Dear Fellow Children of God,
More than once church members of St. John have longingly shared
with me, “I miss my mother so much. It would be nice just to talk with her and
see what she thinks.” I
understand. It has been 4 years now
since my mom passed away, but, yes, it would be nice to talk with her and see
what she thinks.
Do you know that The Church is sometimes referred to as
our “spiritual mother?” Think of the
similarities. A mother gives birth to a
child; God works through His church to give the new birth of faith in Jesus through
God’s word, and through water and the Spirit.
(John 3:5, 1 Peter 1:23). A mother feeds and nurtures a child to
maturity; in God’s church people are fed and nourished for faith in Jesus
Christ, leading to maturity. (Hebrews
5:12, 2 Peter 3:18). Parents, in love,
correct their children to keep them from harmful dangers in life; in God’s
Church children of God are corrected so they might live healthy and fruitful
lives. (2 Timothy 3:14-17, Hebrews
12:5-9). There are more similarities but
you get the picture. In many ways The
Church is our spiritual mother.
It is difficult
to lose one’s mother or a parent. So,
what happens to young people when they leave home and their spiritual mother,
the church where they were raised, is no longer there? I have often heard college students tell me, “I
can’t find a church that is like our church at home?” Yet, when a person loses their mother, they
find a way to continue in life, remembering the love and teachings of their
mother. When a Christian leaves their
spiritual home, they still need to continue.
They still need to find a church where they can be fed, and loved by God
and His people, and also find ways to serve our Lord.
So, last week was Confirmation Sunday. While the class was still meeting I taught
about the topic, “How do you find a church as an adult?” I believe this is important enough to share
with you. My instructions to our young
people were based on 3 principals. If
you have left home and need to find a place to worship and serve God, look for
a church where
·
Scripture is taught and believed to be the Word
of God.
·
The congregation, even though made of sinful
humans, sincerely seeks to live out what God teaches in Scripture, and
·
The good news of God’s grace in Jesus is seen as
the central teaching of Scripture. A
church should teach that God forgives us and saves us as we believe in Jesus, because
Jesus died and rose for us.
Someone might wonder about such a strong emphasis on the
Bible. But, I instructed the 8th
grade class to consider the attitude of Jesus Himself toward the
Scriptures. Please consider what Jesus
said.
In
John 10:35 when the religious leaders of the
day were challenging what Jesus said about Himself, Jesus quotes a verse from
the Old Testament and then told the people, “and the Scripture cannot be broken.” That is not a pastor saying this, but Jesus
Himself.
In Matthew 22:29 when Jesus was challenged by the
Sadducees on the teaching of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus quoted a verse
from Exodus 3, and told those opposing him, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the
power of God.” Please remember,
these are not just the words of an enthusiastic believer. These are the words of Jesus Himself!
Later
in that same chapter, Jesus teaches about Himself as the Messiah by quoting
from Psalm 110. He points to the truth
of the verse by asking the question in Matthew 22: 43 "How is it then that David,
speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? In other words, David may have
been used by God to write those words. But
it was the Spirit, it was God Himself, who was speaking through David.
And, when Jesus prays for His disciples and The
Church on the night of His last Passover He asks His Father, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is
truth.” Our Lord Himself tells us
that God’s word IS truth!
If this is how our Lord felt and taught about God’s Word,
then the Word of God is the primary guide and strength for people today. So, when looking for a church it is important
that a person finds a church that teaches and lives according to the
Scriptures, and that a person finds a church that understands the main teaching
of the Bible, Jesus. Perhaps a good
summary of all of this is what Jesus told people gathered to hear Him teach, "Blessed
rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." (Luke 11:28)
Someday today’s 8th grade students will leave
their parents’ home and live on their own.
At that time we hope they will not forget their faith, but will continue
to grow in faith and bear fruit. So, hopefully,
our 8th grade students heard the messages in this lesson. As they were confirmed last Sunday I thought
it was important to share this with you as well.
A Child of God, Seeking to Hear the Word of God and Keep
it!,
Pastor
Jonathan
P.S. Here are pictures of last Sunday’s
confirmation class. https://plus.google.com/photos/114993745799525883148/albums/6138831151956731393?banner=pwa
P.P.S. In work on Wednesday, April 15, Harper June
Manelick was baptized. Harper is the
daughter of Augie and Sarah Manelick.
Here is a picture of the baptism.
https://plus.google.com/photos/114993745799525883148/albums/6105100932013912881/6138846402896724610?banner=pwa&pid=6138846402896724610&oid=114993745799525883148
P.S. Please remember that this Sunday, April 19, there is only ONE worship service at 10:00 a.m.
so that we may eat a brunch and meet after the worship service. Please see below!
****
ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’
- I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St.
John members and friends whose e-mails I have. (I am always adding new
names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for
the first time.) However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail,
please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this
message. . .
****
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