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Alex Smethurst

Faith, Hope and Love are words that are close to the Christian belief but many times we know the words but we fail live the words out in our lives. In this message Pastor Alex begins to bring these terms down to our everyday.

 

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Day 52

Todays Reading – Luke 1:1-80

Scripture:

Luke 1:26-38

37 For nothing is impossible with God. 38“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Observation:

Mary is confronted with an impossible situation. She is pledged to be married and the angel of the Lord is explaining to her how she will become pregnant. Mary never being with a man is confused how this will happen. The angel explains that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and she will be with child. Upon the angels explanation we see Mary’s faith. Her response is trust in God and believes that all things are possible with Him. She doesn’t hesitant or doubt she acts in faith and accepts what the Lord has planned for her. Mary’s faith is humbling she is abandoned to her will and follows Gods plan.

Application:

Mary is put in an extremely difficult position she is confronted with Gods plan for her life, with natural laws, the law of Moses and cultural expectations. Mary must choose her path. First she asks for an explanation on how this will be, upon the explanation, Mary is left to consider Gods plan and her reputation. Who would believe this is Gods baby, she will be rejected by her family, her husband to be and she may be stoned to death. In the text she seems to make the decision quickly, she seems to have faith that says ‘if it is Gods will He will provide a way’. Of course we see through the story that God does lead her through it and all the impossible things are made possible.

Reading the story of Mary can seem somewhat repetitive; after all it is read every Christmas. It seems even a little strange to read the ‘Christmas’ story in March. But I believe Mary is one of the strongest examples of faith in the Bible. She looks at Gods promise to her and what it would cost her and she quickly gives up all for His plan. I think we can learn a lot from the mother of Jesus. How many of us hear a plan from God but we are too worried about the situation or what other will think to step out in faith. Today lets pray for a faith like Mary and see what impossible things God makes possible!

Prayer

Father help us to have faith! Lord we are so worried about our reputation and what other will think that we are paralyzed. Help us to hear your voice and follow you with a reckless abandonment. God we long to be used by you! Increase of faith Jesus. AMEN

Alex

It has been a great start to the summer so far, and we’ve been enjoying some really wonderful weather.  But I must admit having three children out of school for two months can be quite stressful as I’ve come to realize this year.  This is the first summer vacation that my children are not in daycare and I now recognize the challenge that many parents face each summer — the kids are off but the parents are not!  So now what do we do???  That has been my question since the beginning of June when I realized I have to somehow find a way to keep my children (aged: 13, 9, & 7) busy while my husband and I both work…. believe me there is no easy solution, we’re still struggling to work out childcare arrangements for each week & we’re only halfway through month #1, YIKES!

Looking back now I felt confident heading into the month of July.  My son (the 13-year-old) had to attend summer school for math, which at first I thought was unfortunate because as a mom I expected more from him but thinking it over now I realize it worked out better this way.  He is occupied for the entire month of July learning, so I see this as a blessing for sure!  When I was looking for day camps  and summer programs for the girls I realized they are really expensive and not something our family budgeted for.  Luckily two churches that we’ve had great experiences with in our community offered free VBS programs suited for daughters.  Those programs took care of weeks 1 & 3 for the month of July, but this week was the one where I had no idea what to do about childcare…. I’m so thankful to have a supporting family that jumped in to help.  Thanks to my aunt, grandma, cousin, & sister - I didn’t have to worry about where the girls would be this week, and I’m hoping they will do the same for the last week of July too (just putting it out there in case they happen to come across this blog :)).

Looking ahead to August this is the first year that my youngest daughter is old enough to attend the FREE overnight camp offered by Liberty - Camp Inner-Change! She is so excited and our own camp will kick-off the childcare planning schedule for next month because I know I won’t have to worry about the kids from August 1-5 while they enjoy a week away from the city at Braeside Camp.

As for the rest of the summer….I’m believing God will work it out as long as I do my part too! Hope you all have a refreshingly blessed week!

Nina

S - cripture: John 9:1-41 . . . Jesus heals a man born blind.

O - bservations:

Here, on a Sabbath day, a man born blind is healed by Jesus. Such an incident stirred people’s hearts and minds. According to their law, no one’s allowed to do any kind of work on a Sabbath. Jesus broke the law that they (Jewish people) received from Moses. Was He being rebellious about their Sabbath Law? Or, was He challenging their thinking about it? There were several accounts in Scripture when Jesus ministered to people on the Sabbath (read Matthew 12:1-14; Mark 2:23-28 – 3:1-6; Luke 6:1-11). The Pharisees and other Jews were greatly offended by this “work on a Sabbath”. But Jesus continues to do the work God sent Him to do. And, clearly, NOTHING or NO ONE could stop the coming of the Kingdom to those who believe…. not even the Sabbath. Jesus has authority over all. He is Lord of the Sabbath. He did not fear any man. He kept doing the work that God sent Him to do so that people might come to believe in Him. Jesus obeyed the Father in everything. Nothing and no one can stop God. He will do what He wants and when He wants to.

A - pplication:

Reading this story 2000 years later, I am also confronted with this question that the blind man asked the Pharisees, “Do you want to become His disciple, too?” For me, how can I say NO? How can I resist this IRRESISTIBLE Jesus. There’s only One LORD and I BELIEVE.

P – rayer: Jesus, I believe that You ARE the Son of God. I believe that You ARE the only Way to the Father. I believe that You are LORD and You have authority over all things. So, Jesus, have your way in me, I pray, Amen.

junn

Two weeks ago, my friend Omar and I started a project called “I Love Church” video. So I thought of calling people I know at Liberty and told them about the idea and everyone loved it.

• Some people came prepared and spoke with eloquence as the camera man rolled his film.
• Some felt a little shy being on camera and that’s not surprising.
  
• Some were nervous because they had no idea what they’re going to say because they’ve never done this before.
  

At any rate, all were able to express their views and say what they had to say in front of the camera…. testifying what church is all about and what Jesus had done in their lives.  Most of these people had gone through many storms in their lives but they have ALL experienced God stepping into their situation and bringing them hope through Christ Jesus. Church has become a spiritual family to them, a community they can be part of, belong to, and feel accepted and loved.

My Own Journey…

Hong Kong is a city that’s interesting to visit and also known for its diversity. It was my home for many years after I arrived to work as a musician. It was an opportunity to be around people from different nationalities….. Chinese, Koreans, Indians, Russians, Europeans, Africans …. etc. As a foreigner living in a multi-cultural city, I had to find a community where I could “fit in”.  I had the opportunity to build friendships with some of these minority groups; though it wasn’t very easy since everyone came from  such different backgrounds and cultures.  It was quite a time of adjustments for me but, fortunately, I got accustomed to living in Hong Kong.  Needless to say, I found a community where I felt right at home with… the Filipino community.

The truth is - we are all transient in a city like Hong Kong.  A lot of people I’ve met over the years have since moved on to other countries or back to their native lands.  One day, a special friend of mine took me to a church where I found people to be totally different from those I was normally in contact with. (Back then my everyday life was filled with people in the music scene… people from work and people I played tennis with regularly).

At this church, people were talking about God and were sharing stories about how Jesus worked in their lives… how He had changed them and forgave them of their sins.  They expressed how God had been so good to them and how because of Him, they now have “life”.  In those moments, I sensed the Holy Spirit saying, “This is where you belong”.  I felt that God had given me a community that belonged to Him.  There was nothing like it, and I felt as though I was “stuck” with it - I just couldn’t  stay away.

In  this community, I didn’t have to be afraid to let others know about myself, my struggles, my success & disappointments because everyone else had them too!  In this community, we learned to live life in its fullness. You may say that there’s no perfect church, very true.  But the church, I believe, is a community that continues to strive for holiness and righteousness…. living a life that pleases God who gives us the power to do so through His Holy Spirit living inside us.

Last Sunday, Pastor Jason Cleugh talked about the story of a man that had been blind for years his name was Bartimeus (Mark 10:46-52). I should say this story is one of my favorites - I’ve read and heard it a hundred times, probably.  Every time I hear it, I love that there’s always a freshness brought with it. That morning, I felt God’s voice speaking to my soul again and again … that I should be desperate for Him more than anything else.

The Church is the best “place” to be part of on the face of the earth (in my opinion).  Not only because I get to be around people who love Jesus and worship Him, in spirit and in truth, but also I get to be with people who are truly desperate for Him and want to “see Him”, the One Great One - who made the heavens and the earth… the One who gave His life that we may have eternal life… the One who restored our relationship with the FATHER… the One who was, who is and is to come, JESUS - who truly has authority over us and constantly speaks to us and into our lives through His wonderful Holy Spirit.

Regards!

Junn

I love Easter.  I love everything it represents.  I love going to Good Friday services.  I love watching Passion Plays.  I love watching the 10 Commandments.  I love the hope that accompanies this season. 

I put my daughter to bed tonight - she said she couldn’t wait to get up tomorrow because Jesus wouldn’t be in tomb anymore.  

I smiled. 

I wanted to correct her - to tell her that we were actually just celebrating Jesus being raised from the dead. But I looked at the anticipation and excitement in her eyes and I didn’t say anything.  

I thought about my own life.  I wondered how I could get back to that child-like faith.  

As I walked downstairs and sat down at my computer I thought about all the amazing things Jesus has done for me.  And in that moment I felt just like a 5 year old.  So grateful and full of anticipation about what he is going to continue to do in my life.  

It’s not that I don’t think about Jesus every other day of the year.  But there is something so good and right about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.  It reminds me of the sureness of my faith.  

In my teenage years I wasn’t quite sure if this whole Christianity thing was going to be for me.  I was a science head and logic ruled my life.  I can remember coming to a very intense crossroads where I was driven to investigate whether Jesus was a historical figure, or merely a mythical persona.  As I studied what ancient texts and critics said - my belief in Jesus basically came down to one idea - “was the resurrection true or not?”  If it wasn’t - then I would hang up my Jesus hat forever - if it was I would dedicate my life to his kingdom.  After much study and many restless nights I came to the conclusion that resurrection absolutely occurred and that there was no other plausible conclusion.   

And so tonight as I sit in my home on resurrection eve - I echo my daughter’s thought, “I can’t wait for tomorrow - because Jesus is not going to be in the tomb anymore” 

jess

Language can be a funny thing if you think about it for a minute.

My roots come from Italy, (Di Sabatino) kind of obvious, however, I have always found language to be an interesting study especially when I’m watching how people treat others speaking with a foreign tongue.

Have you ever noticed within every sub-culture there is a language of it’s own? You know, there’s a whole new set of language that you have to learn whether your in a new job, ordering in a restaurant or even exploring a new church.

When I meet with people and have an opportunity to express my faith, I’m intentional about the language I use, but I’ve got to tell you it’s not always easy. I mess up all the time and slide back into what I call “Christian-ese.” It’s a sub-cultural made up language of church goers that have spent too much time within the four walls of the church.

Let me give you a few examples:

1. “There’s a check in my spirit” (then cash it!) - means, I feel like I’ve heard from God.
2. Let’s have some “fellowship” - means, let’s hang out.
3. I don’t feel “led” - means, I don’t want to do that right now.

Trust me there’s a bunch more and I’m sure you could add a few to the list. But, what I’m trying to say here is let’s be very aware of the words we use to explain what we mean. Especially when it comes to explaining our faith.

Just be yourself, don’t put on the spiritual talk, “Christianese” language. Talk to others the way they talk to you, let’s face it too many spiritual words in any sentence just don’t make sense!

I thought this was a funny example of how we can segregate people from ourselves and not even know it. (I am in no way advocating for this brand, just think it’s a funny commercial!)

So the next time you are about to extrapolate on the deep mysteries of scripture or tell a friend about your faith in Christ remember, it’s doesn’t have to be complicated.

Don’t speak fritalian!

Dave