Raining Cats and Dogs

 

Raining Cats and Dogs

1 John 3.1-10

As we enter the third chapter of John's letter, I was thinking about how much we have covered already and here comes some more. It never stops. The Bible is an endless discourse of thought and explanation of the Christian life. That's what it might feel like when it seems to endless rain outside. We have had our fair share and then some of the rain this summer in Ohio. I plan my sermon titles and worship information for several weeks ahead. At the time, I was wondering what it might be like if it actually rained when I put that sermon title on for August 28. Then, this past week I noticed the forecast and thought "What if it doesn't rain?" Oh well, The inspiration of the message can still work. I had thought about including "There Will Be Showers of Blessings" in our hymns today, but that kind of silly when its not raining out there. We have much to cover today as we are in another spot where John's thoughts from the previous chapter seem to carry into the next. 

Ocean of Love

The subject of Love is front and center as we enter the third chapter. I often will encourage people who want to get married to read the book "The 5 Love Languages" by Dr Gary Chapman. Inside we find a good explanation of what it means to actually love someone while learning the ways in which your spouse is actually speaking to you. Dr Chapman does an excellent work here showing us that people actually do "speak" a language of love in what they do and how they act. John is saying to us that God has lavished his Love on us. God speaks to us in modes of love. The sharing of his Son with the whole world is the ultimate expression of what it means to share Love. I tried to express the importance of understanding that our translation process from Greek and Hebrew might leave us with some gaps. It is actually an incredibly difficult process trying to move the thoughts and feelings of one language into another. A simple search on Google will show that there are multiple ways to express the language of Love in Hebrew or Greek. Where as, we have the word LOVE in English. You might find a site out there explaining that there are 8 different ways to express the phrase "I Love You" in Hebrew. I had learned in our Course of Study classes during Hebrew Bible that there were as many as 16 ways to use the word LOVE in Hebrew. While we simply have the word LOVE in our English language. I say all of this to convey the idea that we have much to learn about Love. It is not a simple matter. 

Just one simple verse from John's Gospel has so much to say to us.

God loves us so much that He would give up everything He had. Think about your own children. Would you make such a sacrifice on your own accord for the well being of everyone around you? Only one other person seems to have been asked in the biblical concourse. Abram is asked to give up Isaac in a moment of worship. He is willing. He doesn't understand the why or the what of the matter. He is simply willing to do what God asks in the moment. There is so much that the world doesn't understand concerning God's Love for us. That is why so many reject or don't want anything to do with this. If we could figure out a way to communicate that Love in ways the world could hear us and perceive the dire need for Jesus. it could make all the difference. Maybe we could do better in that area.

Clean It Up

How many Methodists actually have a grip on the matters of purification and sanctification? There numbers actually astoundingly low. I can recall being at my wife's home church of New Zion out on the western edge of Baltimore, OH. I was asked to lead the Adult Sunday School class one week and I took the opportunity to delve into the subject of sanctification. Upon asking all that were gathered if any of them had any idea what this word meant or had even heard it before, only one raised their hand and said they thought they had heard it - once. Sad. For a denomination who looks to a man like John Wesley as it's founding father it truly sad that more people do not truly grasp to need to understand this word. 

The Apostle John uses this moment speaking about Love to more right into the need for purifying ourselves from sin. Having spent time in two major denominations - the Church of the Nazarene and the United Methodist Church, it is really decisive that we spend a moment here on the words surrounding this topic. What is sanctification? What does it mean to purify oneself from sin? At the heart of our human lives is truly the matter of authority. Who tells you what to do? Who has control of your life? If we are looking at it the subject from the standpoint of being a good American, then we want the government to butt out of our affairs and leave us alone. We want to stand on our own two feet and do our own thing our own way. Freedom is just exactly that. That is probably how most people would define it. However, in the Christian life, we are taught that we need to be dependent upon God. We need to lean on Him. Trust in Him. In this matter of sanctification, we find our purification from sin in the moment we turn our lives over to Him. We are here to follow the example of Jesus Christ. The Son turned his life over to the Father and followed His will. Our will, our decision making process, needs to be in God's hands. One thing we do early on is ask Jesus to come into our live. We ask him to forgive us for our sins. That's how this life begins. There is another step that needs to be taken. And, that is the matter of turning our lives over to Him. This matter of authority comes down to us giving God control of our hearts and lives. We find our way to purity when we give this sinful self over to someone who is Holy. God is Holy. And we need His authority to rule us and lead us so we make good decisions. That is how we live this life for Jesus. 

It Never Ends

Here it comes again as John comes back to the idea that there are those in the midst of their community who would teach something different. It's never going to go away. And it never has. As long as there are human being roaming the earth, there will always be those who do not listen to the message of forgiveness and sanctification in Jesus Christ. There will always be those who seek to teach something else that doesn't add up to following God in His Love expressed in the form of Jesus giving his life on the cross. It boggles the mind. And, yet, if we are honest about it; if we have truly entered into this life through the asking for Jesus to enter, then we know that there are two sides to this. We have to humble ourselves and comes to a place where we realize that we need this forgiveness.We have to take that next step and humble ourselves again as we turn this life over to Him. We need his authority over us. We need Him to lead us and guide us. 

John would straight up compare the matter of not following God is his holiness and righteousness to that of following in the ways of the devil. Here is some good resource material. Go to Google and type in "explaining the devil Christianity" and see what comes up. I really should come back and give this a whole message all to itself. Maybe we will do that. According to our historical sources, the devil rebelled a long time ago. He is present in the Garden during that opening moment. He uses the idea of knowledge and truth against the first human beings to get them to do what they want and rebel against God. 

How can we make sure that we are not following in those footsteps? How can we make sure we are walking with Jesus? Making sure that what we are doing is being done in Love is a good place to start. This week, take the time to slow things down in your mind. Put your actions and your words up next to the person of God and His Love. Let Him lead the way. Let God direct your thoughts. It might make all the difference. 

Queen of Denial

 

Queen of Denial

1 John 2.18-29

The background and history behind a passage of scripture is truly what brings any passage to light and makes it preach-able. Putting together a message really isn't that hard if we are simply listening to the context in and around any piece of scripture. We have already heard much about the world of these early believers in Jesus Christ. This week as we finish up chapter 2 of 1 John, we see more of what the Apostle John and others are dealing with as they seek to educate, encourage and keep the early church together and following the Lord.

When Will He Return?

In much of the writings within the New Testament, these epistles quite frequently refer to the Lord as "returning quickly", "soon and very soon", or as this week's scripture would put it "this is the last hour". When Jesus said he would return and take his followers to where he is (John 14) it was quite literal for all of them to think that the Lord would return very soon. Paul had to deal with this mindset quite literally when speaking to the Thessalonians, who took the message to heart so frankly that it was noted that believers in this early church would go up into the mountains in order to be as close to heaven as possible. Here they would sit and wait for the Lord to return hoping they would be among the first to see the Lord and be in his presence. That is how real the entire matter was for them. We out call people in our current, modern setting out for being too fundamental on their beliefs citing early church history as their ground work for why they do the things they do. What do we do with this information about the early church itself? Where would they come up with this notion that what they needed to do was go up into the mountains in order to be the first ones to see Jesus. Leaving behind all work and family in some cases, or maybe their entire family would abandon society and head up into the heights in order to be ready for The Return. Human beings really come up with some mind boggling notions of what it means to be following God. 

Keeping The Focus

We need to spend some time centering ourselves on the backdrop of what John is trying to say here and the focus has to do with denying who Jesus Christ is as Lord and Savior. This is a broad subject that reaches through not just the community of unbelievers, but also into the church itself where holding onto that belief in Jesus is of utmost importance. On every side, these early believers are bombarded with a message of distraction and fear and misguided theology. It is not easy to simply hang on to the faith about this Messiah who claims to want to take us to where he is. 

Emperor Domitian, the self-proclaimed “Lord and God” and ruthless dictator, reigned from AD 81 to 96. He was the son of Emperor Vespasian and the brother of Titus, the conquerors of Jerusalem in AD 70. Late in life, Domitian become very superstitious. In fact, on the day before he was murdered, he consulted an astrologer. During this time he also consulted Apollo, the god of music and poetry, as well as light, truth and prophecy! Commemorating his superstition, the emperor minted coins depicting Apollo on one side and a raven, associated with prophecy, on the other. This the world that early church find itself in. A temple to a Greek/Roman god might be right across the street from where the church is located. In many of the archeological films you might come across when researching New Testament material, it quite often is the case to uncover a building with religious markings that would suggest that early believers worshiped there. And, right across the street, there would be a temple to Zeus or Apollo or Athena. It would be common practice for some to worship in said temple and then come across the street to the church afterwards. Maybe people felt they needed to check all the bases and make sure they didn't miss out on any of gods on display. Maybe some did it for social interactions. And, yet, from the tone in John's letter, it seems quite certain that many are simply on the fence about what their own decision is about this Jesus. 

John would call anyone delivering a different message than the one they are presenting, an antichrist.

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While it has been suggested historically that there would be someone who would come and oppose the person Jesus, quite literally, when approaching the word we should hear John speaking to the matter in a more general way. John is not trying to make reference to any specific person. He is speaking to a mindset of denying who Jesus is. Anyone who would say that Jesus is not who he says he is is in opposition and is referred to as simply, an anti-christ. John is also saying that there are some who had gone out from their own fold. The message they are delivering shows that they never really belonged to the church in the first place. If they had, then the message they would have been delivering would have kept itself true to the person of Jesus. "The proof is in the pudding" is an old adage that works here. One taste of this "other" message and you know its not the "real stuff". So it is with the message about Jesus. John is writing to a society that has people proclaiming high knowledge and understanding about God. Those in that arena would also claim they have so sin, which is not in keeping with what we know about our own nature and the very center of the message that the Christian faith delivers. Then, the early church also finds itself in the face of a Roman empire with a Caesar who claims Lordship over everyone. How is a person supposed to hang on to their faith and stay true to Jesus Christ with all of this opposing their conscience? 

The Apostle John is maybe one of the best at giving encouragement. What he tells his audience is that they have everything they need right there in their midst. They have the anointing of God on them that will teach them everything they need to know. John hearkens them back to "the beginning" to remember how their faith journey began. Those early moments when our faith begins to grow and take off can be what makes or breaks our development in following Jesus. If there is not a moment in your life where you can mark the beginning of that journey, then you might have a time figuring out of you have Jesus in your life at all. For John and the apostles, they know they can look back to those three and half years they spent following Christ. They know where the beginning is for them. And, they also know where they are headed. 

Lost In Translation

Here would be a good place to bring up the matter of what exactly gets put into our English translation of the scripture. When John says here that "you do not need any one to teach you", what do he truly mean here? Lets keep in step with the context. John is speaking about the fact there there are those out in the social community that would try to lead them astray. We've covered what it is they are presenting. John is trying to convey that his audience already knows what they need to know about Jesus. No one else needs to come along and teach them something else about God. They know what they need to know already. And, yet, simple everyday life would show us that we do need people to lead us and teach us and guide us as we walk along. Here comes that fundamental viewpoint that needs addressing again. The setup of the Thurston sanctuary leads my mind to wander back to another sanctuary I worshiped in long ago. Just as we have this outer row of pews lining the outer wall here, the Apostolic church I enjoyed a week of Revival services in way back in 1995 was setup much the same way. If you know anything about worship in that type of setting, you know it can get very vocal with testimonies and speaking out. Might hear some tongues being shared. Lots of free-wheeling types who get emotional and shouting. It is quite an experience. 

I recall the worship leader calling for testimonies in the midst of the service. I seem to remember his suggesting "I don't want to hear about your tired feet and back. I don't want to hear anything about how many quarts of green beans you canned today 'with the Lord's help'. I want to some real, true words about what God has done for you." Being put on the spot like that was a bot unusual for an Apostolic-Pentecostal-Charismatic community who is used to maybe doing whatever they like in a service. The testimonies came a bit slow at first with the congregation being put in check and having to think before they spoke. Of course that didn't stop the most egregious, entertaining testimonies from making their way to the floor. Like I said, things can get a bit emotional in that kind of setting. After some well placed words about what God has done from several of the people in attendance, then the tongue speaking got going. a couple ladies stood up and shared words with no translator leaving the congregation wondering what the point was (at least that's where I was in the moment). Then, the guy I will never forget. He is in the front row on the front pew. He stands to speak. He instantly has this motion to his head and walk like he is in a trance and not in control of himself. After rambling in some unintelligible words, he begins to site his "I don't believe" statements. 

"I don't believe in this..."
"I don't believe in that..."
"I don't believe in women having short hair."
"I don't believe in abortion..."
"I don't believe in going to school to learn how to preach..."

All the while getting his chicken walk going what he babbled and cited his statements. Then, he snaps out of it! His eyes return to normal and he just slowly sits down in the front pew again. To be there in the moment... It kind of leaves one speechless concerning the ridiculousness of it all. And then from the back came this frank, dry, almost sarcastic voice after the man sat down. "Oh yea. You got it. Sure." 

When John speaks about his audience having the anointing on them and that they don't need for anyone to teach them, this is NOT what he means. He does not mean that we are free to just do whatever we want to do and handle ourselves in any careless manner we want concerning our worship. We do need people to teach us and instruct us. I am a proud graduate and student of two great colleges right here in Ohio. I have had some really great instructors who have spent some years behind the pulpit and serving churches who, in turn, has much wisdom and knowledge to pass along to the ones coming up. I don't know where I would be without them. Their help and encouragement have been priceless.

Standing Firm

 John talks about being confident and unashamed. It is easy to put that kind of thinking right into what we sing from our hymnals. Can you pick up a songbook and turn to a hymn and sing it like you mean it? Or, it is some hum-drum thing to sing one of these classic songs. Faith in Jesus should be something we can be excited about. The song we have lined up here this morning one you can sing with all your voice. Be encouraged and centered in the fact that God loves you today. Sing about that will all that you have. 

Blessings to you.

Quit Repeating Yourself

 

Quit Repeating Yourself

1 John 2.12-17

Had a lady several years ago in the Fairview congregation who seemed offended at the idea that so many words repeated themselves through the Scriptures. "What do you think we are dumb or something?" She was bothered by the repetition of phrases and chorus in places like the Psalms and historical events. For her, the use of the same words over and over implied that she was being lumped into a group of people who hard a hard time learning or understanding things. She felt she was very competent in learning and didn't need any reminders of what she needed Maybe you've felt the same way. Maybe you grew up with a brother or sister who loved to repeat things. "Copycat" was always an annoying game to play from the backseat. Not only did it drive your brother or sister nuts, but mom and dad had to put up with the mayhem while driving. "Quit repeating yourself" in some sassy tone would be heard over and over again until a parent threatened to pull over and stop the car. Maybe you brought a child up who loved to listen to the same song over and over again until they wore it out. Literally, sometimes. In the age of records and tapes, it was very easy to wind up scratching a vinyl or breaking a cassette. CDs did last longer, but eventually could scratch themselves. In this digital age of streaming media you listen to the same some over and over again with the simple click of a mouse or tap of a button on your phone. At the short of it, repetition can be a problem when approached the wrong way. The long of it is that repetition is necessary and even beneficial when we are in the process of learning. 

Say It Again

The importance of repetition cannot be understated. In fact, it should be repeated that repetition is an essential learning aid. It allows a conscious skill to transfer into one’s subconscious, freeing up working memory and allowing for further skills learning (“The Power of Repetition”, 2016).

A key thing to remember about repetition is that perfect practice is what makes perfect — not just practice. Performing tasks repetitively and correctly is what helps the skills learned from those tasks set in (“The Power of Repetition”, 2016).

And while yes, repetition may seem boring, the old adage “practice makes perfect” shows how beneficial this training method can be—especially in the fitness world. A repetition training program benefits your mind and body in a variety of ways. If you’ve ever worked out with a personal trainer or taken a exercise class, then you’re already familiar with sets and repetitions. A repetition, or “rep,” is one complete exercise movement while a “set” is a group of consecutive reps. So, three sets of fifteen reps looks like 15 bicep curls, rest for 30 seconds, 15 bicep curls, rest for 30 seconds, 15 bicep curls. 

Some additional benefits of repetition when it comes to physical improvements:

Heightens Concentration
Take time to truly focus on what you’re doing—no more going through the motions. Be slow and precise as you work your way through each set or interval.

Improves Motor Skills
Performing the same exercise repeatedly allows you to fine tune your movements and master the basics. Repetition of a specific movement invokes muscle memory. In the same vein, you can train for a specific sport or goal by monitoring your weights and repetition in relation to your tennis swing, layup form, or swim stroke.

Optimizes Performance Tracking
Over time, as you repeat, your performance during each set will improve. Track your progression to see how your body completes each movement throughout the week and measure your time, fatigue, and weight to see improvements. 

Aids Understanding of Your Body
Some workouts are better than others. By following a repetition training program, you will easily be able to identify when you’re in a mental slump versus when you’re actually having a bad training day. Listen to your body; know when you need to rest and when you can push harder.

This idea of repeating what we are doing to gain more have a better outlook is one that doesn't escape a person, like your local farmer. In your farm’s case, the repetition needs to happen in your fields, within nutrition and feeding, and while executing transition cow and reproductive protocols. In each of these areas, there have been found several situations where nickels, dimes, and quarters in margin per hundredweight are uncovered. Beginning with your acres at the start of the season or the fall prior, soil sampling and analyses give you and your agronomist an idea of what fertility boost your soil needs to deliver on both yield and quality the following season. The interaction between fertility and quality will be better understood in the months and years to come; however, fertility recommendations to optimize yield are more. John Goeser from the University of Wisconsin-Madison would suggest that After crops are in storage, many often rely upon a single nutrition analysis to make a decision or gauge the entire crop’s quality. In this case, with hundreds to thousands of tons in the silo, using a single forage analysis is like stepping up to the weight bar and doing a single repetition and expecting to be strong. Working with forward-thinking dairies that sample their forages up to several times per week, we’re learning that forages are far more variable than we’ve understood in the past 20 years.

One More Time

The reality is that repetition has been a key tool used by writers and thinkers for thousands of years. Perhaps the most famous example in the past century was the "I Have a Dream" speech from Martin Luther King, Jr. Look at this excerpt to see what I mean: 

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!  

Today, repetition is more popular than ever thanks to the rise of marketing campaigns. When I say "I'm lovin' it" or "Just do ​it," for example, you know exactly what I mean. (Nike and McDonald's know exactly what they are doing.) We refer to this as branding or advertising, but it's really just a concentrated form of repetition. Hearing the same thing over and over helps you remember it and can build associations with a product or idea.

 More Of The Same

John actually creates his own little sonnet here focusing on people in all age groups with this repetitive lineup. I thought for sure he had to be referencing some Old Testament wording, but there's no footnotes about that. This is purely inspiration based on speaking to people in many stages of their spiritual development. The older men, the fathers, would have been raised in such a way as to learn and remember what they needed to know about God. The young men and children would be on their way being educated about what it meant to walk in the faith. 

Hearing that they are strong and dedicated and forgiven and then hearing it again is a good way to embed those themes into their minds and make sure they remember. Our girls who played piano this morning all did wonderfully. How long did they all practice to get to this point? How many times did they work with that piece that was played today? Any musician knows the importance of repeating the process of notes and fingers and keys and chords until it becomes muscle memory. The same goes for the spiritual as well. We study and learn and repeat the scripture readings over months and years. How many of you follow a yearly guide thru the Bible. And, next year, you start over. And, you repeat the process. The next time around we hear something we missed the last time. Hopefully we retain more and remember what we need to help us stay in the light and follow our Lord. 

The power of repetition

Lovers and Haters

 

Lovers and Haters

1 John 2.1-11

Its always been kind of weird when reading scripture that a continued thought from another section winds up being what leads the way into another chapter. John is still speaking about the subject of sin as he was at the end of chapter 1, but that thought got cut into as the people doing the translating and chapter & verse making decided to break right here and start chapter 2. I think as we read we see that while John is still talking about one thing, his words lead into the context of the next sections and breakdowns. 

How Much Can I Sin?

A big point of discussion that would wind up in the midst of Christian circles would be the matter of how much a person could sin and still be a Christian. The answer would vary depending on who the particular teacher and writer would be. The world in which the Apostles are penning these letters is one where so many thoughts are beginning to fly around from different sources and people that it could become confusing as to who to listen to and follow. Do you realize that there were other gospels written than the four we esteem as being sacred in our Holy Bible? Oh yes. The validity of authorship of many of the letters would be in question as we go forward. There would be councils that would meet every so often to discuss matters of Christian doctrine and the authority of matters such as who to listen to and take seriously. Through the centuries ahead, one of the big questions being addressed in those councils would be how many times a person could sin and still be a Christian. The questions comes from honest and affable beginnings. Jesus would speak with his own disciples about the very matter. Our Savior is asked point blank from his disciple, Peter as to exactly how many times he should forgive someone who has wronged him. The whole discourse is found in Matthew 18. 

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The seventy-times-seven talk is meant to drive home the need to forgive as many times as needed. The Israelites had been driven into bondage in Babylon for 70 years due to the insolence and hard hearted natures.The distinction between discipline and forgiveness can get blurred when we think that we are in some superior position. Too often, those who have been raised in church don't see themselves as sinners. Coming up within the confines of these walls can give us an arrogant, self-righteous mindset that leaves us out of touch with what the nature of sin is actually all about. It is a similar way of thought to what we made mention last week of the world in which John is writing. Those false teachers suggesting that they had a higher form of knowledge and suggesting that they had no sin. The Apostle is clear that we do have sin to deal with and we need to take care of the problem. Another question that would be debated would be just how much a person could sin and still be a Christian. In our Course of Study class on Contemporary Theology, we covered the matter looking into some of the other writings outside of the canonical scriptures. One such writer would say that a Christian "could sin one, maybe two times, but no more." The Gospel of Thomas (Yes, apparently the doubting disciple wrote something) says some words to the effect that a Christian could sin up to seven times. This is a major reason why some many of these extra writings were not accepted into the canon of the Holy Bible. Are the teachings in line with what we know and understand about the authority of Jesus on such subjects? In this case, no. John would reflect in his epistle this nature of forgiveness being extended in the person Jesus Christ without limits. The whole point here is that we read and learn from the words of Scripture so that we can becomes as Jesus was - a son who obeyed his father and walked in the light. But, as John would state, if anyone does sin, we have this Advocate with the Father who speaks on our behalf. He is there to support us and help us. Plan A is to walk in the light and stay in the light. Plan B is not a way of life. It intact to get us back on track with Plan A.

The Bigger Picture

Maybe the reason the scripture is broken down the way that it is would be to lead us into this next section where John would speak about loving those in the family of God. Notice here, he is not speaking about loving our enemies. While important, lets stay with the context. Love and hate right in the family context of the Christian faith can be a trying subject all to itself. I spoke of my niece's grandparents on her mother's side a couple weeks ago. Her grandmother was raised Catholic. Her grandpa, Lutheran. How many of us can tell some story about the difficulties of love crossing denominational lines right in your own family? We have done it right here in our own marriage. My wife being raised UM while I have been through a few different denominations. (Most notably, the Christian Church [Disciples of Christ] and the Church of the Nazarene) When you have been raised in the traditions and stylings of one group and then cross into another, it can be weird and strange at first trying to embrace and configure our hearts to wrap itself around a new church. 

When Jesus speaks with his disciples as recorded in John 13, he first washed their feet and then gives them an explanation about what loving others means. "This is how they will know that you are my disciples" If we are not careful we can fall into that fundamental mindset here. Don't capitalize THIS in your minds and think that the foot washing is the thing that needs the focus. It is in loving people in this way that matters. Selflessly. Without prejudice or presumption. Just love people. I love to quote the Rev Stan Ling as his teaching from my last Course of Study class applies to so many areas. Theology and the Practice of Ministry was the last class I took be fore graduating. Rev Ling would help us all to understand what the word ministry actually means. I had heard it explained many times that ministry means meeting people's needs. Rev Ling would shorten it just ones word to say that ministry is about "meeting people". Just meet them right where they are. Talk with them. Get to know them. Love them right where they are in life. In the church that can be a rough path to walk especially when we are crossing through different groups and denominations. I can recall during my classes at Mt Vernon Nazarene College hearing about a gentleman who was a missionary to the Caribbean Islands. He had gone in to plant a church and was successfully working in his field of ministry when a person from the Roman Catholic church stopped by to see him one day. This person was a representative of the Church who made census-like studies of area groups. As they sat down to talk, he asked the missionary & pastor, "So, what sect are you?" The missionary immediately had a puzzled look on his face. "What do you mean sect?"He tried to explain that this was a Church of the Nazarene planting in the mission field of the Caribbean. He tried to share the history and background of the Nazarene movement and where it had begun. At which point this representative stopped him to say, "I am from the Roman Catholic Church. We are THE church. Everyone else is a "sect". So can you please explain for me what sect you are?" It was never clear if the missionary was able to give the answer the representative wanted. No matter what background we hail from, the Church is made up of people from all over who have found Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior. 

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This is the struggle John finds himself in early on and it still exists today. Who do I follow? Who's teaching is true? When the Apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthian church, one of the matters he addresses right away is that people are starting to distinguish themselves by who it is they think has that right teaching. Paul would quote them as saying, "I am of Apollos. I am of Paul. I am of Jesus." We have seen and heard down through the years the many times people identify themselves as being Methodist or Baptist or Lutheran and very little about what their relationship with Jesus is all about. Maybe you have heard the story. Dave has died and is waiting in the queue to get into heaven. As he draws ever closer to St Peter he can hear him asking people the same question. "Denomination?" he asks a little old lady as she reaches the front of the queue. "Methodist", she replies. St Peter checks his notes and directs her to the eighth door on the left."Please be quiet as you pass the first door on the right", he says as he sends her on her way. The same happens again. "Denomination?" he asks a man as he reaches the front of the queue. "Lutheran", he replies. St Peter checks his notes and directs the man to the sixth door on the right. "Please be quiet as you pass the first door on the right", he says as he sends him on his way. Finally, it's Dave's turn to enter Heaven. "Denomination?" St Peter asks Dave. "United Reformed", replies Dave. St Peter checks his notes and directs Dave to the fourteenth door on the left. "Please be quiet as you pass the first door on the right", he says as he sends Dave on his way. Dave can't help himself and asks why he has to be quiet as he passes the first door on the right. "Oh, that's the Evangelicals," St Peter responds. "They think they're the only ones here." During my time at Mt Vernon Nazarene, we heard plenty about the Three C's. The Catholics, The Charismatics, and The Calvinists. In fact, it began to come off as if we had all the correct theology to follow about God while everyone else had a lesser understanding. Nothing could have been further from the truth. There are people from all walk of life and many different backgrounds that make up The Church. There are well meaning Catholics who can see through all the rhetoric about praying to Mary and angels to see who Jesus is and the importance of his salvation. Likewise, in Protestant circles, there are those get caught up in their denominational background and forget that Jesus is the reason we are here in the first place. 

Who Is MY Brother or Sister?

The piece of the pie here that might escape us is the WHY this message of loving your brother or sister in the faith is so important. While some things we see and read haven't seemed to change much over the centuries, there is much that has. Here in the good ol USA, when was the last time you had to worry about someone turning you in for your faith to some governing authority? In the time of this first century AD, that might be a very real and scary way of life. Roman rule over the country of Israel has brought with it a way of following into their Greek culture and allowing Caesar to be the Almighty power in one's life or meeting with dire consequences. Why did Jesus die? Well, there is some blame that can be evenly dispersed over both the Hebrew and Roman camps with that. The Romans, however, could be said to have owned the cross and the nails that day. Maybe you have heard the lines from the movie The Dark Knight.

Harvey Dent: When their enemies were at the gates, the Romans would suspend democracy and appoint one man to protect the city. It wasn't considered an honor, it was considered a public service. Rachel Dawes: Harvey, the last man who they appointed to protect the Republic was named Caesar and he never gave up his power.

 Well, there is some accuracy to those words. There were many Caesars following the first and each one got increasing more powerful than the last. Domitian, who was on the throne during the time of John, thought the Apostle to be so much trouble that he would put him away on the Isle of Patmos to rot until he passed. A person did not challenge the person of authority in this Roman rule or they might themselves in the state state as a certain Jesus. But, who did a person have to consider their most urgent point of opposition during times like that? It might just be your neighbor. It might just be a person with the same faith as you. It might be the person who door get the knock and asked "Are there any Christians in your home?" People in Nazi Germany would have known the struggle all too well. When that Nazi soldier came to door looking for Jews, what do you tell them? How do you respond? Do you allow the large group hiding in your basement to stay there or do you turn them in? When we see points of persecution happening on the TV screen in front of us we know that there are places in this world where history hasn't changed much at all. When Islamic terrorist groups are standing there with a gun to the head of a blindfolded people simply because their faith differs from that of the extremists, we can clearly see the woirld that John and the other Apostles were living in. 

It is in this context that John is trying to get his audience to see that loving your brother and sister is the way in which Jesus is showing us. This Savior who hung on a cross looking down over those he came to save, uttering words like, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." This is the way. Do we really understand how to love other people? Do we really get what to happen in order to share Jesus Christ with other people? Walk in the light today and find out.