Faith School - 2 Timothy 1:13

2 Timothy 1:13           What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

            When the apostle Paul was writing to his protégé Timothy, he was trying to ensure that the next generation of believers would hold fast to the faith that Paul personally experienced and taught. This would be have been written about thirty to forty years after the Resurrection of Christ. During those 3 or 4 decades, Christianity had flourished across the Mediterranean, especially in the southern region of what we now call Turkey. However, with this wonderful growth, there also came a plethora of different teachers and preachers who all had their own personal ideas of what constituted the Gospel Truth.

            Paul’s personal appeal to Timothy in writing reveals to us that the apostle, who was imprisoned at this time, was gravely concerned about the faith of the new churches being hijacked by false teachers and greedy preachers. Paul advised to Timothy to be on his guard against such unscrupulous people who would use their charm, influence, and power to mesmerize believers, in order to lead them down the wrong path and away from Christ. Paul also knew that Timothy, who was destined to become the Bishop of Ephesus, would be very influential among his peers. If the fledgling faith was going to survive in the region, it would require Christian leaders who had been inspired by sound teaching, and who expressed their beliefs through their faith and love in Jesus.

            With the amazing amount of information available to us from the Internet, we can sometimes experience difficulty in discerning what is true or false teaching with regard to our Christian faith. New ideas, fresh perspectives, and novel opinions can sometimes attract us, but they may also detract us from following the truth. I personally go back through the four Gospels whenever I’m faced with a new approach to my faith. If I can’t find something that would corroborate the new idea, I set it aside. That may be too simple for some folk but, after almost forty years of trying to be a Christian, I have learned that it works for me.

            May God bless you as you grow in faith and enable you to share the love of Jesus.

Questions for personal reflection

Who initially taught me about the Christian faith? How have I passed on my faith experiences to the next generation?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we thank You for the gift of faith which has influenced, shaped, and directed our lives. We praise You for Your true teaching about God. Grant us new opportunities to share our faith and love in You with others around us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com. Please also feel free to share or forward this message to your own family and friends.

Today’s image is one of my Celtic Cross drawings called ‘Celtic Heart.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Cross.

Advent devotion: Poles Apart - Mark 6:20

Mark 6:20       Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

            Even evil people know the truth when they hear it. King Herod was no exception. Like his wicked father before him, he was a cruel despot who retained his power by wiping out his enemies. He was also a puppet-king who sovereignty solely depended on the reports of the Roman Governor and the whims of the Emperor. If Herod did anything to displease the Romans, he would have been immediately assassinated or executed. On the other hand, if he did anything which displeased the people, he could always rely upon the Roman garrison to back him up.

            Herod’s fascination with John the Baptist is full of contradictions. He imprisons John for preaching against Herod and his wife, and yet the king visits him in prison because he liked to listen to him. He was a despotic ruler who ruthlessly crushed his enemies, and yet he is afraid of John because he speaks the truth. Herod is used to being pampered in his palaces and lives a life of luxury; John, however, is the exact opposite – he lives in the rough outdoors, surviving on locusts and wild honey. The two men are worlds and poles apart – and yet Herod protects John because likes to listen to him.

            I wonder what would have happened if Herod had not made the rash promise which resulted in John’s beheading. Would Herod have eventually repented and been restored to God? If so, would he have intervened on Christ’s behalf or kept him protected as a prisoner so that the king could listen to the carpenter? We’ll never know, but at some point in his life, Herod listened to what God had to say through John; his only trouble was this: he never fully accepted or personally applied the truth of John’s words.

            As we approach Christmas, our churches become fuller because of the special programs and great festivals that take place in our sanctuaries. People like to listen to the Christmas carols and hear the Christmas story. However, just like Herod in the past, they miss the wonderful opportunity to make a direct connection to God through Jesus. They like listening to Christ’s words; they’re just not ready to live accordingly.

Questions for personal reflection

What truths do the Gospels convey to me, especially during this season of Advent and Christmas? Do I like listening to them, or am I willing to go further and live by them?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, speak Your Truth to us throughout this season of Advent. Allow our hearts and minds to embrace Your words and to live according to the challenges that they contain. Be with us and strengthen our faith in You this day. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest nativity drawing called “Long Ago.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: Long Ago.

Free devotions: White Noise - Matthew 13:9

Matthew 13:9  “He who has ears, let him hear.”

Have you ever heard of the term “white noise?” It’s used by broadcasters to blank out unwanted sounds on radio, television, and satellite programs. On its own, it sounds like a lot of static, but when it’s applied to a recording, the white noise gets rid of irritating sounds and unwanted frequencies.

We use “white noise” when we want to block out other sounds too. If workers are drilling in the street outside our homes or offices, we may increase the volume of our televisions or radios to cancel out the drilling noise. Or if we’re in a building where we can hear people talking in the next room, we might put a fan on to cancel out the sound of their voices. That would be white noise too.

There’s a lot of white noise in the world and in people’s hearts and spirits. The white noise that we’ve created with our lives has cancelled out Christ’s Voice. We make important choices without even consulting Him. We worship without even focusing on Him. We express our faith without even reading, knowing, or applying His Words. We’ve cancelled out Christ with all of the distractions in our lives. He still speaks His challenging words to us, but we’re either not hearing Him at all or we’ve distorted His words to suit our own ideas, opinions, and culture.

We’re afraid to listen to Christ’s Truth because He will radically change our ideas.

We’re afraid to follow His Way because we want to keep things going our way.

We’re reluctant to accept His Life because our lives will no longer be our own.

So instead of listening to Christ or hearing the Gospel, we create white noise to block out His irritating words and uncompromising demands. We want Jesus to be meek and mild – meek enough to mold Him our way and mild enough not to meddle in our lives.

The challenge that we face today and everyday is this: how can we block out the world’s white noise and really listen to Jesus?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we have failed to follow You completely. We are guilty of setting You aside and blocking You from tampering in our lives and changing our ways. We want You to go along with us and listen to everything we have to say. We forget that You are the Lord and we are only Your servants. Help us to refocus our hearts and minds so that we will actually listen to You. In Your Holy Name, we urgently pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest 2011 Nativity drawings called
“Light of the World.” It features a silhouetted Joseph and Mary walking in the outskirts of Bethlehem beneath the Natal Star. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6469850593_46b13aa547_b.jpg

Christian devotions: Go Away, Jesus! - Matthew 8:34

Today’s Bible readings are Isaiah 22:1-8 and Matthew 8:24-34

Matthew 8:34  Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

 

They were absolutely terrified of Jesus. He cast out demons and caused a stampede. He proved that He had the power of God within Him, as well as the divine authority that went with it, but instead of worshipping, glorifying, and welcoming Him into their community, the Gadarene people urged Him to leave their shores.

You would think that because Jesus was able to perform miracles and cure serious sicknesses, He would have been welcomed with open arms and publicly celebrated. Instead, the people hurried to find Him in order to tell Him to go away. They didn’t want the challenges and changes He would have brought to their community. They just wanted to be left in peace to resume their way of life.

That’s not an uncommon response to the Living Gospel of Christ. Even today, there are millions of people in our society who refuse to accept Jesus as the Lord of their Lives and King of their hearts. They like what Jesus taught about love, but they refuse to submit themselves to His authority. They do not want to give their hearts to Christ because they would have to surrender their choices, their ways, and their goals.

Christ can come into our lives and make things more meaningful, granting us a real purpose for the short time we each have on Earth. But Jesus can do nothing for us unless we are willing to welcome Him into our hearts and homes, our communities and churches. The Gospel is a life-changing message which turns our worlds upside down and our values inside out. We do not change Jesus to suit our needs; instead He changes us to bring glory to God through doing His will.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, our lives should belong to God, but sometimes we have trouble in letting go of ourselves in order to allow You to change us completely. We are sometimes scared to surrender our spirits to Your ways and are too timid to apply our lives according to Your truth. Help us to get over our fears about faith, so that we may fully surrender our hearts and minds, bodies and souls to You alone. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message or ask a question, please send John an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest Christmas Nativity drawings. It’s called “Small Town Miracle.” If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click on the following link: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6117/6331033884_bd20084c00_b.jpg

4 Minute Devotions: Star Struck

Taking out the garbage on cold winter night can be an amazing experience.

Podcast version here

Psalm 89:6 For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?

I love winter nights. Last evening, as I was wheeling the garbage bin to the front yard, I looked up at the sky and was immediately overawed. Thousands of stars were dazzling like beautiful diamonds and even although it was very cold, I just stood there like a schoolboy, gaping and gazing at the glittering constellations. No matter how often I see them, I am totally amazed. I guess that the right phrase is ‘star struck,’ but it has nothing to do with the movies.

My neighbors must think I’m crazy. They probably hear me trundle out the bin to the street and then watch me from behind their blinds. “There’s that loony Scotsman, standing in the street again, looking up at the sky. Has he never seen the stars?” If I could answer them, I would say, “No, I haven’t.”

You see star gazing is a bit like sea watching – the sky is always different and constantly changing. I see a new sky each night when I stop to look upwards. What happens at that moment will never ever occur again. To the casual observer, everything looks the same, but to a star gazer like me, there’s always something that is different.

One thing remains constant though, my thankfulness to God as I am overawed by the whole experience. If the winter sky looks so expansive, wonderful, and astounding, what must God be like? That’s why a verse like today’s has great meaning for me; each time I look at the stars I think: what can compare to God in the skies above? What is most like God across the stellar heavens?

I feel full of wonder, and that’s what makes God wonderful to me. He can take a weekly routine chore and turn it into something totally amazing.

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for creating the universe and for filling it with stars. Thank You for the wonder and awe that they inspire. Continue to touch our hearts and souls with Your Creative powers. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Divine Separation

How could God let go of Jesus all of those Christmases ago?

Psalm 113:5, 6 Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

Podcast version here

I find Christmas absolutely amazing. And it’s not just because of the great music, the beautiful lights, or the glorious glitter. I find it amazing because it’s a celebration about the Lord of All Creation stooping down to our level, to leave His Holy Son amongst us. The whole event is a commemoration of an amazing sacrifice by God.

What God did way back then, would be like me taking my daughters, when they were babies, and leaving them on the dirty streets of Calcutta. I couldn’t ever do it because my fatherly love would not want to abandon them and I would feel the need to protect them. And that’s precisely what makes Christmas so wonderful to me, when I realize how much love God truly has for the whole world that He was willing to let go of Jesus.

Years ago, when I first came to live in the United States, my eldest daughter Lynsey went to her first overnight camp. We were just in Knoxville about ten days and felt totally cut off from our families back in Scotland. We were on our own and it just didn’t seem right that our eldest would be spending time away from us so soon. Lynsey felt the same separation anxiety and just after midnight I had to go and bring her home.

We were emotionally exhausted and weary as we journeyed home. I didn’t know it, but I was driving on the wrong side of the road. Suddenly, I saw headlights in front of me and heard the blaring of a car horn. Seconds later, we were involved in a head on collision. Thankfully, no one was injured but Lynsey and I were both emotional wrecks.

These days, Lynsey is a graduate student living hundred of miles from home. We may be separated geographically, but we are very close. It makes me wonder if that’s the kind of relationship that God maintained with Jesus throughout His life. God may have let Christ go to Earth that First Christmas, but They still carried each other in their hearts.

As I stated before, Christmas is amazing. And each year, I like to believe that God and Jesus stoop down to look at the Earth and celebrate this grand season with us.

Prayer: Lord God, most of us cannot comprehend what it took You to let go of Your Holy Son and leave Him to the mercies of the world. Even though You loved Him dearly, You never protected Him from what the world and people like ourselves eventually did to Him. That level of love and sacrifice is amazing to us and we are truly thankful for Your sacrifice which brought us salvation. In Jesus’ Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Holy Global Warming! Pope Goes Green in Vatican

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).-

The Vatican will be taking a step toward promoting a greener culture next week as it inaugurates new solar panels on the roof of Paul VI Hall.

The inauguration will take place Wednesday at the headquarters of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, a Vatican communiqué reported today.

The 2,400 solar panels replace the deteriorating concrete roof panels, and the photovoltaic cells will convert sunlight into electricity, and generate enough power to light, heat or cool the 6,000-seat hall. The Vatican says the solar panel project is one of the "concrete and tangible initiatives" of the Vatican to promote the protection of the environment.

Read the rest of the story here…

Sunday Sermon: High School Antics

Lectionary reading: Matthew 22:34-46

35,36 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

When I was a boy, our family lived a hundred yards away from some amazing tennis courts and soccer fields. They belonged to the local elementary school and after 4pm, the iron gates at the entrance to them were locked. A bold sign next to the gate solemnly declared in frightening capital letters: “TRESPASSING PROHIBITED.” Beneath those fierce words, another terrifying phrase was written: “Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted.” The notice was dutifully signed: H. Bain, Director of Education.

To a young boy like me, those words acted as a prohibition and a great temptation at the same time. I didn’t know then what “prosecuted” meant, but I had seen enough war movies to know that it probably involved a wall, a blindfold, and a firing squad. I was terrified of the consequences and yet those pristine soccer fields were so appealing. Every day, after 4pm as I walked alongside the tall iron fence, the soccer fields called me be name. I was itching to do what I shouldn’t do, just like my heroes Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. There had to be some way of getting to play soccer, or as we called it in Scotland, football.

I couldn’t break the law, and if I did, I imagined that I would become a fugitive running away from home, carrying my ball, and shouting in my defense, “It was the Devil that made me do it!” The Law was not to be made fun of either, and for an eight year old soccer loving boy, it was agony. I didn’t know what to do, so day after day, I was despondent.

Salvation came from unexpected quarters. My elementary school teacher was giving my class a history lesson on Mary, Queen of Scots and someone asked her why Mary wasn’t given the title “Queen of Scotland.” Our teacher then told us that the Scottish Kings and Queens were rulers of the people, not the land. Scotland belonged to the people and there was no law of trespass, unlike the English.

The effect that history lesson had on me was as liberating as the American Constitution. At 4pm, the great iron gates to the soccer pitches were locked as usual. Five minutes later, after the gatekeeper had gone, a street-load of historically-educated schoolboys climbed the gates and played soccer until the sun went down. We were not trespassers because no such law existed in Scotland. And the bold sign no longer terrified us – in fact, we used it as a goal post next to the iron gates.

When Jesus was interrogated by the Pharisees, they were trying to get Him to highlight their own attitude towards religion. They were tyrannical purists and self-righteous hypocrites who gleefully enjoyed other people failing. And whenever anyone failed, the Pharisees would be amongst the first to pick up stones to slaughter the offenders. Whether it was for picking up a woman on a Friday night, or picking up sticks on a Saturday morning, the consequences were the same: death by stoning.

Jesus knew this and understood that these unforgiving religious devotees were just waiting for Him to fall. If he said the wrong thing or made the wrong move, they would annihilate Him on the very first chance that he gave them. So when the religious lawyers demanded of Him an answer to their very slick questions, Jesus had to be careful, or at least if it was anyone else other than Jesus, they would need to be.

As usual, Jesus used the moment to drive a home lesson to both the Pharisees and His followers.

Without hesitation -37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

This would have sounded like music to everyone’s ears. Jesus was repeating the Great Shema, which every Jewish person knew since childhood. It comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheynu, Adonai Echad – it’s part of a prayer that is usually spoken first thing in the morning and said last thing at night by every Jew, even to this very day.

Thus by answering the question this way, Jesus was connecting to everyone around Him. It was a satisfying answer for His critics and followers alike. If there was anything that united Jewish factions and itinerant Galilean preachers like Jesus, it was this saying. His audience was very receptive to His words. But were they prepared for what happened next?

You see Jesus was not just a teacher of religious commandments; He called upon His listeners to practice them. It was very easy to focus faithfully upon God and feel smug about it. But how do people practically express their love of God; how do they show the world that they truly love God with all of their heart, soul, and mind?

Is it just a simple question of emotionally loving God from the inside? Does it only involve an inward spiritual connection of the soul to the Great Heavenly Spirit? Is it just an intellectual pursuit of only meditating on the scriptures of the past and memorizing them? To the Pharisees of His day, it meant precisely those things – as long as they were recognized as being divinely separated by God, revered for their long public prayers, and admired for their ability to quote the scriptures, then everything was alright in their legalistic, holier-than-thou, elitist existence. But woe betide the religious Teacher who came along to upset their divine Disneyland of a dream. And that’s precisely what Jesus did with His following remarks.

You know I love being a Presbyterian preacher in the Bible Belt. It’s full of some wonderful Christians and people who are truly in love with God. I have never seen so many people eager to do good works, to feed the poor, to help the homeless, to support the needy, and offer Christ’s love to the lonely and the outcast.

But I have also seen the dark side of our faith here, too. I’ve seen and heard Bible bashing Christians taunt our teenagers and harassing them about hell. I’ve listened to callous, insensitive and heartless people use the scriptures as a weapon to bludgeon other people and condemn them as reprobates. And before I get too smug, too self-righteous, too holy for my own good, I’ve been just as guilty at times.

Jesus never meant us to become 21st century Pharisees; He wanted His own people, as well as us, to become every century servants of God. That’s why He added this extra bit to the question He was asked. That’s why He didn’t stop with only one command about loving God.

Jesus continued:

39 And the second is like the first: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

To Jesus, you cannot love God without loving your neighbor. You cannot be an isolated Jew or an alienated Christian. Christ and community go hand in hand. We cannot just joyfully worship Jesus in here and let the world outside go to hell. If we’re involved with God, we need to be involved in the world. After all, Jesus showed us how much He loved God by dying for the world.

Jesus fully practiced what He preached – He loved God completely by completely giving His life for us. And God loved us so completely that He allowed Jesus to complete the plan of redemption and salvation for us.

There are no high school antics, or religious entrapment, or philosophical disagreements here. Jesus was telling His followers and the Pharisees that to totally love God, we have to love the folks beside us. And if the Church hadn’t screwed up that simple message over two thousand years, there would have been no Crusades, no religious wars, no bigotry, no schisms, no slavery, no segregation, and no self-righteousness that has unfortunately cursed, tainted, and damaged the witness of Christ in and to the world.

Until we learn to love God by loving our neighbors as ourselves, we will always be Pharisees and not followers. Until we practice Christ’s words, instead of just memorizing them, we will be a divided church in the world. And until we use our hearts, souls, and minds in the service of God for our community, like an almighty spiritual Manhattan project, we will fail to convince our neighbors at home and abroad that Christ is the Prince of Peace, the Healer of the Nations, and the Savior of the World.

Sadly, if we fail to love God and our neighbors, all that the Church will accomplish is the setting up of signs that will say to the entire planet: Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted. We will have forgotten that Christ is the King of all the people – as Psalm 24 initially states: the earth belongs to the Lord and all of its people – there is no law of trespass where Christians truly love God and all of their neighbors.

Let us pray:

O Lord, You words challenge our cozy theologies and comfortable beliefs. You confront our rigid religiosity and concrete Christianity. Help us to learn how to truly love God by loving our neighbors. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Religious Art: Christ of the Polls

Christ does not belong to any party...



...and only He can bring the donkey and the elephant together.

4 Minute Devotions: Blog Action Day

Today is Blog Action Day around the world and this year's theme is Poverty. Bloggers from many nations are highlighting this serious issue and offering solutions.

Podcast version here

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Today is Blog Action Day around the world. Thousands of bloggers are posting articles about poverty and making suggestions about how we can rid this scourge in the world. It’s an amazing network that has been established and any profits from the whole venture will go to KIVA, the international organization that helps small businesses in developing countries by giving loans through contributions that people in richer countries have given.

It’s a wonderful system and to date, I have helped seven different small businesses in Tanzania, Samoa, Peru, and Cambodia through the contributions I have made. It doesn’t involve government or political leaders. It’s about ordinary people helping other ordinary people across the world. Red tape and bureaucracy is kept to a minimum and most of the loans are paid back within a year to the lenders, who can then lend their money to someone else.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving and if you would like to participate in this great opportunity to directly help the lives of others, then visit the website at kiva.org. Registration is easy and contributions can be made via the secure Paypal system.

Poverty is a man-made disease, but if we pool our resources together, even in simple ways like Kiva offers, then it can be overcome. Some one once said that if you give a man a fish, he can eat for a day; but if you teach him how to fish, he can eat for life. There’s one more part I would add to that: he can eat for life if you give him access to the fish pond.

Kiva is doing that by giving people access to the business loans that they need to work in their community. And I firmly believe that the Lord takes great delight in what they are achieving amongst the poor. For once, it’s all about everyone’s need, instead of inhumane greed.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You once said that “You will always have the poor with you; do for them whatever you can.” Thank You for the great work of KIVA, its philosophy and practical ideas that are positively changing lives all around the world. Help each of us to seriously consider giving from we have, to those who can use those resources effectively. In Your Holy Name, we pray for an end to poverty. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

4 Minute Devotions: Dealing with Death

Years ago, I saw a person actually die. He was a stranger to me, but both he and his daughter taught me an important faith lesson.

Podcast version here

Job 38:17 Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

It was the first time that I saw someone actually die and he was a stranger to me. I had just started as a part-time chaplain to a local hospital and received a call very early one Saturday morning.

“Can you come and help a patient’s family member?” a nurse asked. “She’s all on her own and has asked for a minister to be with her. Her dad is dying”

It took me about fifteen minutes to get ready. I was at the hospital within half an hour. A young woman was in a side room sitting next to her father’s bed. He was an old man that I had never seen in my life before. He looked tired and weary. She looked exhausted and frail.

“Thank you for coming, “she quietly said.” I just needed someone to be here. I didn’t want to do this on my own.”

We talked for a couple of minutes and I read some scripture. Time passed so slowly. Her father was breathing intermittently and the young woman clasped his hand. She told her dad that she loved him and once or twice she tenderly stroked his hair.

And then the moment came. His face slightly changed color and the breathing stopped. It was very peaceful. The young woman quietly sobbed. I read from Psalm 23 and said a soft, comforting prayer. She graciously thanked me for being there and then the nursing staff arrived to take care of the body. The young woman thanked me once more and allowed me to quietly leave. I never saw her again and to this day I do not know their names. But the woman and her father taught me a lesson: death does not need to be feared and dying can be very peaceful.

That’s why I’m still a minister today and it’s also why I preach the Good News. Jesus has defeated death and His great victory vanquishes all of our fears. Christ not only saw the gates of death; He took them apart forever. We may pass away but once on earth, but death no longer imprisons us, for Jesus has won our eternal freedom.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of our souls and the Deliverer from death. You grant us an everlasting opportunity to be reunited with our loved ones in the holy realms of God. We can never repay the immortal debt that we owe to You, but we will praise Your Name forever. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Taking Stock

The financial markets are free falling. This reminds of what is stated on our dollar bills: In God We Trust.

Podcast version here

Psalm 98:2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

In the midst of all this financial turmoil in the market and across the world, it is perhaps time to remind ourselves that our salvation does not come from money, and that our security is not established by the number of stocks that we own. If we look at any dollar bill, we will read the plain words “In God We Trust.” It was put on our currency to remind us that money is just a means to buy and sell things, but it is not what we as human beings need to trust. After all, as the old saying goes, “You can’t take your money with you.”

I guess a lot of people are on the verge of panicking right now. They’re seeing their lifetime savings, pensions, and 401Ks being depleted as the market plummets. It’s a harsh reminder that our security cannot be guaranteed by what we possess. Our salvation belongs to God and our lives are His alone.

Sometimes we get ensnared by what we have, instead of recognizing who we truly are. Human beings were created long before money, currency, stocks and shares appeared on the scene. We were not made to be possessed by our possessions; rather we were created to enjoy God’s creation. If we place too much value on our financial worth, we lose our spirituality. It’s no accident that the Bible states that ‘the love of money is the root of all evil.’ If we become obsessed with what the markets are doing, we are in danger of losing our grasp of God. Money may make the world go around, but the Lord God sustains the entire universe.

It’s time to let go of our fears and let God increase our faith. It’s time to place our trust in Him and not the banks, the markets, or the stock exchange. Things may be difficult for a while, but they are not disastrous. God has created enough resilience and creativity within all of us to overcome these troubles.

Prayer: Father God, help us to let go of our losses and hold on to the victory that we have in Jesus Christ. Teach us to trust in You and keep us from equating our lives to the things we possess. Enable us to put Jesus at the center of our lives and help us to value ourselves through the strength of our relationship with Him. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Shaky Ground

Religulous the movie paints a picture of Christians being weak minded and simple. Bible stories often excite us as children, but when we become adults we realize that there’s more to the story than meets the eye. The wise man who built his house upon the rock deserves a second look.

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Matthew 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

It was one of the first kids’ choruses that I ever learned as a child: The wise man built his house upon the rock. I can remember learning all of the actions and eagerly anticipating the end when all of the Sunday school kids were allowed to make an almighty noise as the foolish man’s house came tumbling down. It was a great way to teach one of Christ’s most popular stories and I still occasionally teach it to the children in our church.

I thought I knew the story really well, but when I looked at the passage as an adult, I realized there was more to meet the eye. Jesus is talking about obedience, not faith. He is not talking about believing in Him, He’s telling people to do what He says. That’s a big difference and it’s something that a lot of people have difficulty with.

In these turbulent days, when the institutionalized church is trying to become more culturally acceptable and universally palatable, our denominations are losing their foundations. Instead of following Christ and fulfilling His words, we are more into pursuing the world and validating our own opinions. We seek to be liked by the world, instead of being faithful to Christ. We diminish our beliefs in order to be accepted. We no longer have a sure foundation; we’re standing on shaky ground and will end up collapsing in a heap of our own undoing.

The parable, which we tend to set aside as a good children’s story, is one of those “in your face” moments that Jesus often uses to challenge us. The message is quite clear: we either walk His talk or we can say goodbye to God’s Kingdom. I don’t know about you, but rather than listen to the voices of modern, multi-cultural, progressive, one world universalists, I would rather hear the clear and truthful voice of Christ across the centuries. It might seem outdated and paltry to some people, but it’s eternal and priceless to me.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, when the world says, “Jump!” Christians don’t ask “how high?” When You say, “Follow Me,” we reply “Yes, Lord.” Keep us from capitulating and casting aside our allegiance to You. Help us to accept and apply Your words, even although it may cost us popularity, privileges, and profits. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: King Egbert

Passing faith onto our children is a special privilege. Kids’ sermons on Sunday morning’s are the perfect vehicles for enriching their spiritual lives.

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Proverbs 8:15 By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just;

I love talking to our church kids on Sunday mornings. It’s a privilege to share faith with them. I love the answers that they give to my questions, especially when they put me on the spot.

Many years ago, I invented a character called King Egbert, who is always doing silly things. His wife Matilda usually has to fix things for him and bail him out of the trouble he causes. I draw cartoons of the character and produce coloring-in sheets for the children. They seem to like the stories and look forward to the talks. I always relate the story to a Bible message and we usually sing a short song about the story at the end.

There’s a lot of wisdom in the Book of Proverbs and this morning’s verse reminds us of the sovereignty of God. Our leaders may be appointed by the people, but God is in control of the whole earth. We may go through bad economic crises or natural disasters, during and after which our leaders will try to steer our people in the best possible course. We look to them for leadership, but at the same time we pray to God for help. Those simple prayers reflect our faith in the sovereignty of God. He is our King and He is in control.

Prayer: Lord God, we call You the High King of Heaven which means that we place our lives totally under Your control. In good times and bad times, You constantly watch over our lives. You help us through both joyful and painful moments throughout our days on earth. Thank You for being our King and the Sovereign of the Universe. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

PS King Egbert is on the internet. You can see some pictures of King Egbert at http://www.kingegbert.blogspot.com/

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please email him at pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

4 Minute Devotions: Church or Kingdom?

Are denominations important for our spiritual journey? Are Christians dividing their loyalty between Christ and the Church?

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Acts 17: 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

Our wee church is growing, but sadly our denomination is not. Erin is a Christ-centered, biblically moderate church, whereas our denomination is on the progressive side of Christianity. It used to be that this didn’t matter, but lately it has caused people to become a part of our congregation, without officially joining the church.

I understand how people feel, but I believe that they’re missing out of a great opportunity to get officially involved in the Fellowship of the church. In the Church of Scotland, such friends of the congregation are known as adherents: they stick to the congregation, but will not participate in the life, ministry, and work of the denomination.

There’s no easy answer to this dilemma, except to say that God doesn’t recognize any denomination. Christ’s Church is One Church, of One Faith, and One Lord. When we all get to heaven, there won’t be separate gates, places, or mansions for Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Anglicans, Baptists, Pentecostalists or even Roman Catholics. We all become one Family of God and the Bridegroom of Christ. Denominations might define our Christian identity on Earth, but they are absolutely not required in Heaven.

Paul puts it even better: God is not far from anyone who seeks, reaches out, and finds Him. In other words, it’s not our denominations that bring us closer to God; it’s our genuine desire to seek and find God that ultimately brings us closer to Him.

As a pastor, I wish people would join the church without any misgivings, but as a Christian, I’m happy to see them worshipping with us on Sundays and keeping within God’s Kingdom. In the end, it’s our relationship with God through Christ Jesus that is eternally important, not our allegiance to any branch of His Church.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You call us to be disciples of Your Way and followers of Your Truth. We find that churches can provide us with the seeking skills, scriptural knowledge, and faithful fellowship that we need on our spiritual journey. We thank You for all denominations and congregations throughout the world. However, constantly remind us that our allegiance is meant solely for You above all else. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Honor Killings

We're hearing more about "honor" killings these days, even in our own nation. Sadly, it's an act of fanaticism that has its roots in the Bible.

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Deuteronomy 13:9 You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people.

They call it “honor killing,” although there’s nothing honorable about it. Young girls in the Middle East who get caught in the wrong company, or young men who convert to another religion, are cast out by family members and sometimes killed. It’s a horrible way of expressing faith and sadly, it’s one that has its roots in the Bible.

People get fanatical about their faith in God and take it to the extreme, so that nothing stands between them and their devotion to their Deity. Their love becomes an irrational zeal and they become obsessed with serving God perfectly, purely, and persistently. If a family member ‘dishonors’ the family faith, they can be tortured, raped, imprisoned, and killed. It’s a horrible aspect of how faith can destroy believers. It’s a wicked way of serving God.

People expect Christians to be holy and perfect, instead of ordinary and sinful. We have no honor, save that of Christ alone. He is the Sacred One who does everything right. He is the Holy Son of God, who serves His Father faithfully, purely, and perfectly. The grace of Jesus allows us to be restored to God through Christ’s good and godly works. There’s nothing that we can do to shield us from God’s wrath. We can only stand behind Jesus and ask Him to make things right for us. His Death completely paid the price of our sins. In our faith, if ever there was an ‘honor killing,’ it took place at Calvary when Jesus went to the Cross on our behalf.

I wish that those other faiths in the world could put an end to these dishonorable killings, but this will only happen if we keep spreading the Gospel through our churches and in our communities. Christ can release them from the burden of their fanaticism. We need to lovingly bring His message of grace and honor to the world.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, there is a lot of injustice and wickedness in the world that is done in the name of religion. Help us, through Your grace, to present a loving witness to the world, so that other people may be attracted to Your words and ways. Grant us opportunities to confront fanaticism with peace, hope, and love. In Your Honorable Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

4 Minute Devotions: Checking Out the Kingdom

Our modern obsession with diets and dieting, never seem to produce results. Are we in danger of doing the same with our faith?

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Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

I am constantly amazed each week by the number of magazines at supermarket checkouts that announce to the world a brand new diet that will help us all lose 20 pounds a month. Every week, they publicize a brand new diet and I have calculated that if you were to follow each new diet every week, you could lose about 250 pounds in any given year. For most of us, that would use up our entire body. We could all disappear in a year!

I guess diets sell popular magazines and people feel that if they just read about a diet, then at least they’re making an effort in the right direction. The photographs of the diet dishes always look tantalizing and I am sure that many people start off with a new grocery list of items, but then fall off the diet wagon within a couple of weeks. However, hope is to be found at the next checkout for, lo and behold, there’s a better, easier diet printed on the cover of the latest glossy magazine!

Sometimes we approach the Bible in the same manner. We kickoff each New Year with the vow that we’ll pray more regularly and read the Bible each day. We make an effort to accomplish this, but somehow we get distracted or over-burdened. Before we know it, our resolutions are broken and we are spiritually stuck. Our intentions are correct, but our accomplishments are limited.

I like it when Paul reminds us that the Kingdom of God does not depend upon feasting or fasting, diets or doctrine. The Kingdom of God is best manifested when we do the right thing, seek peace in our relationships, and joyfully worship God. When those qualities are evident in our lives, then God’s presence through Jesus Christ is shown to the world. As Christians, we should try our utmost to bring these gifts to the community that we live in. In doing so, people around us will see and be attracted to the Kingdom of God through Christ’s endearing love.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to be righteous without becoming self-righteous. Enable to seek peace without going to pieces over issues. Empower us to show our Christian joy to a joyless world. In all theses things, help us to be sincere and effective servants of the Kingdom of God. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

4 Minute Devotions: Clearing Out

The older I get, the more I begin to realize that I am no longer carrying faith on my own: I’m giving it away.

Psalm 71: 18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

I am a terrible hoarder. I keep things in my two studies that I will never use ever again. I’ve got pens that have dried up; pieces of paper with messages written long ago; notebooks full of half-baked ideas; cassette tapes that I will never listen to again; and old computers that will become antiques in a few years.

I need to start downsizing my clutter and get rid of these things. I need to create more space in order to think creatively, instead of being surrounded with things that I will never use. But each time I go to throw things out, I find an emotional attachment, an unexplored idea, a potential use, or a guilty feeling about letting it go. Clutter clings to me and I am possessed by my worthless possessions.

Spiritually, I sometimes feel the same. I fill my timetable with many plans, projects, and meetings. My head is full of interesting ideas, valuable visions, and innovative applications. Too much stuff and too many thoughts. Too much pressure and hardly any peace. I’m living the curse of the modern man – so many things to do; so little time left to do it in.

I need to de-clutter my soul and make more room, more time, and more space for God in my heart. I need to give away my faith more often, in order to grow with God. I need to use Time as a tool for getting the best out of life and giving my best to God. Like the psalmist, I want to grow old and gray, knowing the comforting presence of God, and telling His story to the next generation.

It’s not going to be easy letting go of all of my physical and spiritual clutter, but I have to start now or I will leave it too late. Today, I’ll let go of me and let God get a hold of me.

Prayer: Lord God, we keep filling the great gaps of our lives with things that are trivial and events that are unimportant. We set You aside to get what we want done and try to play catch up with You later on. We deplete our spirits and diminish our relationship with You, but when things go badly or if we do something wrong, we expect You to be there and rescue us. Lord, forgive us for taking You for granted. Help us today to specialize in You. Enable us to clear out the clutter in our hearts and minds; set our spirits free. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment upon today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

4 Minute Devotions: Street Talk

We live one life and then face God's judgment, but doesn’t the Gospel message offer us more?

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Hebrews 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…

Years ago, I can remember hearing a street preacher giving this solemn message about death and judgment. It took place in the center of my hometown of Glasgow, Scotland, on a Saturday night during the football season. I was playing my guitar and singing choruses with a bunch of zealous friends. The preacher was trying hard to convince the hundreds of passers-by to think twice about what they were doing and where they were going. Every now and then, someone would stop and listen, start laughing and then call us all fools. I was really embarrassed and inwardly prayed that no one who knew me would see me.

At one point during the preaching, a street vendor was trying to sell the Saturday Night Sports edition of the local newspaper. A contest soon began between the preacher, the vendor, and the chorus singers. We were singing Blessed Assurance, the preacher was talking about the Final Judgment, and the vendor was shouting out the latest football scores. It could have made a great comic sketch for Saturday Night Live!

I don’t know if we made any difference in anyone’s life that night, but the lesson that I took from it has stayed with me. Whenever Christ’s Gospel is preached and judgment is mentioned, the world doesn’t want to hear it and would rather find comfort and joy in a few favorable football scores. But no matter how distracted the world may become, the truth will not be set aside or diminished: we all have one life to live, and after that is over, we face God’s judgment.

But the message doesn’t end there. If you have a look at the following verse, you can see the hope of the Gospel.

Hebrews 9:28 …so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.

Jesus comes to bring salvation to those who wait for Him. Christ cancels out God’s judgment upon us. His sacrifice takes away the eternal consequences of our sins. We don’t have to fear the wrath of God, because Christ restores us to God’s embrace. We don’t need to distract ourselves when we hear the terrible words of judgment; we just have to place our faith in the vanquishing power of Christ’s grace. That’s the kind of winning score that is worth preaching, singing, and even selling newspapers about. That’s the kind of victory I want in my life and in everyone else’s.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we know that we make terrible mistakes in our lives and that all of us carry regrets from the past. We also know that we are not worthy to enter into God’s holy, sacred, and perfect presence. But You provide us with the opportunity to break from our past and look forward to being with God. Thank You, Jesus, for the blessed assurance of Your sacrifice, forgiveness, and grace. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

4 Minute Devotions: Faithfulness

It's only through God's faithfulness to His Word, that we can ever be restored to His favor and love.

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1 Corinthians 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

My faith is built upon the faithfulness of God. If God was ever unfaithful to His Word, my faith would instantly diminish and be destroyed. I depend upon His words being true, which is why I hold fast to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This gets me into bother sometimes, especially with other Christians whose affinity to the faith does not depend upon how truthful God’s Word is, but on how much they believe that God’s Word is trumped by God’s Love. Acceptance and tolerance are the keys to their faith and sometimes I envy them. It would be so easy to give up on God’s Word and interpret things the way that I wanted. Life would be less cumbersome without divine rules, regulations, and readings. I could do as I please, instead of trying to do what would please God.

Now don’t get the impression that I am a sanctimonious, saintly, separationist who delights in being perfect and loves it when other people fail. I am a sinful person, whose mistakes often disappoint God, other people, and even me. Because I hold fast to the faithfulness of God’s Word, it hurts me to hurt Him. My failure to remain faithful, however, does not diminish the truth about God’s Word. He remains faithful, so that when I seek forgiveness, He pardons me through the precious blood of Christ.

That’s why my faith is built upon God’s faithfulness. Left to myself, I cannot always keep His words. At some point, during each day of my life, I am going to sin. My thoughts, my words, or my deeds are going to betray God. Whether it’s intentional or not, the result is still the same: through my selfishness, I have separated myself from God. It’s only through His faithfulness that I can ever be restored to God’s favor and love.

Perhaps you’ve separated yourself from God through something that you’ve done or said. Maybe like me, you find yourself spiritually alone because of selfish and sinful ways. It seems as though there’s no hope, no solution, and no one to turn to, but that is completely wrong. God is faithful and He will find us, no matter how lost, sinful, or unfaithful we have been.

Prayer: Lord God, we all make mistakes and allow our sinful ways to separate us from Your love. We feel alienated and isolated, spiritually crushed and totally abandoned at times. Despite what we do to what we do to ourselves, You remain faithful and offer us forgiveness through the holy sacrifice of Your Son Jesus Christ. Help us at this time, to turn to Him and receive Your mercy and grace. In Christ’s Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.