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26 Aug Our study this week begins with Jesus’ emphasis on forgiveness.
When Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 he then said that if your heart is an unforgiving heart, then you are keeping God’s forgiveness for you at a distance. 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins that He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This confession is the opening “C” of forgiveness (C.P.R.-Confession, Pray, Repent and be restored). At the beginning stage of this process we may still have resentment, hurt, and simply bad feelings that we don’t want to forgive.
Jesus encourages us as his children to a higher place. If we will confess to him our struggle, pray the best we can for the other party, and refrain from aggressively attacking them….then verse 9 says he will do something absolutely spiritually amazing. He will cleanse you.
It’s His job to change your feelings, and He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Only He can change us, so even in our hurt and anger we must keep this channel open.
You will be amazed at the results. Look at the parable in Matthew 18:23-35 and ask yourself the question, “Why can’t the forgiven, forgive?”
I will be out of the community the next two Wednesdays so we will resume our teaching blog in mid-September.
Blessings
Pastor Eddie
17 Aug Matthew 6 begins a teaching on humility. Jesus tells us to humble ourselves and then He will lift us up. What is so interesting in this passage is the contrast with being the salt of the earth and the light for all to see. In the previous chapter of Matthew we are told to let our light shine. Maybe the point is to share your light, but don't "toot" your own horn while you are doing it. The focus of the opening verses of this chapter is money and prayer. What is the key to correct worship? In the Aramaic, the word for hypocrite is hanefa, which means a profane person. In the Greek, the translation would be something like an actor in a play. Jesus seems to be vocally intolerant of those who are faking their spiritual maturity. Hmmm.......how is your spiritual barometer these days? Let's grow together!
11 Aug Matthew 5:33 "Again you have heard…." Jesus once again starts his teaching by stressing what you have heard before, but I tell you….verses 33-37 focus on truthfulness. God’s desire is that we would not have to swear an oath for our very lives, but simply say "Yes, I will,’" or "No, I won’t," reflecting lives of honesty and righteousness. I love Jesus’ emphasis "to go the extra mile" or "to give of your cloak," which was the outer garment of the Hebrew clothing. In verse 43, Jesus talks about loving your enemy even though the Old Testament gives you an excuse not to do this. Jesus is truly the new and improved version of the law. He fulfills all righteousness. He calls us as Christians to go one step further then the Old Covenant. How can we do this? Always remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13. See you in church! Pastor Eddie
5 Aug Matthew 5:13 says "You are the salt of the earth…" Most everyone knows that salt is used as a spice and as a preservative. If we take this most basic approach to understanding that our Lord is comparing our saltiness to our "Christian Living," then I believe we have an incredible introduction to His sermon for us this week. You are the salt of the earth, and you can be the spice of life. You are so important because Christ lives in you. Please don’t lose your saltiness. Let your light shine so others may learn, follow, and direct their lives by your fine example. We definitely are our brother’s keeper! So, how is your saltiness today? I have found that for me, the only way to continue desiring this spice of God in my life is to pray very regularly, and to read His word regularly. This may be a very hard statement to receive but if you are not doing these two things, then you will not progress in your faith journey, meaning you are just not that "into God." Wow! Its time to spice up your life. Can’t you smell the aroma of God’s fine dining? Taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8 See you in church, Pastor Eddie
26 Jul As Judaic-Christians, we are called to uphold the basic concepts of the Old and New testaments. These concepts are summed up in the Ten Commandments, the eternal salvation of Jesus Christ, and His call for us to live the "Golden Rule" as our lives mature with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Our Wednesday studies through the month of August will focus on Jesus’ "Sermon on the Mount" as recorded in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. Also in Matthew, Jesus said that he has come not to destroy the teachings of the Old Testament law. From the Old Testament, Proverbs 6:16 tells us that there are seven things the Lord detests about sin. How can our faith in Christ keep us from living a life that falls so short of Old Testament teachings? Jesus makes it clear that with man this is impossible, but with God, we can do all things. Ask Jesus right now to take more charge of your life, confess that you are a sinner in need of his grace. Allow him to come into your life and lead you. Be still…and know that He is God. See you in church Pastor Eddie
14 Jul The Ark of the Covenant contained three items precious to God. The Ten Commandments, which represent the Old Testament of the Bible and form the core of our Judeo-Christian belief, were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant (Hebrew 9:15). Also in the Ark of the Covenant was the bowl of manna that never spoiled, representing Jesus "the bread of life." The final article in the Ark was the staff of the first High Priest Aaron (Numbers 11:1-10). The staff represents God’s shepherding of us all. Jesus gives us the Shepherd’s teaching called the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Matthew 7:12). See you in church! Pastor Eddie 16 Jun Continuing our discussion of the last days, we see the story of two Prophets of God doing incredible things in Revelation Chapter 11. Their abilities seem to climax over a final three and a half year period. They seem to have the gifts of Moses and Elijah from the Old Testament. (Moses and Elijah are the same two Prophets who appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus. This ties the Old and New Testaments together.) The Revelation account tells us that their lives end tragically, but the world is amazed for after three days all creation sees them bodily raised to heaven. Only in recent years can we imagine a way the whole world could watch simultaneously - via satellite?
This moment in the Revelation story seems to be a major shift in what is happening in the entire globe. Compare this to Jesus saying, “When you see the abomination that desolates…run!” (Matthew 24).
For the next 42 months, as a season, seasons as half a season, 1260 days: all ways depicted in scripture of “Great Tribulation “ like we have never seen. Daniel called it the last half week of the final seventieth week until the end. This was written in 600 BC.
Revelation 12 and 13 then describes Christ, the dragon devil and the wars in heaven and earth raging and coming to closure. When can I rely on being saved from His wrath? (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
I want to be raptured, how about you?
9 Jun The “Abomination of Desolation” is described In Daniel 9. This prophesy was definitely fulfilled in 175 B.C. when Antiochus Emphases desecrated the temple of God with an unholy sacrifice.
Two hundred years later, Jesus tells us of another abomination (Matthew 24), which was definitely fulfilled in 70 C.E., yet His description of this abomination effects not only Jerusalem, but the entire world.
Written between 50 and 100 C.E., Thessalonians 1 and 2, tells us that in the future, the man of lawlessness would be revealed and that which is holding back this great evil will be taken away.
The last book of our Bible, Revelations 11 tells us that two prophets will be killed and resurrected for all to see. Their death seems to be a great abomination to the heavenlies. All hell breaks loose after their resurrection. Interesting? Come to our Pastor’s Study this Wednesday.
Blessings!
Pastor Eddie
2 Jun This first week of June we will be looking at the Resurrection narratives in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is so interesting that each Gospel writer views this major event from a different angle. It is not until Luke and John that we find the Resurrection stories of John who doubted, and Jesus’ commission to Peter to "Feed my sheep." These four different viewpoints of the Resurrection only enhance our faith in our Lord Jesus. Next week we will look at the scriptures that show the evidence of the Trinity. Then we will look to Jesus’ teaching on the "End Times." See you in church, Pastor Eddie
26 May This Wednesday we will be discussing Jesus’ institution of Holy Communion, and how we should avoid being unworthy of receiving this sacrament. We are to take seriously what He has given us, for it is by His grace that we are saved, not by our own works. In the Protestant Church, Communion and Baptism are the only two sacraments believed to be instituted by Jesus. We will also be discussing Jesus’ fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah chapters 50-53, written 600 years before the birth of our Savior. Jesus’ death and cruel punishment for our sins is clearly recorded in the Old and New Testament. Blessings, Pastor Eddie 12 May
For the next couple of weeks we are going to look at Matthew’s closing chapters. In Chapter 24, Jesus is leaving the temple grounds in Jerusalem. The disciples are amazed at the massive beauty of the setting. King Herod had done his very best to restore Solomon’s work hundreds of years before. This presents an opportunity for Jesus to prophesy about when the world would come to its end. He also says that every stone of the temple would be thrown down. Within a generation, forty years, 70 C.E., Rome destroyed this temple in Jerusalem. Many people have studied this chapter along with Daniel in the Old Testament, and Thessalonians and Revelation in the New Testament. As Methodists, we do not have a set creed on how we understand this climax of our world. Come and join us as we look deeper into the text of Matthew Chapter 24. Pastor Eddie 6 May
This week we will be studying Matthew Chapters 6 and 7. In Chapter 6, Jesus teaches us how to intimately connect with the Father by prayer. In Chapter 7, Jesus tells us to not judge or condemn others. However, as mature Christians, we are expected to make judgment calls. Also in chapter 7, Jesus explains that He is the narrow gate to salvation. Four key verses in the book of Romans compliment this thought. Romans 3:23 All have sinned and come short of the glory of God Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord Romans 5:8 While we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe In your heart that God has raised Him for the dead, you shall be saved. Blessings Pastor Eddie 21 Apr
Pastor’s Thoughts This Wednesday we are discussing the divorce and remarriage passages that Jesus gives to us, along with other references to this matter in scripture. We wish that more were written, however, we do have plenty to "pretty much" understand the heart of the matter. A couple of things need to be clear before you read Jesus’ words. Sometimes Jesus appears to answer questions regarding that day’s school of thoughts on the topic such as: Can I divorce my wife for any reason or just for adultery? Also, Deuteronomy 24 tells us we can divorce, but we cannot remarry the same person. Another interesting passage is found in Corinthians. The Apostle Paul seems to be saying abandonment can be a reason for remarriage. Read the passages carefully without reading more into them. I believe you will be amazed at what you see. Blessings Pastor Eddie 15 Apr
Pastor’s Thoughts Our Wednesday Pastor’s study for the rest of April and the month of May will focus on the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew (also called Levi in the Gospel of Luke), was a tax collector, called by Jesus to become an Apostle. The first of our four gospels, Matthew opens the New Testament. The link between the Old and New Testaments seems to be the Prophet John the Baptist. John is mentioned in all four of our gospels. I would like to give you a few passages that explain this man’s importance. Malachi 4:5, 6 tells us that Elijah, the Old Testament Prophet, shall return before the anointed one comes. Matthew 3:1-4 shows us that John dresses and eats as Elijah did in the Old Testament. 2 Kings 1:7, 8 describes Elijah’s physical appearance, and in Matthew 11:14 Jesus tells us that if we believe, John’s teaching them was the fulfillment of Elijah’s return. Matthew 17:1-3 gives us the appearance of Elijah and Moses to meet with Jesus at the Mt. of Transfiguration. Matthew 17:11 Jesus tells us that Elijah will come, but that he had already come in John. (Interesting) Rev. 11:3-10, the last book of our Bible, tells us in the last days a prophet appears, and he seems to have the supernatural abilities of Elijah in the Old Testament. Then the anointed one comes to give us the new heavens and new earth. Wow! See you Wednesday!!! 1 Apr Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. We will not meet April 7th because of spring vacation. We will resume our Bible study on April 14th with the New Testament. Easter changed everything! The Old Covenant or Old Testament has become the New Testament or New Covenant. For your information, Bishop Athinashus of Alexandria (367 C.E.), set the Easter date yearly. He would determine the Vernal Equinox date, and then set the date to celebrate Easter Sunday. This date was then sent to all his pastors. They would have loved cell phones back then! Our first New Testament study will compare and contrast the four authors of the Gospels. Each was written with a different focus. We will also look in-depth at Matthew 5-7 where Jesus gives us the "Sermon on the Mount." Many have felt there is no better calling on how to live the Christian life than in these chapters. Blessings, Pastor Eddie 25 Mar
We have just finished a two-week program about the Canonization of our Holy Scriptures. We discussed the books of the Apocrypha as well as the Gnostic gospels written between second and fourth century C.E. If you would like a copy of this program, it will be available at the welcome station during the month of April. We now begin our Pastor’s study of the New Testament. The first four books of the New Testament are called "The Synoptic Gospels" or "Good news." Each author has his own style, and writes to a different audience. The four gospel authors, combined with the rest of our New Testament, give us the whole story. For example, the story of the Magi is found only in the book of Matthew. The great teachings of Jesus during the Last Supper are found only in the Gospel of John. Come join us on Wednesdays to explore these Holy teachings. Pastor Eddie 16 Mar
Four Spiritual Laws How the Canon of the Bible Came to Us (Law, Rules, List, Official List) What evidence do we have of how the New Testament was formulated? We have sufficient evidence to be able to construct a picture of the position at the close of the 2nd century. By this time our four Gospels, and no others, were in official use. Irenaeus, and early-church father who had contacts with both eastern and western churches, leaves us no doubt about the ‘fourfold’ Gospels. Tertullian and other church fathers of the same time confirm this. Much spurious literature circulated (some of it the work of heretics) and this included ‘Gospels.’ However, there is no evidence that any Gospel other than Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were received as Scripture within the Orthodox Church. By the end of the 2nd century, the four Gospels and Acts were indisputably ‘accepted’ writing. There is also no doubt that the thirteen epistles of Paul were by this time accepted on the same level as the Gospels. There is less evidence about the remaining books apart from 1 Peter and 1 John. Indeed the history of the Canon in the 3rd and 4th centuries revolves around the position of these remaining books. The book of Revelation was certainly used in the 2nd century, but it is not until the 3rd century that evidence for its use becomes widespread. The Epistle to the Hebrews was unknown and used at an early date (it is quoted by Clement of Rome, in about AD95), but there was later more reluctance to receive it in the west than in the east. Origen did not believe Paul wrote it, but he did not reject it as an apostolic writing. It was not until the 4th century that it was generally received in the western church, many churches regarded it as Paul’s but some church fathers, Augustine among them, adopted the same view as Origen. In modern times, this view has been almost universally accepted. The ‘general’ Epistles – 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, James and Jude-encountered resistance in some of the churches, but no reason is given. It would seem to have been in doubt about the suitability of their contents, rather than doubt about their origin. The choice of ‘approval’ books was largely influenced by their suitability for public reading in church and it is easy to see why these short letters were not much used for this purpose. So far, nothing has been said about church councils. The reason is that no church council made any pronouncement about the Canon until longer after it had been established and was in use in the individual churches. The books listed by the Council of Laodices (AD363) and the similar list agreed at the council at Carthage (AD307) are identical with our New Testament, except that the former omitted the book of Revelation. It is clear that the New Testament Canon was not the result of ecclesiastical pronouncements, but grew in accordance with the needs of the church. The major factor governing selection was ‘apostolicity’-the conviction that the books represented the position of the apostolic age. 10 Mar
The last twelve books of the Old Testament are called the Minor Prophets. This title is not because of their lack of a major contribution to the Bible, but because in comparison to Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel, they are small in composition. Starting with Hosea and ending with Malachi, they are in chronological order. Starting in the 8th century BC, each work proclaims a judgment by God, but also gives hope of future restoration. Some of the more familiar books are Jonah and Malachi. Jonah is quoted by Jesus in Matthew 12:40 saying, "Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale, so shall the Son of Man be in the belly of the earth." Malachi was written about 400 BC. After Malachi there was a silence in the prophetic voice for the next 400 years. Malachi said that some day a voice in the wilderness would proclaim the Lord. He said this voice would be Elijah. In the New Testament, John the Baptist comes on the scene with the spirit of Elijah. They even dress the same (2 Kings 1:7, 8, Mark 1:6). We begin a discussion of the canonization of the New and Old Testament this week. Come and join us! 25 Feb
The book of Daniel, written in the 6th century B.C., is one of the most fascinating books of the Bible. Daniel and his brothers and sisters of Judah were exiled to Babylon. Daniel relates the account of God supernaturally protecting his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were thrown into the fiery furnace. God sent a fourth person, who appeared to be like the Son of God, to save them. God performed another great miracle by rescuing Daniel from the den of hungry lions. In the latter chapters, Daniel has visions of the Son of God approaching the Ancient of Days. Remember, this is 600 years before Jesus’ incarnation. Prophecy is given about the Messiah to come in numerical times, and prophecy about the last week of this world’s existence—Wow! Could that be true? Come to Bible Study and see! (Wednesday 4:15 in the sanctuary) 18 Feb
Ezekiel is considered one of the most exciting Prophets of the Old Testament. From his first vision of the four-faced angels, ministering to the throne that involves the “wheel within the wheel,” to himself speaking to dry bones in chapter thirty-seven is fascinating. There is no other Biblical Prophet with such incredible experiences.
He also declares the final battle of Israel when the tribes to their north come down to attack them. I wonder which nations are north of Israel?
Come join us this Wednesday at 4:15 for the Pastor’s Bible Study!
11 Feb
The Prophet Isaiah covers many of the prophecies of Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 7, 9, 50-53 he covers Christ pre-birth to his death and resurrection. In Chapter 50, we hear that His beard will be pulled out by His enemies. In chapter 53, we hear that He will be bruised for our iniquities, smitten, die and by His stripes, we will be healed. There are references to interpreting this healing as physical and spiritual in the New Testament. Isaiah is a wonderful book of God. The Prophet Jeremiah who also records the book of Lamentations follows him. Jeremiah is known as the weeping Prophet as he explains what will happen to Israel if they do not repent and change their ways. How does, this relate to us? Come and see at the Pastor’s Bible Study! 3 Feb
The last two books of the wisdom literature of the Bible are "Ecclesiastes" and "Song of Solomon" or sometimes called, "Song of Songs." King Solomon has written both of these. Remember that the organization of the Old Testament began with the books of the Law, then the historical books that take us to about 400 BC. After this, we have the wisdom literature. In Ecclesiastes, our weekly class felt that Solomon in his latter years is kind of looking back over his lifetime. He sees plusses and minuses. Chapter 3 is one that all of us probably know, for it is used many times at funerals. The passage reads, for us there is a time and place for all things. In "Song of Songs," Solomon expresses many times, and very graphically, his love for the Shulammite woman. It has been interpreted as more than a love story. The text has been spiritualized to help us understand the mystery of Christ, the groom, and his great love for the bride, the church. We begin our study with the Prophetical writings of the Bible. There are four Major Prophets and twelve Minor Prophets. The amount of material covering each prophet helped Biblical organizers decide which was to be considered a major or minor prophet. The prophetic books begin with Isaiah and end with Malachi. They are not in chronological order. Come join us to see why. 20 Jan
This week we are looking at the book of Proverbs, King Solomon wrote most of these pithy sayings in the 10-century B.C. He offers advice to young men to stay away from immorality, drunkenness and encourage them to seek wisdom and the fear of the Lord. Certain passages are very familiar such as Proverbs 3:5, 6 where we are to trust in the Lord and lean not to our own understanding. Another favorite is Proverbs 22:6, it says to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. The last Proverb ends in an acrostic where each verse begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We use this passage many times to commemorate a wonderful life lived by one our dear women in our church. It is often referred to as the, “Proverbs 31 Women.”
Enjoy these instructions from our Lord. He just may a word for you.
Blessings, Pastor Eddie
14 Jan
Dear Friends,
The book of Psalms has been called “Man’s words to God and the rest of the Bible, “God’s words to man.” Whether you are joyful, sad, excited, or depressed, you can find your heart in these ancient praises and songs to God.
There are prophesies like Psalm 22, “My God My God why hast thou forsaken me.” There are cries from the heart like Psalm 51 where David who wrote at least 73 of these chapters asks God not to take the Holy Spirit from him because of his great sin.
The 23rd Psalm is probably the most quoted of all Bible passages, besides John 3:16. In Psalm 139, the Psalmist talks about God’s plan for us in our mother’s womb and the last Psalm (150) quoted more in the New Testament then any other single chapter in the Old Testament., these works were written approximately 1000 years before the New Testament.
I challenge you today to read this incredible work in prayer, meditation, and seeking God.
See you in Church,
Pastor Eddie
7 Jan
Dear Friends;
It am so glad to be back looking at an over view of the Bible. This week we look at the book of Job. This work could possibly be older than the time of Solomon’s Temple in the Old Testament. There are some interesting points in this story.
First, we have the devil appearing before the Lord with other beings. There appears to be a teaching for the angelic hosts in their observation of the earth. The devils origins recorded in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 tell us of devises.
Secondly, we see the discussion of why bad things happen to good people. It was believed that if bad things happened back then that God must have been punishing you. This curse was broken by the prophecy from Jeremiah 31:31-34, but even in Jesus day the people are still struggling with this issue (John 9:1—7).
Thirdly, in Job 31, Job justifies himself before God. This is never a good thing yet very profitable for his honesty.
Finally, God answers in Job 38 but his answer is really a question. Job is truly humbled and it is at that time his heart is transformed. Wow, sounds like conversion to me.
See you in Church! Pastor Eddie
15 Dec
Dear Friends:
It has been so long since I have recorded our Bible Study thoughts for our blog. We have moved in the Wednesday study from the first five books of the law to researching the kings of Judah. Joshua was the follow-up of Moses and we discussed the way that God passed the mantle from Moses to Joshua. One example was the comparison of Moses leading the people across the Red Sea and then Joshua leading the people across the Jordon River. Judges is the next historical book in the bible. We are probably familiar with the leaders such as Samson and Gideon. There is even a woman judge named Deborah:) In this period of Biblical history the people did not have an earthly king. Their king was God. The reality of the time though shows us that they did not serve anyone except themselves. The very last Judge and the first prophet was Samuel. The people cried out to be like the other nations and have a king. Samuel anointed Saul as their first king. This was not God's desire but he gave the people what their heart desired. King Saul turns out to be quite selfish, prideful and arrogant. David is then anointed to be King. He is a man after God's own heart. The stories of the Kings and their historical attributes are recorded in 1 @ 2 Samuel, 1@ 2 Kings, and 1@ 2 Chronicles. We will be discussing King David this week. Come and join us. Blessings, Pastor Eddie 10 Nov
Dear Friends:
Our topic this week will be about the book of Joshua and the book of Judges. Joshua through Ezra in our Old Testament represents the historical books of the Bible. Joshua is the only adult male besides Caleb that was allowed in the Promised Land. According to the Scriptures, they were the only two from the beginning of their journey that were completely faithful. All the men that were twenty and above perished in their wilderness journey. One of the main focuses of Joshua is their attack on Jericho. They are saved to begin with by a woman from Jericho named Rahab. She ends up being in the family line of King David which of course is the line of Jesus Christ as well. That is just another connection between the Old and New Testaments.
The book of Judges governs the historical time between Joshua and the Kings. Some of the well-known are Gideon, Deborah, Samson and Samuel. Samuel was the last judge of Israel and the very first prophet. He anointed their first King whose name was Saul. Each of the stories of the Judges teaches us today something about our relationship with God. A good example would be that of Samson who lost his God-given strength and didn't even know it. Just the thought of that should make us intend to be very much aware of our spiritual connection. Is your connection holding tight? Why don't you join us this Wednesday to discuss these ancient stories of the Bible? See you in church.
Pastor Eddie
26 Oct
Friends:
I continue to be constantly amazed in how the Old Testament is linked to the New Testament. The Holy Bible representing the two draws us to the presence of God. Even Jesus’ quote that the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart, mind and soul and your neighbor as yourself, comes from the Old Testament. Those passages are found in the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
When Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus in the gospel of John that a man must be born again, he quoted from the book of Numbers citing that just as Moses lifted the bronze serpent up in the wilderness for all those that had been snake-bitten to look upon. They would be healed. Jesus explained that he would be lifted up in like manner and all who looked to him in faith would be healed and forgiven. We truly are Judaic-Christians.
See you at our next session, the first week of November.
Pastor Eddie
12 Oct
Dear Friends:
In the end of Genesis, we see the importance of the "Blessing." Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, blesses his twelve sons. The twelve boys who are referred to in the Bible as the twelve tribes of Israel are also mentioned in the last book of the New Testament. We are told that there will be remembrances of these twelve and also the twelve Apostles when there is a New Heaven and a New Earth. Revelation 7 and 14 speak of the twelve tribes of Israel but they leave out the tribe of Dan. In Chapter 49 of Genesis, Dan is referred to as a serpent striking at one's heel. As Christians, we see the symbolism of the serpent meaning evil many times in the Scriptures like the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Joseph's son Manasseh is put in place of Dan in Revelation.
We will begin today our study of Exodus. This second book of our Bible comes from the Greek wording meaning to exit. Israel in Genesis has been left in Egypt under the direction of Joseph as we end Genesis but in Exodus they have become slaves. It has been about 400 years and the people cry out to God. A deliverer by the name of Moses comes forth. The word Moses means "brought out." So many important events take place in this book that governs our Christian Faith:
1) God's call by the burning bush. Exodus chapter 4
2) Passover that becomes our communion chapter 12
3) Firstborn dedicated as Priests chapter 13
4) God providing food as manna from heaven chapter 16
5) The unapproachable holiness of God showing the need of a Savior chapter 19
6) The Ten Commandments chapter 20
Hope to see you in church.
Pastor Eddie
7 Oct
Dear Friends:
We will probably finish looking at Genesis this week. We begin with an unusual passage in Genesis 6 where it says, "The sons of God married the daughters of men and the offspring were the Nephillim." These were the giants of old. Remember that our studies showed us that the demonic world had been exiled here before Adam and Eve. Is it possible that the children of Adam and Eve married into these beings? They obviously married somebody but their offspring were giants. This passage then explains how wicked the world became. Hmmmmm but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. It is believed that Noah's offspring repopulated the world without the offspring of daughter's of men. Japheth is believed to have become the westerners, or Europeans, Shem, the Jewish, Arabic people and Ham the Southerners or Africa. The rainbow is then given to man as a wonderful promise of God's love for us and desire to never destroy the world by flood again. The rest of Genesis tells us the story of the Patriarchs. We of faith are all the sons and daughters of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. In Genesis 50 the twelve sons of Jacob are blessed. Isn't it interesting that out of these twelve tribes of Israel that Judah's blessing is to be a lion. Isn't Jesus declared to be the Lion of Judah? Wow, Prophecy fulfilled. See you in church. Pastor Eddie 30 Sept
Dear Friends:
The Bible has to be the most wonderful book the world has ever received. The first five books are called the Torah or the books of the Mosaic Law. They are followed by the book of Judges then Joshua and then we have incredible stories of the Kings. As you read these historic novels you find amazing stories of victory and defeat. You see wonderful feats of faith and then you are confronted with devastating evil. Israel, the forefathers and foremothers of our Christian faith bounce back and forth between the two much like us today. Eventually they turn completely from God and are exiled to the Assyrian and Babylonian empires. In their distress, God would send prophets like Isaiah or Jonah or Daniel to give them hope. All the prophets even if they were declaring doom for the results of sin, would end their messages by telling of a future day. In that day, God would reign eternally and the people would have a heart for the Lord instead of a heart of stone and selfishness. Malachi was the last recorded book of the Old Testament. It was written about 400 years before Christ was born. Malachi declares that before the Lord comes that the prophet Elijah would return.
Open your Bible to the New Testament and you read the story of John the Baptist preparing the way of the Lord. There is no doubt that he has the spirit of Elijah. The rest is His story.
See you in church.
Pastor Eddie
24 Sept
Even though Satan appears to be male (sorry for the outburst), it was the original sin by a HUMAN that is the problem. We can learn many things from what happened back then. I'm thinking Eve, or any wife would turn to her husband and say, "What do you think, honey?", then if no negative response continue. We women should learn to not act without confirmation, support, and prayer. Hopefully we will get the support from our mate. Men can learn from Adam's failure, they should be protective and convinced of their faith based on who made them, and gave them dominion over all creatures. Just something to think about. When we are joined together, we become one... so suffer the consequences of our actions together. But also share the blessings God gives us, just because he loves us. God is Great! Irene Brugh
22 Sept
Dear Friends>
Our topic this week will be the story of the Fall. It is believed that this event in the beginning has caused all of the human race to be under Adam's sin. We are born with a sin nature. Now this doesn't mean we are evil and rebellious through and through. But, there is an inclination to drift away from God's desire for our lives for we were all created in his image so there is some good stock there:) I kidded the congregation that all the wrong in the world was Eve's fault. Then someone shouted out,"Wasn't the tempter a male?" The truth of the matter is that the demonic hosts had been exiled to this planet. This is summerized in Genesis1:1! where the earth is described as dark and void. It appears that God cannot leave a part of his creation in chaos so the Garden of Eden is planted to bring light and hope. Now if Eve and Adam's sin brought sin into our very nature, then you can see the importance of a Savior that is not completely human in that his nature is stained with sin. Awwwwwww, the virgin birth can take care of this. With this incarnation, Jesus is completely human and also God. He is tempted to sin just like us but he does not sin according to the Scriptures. He then can be the perfect sacrifice, the lamb without blemish like the ancient Jews brought once a year to the temple to make atonement for their sins. Wow, makes sense , doesn't it. There is also a prophesy in Genesis three that says the offspring of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. It is believed that Jesus death and resurrection fulfilled the crushing of the devil's reign. Jesus calls Lucifer the prince of this place, prince of the air. Where does he come from? We will be discussing these thoughts and many others in our lesson this week. See you in church. Pastor Eddie 15 Sept
Dear Friends:
We begin today a study of the Bible. Genesis through Deuteronomy are called the books of the Mosaic Law. The rest of the Old Testament is divided into the Prophetic and Historical writings. It is believed by many that the first five books were written by Moses. The only struggle with this is that Moses death is recorded in the last book. One theory believed by some is called the JDEP theory. This idea tells us that different passages may have come together over the years by the Spirit of God from different sources. For instance: the first two chapters of Genesis. Genesis 1:1-2:4 tells us that the creation story called God by the name of God (EL sometime later called Elohim) Starting with verse five God is called the Lord God or Jehovah. Hmmmmmmm..... very interesting. Some have felt that the second chapter of Genesis, when it refers to God as Jehovah is a second creation story. Others believe it is simply an enhancement of chapter one like the Amplified Bible where different words are expressed with a couple of synonyms. This gives the reader a better picture of the thought being expressed. If these are two different accounts of the creation then the compiler(Moses) would hold both sacred and not blend them but put them side by side. This is what the New Testament Gospels are all about. Side by side they tell us four different accounts of Jesus and his ministry. The Old Testament in the Hebrew Bible has less books than our Old Testament but not because they have less books but because they have combined a number of our Old Testament writings into one selection. A good example of this is that we have twelve Minor Prophet books and the Hebrews call this one book. As you can see, there are many fascinating thoughts regarding the Bible and how we receive it as God's Holy Word. Come join us in our study. See you in church. Pastor Eddie 7 Sept
Dear Friends:
We begin our study this week on the Bible. Our opening study will look into how the Word became what we have today. We will also touch on the importance of the Qumran Caves and the finding of the Dead Sea Scroll. Those scrolls contained fragments of every book in the Old Testament except Esther. What is so wonderful about those texts is that about 35% of them were in Hebrew. The oldest Hebrew text until their findings dated about the 9th century (ce) or common era. We do have the Old Testament recorded in Greek as far back as the 4th century (BC) Before Christ. These Qumran scrolls date from about 2nd century BC to 1st century CE.
We will also look into the first five books of the Bible called the Torah. After the Torah(Law books) we have the historic writings, the poetic writings and then the prophetic writings. The last book of the Old Testament is the book of Malachi written about 400 years before Christ. There was prophetic silence for all those years until John the Baptist began preaching, "Repent! For the kingdom of God is at hand" in the New Testament. He said that he was the fulfillment of prophecy where one would come before the Lord getting everything ready for his time. There were books written during those silent years and the Roman Catholic Church has always accepted them as sacred writings but not equal with the Holy Scripture. They are called the hidden books or the apocrypha.
Come out and join us as we begin our study. See you in church.
Pastor Eddie
2 Sept
Dear Friends:
Next week we will be starting a new Pastor's Class, discussing the books of the Bible as well as how it was canonized. Did you know that the the Old Testament was canonized by the Jewish community about the same time as the Christian community? This happened around the third and fourth century c.e.(Christian Era) Wonder why?????
Did you know that before the Dead Sea Scrolls were found that the oldest manuscripts that we had of the Old Testament dated about 1000 years ago? We do have the Greek translation from as early as the 4th century but only fragments of the Greek text. The earliest reliable text in the original Hebrew date 9th century.
Did you know that the Jewish Bible or Old Testament only has twenty-four books instead of our count of thirty-nine? Did you know that 39(3 times 9= 27) is an easy way to remember that we have 27 books in the New Testament? Wonder why the count is different?????
Did you know that the Gnostic Scriptures were not approved by the Orthodox Church? This is where books like, "The Da Vinci Code" come. Wonder why they weren't accepted??????
If you are a wonderer, come and join us on our quest. See you in church.
Pastor Eddie
26 August
I Need HelpLong, long, long time ago, The Rev. Bully Wink Bullfrog was sitting on a great, big lily pad. He was feeling the cool breeze of the fall air and watching the wind ripple the leaves loose from the trees. It was this time every week that he went to this special place to get his sermon. Two little frogs jumping after each other distracted him just enough to let him remember back as a small frog when he and his brother used to play games such as this one.
Why his brother, Slipshot, and himself were the best of buddies back then. They could out swim, out jump, and out do anything that the other frogs could do back in Frogville which was on the south end of the swamp community. Slipshot got his name from being the best in the game of Slipshot. You had to quietly slip past a mean ol' alligator's eye and then shoot a lily pad leaf over his snout The fun was holding on for dear life as the alligator tried his best to throw you off his nose. Why they even thought they lost Slipshot once when the alligator didn't surface for ten minutes. But then to everyone's surprise, Slipshot was found hanging head down from a big Cypress tree. The gator had thrown him so fast that nobody had seen him land on the Cypress tree. Ol'Bully Wink would never forget how mad he had been because he had been so worried and Slipshot knew it. "Why you just worry too much, little brother frog. I can take care of myself " Slipshot easily remarked.
Bully Wink wished he could stop worrying now. It had been years since he had really talked to Slipshot. He had gotten into the wrong crowd and started smoking that lily pad stuff that messes up your brain. Bully Wink had tried many times in the past to help but Slipshot would only get mad and say he didn't need any help. Anyways, he didn't even have a problem.
All of a sudden, the Reverend heard a tremendously loud scream. "Hey hey! BullyWink we need your help", came the call of a squawking hawk. "What's wrong?" BullyWink asked. It's your brother, hurry!" And with that the Rev. moved faster than he had in years. When he finally got to Slipshot he realized the problem. Slipshot being confused by the lily pad smoke he had recently taken had tried to play the game of "Slipshot" once again like he had when he was younger but this time he had been hurt, and hurt bad. Tears came to BullyWink's eyes when he heard what he had been waiting to hear for such a long, long time. "I need help brother, I really need help" Slipshot said weakly. "You're gonna get it big brother, you're gonna get it"
Well, to tell you the truth, things went very well. Slipshot was in the Swampy hospital for a while and then out. Admitting he needed help was the beginning of a new life for him.
25 August
Dear Friends:
We are in the last session of this particular Bible Study. Our topic is our mission or life statement. Our church has a mission statement on our sign in front of the facility. It is,"Sharing God's Light." Now just reading that, anyone could easily say that we are to share God's love all the time. That is what that means. Yes, you are right but it means so much more. The three words themselves each have special meaning: 1) Sharing - This words reminds us that we are a people of action. Jesus said," Go into the world..." Jesus also gives us the Good Samaritan story where we learn that we definitely are our brother's keeper. Now as methodical Methodists(which is where the word comes from) we know that sometimes, the way to help a brother or sister is to say no. We cannot be enablers in the world we serve. The Bible tells us to be peace makers and not peace keepers at all cost. This is just one example of the work it takes to be a "sharing" community. 2) God's - This word reminds us that we a re community of faith and not just a club. There are many wonderful community organizations, doing wonderful things but we are a family united under God. God for us represents the orthodox view of the Trinitarian God. God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as explained in our ancient creeds. These explain our relationship to the creator of our world. 3) Light - This word comes from the same message that Jesus gave calling us the," Light of the world or the Salt of the earth." It is our calling, each and every one of us individually and corporately, to help the world around us turn on the light switch. Obviously, there are those that don't realize that they are in the dark. It is amazing how one can get so use to dimness in their physical and spiritual eyesight that they don't realize there is a brighter place. Some are afraid of the light for they have been in darkness so long that the glimpses of light they see hurts their eyes. We are to carefully and lovingly lead others to where the light is on. This takes time and building of relationships. We can only show them the switch. It is up to them to turn it on for their life. What a great calling we have. Amen Pastor Eddie P.S. We will be starting our Fall study on September 9 at 4:15pm. We are going to walk through the Bible beginning with a general overview of its history and canonization. Hope you can join us. See you in church 17 August
Dear Friends,
Our topic this week is about sharing your testimony. Everyone has a story if they are a christian of how God became real in their life. Our lives may not be as exciting as some of the stories in the Bible but they are just as vital to our christian faith. Most of us feel too shy or uncomfortable in sharing our faith but God never expected a Mother Teresa or Billy Graham response from us. Usually, what a friend needs if they are sharing a struggle with us is a listening ear and a very basic encouragement. Something like this would be very helpful to most situations; You know, I really can't imagine the feeling you must have had, going through that but in my life, God just keeps pulling me through. I really can't explain how it completely happens but I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and come into my life. I really feel his presence. I will be praying for you. I don't offer those King James prayers just simple words like Jesus help my friend. Touch their life and bless them. Help them feel your love. Wrap your big arms around them. Amen.
Jesus gave us the Great Commision in the Gospel of Matthew. There he tells all of us to go into all the world teaching them his words and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For me, going into all the world may simply be my neighbor, co-worker or someone at church. For others it literally is around the world. We are so blessed in our church to have so many that are engaged in missions near and abroad. This last Sunday, Ms. Chelsea Barrow spoke at all three services about her calling to serve our Lord. Chelsea grew up in our church and it has been our privilege to pray for her and support her as she has sought direction from the Lord to serve in ministry. She will be studying for a nursing degree in the next two years and then move where ever the Lord would have her to serve. She definitely follows the Great Commission. Chelsea’s email address is below if you would like to contact her. She will in turn send you pictures from time to time of her ministry, chewy1013@aol.com.
Pastor Eddie
12 August
BullyWink's blog
Long, long, long time ago, Rev. BullyWink Bullfrog was preaching to the critters about Jesus telling his diciples that he was the bread of life. To enhance his message he brought some lily-pad bread. The problem was that the bread was old and by the time BullyWink had brought it to church, it was hard as a rock and very stale. He put a piece up in Maggy-Nolia's branches for the squirrellies but they couldn't crack it open. Boris the bumble bee tried for a while but to no avail. He sent out a message by Boris Code,"Buzz, Buzz, Buzz" just a complaining and griping.
Boris didn't realize in all his commotion that he knocked the bread off the limb. It landed slap dab on Walley Wabbit's head. He turned around and shoved Tony Turtle thinking he had hit him. Before long all the critters were so upset with each other. BullyWink riiibitted out,"Hey, stop, this is just like the problem Jesus had. You are fighting over stale bread. The Lord wants to give us fresh bread every single day. We want to grumble and gripe over old bread we get from each other like misunderstandings and unforgiveness. Riiiibbitt!!! Let's receive the Lord's fresh bread everyday into our lives. His bread is his word of love." With that all the critters stopped their grumbling and listened to the sermon once again.
Riibbitt.
11 August
Dear friends,
Our topic this week is all about finding your mission or purpose in life. The psalmist tells us that God has a plan for us from conception. I believe we probably move in and out of this plan in life as we seek the Lord. If we were perfect then probably we would stay within the boundaries but... let he or she that is perfect cast the first praise for themselves.
One of the ways to fulfill your mission is to study yourself well enough to know your weaknesses. The Apostle Paul said that when he was weak then he was really strong for he relied in those times more than ever on the Lord. Studying oneself shows where we have our strengths and areas that need improvement. Paul also said that Satan was allowed to buffet him with a,"thorn in the flesh," to keep him humble. When he prayed three times for the Lord to remove this weakness, God responded by saying that his grace was sufficient. Paul said that this answer to prayer kept him very humble. Humility is necessary to find your mission in life. We must have a teachable spirit.
We find a great example of this in the story of Mary and Martha. Martha was so busy using her spiritual gifts of service and hospitality that she forgot the greatest gift of all. That is love. Jesus did not rebuke her for her gifts but he rebuked her uncontrolled attitude that was getting nasty."Martha, Martha, you are so worried about so many things. Only one thing is needful and Mary has chosen that. I will not take it away from her." Martha thought her mission in life was to always serve at the very best of her ability. Not seeing her weakness of needing to feel important by serving made her become something she was not, a grumbler!
Pray for a focus on your mission in life. Take the I out of your service and intend to make God look good. These steps will begin to answer your questions about finding your mission in the life God has given you.
Blessings,
Pastor Eddie
3 August
Dear friends,
I hope your week is going well. Our topic for this time is , servanthood. Jesus said that whosoever wants to be the greatest among you must become like a little child. Can you imagine the response he must have received with that comment. How about washing the disciple's feet and telling them afterward that even though he was their Lord, he still would take on the role of a servant and bless them that way. He then uses the teachable moment to tell them to do likewise. Even the Great Commission tells us to go and baptise and teach.... what the Lord has taught us. It appears servanthood is very important. The Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church has asked us to encourage each other to be salty servants. We have lifted up the idea each week to remind everyone to be doers of the word of God and not hearers only. Do you, dear friends, have the heart of a servant? Do you think more about being served or serving others yourself? I know for me personally that I needed a heart change. After Christ came into my heart, he started a process that continues to this day. Now, please don't take this wrong, but I desired to serve him as much as possible after my experience of him filling my heart with incredible love and assurance that he loved even me. From then on I made it part of my regular prayer for the Lord to continue a work in me. Help me Lord to have your eyes, do your will. I studied the scriptures to see what a christian life looked like. I took it as the most important thing in the world. It was... He humbled me over and over and sometimes I would go to the extreme of thinking of others and never of self. He woke me with anxiety attacks that that is not the way. I am not to try, try and try again to serve him by serving others. I am to let him live through me and let him pick the people I am to serve. I am to serve myself when he makes the call and let me tell you, that is a wonderful feeling! The only way to truly live the christian life is for Christ to serve through us. I don't know why he did it that way but creation is clear. Because Adam gave up the right of perfection, it took another man to make it right. Jesus was the second Adam. He was all God and all man at the same time. God uses men to change the world. He uses our prayers to make a difference. You can make a difference. You can change the world. In Ezekiel 22 God said he was looking for someone to serve him by climb ing the wall between heaven and earth and stand in the gap. A man was and is needed to pray. Prayer changes everything even the things it wasn't suppose to change. Are you that man or woman that God needs as his servant? I believe you are the one. See you in church special child of God, Pastor Eddie 26 July
Dear Friends:
Our topic this week is about using the God-given abilities we are blessed with. The word of God says that all things that are truly good come from above. Therefore any good gift is truly a gift from our loving heavenly Father. I remember when I was a young person that I had this little fear that God would want me to do things I really didn't want to do. I was also afraid that if I truly gave myself completely to him that he might send me far away as a foreign missionary. Now, I knew that being a missionary was not a bad thing but I just didn't think it was for me. That is what our lesson is about this week.
God has placed in us the gifts and graces to accomplish his goals in this lifetime. Psalm 139 makes it clear that God has a daily plan for us from our conception. What a shame for us to think He would call us to do things we are not equipped to do. As the saying goes,"God is good all the time and all the time, God is good." That is proper theology.Rick Warren tells us that every ability that we have can be used for God's glory. He also states that if we are gifted to do certain things, then probably God wants us to do it. Our personality is also a gift from the Lord. Whether we are an introvert or an extrovert, We can use that trait to bless others, ourselves and God. That thought also reminds us of our limits in how we do things. We don't need to try to change certain things in us just because we are now christian.
Even though we shouldn't try to change certain aspects God has created within us, we sure can grow and mature these abilities. For instance, I in many ways am an introvert. I thoroughly enjoy ministering to people but after I have been with folks for a good while, I have to spend some time alone with the Lord to recharge my battery. That is something I can't change and it reminds me to be obedient to whom God created me to be. I'm sure as you continue to know yourself better in Christ, you will see areas in your life that will flow so much better if you adhere to your Creator. Remember, He knows you better than you know yourself. So learn from him.
See you in church.
Pastor Eddie
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