July 5, 2024 -- Matthew 19:21 -- What messes up your walk with Jesus?

Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.”
Matthew 19:21 ESV

It is easy to lift a verse out of context. It might be very tempting to read this verse and believe it is impossible to be rich and to believe in God. Then, of course, King David and King Hezekiah, kings of Israel who were noted for their faithfulness to God and their great wealth, would be excluded. No, that is not the issue.

The passage today has to do with the question of a rich young man. Though he was obedient to many of God’s laws, he thought he could impress Jesus with his obedience. What Jesus had commanded the rich young ruler, He Himself was doing. He’d left the splendours of heaven, the prerogatives of divinity and He poured out His life for the poor, the lost, and the sinner. He demonstrated complete obedience to the Father. No short cuts. The rich young man wanted a short cut. He wanted to know what one thing he could do so that he’d be perfect, right with God.

What is the obstacle between you and God? What is the possession, or the commitment, or the relationship or the substance you refuse to give up—the very thing that is hindering your walk with God? If you would be perfect—made perfect in Jesus Christ—you must deny yourself—give it up. And follow Jesus. That is the life-long pattern of the man, or the woman who would please God, denying worldly pleasures for the sake of Jesus, in Whom is all one's blessedness, joy, and life.

Almighty and Everlasting God, by whose grace thy servants are enabled to fight the good fight of faith and ever prove victorious; we humbly beseech thee so to inspire us, that we may yield our hearts to thine obedience and exercise our wills on thy behalf. Help us to think wisely, to speak rightly, to resolve bravely, to act kindly, to live purely. Guard us in body and in soul, and make us a blessing to our fellows. Whether at home or abroad may we ever seek the extension of thy kingdom. Let the assurance of thy presence save us from sinning. O Lord our God, accept this prayer for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
Prayer from: Divine Service Book for the Armed Forces, 1950, page 27

https://youtu.be/3OOphIgGkjM?si=bAzRQsZ67IspsyjW “He Will Hold Me Fast (Live)

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 4, 2024 -- Hebrews 13:20-21 -- Drenched in unending showers of blessing

Now may the God of peace Who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good so that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21 ESV

This is highlight of the book of Hebrews, the great blessing of God poured out on His people. Hebrews was written to Christians of Jewish origin who were considering going back to Jewish practices and ways. Throughout the book Paul challenges believers with the great Truth, Jesus is better. The Old Testament was a blueprint for Jesus’ work. Because of His accomplished work, Jesus inhabits His temple. We, the people who believe in Him, are the Holy Place where He lives. Furthermore, Jesus is the Guide par excellence. None of the Old Testament leaders, great as they were, can rival Him. In fact, the men did their work well in giving their lives so that all who truly listened to them would be pointed to the Messiah, Jesus.

The Old Testament sacrifices were all pointing to Jesus. The blood of the Covenant (with Abraham in Genesis 15 and then 17) was fulfilled by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. All the nations of the earth are now blessed by Abraham’s greater descendant Jesus. Those who are in Christ have peace with God. Peace with God is something no amount of keeping the law could ever achieve. Peace is ours because of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. Peace is applied to our heart, mind and soul by the ever-active work of the Spirit within us.

Jesus, as David’s greater descendant, rules in power and He with the Father sent the Spirit so that believers are equipped for holy service. Precisely what the Law of the Old Testament failed to do, the Spirit of Power brings to bear in our lives—giving believers a willing heart and divinely empowered ability to keep the Law of God.

Ah, what blessings are given to all who are in Christ. What new life is coursing through our veins, that the Spirit Who rested on Jesus without measure in His earthly life, is that same Spirit Who directs our living now. Earlier in this same chapter Paul commanded Christians to continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God (Hebrews 13:15). When the believer has the smallest realization of the riches and blessings of God which are poured out on his life, and as he reflects on this and by faith his understanding expands and his desires are focused in Christ, then his heart cannot help but sing out in blessing to the LORD. Joy expresses itself in acts of Christian love and mercy to those around him. The believer, in view of the unsurpassed greatness of love and mercy shown by the Father through Jesus and guarded in him by the Holy Spirit cannot help but live a life of holy service.

Mighty God of glory and salvation, how can Your people keep from singing? What would stop our lips from praising You and our lives from exulting in service to You? Nothing. That’s the only answer we can give, nothing can stop us. Your covenant love is so amazing and so true that our hearts must sing as Your Spirit directs us. Your faithfulness is aimed at us so truly and perfectly through Your beloved Son Jesus, our hands cannot hang loosely, but long for the Spirit’s prompts so that they serve You even in our most troubled times as ever long to serve You in our good times. Lord Jesus, to You, with the Father and the Spirit, be honour, glory, and praise both now and forever more. Amen.

https://youtu.be/tQUTvMtUhw4?si=x-M8u4EX7Qgp2Waa “The Doxology” Anthem Lights and Selah

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 2, 2024 -- Proverbs 2:1-15 -- Why should the Christian urgently seek wisdom and insight?

My son, if you receive my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
    and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
    and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
    he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
    and watching over the way of his saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice
    and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 discretion will watch over you,
    understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
    from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
    to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who rejoice in doing evil
    and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose paths are crooked,
    and who are devious in their ways.
Proverbs 2:1-15 ESV

How much time do you spend on video games? Learning the intricacies of it; knowing strategies, comparing your score to others. Now, how much time do you spend on the Bible, pursuing wisdom and praying for understanding?

How much time do you spend watching movies, or video shorts? Scrolling through. Flipping from one to another? Now, how much time you do spend treasuring up the commandments of God? Are you surprised if you find you know more about the most current viral vid than you do about God’s word?

How much time do you spend on sports? Watching. Talking. Listening to commentaries on it? You can store up stats on your fav players, but do you understand godly righteousness and holy justice? Do you store up the word of God as eagerly as you store up those sporting facts?

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.
It has been found difficult and left untried.”
G. K. Chesterton

Why spend all this time and effort in pursuing the knowledge of God, praying for insight, calling out for understanding? Those who do find God to be a shield against the evils of the world. Wisdom gained will guard deliver from the way of evil. Knowledge of God, so pleasant to your soul, will keep you people of perverted speech so that your delight will be in the LORD and His salvation. Wisdom is personified in Jesus Christ. The knowledge that is pleasant to your soul is the way of Jesus, by Whose blood believers are delivered from the devious ways of death and brought to life. The Spirit gives insight so that the Christian can see the lies Satan is using to try to draw you back into darkness. What a powerful protection is given to Christians who treasure up the commandments of God—and by so doing, build a rich storehouse of love and intimacy with the Father in heaven.

Loving Father, by Your Spirit show me the places in my life and the ways my daily schedule are stacked against knowing You better and directing me away from urgently seeking Your wisdom. King Jesus, Faithful High Priest, at Your throne of God, intercede for me in the ways I myself don’t know how to do. Triune God, let Your precious Word and glorious wisdom lead me away from all crooked paths, guarding me in justice and righteousness, so that wisdom will ever more fully conquer my heart, direct my steps and enlarge within me the capacity to love Jesus. He Who is the Captain of Salvation Who leads me captive in His train, equipping me by the Spirit against the Day when You will present me to the Father as one who is blameless by Your work fully accomplished in me. Amen.

https://youtu.be/px-eU1QjQiU?si=cOQIxQgxtRJDrRIZ Psalm 51 (Wisdom in the Secret Heart)

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 29, 2024 -- Matthew 13:16-17 -- Conquering the soul gripped by ennui (spiritual boredom)

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Matthew 13:16-17 ESV

Growing up in South-West Ontario meant that whenever family from the Netherlands came to visit, we’d have to go to Niagara Falls. At first , when we were young, we’d be amazed and really expected to go. By my teen-age years the thrill was gone. Utterly. Long. Gone. And still we’d be expected to go with the extended family back to the Falls. Sometimes a couple of times a summer. It truly is a marvel. It is easy to be bored before something so powerful and awesome because one does not have any imagination. It is possible to see something without seeing it, nor be moved by it.

I wonder, fellow believers, how many of us are bored before the Gospel?! It is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe—and yet there is a “not this again” attitude. Sighing we might say, I’ve seen it all before. What that means is you not really seeing it now. Consider this truth. Angels before the throne of God, longingly look to understand the depths of God’s great love for sinners who receive Him; and recoil at the terrors of His wrath against those who are bored before His majesty and holiness.

Do you see the greatness of our God? If you are struggling I challenge you now.

Read the Bible until you are really reading it. Taking it in. How many times have you channel surfed, or scrolled through video-short clips until something caught your attention? (Don’t answer, I know it will be embarrassing to you!). Read the Bible until you are more than just scrolling through. Trust that the Spirit will once against grip your heart.

Teach the Word of God to a young Christian. What made the trips to Niagara Falls bearable was the the “oh’s” and “Ah’s” of those family members seeing it for the very first time. Their wonder recaptured wonder for me as well. The trip changed from being "bearable" to very enjoyable because I saw it through their experience of the newness of it. So it is with those who share the Gospel. The splendor of our King is conveyed to them and to you as the newbie takes in all the glorious truth of the goodness of God and expresses his awe.

Get to church and listen to preaching. If your church has two services, a morning and afternoon (or evening service) go to both. (I know some folks have church in the morning and there is a second service, but the content is the same, then be an usher in the second one, volunteer, choose to get all you can out of the service.) God the Father has chosen to communicate the grace of Jesus Christ through the preaching of the Word—receive that means of grace.

Ask the Spirit to light up your heart once again. Pray for this. Know that your heart is in darkness, needing the light of Jesus Christ. The imagery of Psalm 63 is that your heart is a thirsty, dry land. It is tempting to start seeking blessing in the things of the world, in sinful activities, in all that cannot satisfy. Instead, ask the Spirit, Who filled Jesus without measure, to so fill your heart and mind and soul, that Jesus is for you the greatest desire of your life. Let Jesus be what He promised, Living Water that wells up in  you to fullest, soul-fulfilling satisfaction.

O God, You are my God; the Psalmist confessed he was earnestly seeking You. I confess the tepid temperature of my soul and my lazy scrolling through verses of Scripture. Spirit of the Living God, bring me once again to Jesus, the Fount of Living Water welling up to salvation. Bring to me the realization that gripped the Psalmist, that Your steadfast love is better than life, so that restored to the joy of such extravagant salvation my lips will praise You and I will bless You as long as I live. Amen.

Based on verses from Psalm 63

https://youtu.be/E8d0bMPl2hY?si=pjAfUShG65ok9Yqq “Fill Thou My Life”

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 28, 2024 -- John 11:21-27 -- Jesus has power over life, the grave, and death

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
John 11:21-27 ESV

Death intrudes. Even when someone we know and love is ill and then dies, death is still a violation. Yesterday a dear, small fellowship at an alcohol and drug recovery centre experienced the shock of unexpected death. One of their peers in the recovery program died in the night. The words of Jesus to Martha are such a poignant, powerful reminder of our neediness wherever and however death intrudes.

Jesus declared His power and His authority even over death and the grave. Lazarus experienced Jesus’ power. At Jesus’ command Lazarus was summoned from the tomb and rose to life. However, Lazarus would die again. His was not yet the resurrection to eternal life.

Those who are in Christ, who believe on Him and know Him alone as their salvation, though they die, yet shall they live. At the small huddle of men, and male and female managers, the powerful words of Jesus were declared: “I Am the resurrection and life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live”. As the gurney wheeled past our small assembly and a cold rain fell, those words echoed out. A prayer offered, with all present completing that prayer by reciting the Serenity Prayer. The assurance was declared, he will not rise and die again like Lazarus. No, our brother in Christ has risen to new, eternal life in Christ.

Thanks be to God that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Thanks be to God that the Spirit of God seals such promises to our hearts so that our hope can never be snatched away. May God do as He promised, be the Comforter of all who mourn.

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time
enjoying one moment at a time
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking as Jesus did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You
forever and ever in the next. Amen.

Prayer attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

https://youtu.be/kOlJHNLX_Co?si=w_Gjxdvx6ExHK5U3 “By the Sea of Crystal”

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 27, 2024 -- Matthew 9:35-38 -- Pray for Witnesses, Missionaries and Labourers in the Harvest Field

 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:35-38 ESV

It may seem that the world is pressing against Christians and that society around you is hard soil compacted against the truth of God’s word. Jesus is teaching His disciples something different. Even as the authorities were seeking to put Him to death, the crowds followed Him, and many individuals were confronted with the Good News. What is this Good News? The wrath of God, which sinners' wickedness brought on themselves, has been averted by the blood of Jesus Christ. All who believe in Jesus know their sins are punished on the Person of Jesus and they have received His righteousness. What a glorious truth!

When you pray for laborers to go out and bear witness to Jesus

• you realize how abundant the harvest actually is and you become even more fervent in prayer

• by the Spirit’s power in you the testimony you have proves itself relevant to your coworkers and family, your neighbours and coffeeshop friends, so that you feel more inclined to speak up for Jesus

• your are revitalized in your prayers for missionaries, knowing they face dangers and have great opportunities

• you realize through your Bible reading, coupled with prayer ,the fact that those who encountered Jesus didn’t wait until they’d attended a training course on evangelism, but immediately after meeting Him, testified to whatever they knew of Jesus

• your heart is stirred to compassion for the people of this world  who are sheep being led to slaughter by all kinds of false teachings, by paganism and the Devil’s lies. The clarity of Jesus’ words are so needed that you can’t help but speak.

• Such urgent prayers reignite in you a passion for missionaries so that you are recommitted to financially supporting their labours

• you also realize your local congregation is not a castle with a moat and a drawbridge so that you can shut out the world, instead the Church is the place where harassed and helpless sheep are drawn closer to Jesus, steeped in the love of the Father and by the Spirit’s power is a place of great transformation in Jesus’ Name; you in fact, become a laborer in the harvest field, bringing people to Jesus.

Father in heaven, thank You for Jesus, His mission, His authority, His compassion which all so wondrously reflect Your electing love towards lost sinners. Forgive us for our lacklustre prayers and our feeble mutterings about missions. Renew in us a holy commitment to obey Jesus and so pray earnestly that You will send out labourers into Your harvest fields. Spirit of God cause us to rejoice in what we know of Jesus; bring to mind recent Bible readings so that we can point others to passages which declare the majesty of Jesus and His saving work that so beautifully applies to us the abundant mercy of our Father in heaven. Triune God, be glorified in us. Amen.

https://youtu.be/N1DMIrqQVXI?si=9heoITk2XYFzXJdg “O Lord, You’re Beautiful”

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 26, 2024 -- Matthew 5:37 -- When you say "yes" do you really mean it?

Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
Matthew 5:37 ESV

One of the privileges of prison ministry is meeting with men who are very direct. Yesterday, I was teaching on confessing our sins to God. Many of us offer perfunctory confessions. We might hastily mutter “Forgive all my sins”. One man remarked, “I have gone through drug and alcohol recovery a dozen times”. He went on, “I’ve done all these steps”.

Another man piped up, before I could say anything. He said, “Then you’re not being honest to God or yourself.” I was struck by the directness of the statement, and the deep truth of it. I, along with the seven other men in the group, had to face the reality of how many times we have, in our own lives. said “I will do this” and failed miserably. No one else might know what’d we’d pledged, but God, Who before a word is even on the tongue, knows it completely, He sees and knows this private failure. It is not private. It is a violation of the holiness of God and a violation of our vows to follow Him completely and blamelessly.

Jesus, here in Matthew 5, is commanding His people to be strikingly unique among the peoples of the earth. Worldly people promise this and do something else. People are required to swear oaths in the courts to which standard they will be held publicly accountable, because in daily life they fail to keep their simple “yes” and “no” promises. Jesus followers must be open to the fact that they are powerless in the grip of their sins and helpless before the strongholds of the enemy. They are unique in the world because those, forgiven by the accomplished work of Jesus, change the way they act, the way they speak, and they offer their sacred yes. 

Let me give a few examples of our Christian negligence. In my local church, there are two church services each Sunday. Believers, upon joining the church, promise to attend both. They don’t. There might be 20% attendance in the evening compared with the morning. Those who do not attend continually make a lie of their "yes". Believers acknowledge before God He is the source of every blessing in their lives. Such believers promise they will give a tithe to God. They don’t. Church budgets bear this out. Examine yourself, where are you saying "yes" and living "no"? Confess your sins to God. Confess your powerlessness. Our Father is faithful and just and will forgive your sin and for the sake of Christ, cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

Father in heaven, I confess before the throne of grace, where Jesus, Your Son, my Savior, rules in splendor, that I am powerless over the issues, the sins, controlling my life. Spirit of God, by the Light of Scripture search out my heart, shine the Truth of Jesus into every part so that I will continually confess all that is sinful in me, so that the grace of Jesus Christ will be applied to every dark corner. Triune God, lead me in all truth, so that in my inner life, in  all my dealings with this world, and even before the hosts of hell—now conquered by Jesus and therefore toothless—I will walk with integrity, letting my “yes” be “yes” before You. Amen.

https://youtu.be/4SIf3AgC1I4?si=JEABJ4GwjSfzM825 “I Sing the Mighty Power of God”

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 24, 2024 -- Proverbs 24:1-2 -- Christians facing envy and desire

Be not envious of evil men,
    nor desire to be with them,
2 for their hearts devise violence,
    and their lips talk of trouble.
Proverbs 24:1-2 ESV

What is the source of temptation in your life? What whispers to you so that you are inclined to consider actions which normally you’d run from? These two verses reveal how easily a man falls into the clutches of temptation which morphs into wicked actions.

Who are you envious of? Who in your life do you imagine “has it all-together”? So often Christians are looking at non-Christians and admiring their homes, or their finances, or their beauty, or their talents, or their business acumen—you can name all kinds of things which after you've considered their possessions or attributes, creates in you a discontentment.

Desire kicks in. Having uncovered an attribute or a possession of others, you begin to malign others. Or you actively begin to want something which previously had not been on your radar or part of your array of desires. Sin, when it takes hold of a man, grows. It can find a place for its roots in almost any kind of soil. The whole point of the advertisement industry is to whip up in you an urgent need for the things you are seeing. First the commercials stir up within you a sense of "hey, I like that" or "I want that", or "if I had that then..." Second, the commercials direct you acquire more. The idea planted in you germinates.

Jesus calls out to those who would desire Him: “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 ESV). Understand, a person will follow Jesus when, having considered His life, His intimacy with the Father, His Spirit-led power, He longs to have what Jesus has. In all the world, this is the only proper place for envy. When a heart becomes discontent with its lot and sees Jesus and finds in Him one’s all-in-all, then desire—appropriate desire--kicks in. 

To follow Jesus one denies all other envies, all other attractions, all other things. Jesus is the heart’s desire and for Him the souls longs. Therefore, denying oneself is accomplished with the vigor of a starving man who sees a table groaning under the weight of food that no one is touching. You’ll do anything to get at it. Jesus is our soul’s banquet.

Cross-bearing for the Christian is the next logical step. When Jesus knew His hour had come, He set His face towards Jerusalem and went to the very place where He knew He’d be betrayed, tried, suffer, and finally be crucified (Luke 9:51). Jesus modeled what He preached. The height of love and devotion for Him was to lay down His life in obedience to His Father’s plan of electing love. The height of Jesus’ love was to deny Himself, His human wishes and desires, and ever more fully press into the Father’s plan that His is the death that redeems all from their sinfulness ways and presents them clean to the Father.

In the same way, we as believers know the denying of our own flesh, putting to death our wants and selfish desires will result in others being brought to the Father. It is the way of the cross. When Christians prove themselves delighted in Jesus and content to follow Him, they are irresistibly attractive to the people around them. A believer who is pressing towards the height of love and greatest devotion to God is a rare commodity and one who is undeniably compelling to the compromised, used and depleted people around him. It is Jesus Who is the great magnet in His life. 

Faithful Father, Who knows how to give all good and perfect gifts to His children, forgive us for the many times we have run from the gift of all Your blessings and churlishly folded our arms against Your mercies. Forgive us for ways in which we have envied the wicked and defied Your lovingkindness. With eyes filled with the vision of Jesus and hearts aware of His intimacy with You and the passion aroused within us by Your Spirit, lead us once again to denying ourselves so that Christ will increase and we decrease. In the light of Jesus magnificence may the things of this world be relegated to the junk heaps and burn piles for which they are destined. Oh Jesus, be our vision and our heart’s strongest desire. Spirit of God, awaken our conscience so that we will deny all things that would interfere with our life's greatest desire, Jesus, and so become ever more faithful followers of Jesus to the glory and praise of God our Father. Amen.

https://youtu.be/WZBOSfiH8Rk?si=waPX3NEWz3KxkD-u “Be Thou My Vision”

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 20, 2024 -- Romans 1:18-25 -- Considering everything: both books of God's testimony

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Romans 1:18-25 ESV

Creation is one book of God’s revelation. All of creation declares the glory of God. His divine attributes are clearly evident in them—from the amoeba to the asteroid—all things animate and inanimate—reveal there must be a Creator. Why does this matter? When anyone takes God out of His creation, or denies He is the One and Only Creator—then perversions begin.

The Bible itself, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, reveals God, so that creation can be rightly interpreted. Men and women are created for the glory of God. Those who follow God, single or married, are called to control their bodies, their lusts and urges so that God is praised.

Marriage is between one man and woman, for life, to the exclusion of all others. The others also means pornography, or other media representations of lust to satisfy selfish urges.

Singleness for the Christian requires a man or a woman to refrain from indulging lustful desires—images, pornography in any form, and print or video. Sexual encounters, of any kind, between a man and a woman are inappropriate. The Bible standard is God’s standard. It is holy. And His holy standard is wholly for the good of His creation, His people whom He made.

Reading this passage one realizes the root of many of today’s evils, from idolatrous worship to hateful interactions, from the disrespect of children against parents to the fact that what is good is called evil in our world, stems from the fact that people do not believe God is the Creator. When book one, creation, is joined to book 2, God’s self-revelation in Scripture, then one has a fully rounded understanding of life that is holy, and wholly dedicated to God.

Purity is worth fighting for. The sanctity of marriage is something Christians in today’s world need to uphold. It is not a hopeless endeavor. Jesus promised His followers, “I have overcome the world”. Those who are in Christ, are people who despite the pressures of the world, the allure of sex, and the promptings of the evil one, stay devoted to Jesus and pure in all their conduct. When a believer fails, and who among us does not stumble, then there is forgiveness full and free in Jesus. Such forgiveness is not a licence to sin, it is an incentive to live boldly for Jesus every moment of day and night.

A Present Salvation
Creator and Redeemer God,
Author of all existence, source of all blessedness,
I adore thee for making me capable of knowing thee,
for giving me reason and conscience, for leading me to desire thee;
I praise thee for the revelation of thyself in the gospel,
for thy heart as a dwelling place of pity,
for thy thoughts of peace towards me,
for thy patience and thy graciousness,
for the vastness of thy mercy.
Thou hast moved my conscience
to know how the guilty can be pardoned,
the unholy sanctified,
the poor enriched.
May I be always amongst those who not only hear but know thee,
who walk with and rejoice in thee,
who take thee at thy word and find life there.
Keep me always longing for a present salvation
in Holy Spirit comforts and rejoicings,
for spiritual graces and blessings,
for help to value my duties as well as my privileges.
May I cherish simplicity and godly sincerity of character.
Help me to be in reality before thee as in appearance I am before men,
to be religious before I profess religion,
to leave the world before I enter the church,
to set my affections on things above,
to shun forbidden follies and vanities,
to be a dispenser as well as a partaker of grace,
to be prepared to bear evil as well as to do good.
O God, make me worthy of this calling,
that the name of Jesus may be glorified in me and I in him.
Prayer from "Valley of Vision"

https://youtu.be/LoE-uNsGc2E?si=fJEzIzukgcfL8Xr1 “Come Thou Fount — I Will Sing”

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 19, 2024 -- Hebrews 10:32-36 -- Enduring for the Name of Jesus

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Hebrews 10:32-36 ESV

The meetings continue. I am in a general assembly of church leaders. It is called Synod. I am a fraternal observer, which means my denomination, The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, sends me to bring greetings to this gathering of the church leaders of the United Reformed Church of North America. So, officially I am called a "fraternal delegate". That is, someone who from a different group of believers who attends the Synod and brings greetings.

One of the other fraternal delegates, Patrick, spoke just a few minutes ago. In order to come to this meeting, he had to start preparing more than a year and a half ago. He had to travel to Nairobi to get a visa application. He is an unassuming man. He is from the Reformed Church of Southern Sudan. If you know anything about recent political history, this is one of the most war-torn regions of the world.

Members of Patrick’s congregation are often brutally beaten by soldiers. His people flee to other countries. A few years ago soldiers took over Patrick's home and booted his  whole family out. He stayed in the neighbourhood of his church. He preached. In view of the Gospel he knew he could not do anything else. How did he endure it? He had confidence in God his Father. He was assured the plundering of his property and his losses here on earth cannot compare with the weight of glory that is in store for him in heaven. He kept in view the needs of his flock, those young Christians who needed to be spiritually fed. After two plus years, the Lord gracious restored Patrick's home to him and his family. Though violence continues all around. them and the church. He did not tell us these facts. It took another delegate, one from South Africa, who stood up and declared to us all what Patrick had endured. Patrick himself never referred to it.

Here is what deeply and truly struck me. As he stood addressing the delegates, the overwhelming majority of us who live very comfortably in North America, he assured us that the churches of his federation pray, every week, for their family in Christ in North America. That is sobering, isn’t it? What does he and his congregation pray for their North American counterparts? They do not look to their own, great needs, they appeal to God asking:

• that Christians in North America will be faithful to Jesus

• that Christians will resist the agenda of those who are perverted in their sexual agenda. Those who are out to fight against the Bride of Christ.

• They pray that Christians here will mentor the young pastoral leaders over there, so that the young pastors in South Sudan will remain faithful to Jesus.

I was left wondering, who is prepared to face this challenge? Who is prepared to go to one of the newest nations on earth and stand firm for the glorious Name of Jesus—discipling men who are prepared to stay in some of the worst conflict zones in the world, so that the Name of Jesus Christ will be lifted high. What a mighty God we serve! How beautiful are the feet of them that bring good news.

Lord of all nations, King of Glory, let Your people in South Sudan continue to be refreshed by the powerful presence of Your Holy Spirit. Give courage that is grounded in the fact that Jesus Christ has overcome the world. Hear their prayers. Increase the number of men and women who defy the bloodshed and the violence and still faithfully go to assemble in Your house, O Lord. Thank You for the prayers of our South Sudanese brothers and sisters in Christ, who are storming the gates of heaven, approaching the throne of grace, where they appeal to Jesus on our behalf. Asking that North American Christians will stay strong in the face of potential cultural compromise and continue to boldly declare the Gospel here and to the ends of the earth. Hear our prayers, O Lord. Among all Your people, near and far, increase our fighting spirit so that we will be bold ambassadors for the Gospel. Amen.

https://youtu.be/mISbGETVr84?si=6lLTNzuYzJ5CwrHO And Can It Be?

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 18, 2024 -- Matthew 1:16-17 -- Some implications of being adopted in Christ

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
Matthew 1:16-17 ESV

Joseph adopted Jesus. Think about it. The genealogy of Luke traces Jesus’ family line through Nathan—not Solomon, as is recorded in Matthew, which is Joseph’s family tree. Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, so that what was conceived in her was brought about by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was not conceived and born in sin because the Holy Spirit stopped the taint, the stain, of Adam’s sin which otherwise would have affected Jesus if He'd only had only earthly parents. But Joseph is Jesus’ adoptive father. Mary is Jesus’ mother; fully by bloodline, Jesus’ mother.

Why does this matter?

• Jesus understands the pain many suffer who do not have their biological dad in their life.

• Jesus understands the taunts others hear who realize their birth date and their parents’ wedding doesn’t quite line up.

• Jesus understands adoption—with all its complications and awkwardness.

How is this helpful?

• The grace of God reaches to every place of our brokenness with regards to family and parentage.

• The grace of God overcomes our sense of being an outsider to His mercy and kindness.

• The grace of God is profound grace precisely because, knowing all our sinfulness, all our wicked heritage and all the sins we’d ever commit, He still chose us in love, in the beloved, Jesus Christ.

The grace of God is unstoppable. The Spirit of God puts us into such rich, deep, true communion with God, initiated by Him, maintained by the salvific work of Jesus, and guarded in us by the Holy Spirit through our good days, our bad days, and our worst days, and our days that are more terrible than our most indescribably worst days.

The Father in heaven has adopted you. Jesus knows exactly what adoption means and He shows never-ending love at His throne of grace. The Spirit gives us a Spirit of adoption such that we do not succumb once again to fear and the trap of feeling like outsiders—the Spirit breaks through the dark night of the soul and whispers to your Spirit—”you have a Father in heaven Who loves you and will never abandon you.”

Today’s prayer is the hymn “My Faith Has Found”

1 My faith has found a resting place,
from guilt my soul is freed;
I trust the ever-living One,
his wounds for me shall plead.

Refrain:
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
it is enough that Jesus died,
and that he died for me.

2 Enough for me that Jesus saves,
this ends my fear and doubt;
a sinful soul, I come to him,
he’ll never cast me out. [Refrain]

3 My heart is leaning on the Word,
the written Word of God,
salvation by my Savior’s name,
salvation thro' his blood. [Refrain]

4 My great Physician heals the sick,
the lost he came to save;
for me his precious blood he shed,
for me his life he gave. [Refrain]

https://youtu.be/LWymLT_cCdA?si=IpPNF7EXv6d2sT5H “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place”

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 17, 2024 -- Proverbs 17:24 -- Where will your focus be today?

The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
Proverbs 17:24 ESV

What is your goal? If you desire to live for God, then set your focus on Him. Study the Word. Share what you’ve read. Talk about what you believe. Spend time memorizing the Word of God. Get to church regularly (if your church has two services on a Sunday, go both times). Why? Because there are so many distractions.

The eyes of a fool are always wandering here and there. The foolish man is constantly scanning the horizon for some new pleasure or distraction. A foolish woman is oblivious to danger as she scrolls through all kinds of websites, video shorts and posts. Such foolish men and women will find things they were not looking for, bumping into threats and temptations they were not on the lookout for. Because they were not looking at where they were going, they get caught up in all kinds unintended wrong-doing.

This morning I’m getting ready for my flight to a Synod Meeting. At the airport there are so many distractions. There is music blaring from various kiosks and stores. There are people who are dressing so as to draw attention to themselves. There are temptations for things to purchase—everything from snack foods which are incompatible with my resolution to eat healthier to buying trinkets I don’t need. “I must look for wisdom, here and now” I am guessing that is refrain that you might need to return to as much as I do. Perhaps  this verse is a good reminder for us all, one worth returning to throughout the day.

Our Father in heaven, thank You for the teaching of wisdom found in Scripture. Thank You for the words, given to men through-out the centuries, which are designed to help Your people stay anchored in Jesus Christ. As this day begins and I am aware there will be many distractions and temptations which could ensnare me, by Your Spirit, grant constant course corrections so that my face will always be set toward wisdom. Amen.

https://youtu.be/q-dWxto9-XQ?si=5K_LnhV-9zfgQHKi I Set My Hope

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 16, 2024 -- John 3:30 -- Increasing Joy

He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30 ESV

How many words do you speak in a day? How many words do you type  in a day, perhaps for your social media posts, your emails or texts, blogs, or your school work? A quick search shows that the common average seems to be agreed upon at about 6,000 spoken words a day. Now, how many of those words are centred on Jesus? How much of your conversation is centred on you, on your fears, your needs, your desires, your wants and your aspirations?

John the Baptist, speaking to his followers declared that Jesus must increase and he himself decrease. Part of this ought to be an increase in one’s conversation about Jesus. An increase in one’s adoration of Jesus. An increase in praise to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Today is Sunday. The question on the minds of many is: "Why bother going to church?" When you attend church the liturgy is focused on the Trinity—the One God Who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The hymns and songs bring praise and adoration so that our minds and mouths are instructed in the increase of God’s glory and the decrease of our own egotism.

Christians, in worship, do not denigrate themselves. Instead, Christians know their glory is a derived glory, a reflected glory. God alone lives in unapproachable splendor. In Him we move and live and have our being. People, rich or poor, young or dying, well or unwell, fit or crippled, mentally strong or challenged, whatever their state or condition are precious precisely because their very D.N.A. announces the greatness of our God.

Sin has obscured humanity’s awareness of God’s nearness, greatness and reflected glory. Believers know, whatever our life’s condition, our station, that our whole purpose is to have Him increase and we decrease. We decrease in dependence on ourselves. We decrease in our opinion of ourselves. We decrease in view of His radiant divinity. Consequently, in worship, in obedient service to God, our understanding of the value of human life increases precisely because we know we are His. Human beings are created for His pleasure and the more we increase in our understanding of this, the more we understand the inestimable value we have in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer-King.

Then it is life’s chief satisfaction to honour Him. The very thing we were made to do, the purpose of our lives, is expressed in speaking of Jesus, living for Jesus, increasing our faith in Him. The butt end of a screwdriver can be used to drive in nails, but that is not its purpose. It is made to fit the appropriate slot of the screw head and turn. So too, when believers are focused on things, idols, people, anything other than the One, True, Living God, they are not fulling the purpose for which they were made. They are striving to increase their usefulness in a way that will destroy them. However, a believer whose life’s desire and goal is to increase his devotion and love for Jesus will find this is exactly what he was made to do. This Sunday, let that joy be yours.

Father in heaven, thank You for the extravagant gift of Jesus Christ. Spirit of the Living God direct our steps this day to the fullest extent so that Jesus will increase and we decrease. Amen.

https://youtu.be/bhOha4AcoMY?si=nTA6ULOc4SV30_FY “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” the music starts at 1:35

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 15, 2024 -- John 3:30 -- Jesus, His increasing power and presence in your life

He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30 ESV

This is my life verse. As a Christian, this is what I strive for. John the Baptist’s followers were annoyed because Jesus’ following was growing and their teacher's followers were decreasing in number. So, he spoke the words of this text to his disciples. Jesus must increase. It is necessary. It is decreed by the Father. It is appropriate. It is something that will require the follower of Jesus to conquer his own heart, his own lusts, his own wilfulness.

Jesus must increase. It is the decision of the Father that those who are belong to Him have been saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. Thus the glory of Jesus and through His work, the glory of the Father, will increase in the eyes of the world. He is all-together glorious from eternity to eternity.

Jesus must increase. When a man hears the Gospel and refuses Jesus that man’s condemnation is a confirmation of the judgment of God. It is the King’s right, in fact, it is an essential part of His just reign, to throw down and defeat all His enemies.

Jesus must increase. It is the inevitable answer to the prayer of Jesus spoken in John 17. The glory of Jesus, in His humanity, will increase. The knowledge of Jesus, Who He truly Is, will increase. The sheep given to Jesus will increase in number and by the Spirit’s presence will increase in their capacity to delight in Him and obey Him.

The Spirit of God. Who draws the believer to Jesus, works salvation into the heart and life of the one who puts his life into the hands of Jesus. Salvation is 100% God’s work. Those who are in Christ, whose mind and souls belong to Jesus must then conquer their wayward, iniquitous hearts. That is what John means when he declared “I must decrease”. The sinful flesh must be brought into obedience to Jesus by the conscious effort of the believer. Sin will pull away from the embrace of Jesus’ love; the Spirit will quiet the heart and lead the man to see that all his reward, all his life, all true joy is found in Jesus and in Him only.

I must decrease. The ego and the believer’s pride want to be acknowledged. Any service to Jesus, the smallest tiny successes are held up to Him as if they are a prize. They’re not. So, with John the believer declares: I must decrease and conquer all lingering sins that so easily undermine my commitment to Jesus. In the original language John stated he must decrease in rank, decrease in his own estimation of himself. The ego wants to be first in rank and first in power. It must decrease in the presence of Jesus!

The benefit one's decrease is immediate. The believer finds joy in Jesus Christ. The will that resides in every man and woman is a tyrant. It is demanding. It is voracious. It is insatiable. Not so for the believer who is bringing his will into submission to Jesus. The believer’s capacity to delight in Him is increased. The believer's freedom is immediately increased, because He brings us to the Father, the source of every good gift. The allure of sin is coextensively decreased as the presence of Jesus and His love expand into every area of the believer’s life. Ah, fellow Christian, tomorrow is Sunday. Plan on going to church. Pray for the increase of Jesus and for His love to flood your soul. Eternal life consists in believing on Jesus and when you place all your hope in Him, immediately, by extension, you believe in the Father Who sent Him.

Faithful Father in heaven, thank You for the testimony of those who, carried along by Your Holy Spirit, wrote the words of the Bible. Thank You for the Truth of the Bible. Thank You for the clarity of Your word. Thank You that by the written word, we see the Living Word, Jesus Christ, so magnificently displayed. Stir us, Spirit of God, to prepare for church tomorrow, to engage in the worship of the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Oh God, in Whom is the River of Delight, You must increase and we must decrease. Amen.

https://youtu.be/rswH9CSyWHk?si=s37RoeDE7-MmU8fG God the Uncreated One

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 12, 2024 -- Isaiah 11:1-2a -- What does it mean when we say Jesus is King?

There shall come forth a shoot,
   from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him…
Isaiah 11:1-2a ESV

Currently I have the privilege of attending the Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. The meetings are taking place on the beautiful property called Bonclarken. Each session of our meeting times, morning, afternoon and evening, from Tuesday afternoon until Thursday, begin with a sermon. What a treat to hear my brothers in the Lord preaching.

Yesterday evening the Rev. Gil Martin preached. He noted that a shoot, growth, new life from the stump of Jesse. Jesse was King David’s father. King David was a man after God’s own heart. If you know the Old Testament well, you also know that King David was quite a sinner. The LORD had promised there would arise, from the line of David, a new king. Interestingly, the kingship actually disappears. What was a mighty family it is called a stump, because the kingly line of David, humanly speaking, ended. There would be no throne, no coronations, no palaces for many generations.

Then, at the start of the New Testament, the Gospel According to Matthew, begins with Jesus’ genealogy. He is a son of David, the former king, but it also emphasizes the fact that Jesus is descended from Jesse. Jesus is the New King. Jesus is the new start to this Kingly line. He is perfect. He is sinless. He is the sacrifice Who can take away His people’s sins. He is the leader of His people, so perfect in His rule that the Spirit of the LORD rests upon Him and all who walk in obedience to Him. He is able to offer what David never could.

King Jesus lives forever—so His kingdom and His reign will never end.

King Jesus is able to purify the hearts of His followers—through the presence of His Spirit living in them. So the followers of Jesus are those who are growing in wisdom, in knowledge, in counsel and in the fear of the LORD (attributes which are listed at verses 2-3 of Isaiah 11).

King Jesus is LORD over all, and His visible Kingdom is stretching from sea to sea to sea. One day every eye will see Him, as He returns on the clouds with glory and splendor. Our lives are oriented to this moment, when all will see our King in His dreadful majesty and power.

King Jesus will return and judge the living and dead. His reign is so perfect, so complete, that every misdeed, every sin, every gross violation of the Holiness of God will be punished. Those who believe in Him now will know with a completeness they can only barely comprehend now, that their sins have been punished on Jesus’ Person at the cross. Those who refused Him here on earth, will be punished through-out all eternity in the terrors of hell. As King He judges the nations with justice and with complete righteousness.

King Jesus is so excellent, so worthy of honour and worship, that His people go far and wide to share His glory with all around. We go to the ends of the earth to declare His Sovereignty.

Jesus, the LORD reigns; let all the people tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim
let the earth quake.
O LORD, You are great in Zion;
You are exalted over all the peoples.
We join with Your people across the globe in praising You and blessing You.
Great and awesome Is Your Name, Jesus!
Holy is the Father,
Holy is the Son,
Holy is the Spirit.
Exalt the LORD our God;
worship at His footstool! Holy is He! Amen.

Today's prayer is based on Psalm 99; cherubim are angels. They are mighty in power and anyone in the Bible who sees one falls to the ground in terror. They are the messengers of God, doing His bidding.

https://youtu.be/BE4DDB5whyk?si=ym0uqF7SNj4IX1Gz “Jesus Shall Reign” Getty Music

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 11, 2024 -- Proverbs 4:23 -- Springs of Living Water flowing from your life

Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 ESV

Yesterday the study focused on the first line of this text: guarding one’s heart for Jesus as a prison guard watches over a prisoner who is an famous escape artist. Now the reason for this vigilance, which is what the second line focuses on, will be the focus of the study.

When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, John 4, He identified Himself as Living Water that wells up in the believer unto eternal life. In Isaiah 12, our new life in Christ is set to hymn as Isaiah noted: with joy we draw water from the well of salvation. This new life in Christ is joy, deep, true, abiding, untake-away-able gladness.

From the heart flows the spring of life—that is, the life of Jesus Christ flows from the heart of the believer. If a believer has allowed lust, hate, greed, anger, sloth, or gossip (or any other sin) to pollute his heart, then his testimony of Jesus is also contaminated.

From the heart flows the spring of life—when a believer confesses his sin to God and is freely forgiven, the result is a life that experiences Jesus’ healing. The springs of life are once again pure. Christian community is restored by forgiveness. So there is ever purer, deeper, truer community.

From the heart flows the spring of life—the Holy Spirit works in the life of a man who is yielded to Him. The Holy Spirit deepens the believers joy in Jesus, increases the flow of life from his heart so that many around him will know that Jesus is the source of this new life. A believer is attractive to the thirsty souls around him precisely because so many people have a thirst they can not satisfy in this world.

From the heart flows praise to the Father in heaven. When the life of a believer is pure, devoted to Jesus, and is continually filtered from sin by the work of the Holy Spirit then the believer’s fountain of life brings honour and praise and glory to God.

Father in heaven, thank You for slaking our thirst. Thank You for stopping our foolish efforts at trying to satisfy our longing with the dry sands of worldliness. Let our lives move at the impulses of Jesus’ love and by the power of the Spirit cause our life to be soul-winningly attractive to the people around us. Amen.

https://youtu.be/hVCki-lNWUc?si=AoIPaX_8jKHEHsPd “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water”

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 10, 2024 -- Proverbs 4:23 -- Guarding your heart

Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 ESV

Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23 NIV

In the original language the sense is to put your heart in prison and guard it. When Jesus Christ takes over your life, you are a new creation, the old is passed away and the new is come. Romans 12:1 teaches the believer to not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of one’s mind. Hebrews 2:1 tells the believer not to drift. Why? Our hearts are prone to sin; at the very core the heart will be attracted to wrong-doing. That is the foulness of original sin. Left unattended the heart will lead even a strong believer back to perversity and sin. So, it makes sense that the book of Proverbs will teach the believer to pay close attention to the condition of his heart. What is it the heart is secretly desiring? What sin do you toy with, though you know it is wrong? The heart must be guarded as if it is in prison and strengthened by the Holy Spirit you are guarding it, watching it to see if there is any sin tainting it. That little bit of sin in the heart will flow out from the core of who you are and overflow into every area of life.

Most of us watch our bank accounts more closely than we do the condition of our hearts. Most of us are closely following the status and updates of our peers while we neglect the condition of our own heart. It is easy to be angry with someone and let the wellspring of your heart be polluted with hate rather than removing the pollution and guarding the heart.

Conversely, a heart that is dedicated to Jesus Christ knows the joy of purity. Have you ever been at a cottage, or at a friend’s house and tasted the water and realized it is “off”? It is not at all like the clean, clear water you’re used to drinking? You get repulsed by it. Though your host is used to it and drinks it all the time. A heart that is clean, dedicated to Jesus is used to the delight of pure, clean waters. Any pollutant, any slight variation ought to be noticed immediately and addressed. Or you'll get used to water that is off.

Believers need to be accountable. When a Christ-follower shares his life with another believer, the other will notice any pollutant, any change in the purity of his life—often more quickly than his friend will. So, believers are called to help one another maintain purity, to be holy for Jesus and kept wholly for Him. Everything we say, everything we do, everything we allow ourselves flows from the heart. Is your heart dead to the things of God and flowing putrefaction? Or is your heart alive to Jesus Christ and therefore worthy of being guarded with more diligence than your investments and bank accounts—because the pristine condition of your heart is of greater value than any earthly treasure. Your heart must be guarded with greater vigilance than a prison guard watching a prisoner who is a well-known escape artist. When your heart is pure, devoted to Jesus, your words, your actions, your thoughts and your goals will all flow out of such a heart with the purity of heaven. Others will see and be drawn to the quality of the life that the Spirit of God has given you. Your own spirit within you is instructed to guard the wellspring of pure life given in Jesus and do so unto the glory of the Father in heaven, from Whom all believers long to hear this affirmation, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.

Father in heaven teach me to highly prize the new life that is mine in Christ. Spirit of God, wise counselor, Who never sleeps, never misses a thing, work so thoroughly in me and through me that my heart and its motives and intentions will be revealed to me. Then purify me. Filter out all in me that fouls the waters of life. Spirit of the Living God, lead me away from sin and teach me to hate all that would pollute the well of salvation which is Jesus’ gift of righteousness. Spirit of God, as often as it is required, recapture my heart for Jesus, cause my eyes to see the wondrous beauty of Jesus so that all my desires are changed and my longings are all centred on Him and this to the glory of the Father, Who is the fountain of life. Amen.

https://youtu.be/N1DMIrqQVXI?si=jVm-extxSuEEC-uP “O Lord, You’re Beautiful”

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 9, 2024 -- Revelation 1:5b-9 -- Living and working together in Gospel partnership

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 1:5b-9 ESV

What glory belongs to those who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus, the King of Righteousness, has freed us from our sins. More than that, He has stirred up in us a holy desire for His return. When He returns all who believe in Him, Who rejoice in Him, Who have been freed from their sins will be with Him. The judgment will confirm the blessedness of those who are in Christ and confirm the wickedness of unbelievers. Unbelievers will scream and wail at the judgment because the horror of their sin and their blasphemies against God will be so obvious in the light of His terrible and awesome presence. They will know how sinful sin truly is.

Look at how John, who received the revelation of Jesus, describes himself. Though he is an elder statesman, the last living disciple who walked with Jesus, he describes himself as a brother to all the believers. Believers who are going to be identified by their flaws and sins, their strengths and the ways in which they are backsliding—he is writing, empowered by the Spirit, so that believers will know the path to repentance. He is also a partner with them. The original language, the word partner is one who experiences fellowship together with those to whom he is writing. He is emphasizing all believers are at an equal position, a level playing field, before Jesus Christ. Now look at the three descriptors he uses.

John is a brother and co-partaker in the tribulation. What is the tribulation? First, these are the sufferings which Jesus Himself had to undergo. When He walked the earth, He endured all things and remained faithful to God the Father, never once sinning. The tribulation are the tests Christians endure which refine them for faithfulness to God. These tribulations can be external. The world and the Devil pushing hard against them seeking to push Christians off-course by compromise. Or these can come from within, tribulation whereby the old, sinful nature, rears its ugly head and reminds one of the past and seeks to draw the believer away from holiness into the trap of past wickedness.

How can believers endure? We are partners in the Kingdom! Jesus is King—now. The eyes of faith see Him as such. The believer is ruled by the Spirit of God. The tribulations can be endured because the very same Spirit Who was in Jesus while He walked the earth, is the Spirit Who is in all who believe. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of power. He is given so that believers have all they need, all that pertains to life and godliness.

There is now also a partnership in patient endurance. The word means perseverance. This word is used about twenty-one times in the New Testament, one-third of the times it is used in Revelation. How does the believer endure patiently?

Yesterday a dear friend stopped by. I haven’t seen him in years. When we met, the years just fell away. We talked openly about our faith, honestly about our struggles and encouraged each other in our faith. We prayed together and led each other to the throne of grace, where Jesus is seated, so that we could find grace and mercy to help us in our time of need.

Dear family in Christ, today is Sunday. Get to a Bible-believing church. Listen to the Word preached. It is a means of grace. If you go to church, or can’t go to church you can no doubt speak with other believers, and express the hope you have in Christ. Talk about your need for Jesus and his Spirit so that together you will be sharpened and prepared for patient endurance as we await His glorious return.

Father in heaven, thank You for the great gifts of salvation You have showered on all who believe. Thank you for Jesus in Whom we have eternal life and through Whom our new-life joy is strengthened. Father in heaven thank You for the rich and powerful presence of Your Holy Spirit Who directs us in so that fellow believers are family in Christ, partners in the Gospel who face tribulation by the power of Jesus’ kingdom and together stir up in one another patient endurance.

https://youtu.be/kW-CzmdD1nM?si=2m36O1OjWnhy1xci “Find Us Faithful” Steve Green

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 4, 2024 -- John 13:1 -- God's love, demonstrated in Jesus, is unstoppable

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
John 13:1 ESV

Jesus loved them to the end. To the end of what? Perhaps it is important to know that word end can mean to the finish point, like the end of a race. But it can also mean aim or purpose. Consider these words:

Those whom God loves, He loves to the end and not to their end and death
but to His end and His end is that He might love them more.
John Donne 1572-1631

The point is, God demonstrated His love in Jesus Christ and His aim was to give to Jesus an inheritance, a people for His Own possession. Those who are loved by the Father will experience the salvation of Jesus Christ, it will be accomplished in their lives. The Holy Spirit living in them will bring the purposes of God to bear in their lives and they will marvel, rejoice, and give thanks for the persistent love of God. It is more unstoppable than a tsunami. His love is more powerful than a supernova. He will purify His people from their sins, give them the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and arouse in believers a response of humble, joyful, love for Him and His people.

Father in heaven, You have given us Jesus, the Savior, the Teacher. As we have been purified in His love, excite in us a growing desire to love the people You have put into our lives. By Your Spirit’s presence in us direct us to love with the divine power of love with which You have and do love us. Amen.

https://youtu.be/y0ac4sT-4-o?si=GmzPfFyiTHQbxAOu When We See Your Face

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 2, 2024 -- I Peter 1:22 -- Purified for Obedience to the Truth

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
I Peter 1:22 ESV

There is a common comedic gag where a man will with a straight face announce he’s a member of a gym. Then after a suitable pause, he will add, with a wry smile, “I know it, because $22. a month keeps being debited from my account. I’m not even sure where the gym is anymore”. I wonder how many people who call themselves Christian are members of a church somewhere, but they are not sure where the church is anymore. If you ask them, they will tell you they belong to this church or to the one their grandmother attends, but they really can’t tell you anything more than that.

In contrast, the one whose soul has been captured by Jesus Christ is one who has met the Truth. Jesus is Truth (John 14:6). He has rescued your soul from blind slavery to sin and death. The evidence that a man or a woman has a purified soul is seen in the desire to attend church. One who is purified displays his sincere love for God demonstrated by his care for the people around him. Purity of love for God is displayed in a pure , selfless love for a brother or sister.

Why is church attendance so vital?

The believer can examine his life and see where he is failing in his obedience. When a golfer desires to improve his swing, his long and short game, he goes to the fairways and to the greens, and practices. A Christian longs to know where he can offer better service to God and more pure service to others, so he goes to church.

Church attendance allows the believer to join with other believers and declare the splendors of God. Imagine you have right in front of you the most beautiful rainbow. It  is close. It is brilliant, it is clearly defined. You want to tell someone. Sharing the experience of it completes the joy of it. So it is with our precious faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit, in the presence of other Christians, stirs us up to declare our joy, our hope, our love for Jesus and this completes the experience. Praising God the Father is something we long to share. In sharing with others this longing to praise, we are expressing the deepest joy of our hearts, sharing in community, affirming those who share our joys and will walk with us in our sorrows.

The act of obedience, of going to church, is often difficult. We are tired. We are lazy. We are not in the mood. The morning will be sunny, but the afternoon rainy and we want to do this or that. so it is tempting to skip church. However, it is the obedience to Jesus, Who is the Truth, and such obedience above all else, which demonstrates a soul has been purified by Jesus. When you push past all the excuses, you will discover all over again that Jesus is the strength of your soul and the longing of your heart. Your absence discourages other believers who miss you. Your presence is an incentive to love one another earnest from a heart purified in Jesus.

Ah, Father in heaven, You call us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for Your own possession. By the Spirit Who lives in us, help us to proclaim the excellencies of Christ as we live in His marvelous light and walk in the purification He has won for us at Calvary. Spirit of God strengthen us to walk in obedience to the Truth, fighting the flesh’s laziness and the mind’s distractions and the heart’s coldness. Spirit, Who brings us to Jesus, rekindle in us a fire of zealous joy that leads us from one act of obedience to the next because of the imperishable seed of hope that has been planted in us. Amen.

The first two sentences are based on I Peter 2:9

https://youtu.be/N1DMIrqQVXI?si=f1I4lNVfofGPQ2Mn “O Lord, You’re Beautiful”