In Spirit And Truth

September 29, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Faith, Trust

In Spirit and Truth

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
‭‭John‬ ‭4:23‬

True Worshippers

The day that Jesus encountered the woman at the well something amazing occurred.  Jesus went to the well after traveling and was very thirsty.  He met a Samaritan woman who was drawing water and asked her to draw Him some water.  He promised her living water that would truly satisfy.  Then he asked her to call her husband. She said she had no husband but Jesus knew she has had five husbands, and was living with a man. This woman was looking for satisfaction and fulfillment but could never find it.

She tried to change the subject with her question about worship. The question is not where you worship but what you worship. She was trying to find satisfaction from a man instead of from God.  Jesus, of course, had full knowledge of her heart and history.

The fact that the woman came to the well at noon reveals a lot.  She did not draw water in the morning when the other women were around because she was shameful.  But her encounter with Jesus changed her life.  After she met with Jesus, “The woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”” (John 4:28–29)  She immediately went to the people she had avoided with an invitation and an openness about herself.  The shamefulness was over.  Jesus knew all that she had done and still offered her living water.  That is a result of a true worshipper.

Prayer

Lord, I worship You and You alone.  You are all that I need.  Change me and make me new.

Lord Of Glory

September 25, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Faith, Trust

Lord Of Glory

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
‭‭James‬ ‭2:1‬ ‭

God’s Beauty

What comes to mind when you think of God’s glory?  Is it a cloud of smoke?  Maybe a bright light?  Both are great visions because of what men visioned the glory of God to be in the Scriptures.

James writes to believers who were scattered due to the persecution of the church in Jerusalem. He is concerned with the faith of believers and wants to make sure their faith is real. We too, should read the book of James with this concept in mind; is our faith real?  Most certainly there are tests to confirm such a truthfulness as we live out our faith everyday. We face trials and sufferings and even encounter temptations because we are tested in our faith. Our faith will increase as we obey the Word of God and testify to the truthfulness of God’s Son. Faith in Jesus saves us from our sins and gives us eternal life in Heaven. That is why we all must be certain that our faith in Christ is real.

James says that our faith will reflect the glory of God. Real faith in Jesus will be evident in the things we say and do. Everything we do should show the beauty of God. Our lives will display the glory of God even though we suffer and are persecuted. The reflection of God’s glory will be a witness and testimony without having to declare that you are a Christian. People will see you for who you really are. They will see your actions in accordance to how you live your daily life. We all sin, but we show God’s glory through mercy and forgiveness.

Prayer

Lord, let Your glory shine through me today. Help me to be a witness of Your beauty.

Murder

September 17, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Faith, Trust

Murder

“You shall not murder.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20:13‬ 

Are You A Murderer?

You are probably reading this and wondering why in the world would this be the scripture for today.  Most, all, people know that the intentional killing of a person is a sin.  You don’t even have to be a Christian but you know that murder is morally wrong.  You would think that no one in their right mind would ever intentionally kill someone else.  However in today’s world we need to biblically teach that murder is a sin and the Sixth Commandment.

Cain killed his brother Abel.  Moses killed an Egyptian.  David killed Goliath and had Uriah killed.  Paul had Stephen stoned to death and was responsible for persecuting and killing Christians.  As you can see there were many key people in the Bible who committed murder or were part of the act of murder.  There are many occasions in the Bible that hundreds and thousands were killed because of one person.  We need to teach, “You shall not murder.”

Jesus intensified it and took murder to another level.  You may be thinking right now that you have never murdered or killed anyone so you are good.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:22 anyone who is angry with his brother is guilty of the same judgment of murder.  That is serious.  Because we have anger in our hearts toward another person we too can be just as guilty as someone who has committed murder.  Paul says if your enemy is hungry you must feed him, not kill him.  Murder stems from a condition of the heart.  Jesus says because you have hatred or anger toward someone you are a murderer.  If you have hatred or anger toward someone it is time to get things right with them.

Prayer

Lord, I don’t want to be a murderer.  Help me to love instead of hate.  help me to forgive just as I am forgiven.