus narratives, Job or the even the Jews in the Gospel, they were looking for a savior to bring about peace and equality.

Well here we stand in similar situations, but prayerfully we aren't just calling out to God but taking responsibility for our own situation.

We can look to Nehemiah when all around him seemed to be in ruins.

Nehemiah 2

17 Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burnt. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace.’ ¹⁸I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, ‘Let us start building!’ So they committed themselves to the common good. ¹⁹But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked and ridiculed us, saying, ‘What is this that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?’ ²⁰Then I replied to them, ‘The God of heaven is the one who will give us success, and we his servants are going to start building; but you have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem.’

Let's join together and rebuild our communities, neighborhoods and Nation. Let us find strength in one another and work together to correct our economy and our educational systems. Simply put: let it begin with us as the empowered persons of God that we are.

Today, take time out to think about how through prayer and action you can be part of the solution to this Nations many problems.
Until tomorrow,
Love Pastor J

What God has for you is for you. Isn't it?

Earlier today a friend of mine texted me with a real and relevant question. They asked "If you prayed to God for something u wanted would he give it to you even if it was not for you?"

Well, lets look at this question theologically, (the only way we know how to right) we know that God answers prayers.
We know that God want's us to be happy, and that God loves us. So the immediate answer would be Yes! But the question included even if it was not for us.

Well that makes it a little rougher, some would say that anything you ask for in prayer and faith you will receive. “Ask and it will be given to you.” based on (Matthew 7:7).
But Jesus words are often taken out of context, you must look at the entire context of the passage to truly understand what Christ is saying. Let's look

⁷ “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? ¹⁰ Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! ¹¹ So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Here Christ is not talking about any prayer or asking for any gift, but about steadfast seeking and prayer for things that will increase your relationship with God (not detract from your relationship with God)
And the real key to the passage is about giving good gifts. looking at versus 11 we can see that Jesus references versus 7 with the example of a parents love for their children. that's how we are to God like children. So you give you children what they really want if it will not hurt or harm them potentially. (or at least you can't see any harm coming from the gift) God is like a good parent who gives their children GOOD GIFTS!

So when we look at the context of the text we see that all prayers are not granted and we understand that God is not our personal genie with unlimited wishes. But there is hope.

When we look to Isaiah 38 we see a different story:

¹ About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.’”

² When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ³ “Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly.

⁴ Then this message came to Isaiah from the Lord: ⁵ “Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life, ⁶ and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city.

⁷ “‘And this is the sign from the Lord to prove that he will do as he promised: ⁸ I will cause the sun’s shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!’” So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps
Here King Hezekiah was surely going to die, but through prayer God blessed him with the gift of longevity 15 more years of life. Here God gave the King a good gift, I can't think of a better gift than life. So yes God does give us what we ask for, and I believe God gives what we want just like a good parent as long as what we want and ask for does not place us in harms way.
Cause Lord knows I want a new living room set... I can't get in any trouble from a living room set. Can I?
Let us just remember as Christians we need to live, pray, respond as such even in our thoughts and prayers. I know that's easier said than done, it is for me too. But we must work at it. So don't go asking to be a millionaire, or for someone else boyfriend or girlfriend because that may be more harmful than good. Don't be mad at me I'm just keeping it real.
Until tomorrow Love,
Pastor J

Not just throwing words around!!!

How many people have you told that you love today? How often in a day do you use the word love? Do you always mean it when you say it or do you just throw around the word love meaninglessly? If you're anything like me there has been times when you have used the L word when you really did not mean it.

As we think this week about love and how we relate to one another let's focus today on scriptures from Exodus 12: 1-13

The First Passover

¹ While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: ² “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. ³ Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. ⁴ If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat. ⁵ The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.

⁶ “Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. ⁷ They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. ⁸ That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. ⁹ Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted over a fire. ¹⁰ Do not leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning.

¹¹ “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover. ¹² On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! ¹³ But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Yesterday we talked about loving one another and today we focus on what that love looks like. Often times we throw around words but our actions and feelings show that we really feel differently, and that's not love. But true love looks like the example that God set for the Hebrew people through the first passover. God loves his people so much that in this scripture he saves not some, but all of them the good and the bad.

This is the same love that Paul spoke of in yesterday's text from Romans. Love beyond human limitations, true selfless love. However we are also charged with being truthful to one another about our feelings and emotions. It's o.k. not to love or be in love with everyone, and at times it's better to just say I like you or think you're cool. The rest of the week we will focus on different types of or levels of attraction and relationships . We will look at how we enter into Christian relationships and what scripture has to say about them?

But for tonight just think about whom you say that you love? If you don't mean it the why do you say it? If you do mean it, do your actions reflect it?This is just food for thought for both of us?

Stay tunned the rest of the week is bound to be interesting.
Love Pastor J.

Is it Love?

Hello and greetings all, I know that I have not signed on in a few days. But in the words of MJ "I'm Back!!!) This week we will focus on relationships and true love.

Today Let's look at Romans 13: 8-14

⁸ Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. ⁹ For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.”^[a] These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^{[b] 10} Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. ¹¹ This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. ¹³ Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴ Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.


After some reflection the only question is how do we show love to others, or how do our actions portray a lack of love and concern? Are we always respectful, and considerate? Simply put do we really love our neighbor? Do we even care?

Reflect on this for a while, and we will pick up here later... (we are going somewhere with this- Love Pastor J)