Clever Free Methodist

  There are two powerful statements in both the Old Testament and New Testament on giving and caring for fellow believers and the Church. I am not talking about just passing the offering plates around to raise money or to meet a specific need within the church. I am talking about every single Christian “stepping up to the plate,” digging deep within their hearts, sacrificing and giving all they have for the Kingdom of God.   Exodus 35:20-21 , “So the whole community of Israel left Moses and returned to their tents. All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle….”   Exodus 36:6-7 , “So Moses gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp: “Men and women, don’t prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!” So the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings. Their contributions were more than enough to compl...

  I was reading in the Gospel of Mark and just happened to come across the conversation that the Pharisees and Teachers were having with Jesus. It caught my attention. It wasn’t a pleasant conversation. There is a lot of tension here. It isn’t good. The religious leaders were challenging Jesus concerning his disciples failing to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating.   Jesus answers strongly, yet wisely in Mark 7:6-7 (NLT) , “Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.”   The reality for us is that we can get so preoccupied with attending to religious things, that we become robotic and routine with our “obligations” to our faith and Church. Maybe it is like the saying “You can become so Heavenly minded that you become no earthly good.” We can get so caught u...

  While in a Roman prison, the Apostle Paul writes a letter to the Church in Philippi. In this letter he mentions a specific believer named Epaphroditus. Philippians 2:25 , “Yet I consider it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier….” Chances are, despite reading Philippians before, we may not have “caught on” to this man named Epaphroditus . After all, he really isn’t mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament other than this short recognition by Paul. I find it interesting that what is said about Epaphroditus is worth mentioning. No, he may not have been a “famous Bible character.” No, he may not have had vivid and gallant stories written about him such as Moses, David, Daniel or Peter, but they are still worth recalling as he was a huge help to Paul. Paul refers to Epaphroditus as his brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier. In his letter, Epaphroditus is described as a lover of people, a risk taker, tireless worker, and one...

  The first week of January, regardless of year, holds within the Church a celebration known as “ Epiphany .” The word means “manifestation” and refers to God revealing Himself “in the flesh” through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is also a time to mark the appearance of the Three Wise Men who were some of the first to recognize and worship Christ as King. The “Epiphany” revelation or “manifestation” is that God unveils Himself to the world. Through Jesus His Son, He shows Himself as fully human and fully divine. That He is real. That He is our Triune God. Epiphany, to our faith, is a powerful testimony of God’s unconditional love. His love for us compelled Him to send His Son into the world to save us from our sinfulness. God took the initiative. God made all the arrangements. God paid the price to make this happen. In other words, it was His idea and decision all along. He did everything to make reconciliation with Him possible. His desire to have a loving and personal relationshi...

“Merry Christmas!” We say it often this time of year in preparation for December 25 th and recognizing the birth of Jesus Christ. As many times as we greet each other with this phrase, have we ever wondered it’s origin? After all, what is a “Christmas?”   The word “Christmas” comes from an old English phrase “Christes maesse” that means “Christ’s Mass.” We know that “Mass” means “sending forth” which is what God chose to do with His son…send Him forth into the world. John 1:14 , “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”   The word “Mass” was a common term (and still used in some Churches today) for the weekly gathering of worship. In most cases, the Protestant churches today simply call this gathering “Church” or “Worship” in reference to the main, weekly Sunday service.   So, when we say, “Christmas,” we are actually saying “The Mass of Chris...

  God the Father has never stopped His passion of revealing Himself to us so that we can have a loving relationship with Him. We read in Jeremiah 31:3 , “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself.” This reminds me of James 4:8 , “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” Our Heavenly Father has no intentions of hiding or making it difficult to draw near to Him for a loving, personal and intimate relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus. Our only requirement is that we want this relationship desperately enough to pursue it. We must make the decision as well as the effort for such a personal relationship. Jeremiah 29:13 , “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” It isn’t a matter of whether or not you have never heard of Him, lost touch through neglect, allowed life’s circumstances to affect your beliefs negatively, or have had your faith awakened to this opportunity. The fact remains, God w...

                                                    “Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare him room, And heaven and nature sing.   “Joy to the world” is perhaps one of the more popular Christmas hymns that is probably sung more than once each season. Were you aware of its unique heritage? Written by Isaac Watts in 1719 , it was based off of Psalm 98:4-9, Psalm 96:11-12, and Genesis 3:17-18. The song celebrates and highlights Christ’s second coming (Advent) as the Prince of Peace much more than the first (birth/Messiah).   It speaks as an expression of joy over the marvelous works of God to bring salvation to the world through the babe of Bethlehem who is Christ the Lord. As Psalm 96:11-12 , tells us, “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is i...