Signing Off - Philippians 4:22

Philippians 4:22 All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. (NIV)

            Throughout my time as a pastor, I have known some political leaders who were also very fine Christians. Their dedication to the local community and the people of the region that they represented was a great witness to both their faith and loyalty to God, as well as to their own folks. They did not seek to be esteemed or powerful; they only wanted to serve and build up the community. They were honorable people and dedicated Christians, so I felt privileged and thankful for what they did and accomplished. Their witness to Christ and their service to the locals was both a blessing from God and a great gift to the community. They proved that both politics and religion can be mixed successfully.

            As the apostle Paul signs off on his letter to the Philippian church, he inserts something that would have been a surprise to the congregation. He passes on the greetings of those who belong to Caesar’s household. This was remarkable because it showed that Christianity had actually penetrated Caesar’s inner circle and close family. Who these people were, we do not know, but they would have been powerful and influential because of their close proximity to the Emperor himself. It was a foreshadowing of what would eventually happen hundreds of years later when Christianity would be sanctioned by Constantine as the official religion of the whole Roman Empire. From those tiny seeds of faith that were planted within Caesar’s household in Paul’s time, Christ’s Spirit grew until it overcame Rome and spread throughout our entire planet.

            I think the lesson that Paul teaches us here is this: political leaders do not have to ditch their faith in order to be effective. In fact, what this says to me, is that Christianity can positively influence powerful people, politicians, and local representatives to make their communities better places for opportunity and service, strength and growth.

Point to ponder

Who are the local leaders in my community? Am I willing to pray for them?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we pray for those people who represent us locally, regionally, and nationally. We ask that Your Spirit guides their thoughts and decisions to make our communities better places of opportunity, harmony, and unity. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship at 11:00 AM on Sunday mornings. You will be made most welcome!

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings called ‘Spirit Window.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Window.

4 Minute Daily Devotions: Real Rejoicing!

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Throughout the summer months, when our church choir does not meet, our Creative Expressions team encourages our church kids to present the anthem during worship on Sunday mornings. The leader of our ministry team, Cynthia, and Joe our choir director, take time out from their own busy schedules to rehearse the songs that our church kids will sing.

Sometimes the kids sing solo; on other occasions they present duets, trios, and ensembles to the Lord. They even do dance routines, taught by one of our moms, for their songs. The kids are as young as first graders and as ‘old’ as Middle Schoolers. It’s wonderful to watch them confidently and enthusiastically sing for the Lord. Their joy in church becomes a great boost to the whole congregation and we rejoice along with them. We feel truly blessed to have such dedicated leaders and creative kids.

Rejoicing is an important part of any church’s worship life. When we joyfully praise God, we do two things: firstly, we express our love to God, and secondly, we attract other people to worship Christ. It’s a wonderful way of living out our faith and sharing our beliefs.

As our church kids grow up, we hope that they will remember their joyful experiences in church, so that when they become adults they will have a solid foundation for their faith. We may never see the full extent of God’s work in their lives, but we will continue to rejoice with them, so long as we are all here.

Today, let’s look for moments of rejoicing in the Lord. Let’s seek out those precious times when we can joyfully and effectively share our faith in Christ. And as we rejoice in Jesus, let’s also pray that others will be attracted to our Savior and His church.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we rejoice in You, for You are the One Great Love and Hope in our lives. Help us to make this day a time of faithful rejoicing in our work, at our homes, and amongst our friends. In Your Most Holy Name, we cheerfully 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.

Daily Devotions: The Power of Prayer

How does prayer work? Prayer allows us to step back from our problems and let God step in to help us.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Podcast version here

There’s a lot of anxiety going around these days. People are afraid of catching the flu; communities are dreading the closure of businesses; and even churches are seeing their resources diminishing. With no political, economic, or even spiritual stability, now is the time to seek God in prayer. It’s worked in the past, when things were a lot worse. So, instead of being fearful and anxious, let’s try to become more faithful and prayerful.

Presenting our requests to God gives us an opportunity to voice our concerns and externalize our anxieties. If we bottle up our fears inside us, we will experience undue internal pressure and a lot of stress. Prayer gives us the chance to release the tension and place our anxieties before God. Remember the old saying: a burden shared is a burden halved.

Realizing that we cannot control things around us enables us to ask God for help. We are not spiritual supermen or superwomen. We don’t have the capacity to be able to do everything ourselves. Recognizing God’s sovereignty over our lives can release us from trying to solve the world’s problems. We can only handle what God has potentially given us to handle. Everything else is in His domain.

Asking God for help in prayer is a great act of faith. When we pray, we actually respect God and His power. We understand that we are finite creatures in need of an infinite God. By praying, we give God His place in our lives and put Him at the center of all things.

Yielding to God’s will in prayer frees us from our fears. We have faith that God will work out everything for the common good. God may say “no” or “not now” to us, but at least He will have answered our prayers. Surrendering ourselves to His wisdom and will is a sincere act of faith, service, and love. It also calms our spirits, for we know that whatever transpires, it is God’s will.

Encouraging others to pray with and for us has a communal blessing that strengthens our spirits. Yesterday, a friend sent me an email with the following quote from C. S. Lewis, ‘prayer does not change things, it changes me.’ When we solicit other people’s prayers, we are changing inside. Instead of isolating ourselves and internalizing our troubles, we allow other people to know of our concerns and to seek their prayerful support. This is one of the greatest benefits of belonging to a Christian community.

Requesting God’s help, recognizing our frailty, and realizing that prayer is a powerful way to change our circumstances releases us from being overwhelmed by our fears, worries, and cares. It’s a spiritual way of stepping back from the problem and letting God step in to help us. We allow God to be God and we permit ourselves to be His children.

Prayer: Lord God, we thank You that we can freely come to You in prayer at any time, with any problem, and in any situation. We know that You hear our cries for help from our hearts and souls. Ease our anxieties and calm our fears. Listen to our petitions and allow us to hear Your answers. In Christ’s Holy Name, we thankfully 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: False Alarms

Have you ever had one of those days when you walked in the house and forgot to switch off the burglar alarm? Or you had the alarm on, and went to take the garbage out late at night, only to panic when all of the sirens, bells, and whistles screamed throughout the subdivision?

Hello, my name is John Stuart, and I’m an accidental alarmist.

It’s so embarrassing and you feel like an absolute fool. One moment the neighborhood is all quiet and cozy, and then it’s as if World War Three had broken out late at night. And you know what the neighbors are thinking: that Scottish twit has just set off his burglar alarm again.

For peace and security, most people invest in some sort of burglar alarm. They want to keep their homes free from any disturbance, break-in, or invasion. A burglar alarm guarantees that everyone in the neighborhood knows that something is wrong and the security people, who monitor the alarm, get ready to call the police if no one responds to their call.

We all want peace and security in our lives, whether it’s in our homes, at our school, or in our workplaces. We hate the stress and pressure of conflict and alarm, fear and trouble. We all just want to get on with our lives and be left in peace to enjoy our freedom, resources, and leisure.

Isaiah 32:17 The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.

The Bible offers us these in two ways: from the Old Testament, Isaiah suggests that peace and security are the fruits of righteousness, which really means remaining absolutely loyal to God. If we are faithful to Him, then God will protect us from all sorts of trouble.

But the New Testament is slightly different. Paul states that if we want to experience the peace that surpasses all understanding, then we have to allow Jesus to guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). In other words, Christ becomes for us the spiritual burglar alarm within our souls, so that when evil and temptation try to ruin our peace and upset our lives, Jesus gives us the strength, guidance, and courage to overcome them.

So, if we want real peace and security in our lives, we need to place our faith in God and let Christ rule our minds and hearts. Otherwise, we’re just setting ourselves up for fear and anxiety, worry and heartbreak.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we all feel insecure, isolated, and irrelevant at times. Help us to hold on to Your promises and to look to You to bring the peace and security that we need in our hearts, minds, and souls. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.