Clever Free Methodist

In times of national distress and uncertainty such as pandemics, riots, racial tensions, weather phenomenon and other events that grab our attention, there has been one verse in Scripture that has “rallied the troops” to get our nation back towards God. That verse is 2 Chronicles 7:14 , “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” What some may not know, is that this is actually a response from God to one particular part of a prayer that Solomon prayed to God in 2 Chronicles 6:12-42. The response comes in verses 26-31:   “If the skies are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and if they pray toward this Temple and acknowledge your name and turn from their sins because you have punished them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel. Teach ...

There are some problems with John 3:16 that have misguided people for ages. The good news is that the problem is not with the verse itself. So…take a deep breath….breathe. I am not here to condemn it or argue against its powerful message. What I am saying is that there are problems with how some have used it to “lead people to Jesus.” The problem is all in the presentation . We should not be lulled into thinking that the only reason we “accept Jesus” to just so that we can go to Heaven. Heaven is not a commodity. Heaven is not a time-share program. Heaven is not this “vacation get-away” resort for the after-life. Yes, I want to spend eternity in Heaven, but that is not my sole motivation for accepting Jesus into my life. I accepted Jesus because I finally understood who He was and all that He did for me. I accepted Jesus because I wanted Jesus. I accepted Jesus because I wanted to live for Him and fulfill His purpose for my life. The way John 3:16 has been used almost seems li...

I have been preparing study notes for the weekly Bible study on the book of Jude . It is one of the rare books that have no chapters. It is simply twenty-five verses. Although the protestant churches do not use the apocrypha literature and books (like the Roman Catholic Church), we see Jude referring to the writings of The Assumption of Moses.” Tucked away in verse 9 , we read of a reference to Michael the Archangel contending with the Devil over the body of Moses (scholars believe it was Michael, in Deuteronomy 34:1-6, who took care of the body of Moses after he died). The result of this dispute is interesting as the verse says that he did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy. Michael is leaving the matter with God and putting it in His hands. If one of the greatest and most powerful Angels in God’s Heavenly Kingdom was so careful in what he said, how much more should we as mere mortals watch our words, responses, and conversations? Michael simply responds, “The Lord rebuke you!” ...

As the issues surrounding the pandemic continue to swirl, we find ourselves enduring even more “mandates” to accommodate. The latest for most States, is the mandate, to wear a face covering or mask pretty much everywhere we go. Despite the motives, intent, and reasoning behind such requirements, it is safe to say that it provokes hard feelings and churns strong emotions. It is easy to get mad. It is easier to stew on it and stay mad. Complaining, slandering and talking ill of our governing authorities and pastors seems to be justified and acceptable. Well, it is not. That is exactly what the Apostle Paul taught to Titus when he assigned him to the Island of Crete. These instructions were written in a letter that we know as the New Testament book of “Titus.” This letter outlines all the instructions, rules, and regulations that Paul wanted Titus to teach and use to give direction and guidance to the Churches being established across the island of Crete. One of those instructions came in...

In his letter to William Smith, dated July 9, 1795, Edmund Burke wrote, ““The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” He would later expound on his thoughts by writing, “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” In this current year of chaos with pandemic health issues, racial tensions, anarchy, and the rise of anger, hate and destruction, I am not surprised. Why? As Jeremiah 17:9 declares, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.  Who really knows how bad it is?” What does surprise me is the deafening silence coming from the majority of us who are Christians, who know better, can see the difference between right and wrong, and yet have no compulsion or conviction to really be motivated enough to do something about it.  That, by definition, could be one of the meanings of a coward . By definiti...

We are uniquely designed and created by God for a specific purpose and mission in this world. The last thing we need to be is “all the same” as if created and built on an assembly line. We need to be different. We need to recognize this difference as a necessity and not as a threat to our own uniqueness. 1 Corinthians 12:21-27 illustrates for us that we are individually designed to function in our own special way…the way we were designed. The passage states “the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’ …now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” Although we are all different, we are all created for the same purpose to glorify God and to love one another as He has loved us. We may all be different, but we are all equally created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). We, being same in creation, should treat each other equally with dignity, respect and love. In today’s challenges of...

Before time began! No, I am not writing about some space odyssey movie or some wild adventure novel involving a time-machine. I am thinking about a moment long before earthly time began. A spectacular and incredible moment occurred that touches every human life that ever existed, now exists or will exist well into the future. This incident was recorded in the Bible in the New Testament book of Ephesians. We see in Ephesians 1:4-5 , “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Grasping the love of God can be very challenging for our finite, human minds. Can we work on fully grasping the fact? The fact that God took the initiative, paid the price, absorbed the penalty of sin by giving up and sacrificing His Son Jesus….all for us…all because He...